Patient Advocacy Now

Your GPS in Healthcare: Navigating Medicine, Mindset, and Advocacy

Greater National Advocates Season 3 Episode 16

In this episode, Dr. Nicole Rochester shares her remarkable journey from practicing pediatric medicine to becoming a nationally recognized health advocate. Sparked by her experiences caring for her late father, Dr. Rochester realized how vital her medical knowledge and connections were in navigating a broken healthcare system. That realization inspired her to create Your GPS Doc in 2017, where she helps families and patients understand their diagnoses, bridge communication gaps, and make empowered decisions about care.

Over time, her work expanded beyond one-on-one advocacy to training other physicians to do the same. Through her program Navigating Health Advocacy Ready Set Launch, she has guided dozens of physicians in transforming their careers, building advocacy businesses, and addressing mindset barriers that hold them back. She emphasizes that while medical knowledge is critical, learning how to market, price, and build sustainable practices is just as important for long term success.

Dr. Rochester also speaks nationally on critical issues like empathy in healthcare, medical gaslighting, and systemic racism. Her TEDx talk introduced the concept of the “90 second encounter,” showing how small shifts in patient connection can transform trust and outcomes. She continues to advocate for structural accountability in healthcare while helping patients and doctors alike cut through barriers. To learn more about her advocacy work, coaching, and speaking engagements, visit: http://yourgpsdoc.com