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Chapter 1: What pivotal moment changed Avonia's life trajectory?
Is there another pivotal moment in life that fundamentally changed your trajectory?
My first mantra is God is in control. In a moment where I had absolutely no control of my physical body, I had to lean completely on my faith. And that phrase became my anchor.
Chapter 2: How does Avonia define faith as an active decision?
It is an active decision I make every single day to find moments of gratitude and light, even when things seem to be most difficult.
Welcome to Digital Voices, where healthcare and life science leaders explore the real work behind transformation. This podcast is about people, leadership, and the conversations that move healthcare forward. Now your host, Ed Marks. Welcome to another edition of Digital Voices. So happy to have you. Thank you for listening.
You have so many choices and watching, and you've chosen us, and you won't regret it because I have the fabulous Dr. Avanya Richardson-Miller. Avanya, welcome to Digital Voices.
Thank you, Ed. It is truly my honor to be here and join with you today for this conversation.
It's going to be so fun because we connected a couple of months ago. I was very humbled to be a guest of HMH at a board retreat. And it was breakfast time. And I saw this beautiful person sitting there. I just came up and I was like, hey, can I sit with you? We had this amazing conversation and just really connected. And I was like, I have to have you on Digital Voices.
So thank you for being my guest.
Yes. Thank you. Thank you. And that was a great opportunity for our paths to cross. It was meant to be.
Yes, absolutely. And so, you know already, Avonia, because we talked about this, what songs are in your playlist? That's the very first question, most important question of the podcast.
Yeah, as I was saying, it's a great question. As I started to think about this, I understand why you ask it. I think it gets really to the heart of who I am. I like to think of my playlist less as a random collection of songs and and more as a musical map of my life's journey. So it might seem a little bit surprising at first, but there is really a thread that connects everything.
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Chapter 3: What musical influences shaped Avonia's journey?
That was fantastic. You know, we do have a playlist on Spotify called Digital Voice, and we have some new additions we're going to be adding based on what you shared. I was writing down a lot of notes. What about life message or mantra? Are there words that you live by that help guide you, or are there probably a lyric that does?
Oh, absolutely. So and this is such a powerful question. I don't think I have one mantra, but rather a three part philosophy that guides me forged through my life's biggest challenges. So it starts with the foundation I mentioned in the previous response about the gospel rules. And my first mantra is God is in control.
So, and this became profoundly real for me almost nine years ago when I was faced with having to undergo open heart surgery. And in a moment where I had absolutely no control of my physical body, I had to lean completely on my faith. And that phrase became my anchor. So by, but faith isn't passive. So coming out of surgery, I realized that while I couldn't always have control of my circumstances,
I could control my responses. So my second mantra, which is lived as a daily practice, is I choose joy. It is an active decision I make every single day to find moments of gratitude and light, even when things seem to be most difficult. Yeah. It's the reason why I've been able to experience so much success and happiness in the years since. And then that leads me to my third mantra.
And this is the most forward-looking part of my philosophy. Your current situation doesn't define your future destination.
Yeah.
So this isn't just a nice phrase. It's been the roadmap of my life. My journey didn't start in the C-suite. It started working the land on my family's farm. That situation could have defined my future, but it was just the starting part. And then decades later, the life-altering diagnosis could have been a final destination, but I refused to let it be so.
And in both of these instances, because I believe God is in control and I actively choose joy, I'm able to see my circumstances not as a barrier, but as a foundation to build upon. So this isn't just a personal belief for me anymore. It's at the core of my actual professional mission at this point in my life. the senior vice president and the chief opportunity belonging to impact officer.
My entire role is to create systems where every single person, regardless of the current circumstances, has a chance to reach their own future destination. So it's about turning that personal mantra into a tangible reality for others.
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Chapter 4: How did Avonia's upbringing on a farm impact her work ethic?
But there's one idea I'd love to double down on because it's the thread that ties my entire story together. And it's the idea that no experience is ever wasting. So we've talked about my life as a city farm girl, my work as a research chemist, the time as an entrepreneur, my journey. As a patient on the surface, those look like completely different lives.
But the most important realization that I've had is that they are all the same life, teaching the same lessons. So the discipline I learned in that cucumber row is the same discipline I use in the chemistry lab. The analytical rigor I learned in the lab is what I use today to break down complex business problems.
The vision that my father taught me to see a Cadillac in an empty field is the same vision I use to see the potential in my team members and to strategize even about the future of AI and healthcare. So this is the human factor that we're talking about today. It's not just one skill.
It's the unique ability we all have to synthesize our varied experiences, our successes, our failures, our heartbreaks, and our joys into a leadership philosophy that is uniquely your own. And it's about finding the common thread of your own story and using it to make an impact.
Vanya, you're an amazing human. I feel blessed and much richer in my life. I got to make it back out to Jersey and spend more time with you. Thank you for being a guest.
I'm looking forward to it.
Thank you so much. Thank you for listening to Digital Voices. We hope today's conversation sparked ideas, reflection, and connection. Subscribe on YouTube, Apple, and Spotify podcasts so you don't miss an episode.
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