Katie’s Notebook: July 15, 2025
Greetings friends,
How is your summer going? As a parent, the shift from normal weekly school schedules to the chaos of camps and vacations can be a bit stressful. However, this year it feels like my family is really leaning into summer joy — more trips to the pool, more popsicles, more time spent near water, more evening walks or bike rides and stumbling across baby bunnies, more nectarine eating with juice running down my arm. I’ve always loved fall more than summer since the heat in North Carolina can get pretty oppressive, but for some reason this year I seem to be comfortably leaning in to all that the season has to offer. Speaking of seasons, I am feeling grateful to be in a season of abundance right now with work that fulfills me, friends that support me, and a family that highly entertains me. It feels good to take a moment of gratitude when I remember all of the hard work that got me to this place! Ok enough waxing poetic….
Let’s jump into the FIVE for you:
For your ears: I’ve started prioritizing listening to healthcare podcasts while I do other tasks (I shared on Instagram some of those creative listening opportunities.) I loved the Heart of Healthcare conversation with Sean Duffy, CEO of Omada Health, which recently went public.
For vacation reading: Summer is the time for fun reading. I finished Raiders of the Lost Heart in four days! (I picked it up from my friend’s mobile bookshop — Peach Basket Books. If you are in NC, give them an Instagram follow!) While the book title is pretty silly, I found that the story was an enjoyable combination of adventure, romance, self-reflection, Mexican history, and a little spice. There was a time when I thought I was going to be an archeologist and went on a dig, so all of the tales of working on a site really resonated with me. Highly recommend this book!
For the healthcare folks: A new report from Deloitte, Google, and The Royal Society sets a vision for the British NHS in 2035 with a focus on prevention. The report states, “By 2035 the goal is to create a human-centered health promotion and protection system driven by advancements in genomics, health education, and digital infrastructure, powered by AI, to provide hyper-personalized health insights to everyone, at every life stage.” As an MPH, I’m THRILLED to see this national-level focus on prevention and as a health tech nerd I see a ton of opportunity to support people with apps and wearables. HUZZAH!
For the policy wonks (or anyone who cares about Medicare/ Medicaid: this NPR piece asked a fascinating question: What happened to the healthcare lobbyists when it came to passing the Big Beautiful Bill?
For the female founders: I put this resource together a while ago that includes tons of funding opportunities, incubators, communities, and educational content. Check it out!
What I’ve been writing:
What we know (and don’t know) about GLP-1s and women’s health, Digital Health Insights
Super secret client work
Another DHI piece that will drop this week!
Fun Finds:
I was looking for a new eyebrow product since my tried and true pencil wasn’t holding up well to sweaty summer. Enter this $5 winning gel! It adds a bit of color, plumps up the hair, and holds everything in place. It’s been sweat proof in the 90 degree weather too! I already have another one in my cart to add to my travel bag so I’ll never be without it.
At a recent AirBnB, I realized that there are 3 pain points I consistently experience when traveling away from home and that it was time to solve those problems! The first issue is a lack of outlets in convenient places. (For example, I stayed in a historic home that had zero bathroom outlets making it tough to blow-dry my hair!) I found this small, flat, power strip with 3 spots for plugs and 3 for USB chargers. The cord wraps around and stores snugly. WIN. The second issue is not enough light. For some reason, rentals often have a lightbulb burnt out somewhere or a lack of lighting in a room. I bought this tabletop little light that has adjustable brightness and colors (ick to cool lighting.) You can charge it in advance and not have to use one of those precious outlet spots. The third challenge is hooks. I don't know why but I need hooks more often when I am traveling than at home. There never seems to be enough places to put wet towels or a place to hang my toiletry bag. Enter these slim over the door hooks. I got a 4 pack for $3 during Prime day. I’m planning to put all of these in a little pouch so I can just throw them in my suitcase for all future trips. I’ll report back on the success but I am hopeful that they will make travel easier.
I’ve been firmly in the tea not coffee camp my entire adult life. I cannot start my day without a warm cup of Earl Grey or English Breakfast! (I shared this travel mug on Insta recently and the community went wild!) Coffee has always been too bitter and too caffeinated for me. Maybe it’s getting older, maybe it’s the hot weather, but I’ve found myself getting iced coffee curious. After doing a little research I tried the Stok decaf cold brew mixed with an oat milk creamer and wow, am I becoming a coffee person? About 6 ounces total over some ice is a nice little afternoon treat.
That’s a wrap on this issue.
Be well,
Katie
Note: As a solopreneur I use affiliate links for some of the products I believe in as a means of diversifying my income. When you buy something I have linked to, I may receive a small commission from that company at no cost to you.
