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I feel itthe strain, the fractured attention. The constant tug to check, scroll, click. Everything we want is a tap away. Yet when we chase it all, something essential slips through our fingers. I see it clearly in my own world of conferences and events. These are spaces meant for connection, yet people often leave feeling overwhelmed and oddly under-connected. The truth is that genuine engagement is rare. According to Gallup, only 21% of employees are fully engaged. Most are simply going through the motions. Its a similar story at large-scale events and webinars, where participation beyond passive listening has long been the exception, not the norm. Thats exactly why we need to get smarter about how we bring people in. The paradox of our time is this: We can be anywhere, tuned into everything, and still not truly show up. For business leaders, thats a high-stakes dilemma. In a landscape full of options, youre not just competing with the next brand, youre competing for the attention of someone juggling hundreds of emails, dodging spam, and scrolling past a world in crisis. THE CHALLENGE TO SHOW UP None of this is breaking news. The battle for attention is well-documented. But whats less discussed, and just as urgent, is that not all engagement is equal. True participation is more than clicking, liking, or even showing up. It means contributing, influencing, shaping. And it can be the difference between relevance and irrelevance for a brand. Over the years, Ive sat through countless keynotes and meetings where success was measured in metrics that looked good on paper but meant little to those in the room. Still, many businesses chase the easy numbers: impressions, clicks, headcount. These are visible, measurable, and falsely reassuring. But they often track activity without meaning. And mistaking visibility for vitality is a dangerous error. The deeper challenge, and opportunity, is to create environmentsdigital or physicalwhere participation asks people to show up fully, as themselves. To risk being seen. To give shape to the thoughts and questions theyve been carrying but havent had the space to voice. The problem is that much of what we call participation today is extractive. It looks active on the surface. People give their time, energy, and attention, but get little in return. Extractive participation puts people to work: in classrooms, meetings, projects, or jobs, but it leaves them drained. Its not always intentional. Often, it stems from a legacy mindset, treating participation as a metric, not a meaningful exchange. Most places arent designed to make people feel seen, challenged, or changed. Participation is treated as performance. Its become about optics, a signal of engagement, not the real thing. IT DOESNT HAVE TO BE THIS WAY Ive seen this in my own field. Many well-produced industry events make this mistake at scale. They spend millions to bring people together, flying them across countries or continents, yet fail to foster real participation. Attendees sit through polished keynotes and panels without speaking to the person beside them, someone who might be wrestling with the very same challenges they have. They leave with pages of notes, but no real connections nor any transformation. The best questions in the room go unasked or unanswered. The most valuable ideas stay buried, not for lack of brilliance, but because no one created the space for them to emerge. But it doesnt have to be that way. The rooms we gather inphysical or virtualcan do more than host content. They can become engines of energy, curiosity, and exchange. In my own work, Ive seen whats possible when spaces are designed to welcome vulnerability and invite true dialogue. The energy shifts. The space transforms the people in it. Thats when participation changes, from extractive to generative. People begin asking better questions. They challenge each other more openly. And they stay engaged. GENERATIVE PARTICIPATION Generative participation creates mutual growth and it happens when three things are present: Reciprocity: People are not only consuming, they are also giving and receiving in equal measure. Amplification: Contributions build on one another, creating outcomes no single person could reach alone. Transformation: Participants leave different than they arrived, more connected, more capable, more inspired. In the right space, a single question can shift a strategy. A personal story can upend assumptions. A simple idea can spark a new product, a partnership, a path forward. People dont leave drained but energized. They leave with notes scribbled in the margins, names to follow up with, and ideas they cant wait to bring to life. The difference is simple, but it changes everything. Extractive spaces take more than they give. Generative spaces turn contribution into creation and connection, both with others and with oneself. Thats the difference between engagement that feels like a performance and connection that feels like a life force. The ability to contribute meaningfully isnt a nice-to-have. Its a strategic asset. The challenge is, its hard to measure. You cant showcase it on a slide like attendance numbers or social impressions. But when its missing, you feel it: classrooms where students check out, communities that cant mobilize, businesses full of talk but starved for clarity. And when its there, you feel that too: Teams move with purpose, networks grow stronger, and ideas dont just echo, they spark action. GIVE UP SOME CONTROL True contribution thrives in environments that signal safety, openness, and curiosity. But creating that kind of space goes beyond making people feel comfortable. It means loosening your grip, letting go of control so others can step in, speak up, and shape what happens next. Because heres another truth: Real participation involves giving up some control. We spend plenty of time and energy trying to generate engagement, a phrase that sounds like progress but often sidesteps the harder work of inviting real contribution. True participation is rarely tidy. Creating space for it means welcoming the unexpected. Because the unplanned and the unpolished often create the conditions for something more powerful to emerge. Thats where shared meaning, surprising insight, and the breakthroughs our organizations and our world need most begin to take shape. Christine Renaud is CEO of Braindate.
Category:
E-Commerce
As a physician at Duke, I often saw how women, especially those juggling chronic illness, caregiving, and limited healthcare access, faced delays in getting the right care. What stood out wasnt just the complexity of their conditions, but how predictable the barriers were. Women face unique challenges in getting timely access to the care they need. Many care options are simply inconvenient and often do not meet patients where they are. For example, forcing a busy working mom to take the day off work, driving 30 minutes for a routine screening can be a challenge if having to juggle a 9-5 and childcare too. Many women are caregivers for aging parents or children, compounding the challenge of taking care of oneself. To make health more equitable, women require convenient options to engage in their health and readily participate in research. Recently, a landmark 40-year study of beta-blockers, one of the most common medications prescribed, demonstrated that adverse effects on women, when taken after specific types of heart attacks. This flew in the face of what I was taught in medical school, though at that time there werent enough studies with women participants and the information just wasnt available. For years, women have been prescribed these medications, based on study designs that didnt adequately represent them. Its not just that women are underdiagnosed or left out of research; its that we’remissing a massive opportunity to advance health by elevating options for women. Women are the most frequent healthcare decision makers, but also the longest consumers of healthcare (i.e. women live longer than men!) in the economy. While women account for 80% of healthcare decisions, they also make up 65% of the healthcare workforce. They experience more chronic disease, and spend more out-of-pocket, not including maternity costs. They use more prescriptions, attend more appointments, and shape family health behavior. If youre building a product, launching a trial, or setting a research agenda, the reality is simple: Youre already in the business of womenshealth, whether you know it or not. WOMENS HEALTH IS MORE THAN BIKINI MEDICINE For too long, womens health has been conventionally categorized by the body parts covered by a bikinireproductive care, breast cancer screenings, and obstetrics related topics. This is instead of what it truly involves: the whole body. Several studies show women are consistently and disproportionately affected by stroke, cardiovascular disease, neurocognitive disorders such as dementia, and more. Women are the cornerstone of the entire healthcare market,whichcan boost the global economy $1 trillion annually by 2040. Bikini medicine has left care gaps in everything from heart disease to chronic pain. On the biopharma side, just 4% of R&D spending targets medical research specific to women. And yet in 2024, female-focused startups received only 8.5% of digital health funding, down from nearly 15% in 2020. This isnt about a lack of innovation. Its about a lack of prioritization. WHEN WOMEN ARE LEFT OUT, EVERYONE PAYS There are real costs when women are left out of the data: Clinical risk: Women are twice as likely to experience side effects and we arent sure why. Potentially, its because trials skew male. Economic drag: Women spend 25% more of their lives in poor health compared to men. That results in billions in lost productivity and missed potential. Reputational fallout: In a consumer-driven world, building products that dont work well for half the population is a fast way to lose trustand market share. Getting women into research is not a nice-to-have. Its critical for safety, quality, and return on investment, and to develop therapies that work well for over half of the people they are prescribed to. CLOSING THE GAP COULD UNLOCK $1 TRILLION A YEAR McKinsey estimates that improving outcomes for women could add $1 trillion to the global economy annually, by 2040. Thats not wishful thinking. Its rooted in simple interventionsbetter diagnosis, smarter data, faster access to care. Consider this: Half of all women in the U.S. Half of all women in the U.S. each year skip or delay care, often due to costs, scheduling issues, or a lack of trust in the system. Couple this with clinical research historically, and there is less substantial womens data available to train AI models powering the future of care, even though women take more medications and manage more chronic conditions. This is where the opportunity lies. Build for the real world, and you build a better business. DESIGNING FOR WOMEN DOESNT MEAN EXCLUDING OTHERS Theres a common fear that focusing on women somehow limits your market. But the opposite is true. Solutions that meet womens needslike care navigation, chronic disease support, and flexible benefitssolve for a broader population, too. What makes womens health complex is also what makes it valuable. If your product or trial can work for women across life stages, it can be used to inspire solutions for anyone. WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN NEXT If we want to change the trajectory of womens health, we need to: Make convenient options for women to improve access to resources and research participation. Fund more companies prioritizing women in their design and leadership. Follow the January 2025 FDA guidance for trials and datasets to reflect real-world populations, like menopausal status and menstrual cycles. Expand benefits that meet womens needs beyond reproductive care. Build tools that understand female physiology and behavioral patterns. This isnt just a moral imperative. Its a competitive one. LETS SHIFT THE CONVERSATION Equity in healthcare is an imperative focus of health innovation and personal to many of us, but theres a business case thats been hiding in plain sight. Women are the health economys chief consumers, workers, and unpaid labor force. Failing to invest in women is failing to invest in the market. Joy Bhosai, MD MPH is founder and CEO of Pluto Health. Jessica Federer, MPH is the managing director of the Womens Health Fund, and an investor in Pluto Health
Category:
E-Commerce
Leading the Exceptional Women Alliance gives me a front-row seat to how accomplished women lift each other through mentorship and growth. Joanna Dodd Massey is a corporate board director and Fortune 500 executive with expertise in risk, governance, and crisis leadership. She has a PhD in psychology and advises boards and executives navigating high-stakes challenges and organizational change. Q: Why do family conversations turn so tense during the holidays? Massey: Alcohol and forced family fun play a role, but underneath it all is our biology. Human beings are one of those species that cant survive alonewere hardwired for connection because our survival depends on belonging to a tribe. When someone attacks our beliefs, the automatic part of our brain reacts as if were in danger. It doesnt know the difference between a tiger in the wild and a relative on a rant. That reactionwhat we call the fight, flight, or freeze responseshuts down the rational part of the brain that handles logic and self-control. Its why calm people suddenly get intensely defensiveor disappear into the kitchen. Q: The minute someone mentions politics at dinner, most of us reach for the wine or change the subject. Is there a better way? Massey: YesI teach an easy three-step process: (1) honor yourself, (2) honor your neighbor, (3) share your story. Our country was founded on the idea that all people are created equal and endowed with unalienable rights, including freedom of thought and expression. When you stand in that liberty, you dont need others to agree with you. If someone mocks or shames you, thats just their opinion. These three steps are an easy way to remember that disagreement doesnt exile you from humanity. In fact, having disagreements amicably shows that Americans can respect differences and still break bread togetherjust like we did at the first Thanksgiving. Q: Tell us about those three steps. How do they work? Massey: Step 1: Honor yourself is about keeping yourself grounded and your rational brain in the drivers seat. First, notice whats happening in your body before you open your mouth. If your heart rate spikes, your jaw tightens, or your shoulders creep toward your ears, thats your survival system signaling that its about to take controland once it does, theres nothing you can do to stop it. When you notice those signs, take some deep breaths or use a breathing technique, like 4-square breathing. It distracts your mind and floods your cells with oxygen. With your rational brain still online, remind yourself theres nothing to winyou arent changing them, just like they arent changing you. Step 2: Honor your neighbor is about helping the other person stay in their right mind. When we feel attacked, defenses go up. The moment you shift the conversation from condemning to curiosity, everything changes. We all have a story that has shaped us, so say to the other person: Thats an interesting point that I hadn’t thought of. Can you tell me more about how you came to that understanding? When people feel heard, their survival system doesnt worry about being kicked out of the tribe. Step 3: Share your story is exactly what it saysyoure sharing your story, not your opinion. The automatic brain doesnt care about facts, data, or statistics, so using them wont change anyones mind. What can people here? Vulnerability. When you talk about your own experience, an argument turns into connection. Simply put, the answer to our differences is to humanize them, not politicize them. Q: So, we should just nod and agree with everyone? Massey: Not at all. These steps arent about agreeingthe goal is to have a conversation, not a confrontation. Think of it as dinner-table diplomacy. Q: That sounds nice in theory, but does it really work in practice? Massey: Yesand theres a great example from the pandemic. Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, a respected conservative, joined a podcast where infectious disease experts debated anti-vaxxers, but no one was convinced. Then Christie told a personal story. He said he got vaccinated because his aunt and uncle died of COVID, and hed had a severe case himself. He said he got the vaccine because he didnt want to diebut also told them they didnt have to, because this is America and thats their right. What happened? He was calm and confident in his position (Step 1). He listened and respected their opinion (Step 2). He didnt try to convince them; he shared a very personal story (Step 3). Q: Whats the biggest takeaway for people heading into holiday dinners this year? Massey: Remember that everyone at the table has an internal Book of Life According to Mea lifetime of experiences that shaped their beliefs. You dont have to agree, but you can honor the humanity behind those differences. Larraine Segil is founder, chair and CEO of The Exceptional Women Alliance.
Category:
E-Commerce
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