SPEAKER_01 0:52

Good afternoon, Bridget.

SPEAKER_00 0:55

Good afternoon, Dan.

SPEAKER_01 0:57

Uh well, this is the um train um podcast that Rebecca Woods has tasked me to. So she re she interviewed me last week and she said pick someone so I naturally thought of you. And so thank you for joining me on this podcast.

SPEAKER_00 1:13

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 1:15

You're welcome. Um just a couple of quickfire ones to get started so the audience gets to know Bridget. Um what song would be the soundtrack to your leadership journey right now?

SPEAKER_00 1:29

Oh well, actually, this is going to be kind of funny. It's a song that's not in English, but I'll tell you what it means in English. Okay. Basic, basically, it's like she has a lot of attitude when she comes into the room. It's called the song is called like pretty pretty. It's just a fun translation, but it says when she comes into the room, the whole room lights up and the energy changes, and I find myself drawn to her. And I think that that hopefully sums up a bit of my journey and what I'm trying to purposefully create.

SPEAKER_01 2:01

Yes. That sounds very apt. Um if you could host this uh podcast, which uh hopefully you'll do next week, um, anywhere this summer, where would you go to host it?

SPEAKER_00 2:13

Oh, um, I would love to host it on a beach. I won't be particular about the beach, but from the beach would be ideal. Lovely.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

Um, and can you tell me about what your first job was? I know what your job is now, but what what was your first job?

SPEAKER_00 2:30

My very first job would be babysitting. So uh I ran a bit of a babysitting empire starting for the age of 10. So I actually would babysit for multiple different families in the summer, one in the morning, maybe one in the afternoon and one in the evening, um, and had kind of a whole big get-to-do that I did. I had a resume that I walked around with and gave to families at the time. So I started doing that, like I said, from 10. First formal job was working at Walmart uh as a cashier when I was 16.

SPEAKER_01 3:02

Super cool. Um, and the babysitting empire, why am I not surprised? I love it. Um, can you tell us about um a challenge that has shaped you into the leader you are today?

SPEAKER_00 3:20

Hmm, that's a great question. Um, I think ultimately it it comes down to kind of navigating tough situations because I think people very much are defined by how they react to things that they've had to live through and endure. Um, I I try not to judge based upon the bad things that may have happened, but kind of how we get through them. So I think part of that is often what has shaped me as being doubted. So I think we we live in the world of multiple doubt. We have both that self-doubt that we inflict upon ourselves, but also the doubt that's kind of cycling around us. Um, and I know that even early on in my leadership journey, uh when I was in my late 20s as a leader in county government, I was heavily doubted because the structure of a government system is not supportive, generally speaking, of young leaders or young female leaders and the pressures within that system for you to fail, uh, and kind of pushing you toward that failure and people even in meetings trying to undercut you and how you deal with that. So being able to quickly have my voice, own my space, and do it in a way that was not so much reactive emotionally, but more so based on data and facts and being able to push towards solutions and um pretty quickly being able to solve for some major problems from a personnel perspective on the team and gain that rapport and gain the trust and the respect that was needed to be able to make the change was how I navigated that.

SPEAKER_01 4:49

Did you did you have um good mentors along the way who like? I mean, that sounds like a lot. You unpacked a lot there in the last couple of minutes. Like who helped you?

SPEAKER_00 4:59

Yeah, I mean, to be honest, I I've been a pretty independent creature a lot of the time. Um, I haven't necessarily always had great mentors. I did for a brief period, actually, if we're going back to the county time, uh Amy Mendel Clemens was uh the administrator overall for that branch of county government. And I did see as a mentor, unfortunately, her life was cut abnormally short. Um, so that became a very truncated reality. But there are still times that I can, you know, hear her voice or think of how happy she would be to see what's happening now and have maintained some contact, even you know, with family and things like that um in the connection space. But I say she's probably was the first person that I would call kind of more of a true mentor in my world.

SPEAKER_01 5:49

Yeah, yeah. If you could go back in time to those uh your 20s, what what what advice would you give your younger self?

SPEAKER_00 6:00

I think trust your gut, generally speaking. I don't know many people who say, I really wish I hadn't listened to my intuition. I don't think that's so much of a thing that we do. It's more so I should have listened. I have been relatively good at listening, but I think again, that's where both the self-doubt and the other doubt can come into play. Um, and especially me in my 20s, I was in medical school and I made the decision to withdraw from medical school in good standing, which is actually harder to do than getting into medical school medical school. So um that was even for me as someone who's so self-assured, it was a little bit of rocky reality, but um to feel more solid in those those true gut decisions.

SPEAKER_01 6:40

Yeah. I mean, I can only imagine how hard that was. Uh it's it's much harder to take the path uh less trodden, right?

SPEAKER_00 6:50

So yes. But I find much more rewarding as an avid hiker. I love those paths that are a little bit less traveled. I'm sure you can relate from your sailing world as well.

SPEAKER_01 7:02

Yeah. Um, yeah, you want to be in the um small percentage who decide to take that path. That's uh usually way more interesting.

SPEAKER_00 7:10

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 7:12

Um let's uh change track a little bit. So uh I know we've been chatting just coming up to this podcast, and you have this what would seem like a to anyone, uh, a crazy schedule and uh kind of like an amazingly packed uh travel schedule. How do you do it?

SPEAKER_00 7:36

I think I'm almost built for this. Like I wonder sometimes I wonder within myself, am I part robot? As like, you know, I can be such a doubting Thomas when it comes to things, like from AI perspective and things like that. But I'm like, am I actually built for this? I naturally am not someone who requires a tremendous amount of sleep. So that plays to my advantage. Uh, for example, today I've been awake since three o'clock this morning. So I've been awake already for um 13 and a half, almost 14 hours in my time zone. Um, I feel fresh as a daisy. I feel great. Uh, but this is just kind of my my bebop reality. So I think I'm not phased by changes in time zones, even with traveling internationally. I I rally well, I bounce back quickly, my body quickly adjusts. So I think that is to my advantage and of no doing of my own. I also think because of the high level of joy equation that I associate with what I do and my pockets of people across the country and across the globe, I'm deriving such value for my own personal life through these travels, through these interactions, through being able to solve problems in creative ways and really enact change in healthcare that I don't see it as a drain. I don't go into it with a sense of dread. When I was in school Sunday nights, I mean, think about it when you're in high school. Sunday nights were like, oh no, school is tomorrow. I don't want to go. I don't have that feeling going into a work week or going into like a crazy travel schedule or a 5 a.m. flight. I look at it with excitement and looking at my schedule and saying, okay, who am I going to see? What am I going to have packed in here? Um, even a 17 meeting day, which is happens at least once or twice a week, it's, you know, trying to kind of check all the boxes and make sure that I'm able to impact all the people in the most meaningful way possible. Um, and and it works. So I think it's a mixture of like getting true joy out of what I'm doing, being very fortunate in the regard that I do love what I do and the people that I get to do it alongside, um, and knowing that this is ultimately a choice I'm making. Nobody's forcing me to do this. If anything, I'm at fault for it myself. But if it ever becomes a choice I don't enjoy, I'll make a different choice.

SPEAKER_01 9:45

I love it. I love it. Yes, um, deep pockets of joy within work. That's what I heard. Yes. Okay. What what do you do outside work to recharge?

SPEAKER_00 9:57

So nature for me is very much a recharge. So I know I mentioned I I love to hike. I love to be outdoors, to explore nature, to sometimes that's very water-related. I love everything having to do with the water, the life that stems from water and the the noise, the taste of the salt water, the feel of it, all of those things are very centering for me. So um living close to the water when I lived even in other parts of the country, I'd be close to a lake or close to a river. Now I'm closer to an ocean. So those are happy things for me. And also just the exploration of hiking, being able to see what wildlife you can discover, what what noises you hear, and what that is that's making the noise, and just kind of breathing in differently, not just fresh air, but like taking everything around you in differently and having that moment to be a little bit more still because my everyday life is so fast-paced that I really enjoy that. Um, so that can be hiking outdoors, running outdoors, you know, just kind of that exploring, even working in the yard. I enjoy that. I also enjoy music, dancing, theater, like those kind of aspects that are kind of creative outlets, cooking at home, um, and being able to spend time with quality people. I don't get a lot of time at home, but really enjoying the time I am home and being able to spend that with my husband, spending time meaningfully with friends and colleagues when I am with them. So you kind of maximize that impact, even if it is a short amount of time.

SPEAKER_01 11:24

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I love it. Uh, you had me at water, anything to do with water. Um, and and connection. Um, and for me it's so very similar. Um, if you if you if you're actually physically touching one piece of water, you're actually connected to all the water in the world and uh and all the people through it as well. So it's kind of a little woo-woo, but um, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:48

But it also makes you realize how small we really are in the scheme of it, but you know how we can be bigger through that connection.

SPEAKER_01 11:56

Yeah, yeah. Um, is there uh are you reading anything at the moment or listening to a podcast at the moment?

SPEAKER_00 12:03

Or I'm probably the worst. I um I listen to a fair bit of music, um, but I'm not listening to any podcasts, and I'm not an avid podcast listener. If I do ever listen to a podcast, it tends to be like up and vanished or uh things of that nature or um like true murder mystery type things. I will I love that part of life. Um and if I'm reading anything, it's usually a murder mystery. So it's very kind of bizarre. Uh it doesn't mean that I have any homicidal tendencies at all. Uh it just means that I I I'm intrigued by the human psyche and the ways in which that can deviate from what seems natural to my thought process and trying to kind of dissect all of that.

SPEAKER_01 12:49

Is there is there anything you've come across, a quote, a meme, anything that uh in this week that you found inspirational that you can share with us?

SPEAKER_00 12:58

Hmm.

SPEAKER_01 13:02

Really putting you in the spot now.

SPEAKER_00 13:04

I know you are. And because I I I guess I also disclaimer, the only social media I have is LinkedIn. Oh, so my exposure levels to memes and quotes and things like that is extremely limited because I'm not a typical social media scroller. Um, so I don't know that I have an answer. But I think that's okay too.

SPEAKER_01 13:23

That's okay, and that's why uh and that's why you have so much time in your hand that you don't kind of it's not it's not sucked up into that.

SPEAKER_00 13:30

Of course, because I have no time in my hands, and that's why maybe maybe there's a lesson in there somewhere.

SPEAKER_01 13:36

Um what are you most excited about in healthcare right now?

SPEAKER_00 13:47

I think that I mean, we always say we're in a really interesting time in healthcare.

unknown 13:51

Right.

SPEAKER_00 13:52

Like we're we're in a very difficult downward pressure time in healthcare. I think that's just kind of now the norm. I do think we are at an inflection point with how we are going to meaningfully, and you're obviously a big part of this, be able to use AI in ways that can impact outcomes for people in a safe way. Um, but I also think that we are in a place that we're having to be stretched because financiers are are more constrained than they have been, and legislatively there are rules coming down and changes coming that force us into a place that's a bit more uncomfortable from a financial perspective. So we aren't as flush to do all the exciting things we want to do. So we have to be a little bit more creative in our approach. The same way of doing things isn't going to solve these problems that have been longstanding. So we're forced to use our human brains alongside the AI brains to be able to come up with more meaningful solutions. So I like that, the creative aspect of how can we actually make meaningful change in healthcare when we have such constraints around us.

SPEAKER_01 14:55

Yeah, and I I very much agree with those sentiments. It's like, how do you preserve the humanity in this age of computational age where we can have multiple AI agents do work for us on our behalf or kind of short shut shortcut the work? How do we maintain the humanity and that human touch? I think uh definitely onto something there. Yeah. All right, you ready for some quick fire questions?

SPEAKER_00 15:19

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 15:20

Coffee or tea?

SPEAKER_00 15:22

Coffee.

SPEAKER_01 15:23

Favorite summer snack.

SPEAKER_00 15:25

Watermelon.

SPEAKER_01 15:28

Window seat. I've surprised myself. Window seat or aisle seat. Um one word that describes your leadership style.

SPEAKER_00 15:42

Fearless.

SPEAKER_01 15:46

Um all-time favorite vacation you've ever taken?

SPEAKER_00 15:52

Disney World, because it's where I've really seen my mother happy.

SPEAKER_01 15:55

Oh That's really sweet. Um we're gonna we I think we're coming up for time. Um couple of things. Um, let's talk about bluebirds for the last couple of minutes. Um, how long have you been involved with the bluebirds leaders community now?

SPEAKER_00 16:13

It has been since uh it's coming up on two years. November will be two years. That's when I was first actually introduced by a dear friend, Khalid Turk. Um, I was introduced to Rebecca Woods at that time, November of 2024.

SPEAKER_01 16:30

Yeah, and you're very you're still very much engaged in the that community, obviously. Um tell us a little bit about what it means to you.

SPEAKER_00 16:38

Um, I think it's something that takes down some of the barriers to true connection at times. You know, we all live in very busy worlds, and sometimes that becomes a very siloed, lonely type of existence. But this is a way for leaders to truly meaningfully collect, and especially female leaders in the space of healthcare. I think also it's a place to get to the point of we're all better together, kind of like high tides lift all ships, right? So we're we're we're trying to create more space for more leaders. We're not only helping those who have been in the game a long time, but also those who are newer coming in and realizing that some of the existing stigma that there can only be one bright light in the room really isn't true. So getting beyond that and just kind of becoming more of a movement and more of a mission. I'm excited around some of the like real substance areas that we're diving into, which are going to be able to help leaders to get more bang for their buck in their own world and be able to think about things a little bit more creatively, share information and get past against some of those even like regional roadblocks that exist because we all live in those spaces that we are as well. So those are the things that I really enjoy. There's a lot of fantastic people that I've met through Bluebird. Um, and it's just kind of a fun little connection point that we have moments we can come together across different conferences that we're at year to year, touch points throughout the year. And it's just important to have a sense of community. I think at the core of it, people really want something to belong to. And this is, you know, an adult club to belong to that has some good substance to it and really great people.

SPEAKER_01 18:11

Right. Meaningful social connection, 100%. Um last question. Uh, what's one thing you hope that uh listeners today will take away from this episode?

SPEAKER_00 18:24

That being unapologetically yourself is a good thing.

SPEAKER_01 18:29

Bridget Bell, thank you very much.

SPEAKER_00 18:32

Thank you.