Gretta Barrie LaBadie

Whatever the accomplishment—getting your first base hit in tee-ball, mastering a musical instrument, hearing your name called from a podium, or nailing your first job interview—I believe every successful undertaking starts with a small dose of audacity.

Audacity to think differently, stay curious, and keep growing.

Audacity to breathe through discomfort, ask for advice, listen carefully, and take note.

Audacity to want to achieve something great, even when you’re not certain you’ll succeed.

To me, audacity is the match strike. The squeeze tight. The lip bite.

It’s that tiny, visceral moment when you decide to lean in anyway—when an idea stops being just an idea and you set it into motion.

“Stand up, and step forward.”

The best career advice I’ve ever received is that our most significant opportunities for growth usually begin on the other side of our comfort zone.

So when an opportunity feels a little intimidating, unfamiliar, or even slightly beyond what I think I’m ready for—that’s usually my cue to stand up and step forward.

I’ve learned that you don’t always have to feel ready to take the next step. Sometimes, taking the step is what makes you ready.

My advice to a young woman entering the medical device industry would be: embrace responsibility.

Raise your hand. Ask questions. Stay engaged. And continually challenge yourself to carry responsibility equal to your potential.

Early in my career, a mentor pointed out a tendency I think many young professional women can have. In a think tank, we might go inward—organizing our thoughts, refining our ideas, making sure they were fully developed—before offering them for consideration.

Liz challenged us to get in the mix!

She reminded us that an idea doesn’t have to be perfectly formed to be valuable. Sometimes, the half-formed idea, the question, or even the challenge is exactly what moves the conversation forward. Her voice still keeps me on the edge of my seat in the chaos of a good think tank.

I think that’s the advice I’d pass on: don’t wait… Raise your hand. Step into the conversation. Take the responsibility.

I think one of the biggest challenges—and, honestly, one of the greatest opportunities—in commercial healthcare is that some of the most essential tools for success simply can’t be taught in a classroom or learned through observational training in an operating room.

You can teach a product. You can teach a procedure. You can teach the clinical science and the mechanics of the business.

But you can’t teach someone to instinctively understand the value of ethics, trust, accountability, curiosity, or credibility. Those are built through experience—and through the choices you make when no one is watching. I believe those virtues, at your core, are the foundation of a successful career in healthcare.

The challenging part is… you don’t get unlimited opportunities to learn those lessons the hard way. In this industry, trust can take years to build and only one moment to lose.

I see the opportunity as being intentional about developing those qualities alongside your clinical and commercial expertise. Because ultimately, the most valuable thing you bring into a room isn’t just what you know about the product— it’s the quality of character presenting the solution, that matters more

In this high acuity, wildly competitive and bottom-line driven sales model - we all want to win… Of course we do. We wouldn't be here if we didn't!

It is important to remember, the difference, however between 'winning', and 'being right' ...because, in any high stakes decision, if these options are on the table in opposition… the better alignment is more likely with the latter.