Janell Burse

What Contributes to My Success

I attribute much of my success to being intentional about the work and projects I choose to pursue. I'm at my best when I'm connected to work that I genuinely care about. For me, passion is half the battle. When I believe in what I'm doing, I'm naturally more engaged, more driven, and willing to put in the work required to make an impact.

A large part of that mindset was developed during my career as a professional athlete. Competing at the highest level of women's basketball and becoming a WNBA champion taught me what it means to be disciplined, resilient, coachable, and committed to a goal, even when the path to achieving it is difficult.

Professional sports also taught me that high performance isn't about being at your best only when things are going well. It's about learning how to perform under pressure, adjust when circumstances change, recover from setbacks, and continue showing up. Those lessons have followed me from the basketball court into every stage of my professional career.

Ultimately, I believe my success comes from the combination of passion, discipline, and endurance. When I care deeply about the work, I'm invested in the outcome, and that brings out the very best in me.

The Best Career Advice I've Ever Received

The best career advice I've ever received is to never get too high when things are going well and never get too low when they aren't.

That advice resonated with me because it is very similar to the mentality required in professional sports. As an athlete, you learn quickly that one great game doesn't define you, and neither does one bad game. You have to come back the next day prepared to work.

I've carried that perspective into my career. Success is worth celebrating, and setbacks are opportunities to learn, but neither should control how you see yourself or how you approach what comes next.

Maintaining that balance gives me the clarity to keep things in perspective. It allows me to celebrate wins without becoming complacent and face challenges without becoming discouraged. For me, balance is key. It keeps me grounded, resilient, and focused on the bigger picture.

Advice for Women Entering Medical or Insurance Technology

My advice to women entering medical or insurance technology is to always keep the mission at the forefront. At its core, this industry is about something very fundamental: helping people access the healthcare and coverage they need.

One lesson I carried with me from professional sports is the importance of understanding what you are playing for. As an athlete, individual performance matters, but ultimately, you are working toward something bigger than yourself. I approach my work in healthcare technology with that same mentality.

It can be easy to get caught up in technology, processes, metrics, and business goals and begin to view the work as simply a job. Staying connected to the communities and people impacted by our work gives those responsibilities a much greater sense of purpose.

My advice is to find your connection to the mission and hold onto it. Technology will continue to evolve, but the people we serve should always remain at the center of the work.

The Biggest Challenges and Opportunities in My Field

One of the biggest challenges in healthcare and insurance technology today is that we have more technology, data, and automation than ever before, yet accessing and maintaining healthcare coverage can still be incredibly complicated for the people we serve.

I also see that challenge as one of our greatest opportunities. Technology gives us the ability to identify gaps in coverage earlier, simplify complex processes, and reach people before they lose access to care. But innovation is only meaningful if it improves the experience and outcomes of the people on the other side of it.

As technology and AI continue to advance, I believe our biggest opportunity is to use those tools to make healthcare more accessible and less complicated, particularly for underserved communities. The goal shouldn't simply be to build more technology; it should be to use technology to remove barriers and create meaningful impact.

The Values Most Important to Me

The values that are most important to me, both professionally and personally, center around people, purpose, and making a meaningful impact.

Teamwork was foundational to my life as a professional athlete, and it remains foundational to the way I lead today. Winning a WNBA championship reinforced something I still believe strongly: meaningful accomplishments are rarely achieved alone. Everyone has a role to play, and success comes when people understand that their individual contributions are connected to a larger purpose.

In my work, that larger purpose is serving people. I believe in keeping the individuals and communities we serve at the forefront of every decision we make. I'm particularly passionate about expanding access to affordable healthcare coverage for underserved communities and for individuals who may not qualify for Medicaid, are too young for Medicare, or simply don't know what options are available to them.

In my personal life, my family is at the center of everything. Being the best mother I can be is incredibly important to me, as is instilling strong principles in my children. I want them to understand the importance of hard work, integrity, resilience, compassion, and treating people well.

The arena may look very different today, but many of the principles that guided me as an athlete still guide me as a leader, professional, and mother. Whether at work or at home, I try to lead with purpose, keep people first, and leave things better than I found them.