I had the pleasure of attending and speaking on a panel at the 23rd annual Healthcare Leaders Conference in Dallas, Texas, this week. The event was held at the historic Old Parkland.

In addition to discussing opportunities and challenges facing the longevity and wellness category with industry leaders like my friend Jimmy St. Louis, CEO of Agentis Longevity, and Ritu Nalubola of The Marwood Group, a thoughtful career FDA regulator and advisor, I enjoyed the keynote by award recipient Ann Barnes, CEO of IMO Health. Her four key takeaways on leadership reminded me of several in Leadership and Life Hacks: Insights from a Mom, Wife, Entrepreneur, and Executive.

I thought I would share her four pieces of advice below, trusting they will be equally resonant:

1. Nothing is a straight line. Not careers, not personal lives. (So don’t expect it to be.)
2. Wake up ready to run. Create a “Giddy Up!” culture on your team. (In the era of AI, this seems more necessary than ever.)
3. Be smart (and hope you are also lucky).
4. Be curious. Ask questions and be okay with not knowing the answer. For example, Ann shared that if a data scientist goes too deep on the data, you should be willing to say you are lost and ask to go back a few steps.

Ann lives this value by inviting all new IMO employees to a fireside chat with her within their first two months. She tells them that they will likely add the most value during their tenure when they ask the “new” questions others no longer ask but should. I like this advice because it empowers new team members to make a real impact.

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