Elevating Healthcare Marketing: Strategic Leadership Insights from the Chief Dot Connector

Mastering Your Personal Brand with Alan Shoebridge

In this episode, Sally sits down with healthcare marketing expert Alan Shoebridge for a conversation about personal branding. Alan shares practical strategies for building a personal brand, navigating organizational dynamics and leveraging social media for career growth. Learn about the importance of your personal brand and how to balance that with your organization’s brand  What We Cover: * Why everyone needs a personal brand, not just people looking for their next job * Why your internal brand (inside your organization) is the most important place to start * Building a Personal Branding framework * Whether AI has a place in building an authentic personal brand (Alan has thoughts!) * The simplest, lowest-lift way to build your brand on LinkedIn  About our guest: Alan Shoebridge is the Associate Vice President for National Communications at Providence, a national nonprofit Catholic health system spanning the entire West Coast. Alan leads a multi-state team responsible for internal communications, PR, issues management, and thought leadership. He's held senior marketing leadership roles at Kaiser Permanente and Salinas Valley Health, and has 20+ years of direct experience in healthcare marketing and communications. He's a sought-after speaker, writer, and one of the most generous voices in the healthcare marketing world. Resources Mentioned: * Alan Shoebridge's blog and website - alanshoebridge.com [http://alanshoebridge.com] * Connect with Alan on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shoebridge/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shoebridge/]  * The Leadership Café - a free online community for marketers to connect, learn, and grow: theleadershipcafe.com [https://theleadershipcafe.com/] Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

Misinformation is officially a global public health crisis

What starts as a conversation about misinformation becomes one of the most relevant discussions we've had on the podcast about trust, truth, communication, and what all of it means for leaders and organizations navigating today's noise. Join us to hear from Pauline W. Hoffmann, Ph.D., a scholar practitioner. Pauline is an associate professor in the Jandoli School of Communication at St. Bonaventure University and is a New York State senior public health fellow with the Cattaraugus County Health Department. She has a LinkedIn newsletter titled WTF? (What the Facts?) which delves into all things infodemic. She is the author of Fake News, Witch Hunts & Conspiracy Theories: An Infodemiologist’s Guide to the Truth, and she opened a bookstore – The Beekeeper’s Bookshop - in March 2026. Oh… and she dives with sharks.  What We Cover: * Pauline's non-linear path from aspiring marine biologist to infodemiologist, professor, public health fellow, and bookstore owner. * The difference between misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation. * Why people who believe fake news aren't stupid, and what's actually behind it: group identity, personal values, cultural and historical trauma, and distrust earned over time. * Why the infodemic has been declared a global public health crisis by the World Health Organization, and what vaccines, measles, and polio have to do with it.  * The practical framework Pauline uses to fact-check anything, and the tools she recommends. * What communicators, marketers, and nonprofit leaders can do to become a trusted source. * The power of community ambassadors and local trust networks.  * Why collaboration between nonprofits and community organizations is the way forward, especially in rural communities facing funding cuts and growing needs.  Resources Mentioned: * Fake News, Witch Hunts, and Conspiracy Theories [https://broadbookpress.com/fake-news] by Dr. Pauline Hoffman.  * Beekeeper's Bookshop [https://bookshop.org/shop/thebeekeepersbookshop] — Pauline's bookstore in western New York. * Connect with Pauline on her: website [https://www.datadoyenne.com/], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/pwhoffmann/], Substack [https://substack.com/@datadoyenne], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/pwhoffmann], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/pwhoffmann/], Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/@datadoyenne]. * AllSides.com [http://allsides.com/] — a tool for seeing how different outlets cover the same story. * The Leadership Cafe [https://theleadershipcafe.com/]— a free online community for marketers to connect, learn and grow.

Amplifying Brand Through Storytelling and Authentic Marketing Leadership

Welcome to the Leadership Cafe podcast, where emerging marketing leaders come to brew new skills, gain confidence, and make an impact. In this episode, Sally Mildren sits down with Jen Rittenhouse, Director of Brand and Marketing at Sitecrafting, to explore the power of storytelling in building authentic brands. Jen Rittenhouse, a journalist-turned-brand marketer, shares her journey from the newsroom to the world of marketing, offering insights into how narrative and purpose can elevate organizational culture and audience engagement. Together, they discuss bridging the gap between messaging and real-world experience, the challenges of content overload and AI-driven shortcuts, and practical strategies for small teams looking to create more meaningful, human-centered communications. Grab your favorite mug and join us for an inspiring conversation about leading with authenticity and making your brand story matter. Today’s guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenrittenhouse/

Closing the Gap in Rural Healthcare Access Through Strategic Communication

Welcome back to the Leadership Cafe! In this episode, host Sally Mildren sits down with rural health marketing leader Khrista Boster, recognized as both a Community Star and Rising Star in her field. Khrista shares her powerful journey from growing up in a small farming town—where firsthand experiences with healthcare access shaped her passion—to leading strategic marketing efforts at Woodlawn Health. They dive deep into the unique challenges faced by rural health organizations, from limited resources and access issues to the importance of marketing being seen as a strategic driver—not just the team that “ties bows and delivers cookies.” Khrista unpacks innovative campaigns like “Close the Gap” and “Local Like You,” highlighting the importance of community trust, creative problem-solving, and using data to secure buy-in from leadership. Whether you’re part of a small, under-resourced organization or just want to hear best practices for building impact-driven strategy and earning your seat at the table, this conversation is packed with insights, practical advice, and inspiration for marketers, leaders, and anyone striving to make a difference in challenging environments. Grab your coffee and get ready for another rich conversation at the Leadership Cafe! Learn more about the Leadership Cafe at theleadershipcafe.com Today’s guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khrista-b-74363811/

Elevating Healthcare Marketing: Strategic Leadership Insights from the Chief Dot Connector

Welcome back to the Leadership Cafe podcast! In this episode, hosts Sally Mildren and Laila Waggoner dive into the transformative power of strategic marketing—especially within the healthcare sector, but with lessons that resonate across all industries. Laila Waggoner, Chief Dot Connector at Strategy for Hire, brings over 35 years of experience in strategic healthcare marketing and shares insights on why marketing is so much more than tactics, posts, and event planning. Together, Sally Mildren and Laila Waggoner unpack what it takes to move from being a “milk and cookies” order-taker to a truly impactful leader within your organization. They discuss the value of objective, outside perspectives, the importance of building strong cross-departmental relationships, and offer concrete advice for those looking to raise the strategic profile of their marketing role—no matter the size of their team or organization. If you’ve ever felt under pressure to “do more with less” or struggled to tie your day-to-day work back to your organization’s bigger mission, this episode is your permission slip to step back, get curious, and start connecting the dots for greater impact. Grab your notepad—these strategies will inspire you to think differently about your work, your influence, and the future of marketing leadership. Today’s guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lailawaggoner/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lailawaggoner/] https://strategyforhire.com/ Learn more about the Leadership Cafe at theleadershipcafe.com