Sylvie Leotin's guest appearances

Sylvie Leotin

WE Have Cancer

Christopher Lochhead Follow Your Different™

Uninvisible Pod with Lauren Freedman

Christopher Lochhead

Dorie Clark

John McAfee

Chris Ducker

Rob Paulsen

Brian Scudamore

Kara Goldin

Hal Elrod

David Osborn

Cort Davies

Ken Blanchard

Peter Thiel

Celeste Headlee

Steven Kotler

Scott Kupor

OwlTail

As children, most of us had a wide range of interests, ideas, and dreams. We all wanted to do and be a lot of things. Though somehow, Life can beat us up.Sylvie Leotin grew up pursuing those interests and dreams. She did ballet, became a visiting scholar at Stanford's Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, and now a Healthcare Entrepreneur. Sylvie also has a deep background in engineering, robotics, artificial intelligence, as well as product marketing and management. She is also a cancer survivor.  As a woman of color who have dealt with cancer, Sylvie has had a front row seat to the racial injustice faced by minorities in the American Healthcare System. So like other legendary missionary entrepreneurs, Sylvie decided to do something about it. She founded a company called Equify Health, and is on a mission to “elevate the experience and outcomes of patients of color in healthcare and medical research”.In this episode of Follow Your Different, we have a very real, very deep, and personal conversation with Sylvie Leotin about empathy, survival, entrepreneurship, and many more.Sylvie’s MissionAs someone who has navigated through the American Healthcare System, Sylvie Leotin knew the hardships that a person of color goes through to get proper healthcare. So when the COVID pandemic started, she started looking into reports on mortality rates and such.What she found was heart-breaking. She learned that people of color were dying at higher rates. Upon digging further, she observed that it was not just for COVID or cancer-related ones, but every serious chronic illness.“As a cancer survivor and someone that got a second chance to live, I felt really deeply distraught. I really felt that this is unfair. It really shouldn't be your race, your ethnicity, that is dictating that you have a right to health. So I started to do some research to look into this more deeply.” – Sylvie Leotin Using Her Setbacks as MotivationWhen asked why she felt deeply connected to this cause, Sylvie shares that it was probably because she battled cancer and experienced these healthcare issues herself.While she would still be distraught and concerned about these issues regardless, she feels that she wouldn’t be doing all she is doing right now had she not had cancer.“I think cancer took me close to mortality, close to being hopeless, close to feeling the biggest pain that I have ever felt in my life. And I really understood what it's like to be so sick, that you can die of the sickness. I don't think I would’ve understood if I just knew people, or even my family who died of cancer. I think cancer really opened up this huge well of compassion inside me, for the suffering of people in the world, but even more specially for the suffering of people that are affected by life threatening illnesses. And if there is anything I can do to help change that and make some people less hopeless, it will be a life worth living.” – Sylvie LeotinMission-Driven EntrepreneurshipSylvie talks about how she had the insight on her current mission. As a designer, she can see the things that were poorly designed in the system as she experienced things firsthand. If she can relate it to healthcare providers, it can make a difference for future patients.The opportunity to turn her pain and experience into easing the experience for other people felt transformative for her.While it started as something to improve other cancer patient’s experience, it soon expanded to other serious illnesses as Sylvie saw more of the disparity and how Equify Health can help those in need.“I have witnessed so my first experience was more altruistic. But it was very visceral to go to treatment every day. While I was in the waiting room for a long time, and I was very distraught by the fact that I went to one of the top five cancer centers in the country. I didn't see a single Black patient during my entire treatment, and I knew that this hospital is located less than three miles away fro...

As children, most of us had a wide range of interests, ideas, and dreams. We all wanted to do and be a lot of things. Though somehow, Life can beat us up. Sylvie Leotin grew up pursuing those interests and dreams. She did ballet, became a visiting scholar at Stanford's Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, and now a Healthcare Entrepreneur. Sylvie also has a deep background in engineering, robotics, artificial intelligence, as well as product marketing and management. She is also a cancer survivor.   As a woman of color who have dealt with cancer, Sylvie has had a front row seat to the racial injustice faced by minorities in the American Healthcare System. So like other legendary missionary entrepreneurs, Sylvie decided to do something about it. She founded a company called Equify Health, and is on a mission to “elevate the experience and outcomes of patients of color in healthcare and medical research”. In this episode of Follow Your Different, we have a very real, very deep, and personal conversation with Sylvie Leotin about empathy, survival, entrepreneurship, and many more. Sylvie’s Mission As someone who has navigated through the American Healthcare System, Sylvie Leotin knew the hardships that a person of color goes through to get proper healthcare. So when the COVID pandemic started, she started looking into reports on mortality rates and such. What she found was heart-breaking. She learned that people of color were dying at higher rates. Upon digging further, she observed that it was not just for COVID or cancer-related ones, but every serious chronic illness. “As a cancer survivor and someone that got a second chance to live, I felt really deeply distraught. I really felt that this is unfair. It really shouldn't be your race, your ethnicity, that is dictating that you have a right to health. So I started to do some research to look into this more deeply.” – Sylvie Leotin  Using Her Setbacks as Motivation When asked why she felt deeply connected to this cause, Sylvie shares that it was probably because she battled cancer and experienced these healthcare issues herself. While she would still be distraught and concerned about these issues regardless, she feels that she wouldn’t be doing all she is doing right now had she not had cancer. “I think cancer took me close to mortality, close to being hopeless, close to feeling the biggest pain that I have ever felt in my life. And I really understood what it's like to be so sick, that you can die of the sickness. I don't think I would’ve understood if I just knew people, or even my family who died of cancer. I think cancer really opened up this huge well of compassion inside me, for the suffering of people in the world, but even more specially for the suffering of people that are affected by life threatening illnesses. And if there is anything I can do to help change that and make some people less hopeless, it will be a life worth living.” – Sylvie Leotin Mission-Driven Entrepreneurship Sylvie talks about how she had the insight on her current mission. As a designer, she can see the things that were poorly designed in the system as she experienced things firsthand. If she can relate it to healthcare providers, it can make a difference for future patients. The opportunity to turn her pain and experience into easing the experience for other people felt transformative for her. While it started as something to improve other cancer patient’s experience, it soon expanded to other serious illnesses as Sylvie saw more of the disparity and how Equify Health can help those in need. “I have witnessed so my first experience was more altruistic. But it was very visceral to go to treatment every day. While I was in the waiting room for a long time, and I was very distraught by the fact that I went to one of the top five cancer centers in the country. I didn't see a single Black patient during my entire treatment, and I knew that this hospital is located less than three miles away fro...

215 How To Be A Mission-Driven Entrepreneur with Sylvie Leotin, Founder/CEO of Equify Health

Sylvie Leotin is many things. She started her career in France as a gold-medal ballerina, later moving to Silicon Valley as one of the first women to research at Stanford Robotics Laboratory. She has held positions in engineering, products, marketing, sales, business development, and communications; she is the founder and CEO of Tech Atelier, a multidisciplinary strategy agency advising startups and beyond. A contributor to media, academic, and literary publications, she holds an MS in Engineering and Economic Systems from Stanford University, as well as an MS in Computer Science. After a 20-year career, however, she became something else entirely: a cancer patient. Struggling to be recognized by her healthcare providers, she began to write about her experience. A new voice emerged, and her transformation led her to patient advocacy. A creative intellectual, her skill has always been in understanding unvoiced needs. And that’s exactly what she does in her blog, which has been shared widely around the world. In this frank and philosophical interview, she tells Lauren about the long road to her breast cancer diagnosis…and how she continues to seek improvement in patient-centered care while embracing life after treatment. Tune in as Sylvie shares…  that she knew something was wrong, but had inconclusive test results — and waited 3 years for a solid diagnosis (20+ biopsies and many doctors later) that meditation and hypnosis have been incredibly healing for her additional modalities that have helped her: Reiki and healing touch that the manner in which the medical treatments recommended for her breast cancer were administered felt both sterile and brutal that taking care of yourself with chronic illness is a full-time job — and it’s hardest when you’re alone something that really helped her navigate treatment: a workbook a friend co-created with her based on National Cancer Institute guidelines that she’s writing a book based on her experience — for both patients and practitioners alike that she has developed medical PTSD since starting her cancer treatment her realization that cancer is an illness completely misunderstood at the human level that it takes great strength to insist on changing doctors when you need to that healthcare needs to be redesigned around patient comfort how cancer is misrepresented in media that cancer is a chronic illness the emotional toll cancer takes on a patient that chronic illness forces patients to transform — and this involves grieving one’s old self as well as opening the door to one’s new self, and then communicating that to others how she has embraced her transformation and is getting closer to who she is now, every day that she has made a conscious effort to face her mortality why it was crucial for her to find her voice and learn to ask for what she needs that you cannot heal by fighting; healing comes from letting go that Twitter is her favorite support space as a cancer patient  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit uninvisiblepod.substack.com/subscribe

Sylvie Leotin is many things. She started her career in France as a gold-medal ballerina, later moving to Silicon Valley as one of the first women to research at Stanford Robotics Laboratory. She has held positions in engineering, products, marketing, sales, business development, and communications; she is the founder and CEO of Tech Atelier, a multidisciplinary strategy agency advising startups and beyond. A contributor to media, academic, and literary publications, she holds an MS in Engineering and Economic Systems from Stanford University, as well as an MS in Computer Science. After a 20-year career, however, she became something else entirely: a cancer patient. Struggling to be recognized by her healthcare providers, she began to write about her experience. A new voice emerged, and her transformation led her to patient advocacy. A creative intellectual, her skill has always been in understanding unvoiced needs. And that’s exactly what she does in her blog, which has been shared widely around the world. In this frank and philosophical interview, she tells Lauren about the long road to her breast cancer diagnosis…and how she continues to seek improvement in patient-centered care while embracing life after treatment. Tune in as Sylvie shares… <ul> <li>that she knew something was wrong, but had inconclusive test results — and waited 3 years for a solid diagnosis (20+ biopsies and many doctors later)</li> <li>that meditation and hypnosis have been incredibly healing for her</li> <li>additional modalities that have helped her: Reiki and healing touch</li> <li>that the manner in which the medical treatments recommended for her breast cancer were administered felt both sterile and brutal</li> <li>that taking care of yourself with chronic illness is a full-time job — and it’s hardest when you’re alone</li> <li>something that really helped her navigate treatment: a workbook a friend co-created with her based on National Cancer Institute guidelines</li> <li>that she’s writing a book based on her experience — for both patients and practitioners alike</li> <li>that she has developed medical PTSD since starting her cancer treatment</li> <li>her realization that cancer is an illness completely misunderstood at the human level</li> <li>that it takes great strength to insist on changing doctors when you need to</li> <li>that healthcare needs to be redesigned around patient comfort</li> <li>how cancer is misrepresented in media</li> <li>that cancer is a chronic illness</li> <li>the emotional toll cancer takes on a patient</li> <li>that chronic illness forces patients to transform — and this involves grieving one’s old self as well as opening the door to one’s new self, and then communicating that to others</li> <li>how she has embraced her transformation and is getting closer to who she is now, every day</li> <li>that she has made a conscious effort to face her mortality</li> <li>why it was crucial for her to find her voice and learn to ask for what she needs</li> <li>that you cannot heal by fighting; healing comes from letting go</li> <li>that Twitter is her favorite support space as a cancer patient</li> </ul> This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://uninvisiblepod.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=CTA_2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">uninvisiblepod.substack.com/subscribe</a>

062: Sylvie Leotin on Life as a Cancer Patient

As a breast cancer survivor, Sylvie Leotin understands the the unseen needs of cancer patients. As a former ballerina and computer scientist, Sylvie seeks to integrate the mind, body and heart to live a more meaningful life.During our conversation we discussed:The importance of mindfullness and meditation and the role it plays in her healing.Why she wakes up in the middle of the night to meditate.How her training as a ballerina helped her to become self-compassionate.Why it's difficult for patients to hear phrases like "congratulations on finishing treatment" and "you beat cancer!"How working in Lean Innovation in Silicon Valley has changed how she looks at cancer treatment centers and how they interact with patients. Links Mentioned In the WE Have Cancer PodcastSylvie's Blog, The Voice of the Cancer Patient - https://sylvieleotin.com/Sylvie's article in the Journal of Patient Experience, "An Insider View of the Cancer Radiation Experience Through the Eyes of a Cancer Patient." - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2374373519832604Connect with Sylvie on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/sleotinConnect with Sylvie on Twitter - https://twitter.com/sleotinConnect with Sylvie on Instagram - https://instagram.com/sleotinWE Have Cancer LinksSubscribe to the show - https://pod.link/wehavecancerFollow WE Have Cancer on Social MediaLike our Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/wehavecancershow/Join our private Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/wehavecancershow/Follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/wehavecancerpodFollow us on Instagram - https://instagram.com/wehavecancerpodFollow us on LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/company/wehavecancerKnow someone touched by cancer who has an inspiring story?Nominate a guest to appear on the podcast - https://wehavecancershow.com/guestEmail LeeLee@wehavecancershow.com

As a breast cancer survivor, <a href="https://sylvieleotin.com/biography/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sylvie Leotin</a> understands the the unseen needs of cancer patients. As a former ballerina and computer scientist, Sylvie seeks to integrate the mind, body and heart to live a more meaningful life.During our conversation we discussed:<ul><li>The importance of mindfullness and meditation and the role it plays in her healing.</li><li>Why she wakes up in the middle of the night to meditate.</li><li>How her training as a ballerina helped her to become self-compassionate.</li><li>Why it's difficult for patients to hear phrases like "congratulations on finishing treatment" and "you beat cancer!"</li><li>How working in Lean Innovation in Silicon Valley has changed how she looks at cancer treatment centers and how they interact with patients.</li></ul> <h3>Links Mentioned In the WE Have Cancer Podcast</h3>Sylvie's Blog, The Voice of the Cancer Patient - <a href="https://sylvieleotin.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://sylvieleotin.com/</a>Sylvie's article in the Journal of Patient Experience, "An Insider View of the Cancer Radiation Experience Through the Eyes of a Cancer Patient." - <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2374373519832604" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2374373519832604</a>Connect with Sylvie on Facebook - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sleotin" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/sleotin</a>Connect with Sylvie on Twitter - <a href="https://twitter.com/sleotin" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/sleotin</a>Connect with Sylvie on Instagram - <a href="https://instagram.com/sleotin" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/sleotin</a><h3>WE Have Cancer Links</h3><h4>Subscribe to the show - <a href="https://pod.link/wehavecancer" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://pod.link/wehavecancer</a></h4><h3>Follow WE Have Cancer on Social Media</h3>Like our Facebook page - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wehavecancershow/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/wehavecancershow/</a>Join our private Facebook group - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/wehavecancershow/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/groups/wehavecancershow/</a>Follow us on Twitter - <a href="https://twitter.com/wehavecancerpod" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/wehavecancerpod</a>Follow us on Instagram - <a href="https://instagram.com/wehavecancerpod" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/wehavecancerpod</a>Follow us on LinkedIn - <a href="https://linkedin.com/company/wehavecancer" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://linkedin.com/company/wehavecancer</a><h3>Know someone touched by cancer who has an inspiring story?</h3>Nominate a guest to appear on the podcast - <a href="https://wehavecancershow.com/guest" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://wehavecancershow.com/guest</a><h3>Email Lee</h3><a href="mailto:Lee@wehavecancershow.com">Lee@wehavecancershow.com</a>

Understanding the Unseen Needs of Cancer Patients With Sylvie Leotin