Gina Loften

I sat down with the brilliant Vivek Wadhwa, an academic, entrepreneur, and author of five bestselling books for a powerful Saturday Salon conversation. We covered a lot: life, AI, cancer breakthroughs, and what really matters. It’s part of my weekly invite-only podcast where Global Leaders get to learn from the minds shaping our future. Here’s a super short snippet on AI. Vivek is optimistic about tech, but this clip is pure food for thought. Would love to hear what you think—agree or disagree? #TheUnstoppableCircle #Saturdaysalon

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IBM just made their biggest bet on data streaming infrastructure yet - and it makes total sense. IBM announced its acquisition of Confluent for $11 billion, marking another significant move in the enterprise AI infrastructure space. This deal makes perfect sense when you consider the data streaming challenge that organizations face today - with IDC projecting over one billion new applications by 2028, companies desperately need real-time data connectivity across their increasingly fragmented tech stacks. Confluent's Apache Kafka-based platform excels at exactly this, providing the connective tissue that keeps data flowing seamlessly between applications, clouds, and AI systems. What's particularly interesting is how this acquisition fits into IBM's broader strategy of building a comprehensive hybrid cloud and AI ecosystem. Following their acquisitions of Red Hat and HashiCorp, adding Confluent strengthens their position in the infrastructure layer that modern AI applications depend on. The timing could not be better either - as organizations deploy more AI agents and generative AI applications, the need for real-time, trusted data streams becomes absolutely critical. Check out the article here: https://lnkd.in/e8qWF7bu If you like this content, consider subscribing to my weekly newsletter where I share 3 key events in the data and AI space, 2 BigQuery tips, 1 thing that piqued my curiosity - completely FREE. Follow the link below to sign up.☟ www.beardeddata.com/signup #IBM #Confluent #DataStreaming #EnterpriseAI

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What do Olympic athletes and transformation leaders have in common? At the highest levels, it's not skill that separates the good from the great—it's the mental game. In this week’s episode of Wired For Change Podcast, I spoke with executive coach Jennifer Selby Long, who shared a powerful story about working with a coach who helped Olympic athletes go from missing the podium… to taking home gold. Her key lesson? "At that level, it is 100% the mental game." And she believes the same is true for leaders—especially those navigating complex change and high-stakes transformation. From performance psychology to tactical mindset practices, this conversation made me think deeply about how we train (or don’t train) for the emotional endurance leadership really demands. 🎧 Watch the clip below—and catch the full episode for more on: - How to lead when the pressure never lets up - Why self-awareness is your competitive edge - The everyday habits that help leaders stay grounded and effective Have you ever had to develop your mental game to survive—or succeed—in leadership? This week's full episode at on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or watch it on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/dMDsKgZZ and thanks for supporting Wired For Change! #WiredForChange #LeadershipDevelopment #ChangeLeadership #ExecutiveCoaching #LeadershipMindset #OrganizationalChange #PerformancePsychology

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Capital doesn’t create impact — discipline does. As life sciences enters a new era of capital intensity, the challenge isn’t just how much we invest, but how effectively we deploy it. From manufacturing expansion to new modalities and digital infrastructure, capital excellence will define which companies can turn investment into faster, more reliable patient outcomes. In healthcare innovation, efficiency isn’t just operational — it’s moral. Every dollar deployed well brings lifesaving therapies closer to the people who need them most. #LifeSciences #HealthInnovation #Investment #HealthcareLeadership

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Honored to present and learn alongside inspiring healthcare leaders today with one of the largest healthcare systems in the US. The exchange of ideas and shared commitment to advancing healthcare were truly energizing. Unlocking the Power of Organizational Culture 1️⃣ Leaders who intentionally understand employee perceptions can better align mission, vision, and values with reality, making them living aspects of the workplace, not just words. 2️⃣ Gaps in perception between leadership and teams create misalignment and frustration. Open dialogue and transparency are essential to bridge these divides and drive toward shared goals. 3️⃣ Addressing cultural frustrations demands communication and empathy. Respectful conversations and openness to others’ perspectives transform challenges into opportunities for growth. 4️⃣ Cultural change may be challenging, but when leaders and employees collaborate, it sparks greater engagement, innovation, and organizational strength. 5️⃣ Lasting transformation depends on involvement and trust. Leaders must model behaviors and listen; employees must feel empowered to contribute and own the mission and values. #healthcare #learning CHIME HIMSS Bert Hill Joseph Seliski, MBA Ray Lowe Bill Russell #EMHRM NTT DATA Fox News Media CNN Sherri Douville TTIC | Trustworthy Technology and Innovation Consortium Gary Berman IKS Health Phil Summers Brian Talbot Steve Bowman Steve Eckert, FACHE, CHCIO, MBA Erin Satterwhite Shez Partovi Philips Florence Donald John Frownfelter, MD, FACP John Grillos Tom Griga Amy Fowler Stadler Tracy Donegan

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More than 70 million Americans live without regular access to healthcare. In rural Georgia, two providers are changing that one digital connection at a time. Doc Albany is a short film that shows how digital transformation can bridge real gaps in care, trust, and community. Created by Publicis Sapient and Breakwater Studios, and directed by Academy Award–winner Ben Proudfoot, it’s a story about what happens when humanity leads innovation. Now streaming — don’t miss it: https://bit.ly/490gz7A #PublicisSapient #TechForGood

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As #BlackHistoryMonth comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting deeply on the realities that continue to shape health outcomes for Black communities and the responsibility we all share in changing them.   In a recent ABC News segment, emergency psychiatrist, Dr. Adjoa Smalls-Mantey, MD, DPhil, DipABLM, FAPA spoke candidly about the disparities many Black patients still face: delayed diagnoses, limited access to care, economic and geographic barriers, and the impact of bias in clinical settings. Her words were a powerful reminder that prevention measures only work when people can actually access them, and when they feel heard, respected, and supported.   Creating a more equitable healthcare system takes a village. It starts at the educational level by equipping the next generation of clinicians and health leaders with cultural competency, advocacy skills, and the awareness needed to recognize and close care gaps. Providers that listen deeply, build trust, and ensure every patient receives proper care are key to improving care experiences and access.    And the work continues with all of us as individuals: from sharing information, to advocating for health equity, to providing helping hands to those in need, we play important roles in improving the well-being of our communities.   I encourage you to watch the full segment here: https://bit.ly/4c8V1J8

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This International Women’s Day, I’m thinking about caregivers, the quiet backbone of many families and communities. In homes around the world, that role is still disproportionately carried by women. Research from the AARP and National Alliance for Caregiving shows that about 60% of family caregivers in the U.S. are women, many balancing careers, households, and long-term care for loved ones. Yesterday, a family member in her early 60s passed away, barely two months after her mother-in-law, whom she had cared for until the age of 94. Her daughters were looking forward to having more time with their mom. She was hoping for more time with her own mother and siblings and spoke of traveling. Those plans now remain unfinished. A few months ago, Ashwin Krishnan, host of StandOutIn90Sec, asked me a simple question: Who are you thankful for right now? My answer was immediate, my sister. She chose not to leave the town we grew up in so she could stay close to our parents, and today she is their primary caregiver. His follow-up question prompted me to reflect on time: How conscious are we of how we spend it? It reminded me how sacred time is, not just precious, but finite. Being present, prioritizing what matters, and caring for our own well-being is not indulgent; it is necessary. Caregiving often comes with deep emotional commitment. It is rarely transactional. It is done out of love, responsibility, and a sense of duty. But caregivers also need care. So this International Women’s Day, my reflection and commitment is simple: to stay mindful about health, time, and presence, and to encourage every caregiver, women and men, to take care of themselves with the same dedication they give others. Because making yourself a priority is not neglecting others; it is sustaining the ability to keep showing up for them. As Audre Lorde wrote, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation.” #InternationalWomensDay #Caregiving #SelfCare

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I just read that IBM is tripling their entry-level hiring. Not cutting it, tripling it. Why? Because they realized what we’ve known at Digital NEST since day one: You can’t automate heart. ❤️ You can’t automate the perspective of a young person who’s grown up navigating two worlds at once. When I’m at a NEST center, I don’t see "entry-level" professionals. I see creators. I see problem-solvers who have more ganas in their pinky finger than a chatbot has in its entire database. If companies use AI to stop hiring young people, they might think they're "saving money" in the short-term. But they’re closing the door on the very people who are going to lead them five years from now. We don’t need to replace our youth. We need to right-size the work. Let the machines do the boring, repetitive stuff. Let our youth do the real work, the thinking, the connecting, the building. At the NEST, we aren’t teaching our members to "compete" with AI. We’re equipping them with the skills to use AI on their own terms. To my friends in tech and business: Don't look at AI as a way to shrink your team. Look at it as a way to finally give young talent the space to actually lead. The talent is ready. The grit is there. Are you going to open the door? https://lnkd.in/gczY9CFh #DigitalNEST #Watsonville #Salinas #Stockton #FutureOfWork #AI #Ganas #YouthLeadership

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In #leadership, clarity is currency. Clarity is a leadership superpower — and it usually shows up first as resistance. In 2010, I was tasked with what many quietly called career suicide: Work with global system integrators to build their Cloud practices and define cloud solutions — when they were already making billions from traditional data center and managed services. For them, cloud wasn’t just unproven. - It was high risk. - It threatened their core business. - It meant rewriting their playbooks — and risking their margins. Every meeting was a wall of resistance. - We’re doing fine without it. - Our clients don’t want this yet. - Why fix what’s already profitable? And yet… I knew the cloud wasn’t just a technology trend — it was the future of business. I had to get clarity on why it mattered, not just for the next quarter, but for the next decade. So, I unplugged one weekend. Sat with a blank page. And asked myself: ✅ Why would a GSI bet on cloud? ✅ How do we make it additive, not cannibalistic? ✅ What kind of architect can bridge that gap with credibility? Those answers became my compass. We defined one of the first Cloud Solution Architect roles #CSA, crafted value propositions GSIs could sell without fear, and turned skeptics into champions. Over the next few years, those very GSIs grew thriving cloud businesses alongside their traditional models — shaping an industry-wide shift. 💡 That experience taught me: Leaders don’t wait for clarity to emerge. They create it — by cutting through fear, noise, and inertia. But clarity isn’t something you stumble upon mid-sprint. It’s forged in pause, perspective, and purpose. This weekend, I invite you to disconnect to reconnect: 🔍 Reflect on your why 🧭 Reassess where you're headed 🧹 Let go of the noise that clouds your focus 📌 Realign your vision Because clarity is not a condition you’re handed. It’s a choice you make — even when you stand alone at first. If you’ve been feeling the weight of busyness, maybe it’s time to trade hustle for alignment—just for a moment. Because when clarity returns, energy follows 🔥 Clarity is contagious. But someone has to see it first. Be that someone. 👉 What are you resetting this weekend? #SaturdayMantra #Leadership #Clarity #MindfulLeadership #WeekendReflection #StrategicPause #LeadWithPurpose #GauravAgarwaal

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I recently joined Alex Shevelenko, CEO of RELAYTO AI, on the podcast to discuss how leaders can navigate the intersection of AI and shifting business landscapes. We discussed the challenges CEOs face with two jobs: running the current business model and designing the next one. If you aren’t auditing your business model with the same rigor as your financial statements, you’re at risk. And the biggest hurdle to innovation isn't technical; it's a culture that fears failure. To succeed with AI, organizations must move away from "gut feelings" and toward a structured, mathematical process of experimentation. Listen to the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/gBfTNRY3 #AI #BusinessModels #Innovation The Wharton School #Amazon #Leadership #FutureOfWork

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