The Audacity to Feed 100 Families. Then Everything Changed.

The Audacity to Feed 100 Families. Then Everything Changed.

In 2020, someone challenged Dion Dawson with a simple question: "What are you doing for Juneteenth?" In that moment, he made a commitment. "I'm going to feed 100 families." What began as a promise became a mission. Today, Dion is the Founder and Chief Dreamer of Dion's Chicago Dream, an organization that delivers fresh fruits and vegetables to more than 5,300 households every week across 183 ZIP codes in Cook County, Illinois. In June 2026, his work will be featured inside the Obama Presidential Center. But this conversation isn't really about food. It's about purpose. Before building an organization that now serves thousands of families each week, Dion spent years searching for where he fit. In this deeply personal conversation, he shares his journey through uncertainty, depression, self-discovery, and the experiences that ultimately helped him find work that aligned with who he is and what he values most. Dion reflects on the Juneteenth moment that started it all, the lessons he learned from his mother's cancer diagnosis, the importance of self-love, and why meaningful work rarely begins with a perfect plan. He also explains why he chose the title "Chief Dreamer," how he built an organization without compromising his values, and why he believes helping others is a daily commitment rather than a one-time act. His story is a reminder that meaningful work often finds us in unexpected ways. Sometimes it begins with a single decision, a willingness to move before you're ready, and the courage to trust that the path will reveal itself along the way. If you've ever wondered whether you're on the right path, still searching for your purpose, or waiting for the perfect moment to begin, this conversation is for you.   Dion Dawson's bio: Dion Dawson is the founder and Chief Dreamer of Dion’s Chicago Dream, one of the nation’s most efficient last-mile Food-Is-Medicine enterprises, and CEO of Cosmic Crate, a logistics technology platform scaling impact for mission-driven teams. Since launching on Chicago’s South Side, Dawson has scaled Dion’s Chicago Dream from startup to a $7M operation, raising more than $17 million while serving thousands of households weekly and delivering hundreds of thousands of pounds of fresh food monthly across Chicagoland region. His enterprises has achieved 6,400% growth while maintaining positive margins since launching. His logistics-first model proves that food insecurity isn’t inevitable, it’s solvable through better design. A TED fellow & speaker, Echoing Green Fellow, and Rockefeller Foundation Big Bets Fellow, Dawson has shared platforms with Presidents, foreign diplomats and influential figures. He’s been recognized by Crain’s 40 Under 40, the White House End Hunger Challenge, and the Chicago Innovation Awards. Today, Dawson advises Fortune 500 companies, philanthropic institutions, and policy leaders on building equitable systems at scale. His work sits at the intersection of social entrepreneurship, health equity, and systems innovation proving that sustainable change requires both compassionate vision and operational excellence.        Music Credit: "Upbeat Corporate" by Music For Creators is licensed under CC BY (Creative Commons Attribution) via freemusicarchive.org.

Starting Over and Finding Community

What does it actually take to build community as an adult, especially when you’re starting over? In this episode, I sit down with Bob Krinsky, who made a bold decision after more than 30 years in San Francisco to move to New York and begin a completely new chapter. What stands out is not just the move, but how intentional he has been about creating community from scratch. Bob shares how he went from having an established life and network to actively rebuilding connection in a new city. From joining running clubs and improv classes to hosting gatherings and mentoring young musicians, he shows what it really looks like to put yourself out there. We talk about the discomfort that comes with reaching out, the mindset required to push past self-doubt, and why so many people struggle to build meaningful connections even though they know it matters. This conversation is a reminder that community doesn’t just happen. It’s something we choose to create. If you’re navigating a transition, feeling disconnected, or simply thinking about how to build deeper relationships in your life, this episode is for you.   Bob Krinsky Bio: In August, 2002, Bob set out to create a growth strategy and healthcare innovation consulting firm to serve the healthcare ecosystem from the inside out. His ambition from day one was to help visionary leaders accelerate transformative growth while improving the patient, caregiver and care-team experience. The promise of delivering "strategy with a twist" has guided this vision for the past 24 years. Under Bob's leadership, The Krinsky Company (TKC) was named a 2022 Top Ten Healthcare Consulting Firm by Healthcare Business Review. The firm, now 30 strong, is a highly diverse, global team of incredibly bright, strategic and creative consulting professionals. Bob is most proud of the culture he has created, the clients whose trust TKC has earned and the impact TKC is having across the ecosystem. Now in its 3rd season, "The Game-Changing Women of Healthcare" podcast, shares the untold stories of risk taking, perseverance, vision and leadership required to change the game in this highly regulated, high stakes industry. Now in its fourth year, "The Healthcare Logistics Think Tank / Do Tank" pulls together a community of over 150 C-level leaders from across the ecosystem for monthly exchanges of ideas and best practice sharing. The HLTT/DT was established to accelerate innovation and foster multi-vendor partnering by focusing on the untapped lens of Healthcare Logistics broadly defined. Today, 25 healthcare system CIOs, executive leaders from over 25 medtech/healthcare IT companies and healthcare consulting and service providers including KLAS, HIMSS and CHIME are fully engaged. TKC also boasts an active community of over 500+ Key Opinion Leaders from across the ecosystem who are regularly tapped for advisory communities to support client engagements. Even more important to Bob than his career accomplishments, he is the very engaged and proud father to Harry (31) and Leo (26).     Music Credit: "Upbeat Corporate" by Music For Creators is licensed under CC BY (Creative Commons Attribution) via freemusicarchive.org.

Healthcare Still Pays for Volume. Can It Really Change?

In this episode, Susan Dentzer, President and CEO of America's Physician Groups, shares a grounded perspective shaped by her work across journalism, policy, and now with physician groups accountable for both cost and quality. Susan explains why healthcare is less a “system” and more a fragmented set of incentives. We discuss why fee-for-service still dominates, what makes value-based care difficult to scale, and how payment models continue to reward volume over outcomes. She also shares what is actually working on the ground. Physician groups taking on full accountability are improving care, reducing unnecessary hospitalizations, and building systems that benefit broader patient populations. We also explore the pressures facing healthcare today, including rising costs, workforce shortages, and an aging population, and why these forces make change more urgent. In our conversation, we examine what is real versus noise, what is holding the system back, and why there may be no viable alternative to value-based care. Listen to the full episode for a clear view of where healthcare is heading and what it will take to move it forward.   Susan Dentzer Bio: Susan Dentzer is President and Chief Executive Officer of America’s Physician Groups, the nonprofit organization representing more than 360 large physician groups focused on patient-centered, coordinated, and integrated health care that is accountable for both costs and quality. Dentzer is a highly respected health and health policy thought leader, a frequent speaker and commentator, and an author of commentaries in Modern Healthcare, the New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst, the American Journal of Public Health, and other prominent publications. She is also the editor and lead author of the book Health Care Without Walls: A Roadmap for Reinventing U.S. Health Care. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and the Council on Foreign Relations and is a fellow of the National Academy of Social Insurance and the Hastings Center. Dentzer graduated from Dartmouth and also holds a master’s degree in health care delivery science from the institution. She is a trustee emerita of Dartmouth, chaired the institution’s Board of Trustees from 2001-2004, and served on the board of Dartmouth Health as well as the Board of Advisors of the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. Dentzer serves on the advisory boards of the Robert J. Margolis Center for Health Policy at Duke University; the Center for Global Health Equity at Dartmouth; and the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies at the University of California – San Francisco (UCSF). From March 2021-March 2023, Dentzer chaired the Board of Directors of Research!America, which advocates for health-related research, and formerly chaired the board of the Global Health Council. Dentzer was also a longtime member of the Board of Directors of the International Rescue Committee, the organization that works in more than 40 countries to help those affected by humanitarian crises survive and rebuild their lives, and currently serves on IRC’s Board of Advisors.         Music Credit: "Upbeat Corporate" by Music For Creators is licensed under CC BY (Creative Commons Attribution) via freemusicarchive.org.

Data Changes Cancer Care, Human Connection Defines It

A patient walks into a hospital with scans already done. And yet, they’re asked to repeat everything. Not because the system is inefficient, but because the data doesn’t mean the same thing everywhere. In this episode, we explore AI and data in cancer care with Dr. Caroline Chung, and why context is the missing piece in turning data into meaningful decisions. Caroline is Chief Data and Analytics Officer at MD Anderson and Chair of Women in Cancer. She sits at the intersection of clinical care, data science, and leadership, and brings a rare perspective on how these worlds actually come together. We talk about why the same scan can lead to different conclusions, how AI can create false confidence if context is missing, and why many promising innovations fail to scale. She shares how her team approaches data differently, focusing on “fit for purpose” rather than perfection, and why defining the problem matters more than the technology itself. She also shares a moment early in her career that reshaped how she sees her role, not just as someone who treats disease, but as someone who walks alongside patients and families through their journey. This is a conversation about progress in cancer care, but also about what we risk losing if we move too fast without intention.   Bio of Caroline Chung, MD, MSc: Dr. Chung is Vice President and Chief Data & Analytics Officer at MD Anderson Cancer Center, where she also serves as Co-Director of the Institute for Data Science in Oncology and holds a tenured professorship in Radiation Oncology and Diagnostic Imaging. A practicing clinician specializing in CNS malignancies, she leads a computational imaging lab pioneering quantitative approaches including digital twins to tumor detection, treatment characterization, and personalized cancer care. What distinguishes Dr. Chung as a trailblazer is her rare ability to translate firsthand clinical challenges into transformative enterprise-wide and global AI strategy. She has architected and championed institutional, national, and international frameworks that bring precision medicine from concept to clinical reality, leveraging data science, AI, and quantitative imaging to measurably improve patient outcomes at scale. Her global thought leadership spans the most influential bodies shaping the future of medical AI. She is co-president of the Quantitative Medical Imaging Coalition (QMIC), co-chairs the Quantitative Imaging for Assessment of Response in Oncology Committee of the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU), and co-chairs the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) AI Community of Practice. She served on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committee on Digital Twins, and as a member of the NIH Advisory Committee to the Director Working Group on AI. Dr. Chung exemplifies the convergence of scientific rigor, visionary leadership, and enterprise impact--making her a defining voice in the responsible and transformative deployment of data science and AI in oncology.       Music Credit: "Upbeat Corporate" by Music For Creators is licensed under CC BY (Creative Commons Attribution) via freemusicarchive.org.

When Venture Capital Serves a Mission

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, yet innovation in this space faces unique scientific, economic, and structural challenges. In this episode of Bold Minds, Christine Winoto speaks with Lisa Suennen, Managing Partner of the American Heart Association Venture Fund, about what it really takes to move healthcare innovation from research to real world impact. Lisa explains why the American Heart Association launched multiple venture funds, including a cardiac device fund, a social impact fund, a women’s health focused fund, and a venture studio, and how each addresses gaps that traditional venture capital often overlooks. She shares candid insights on why healthcare incentives remain misaligned, how venture capital can unintentionally make healthcare worse, and why many funded innovations fail to meaningfully improve patient and clinician experience. The conversation also explores Lisa’s work as a writer and educator at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, what she continues to repeat to founders and MBA students year after year, and why planning a career matters less than choosing the right people and learning environment. This episode is a grounded look at mission driven venture capital, the realities of building healthcare companies, and what gives experienced investors hope in a system that often feels overwhelming.   Lisa Suennen's bio: Lisa Suennen, Managing Partner with AHA Ventures for the American Heart Association, has spent over 35 years in healthcare and technology as venture capitalist, entrepreneur, operating executive, and strategy consultant. She has worked broadly across healthcare and life sciences, and especially where these sectors converge with technology. Lisa is currently Managing Partner of American Heart Association Ventures, a multi-fund platform investing in companies across the full spectrum of healthcare and social determinants of health. She has also held General Partner roles at several venture funds, including Manatt Ventures, Psilos Group and GE Ventures, where she led the healthcare venture fund and sat on the overall GE Ventures Investment Committee. Lisa has also held executive-level operating roles at Canary Medical, Merit Behavioral Care and Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. Lisa was Co-founder and CEO of CSweetener, a company focused on matching mentors with rising healthcare leaders (sold to HLTH Foundation). She chairs the Scientific Advisory Board of the NASA -funded Translational Research Institute for Space Health and the International Investment Committee of the Australian & Victorian government-funded ANDHealth Digital Health Fund, and serves on the advisory boards of several emerging companies. Lisa is a Fellow of the Aspen Institute’s Health Innovators Fellowship and on faculty at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business where she teaches the annual class on healthcare innovation and investment. Lisa writes the Venture Valkyrie blog and is an internationally recognized author and speaker.       Music Credit: "Upbeat Corporate" by Music For Creators is licensed under CC BY (Creative Commons Attribution) via freemusicarchive.org.