A Brave New Podcast

Great marketing is all about making smart decisions, developing your discipline, understanding and meeting the needs of your prospective customers, and putting in place the right systems to make the whole process easier. A Brave New Podcast, with brand and marketing strategist Josh Dougherty, is here to teach you how to truly unlock your business potential through the power of marketing! Each episode will bring you insights, best practices, and top strategies from a variety of business leaders and marketing & sales experts. Tune in to A Brave New Podcast to learn how to build a more memorable brand and accelerate your growth with bold marketing.

PointClickCare Rebrand, with Saige Carpenter 02/04/2026

Building a Cancer Center Brand / CMCA, with Meredith Rae Vehar 01/28/2026

Building a Cancer Center Brand / CMCA, with Meredith Rae Vehar Meredith Rae Vehar, MPA, is Director of Communications at Huntsman Cancer Institute. Since joining the cancer center more than 20 years ago, Meredith strives to be an agent of progress and enable others to recognize their potential. She leads a team of creative communication professionals who represent the cancer center through brand management, social media, web content and design, publications, multimedia, and internal communications. This meaningful work is very personal to her, and she sees camaraderie, sincerity, and laughter as key. Meredith earned her Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Utah in 2018, along with a master’s certificate in health communication. Since 2021, she has served on the steering committee of the Cancer Marketing and Communications Association (CMCA). In 2024, she and her team were honored to host the annual conference in Salt Lake City. She currently serves as Vice Chair of CMCA and will lead the organization as Chair in Spring 2026. Outside of work, Meredith loves running, hiking mountain trails, and traveling with her two teenagers. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Branding as a “meaning-system”, not a logo: Gain insights into Meredith’s definition of brand as a promise and value system where every employee from valet to clinician embodies the mission, reinforcing consistency and trust across touchpoints. Why access to care is a core brand promise in modern healthcare: Understand how programs like Huntsman at Home and affiliate hospital networks expand access across rural and underserved communities, and why access is increasingly central to healthcare brand trust and loyalty. How Huntsman Cancer Institute positions itself as the only NCI-designated cancer center in the Mountain West region, while building a national brand through brand, innovation, and patient experience. How personal storytelling drives trust in cancer marketing: Learn why Huntsman prioritizes patient stories, caregiver voices, and community narratives to humanize complex science and build emotional connection, especially in high-stakes healthcare decisions. The strategy behind Huntsman’s “Speak Up for Cancer Research” campaign, which activates patient and influencers to advocate for cancer research funding – blending advocacy, brand, and impact. The role of innovation (AI, robotic surgery, proton therapy) in cancer brand strategy: Discover how Huntsman integrates AI-powered imaging, robotic surgery, and proton therapy into both clinical care and communications to reinforce credibility, innovation, and national standards of excellence. How Huntsman manages 320+ active clinical trials, collaborates nationally for rare diseases, and navigates the communications complexity of educating patients while maintaining credibility and clarity. Additional resources: /episode/index/show/abravenew/id/39828330

The Intersection of Brand & ABM, with Brianna Miller 01/21/2026

The Intersection of Brand & ABM, with Brianna Miller Brianna Miller is a digital marketing leader with over 15 years of experience building data-informed strategies that connect marketing efforts to real business growth. She currently serves as the Director of Demand Generation at Cohere Health where she develops multi-channel demand generation campaigns and account-based marketing strategies. Beyond her professional roles, Brianna is dedicated to advancing the industry and mentoring its next generation of leaders. She serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, teaching Marketing Strategy and inspiring future marketers. Her commitment to innovation extends to advisory and editorial contributions; she is a 3Sixty Insights Global Executive Advisory Council member, a regular contributor to Martech.org, and an active participant on several boards, including the UMSL College of Business Marketing Advisory Board and the MarTech Conference programming committee. Brianna has had the privilege of sharing actionable insights at 20 industry events and has been featured on numerous popular marketing podcasts, where she connects with audiences on topics ranging from ABM trends to practical AI applications. As a speaker, she is known for making complex concepts approachable and providing audiences with strategies they can put into practice immediately. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Balancing technology with a human touch: How healthcare brands maintain empathy, educate audiences, and create meaningful customer experiences while leveraging AI. Storytelling as a differentiator in healthtech: Why compelling narratives and creative thought processes help AI-focused brands stand out in a crowded healthcare technology market. How the importance of building trust and transparency with customers is essential in the age of AI. How to build an effective brand and ensure marketing and sales consistently reflect it. The importance of seamless collaboration between marketing and sales teams, emphasizing shared goals, open communication, and consistent meetings to align on campaigns. Account-based marketing (ABM) strategies for healthcare technology: How to engage accounts effectively throughout complex buying cycles. Personalization in ABM campaigns: When to use one-to-one, one-to-some, or one-to-many approaches to maximize engagement. Key considerations for tools that support targeting, personalization, and long term cycle measurement. Additional resources: /episode/index/show/abravenew/id/39478670

How Brand Helps Healthtech Startups Fundraise, Sell, & Scale, with Adam Taylor 01/14/2026

Kicking off 2026, with Josh Dougherty 01/07/2026

Building The Children’s Minnesota Brand, with Hillery Smith Shay 08/15/2025

Building The Children’s Minnesota Brand, with Hillery Smith Shay Hillery Smith Shay, MBA is chief marketing and experience officer, senior vice president of communications at Children’s Minnesota. Hillery Shay joined Children’s Minnesota in 2021, as VP of marketing and communications and is now chief marketing and experience officer, senior vice president of communications. She provides strategic direction for organizational marketing and communications. She is also responsible for defining and building an organization-wide experience strategy. Ms. Shay brings nearly 25 years of leadership experience in health care and mass communication, with a proven track record of success leading national and global public health campaigns and marketing initiatives. Prior to her role at Children’s Minnesota, Shay served in leadership roles at Abbott Labs leading professional education, marketing, communications and scientific congress strategy. She also served as a journalist and team leader for more than 10 years at the Associated Press and the Baltimore Sun, including as a photojournalist covering two sitting U.S. presidents as well as the Pentagon on 9/11. Ms. Shay earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Haverford College in Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in business administration from Bethel University in Minnesota. She is an active member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, inc. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Children's Minnesota faced and overcame a significant branding challenge after shortening their name, leading to market confusion with other similarly named experts in their market. How adding "The Kid Experts" to the Children's Minnesota brand was implemented to create clear differentiation and clarify their identity in the market. The step’s that Children’s Minnesota took to safeguard their brand identity. How the repositioning strategy resulted in measurable improvements in brand perception, evidenced by a significant increase in their NRC Health image and reputation score over a three-year period. The crucial role of consistent implementation of the "The Kid Experts" branding across all touchpoints, including physical hospital and clinic spaces, for reinforcing the new brand identity. How the "Raise Them Up" campaign emerged from community trauma and served as a powerful example of a brand connecting with its audience through hope and advocacy for children. How Children's Minnesota demonstrated a commitment to inclusive branding by intentionally reaching diverse communities in their service area through translated materials and tailored outreach efforts. About the tangible results of the "Raise Them Up" campaign in engaging diverse communities, including increased clinic visits requiring translation and higher conversion rates for targeted advertising. About the importance of a long-term perspective in brand building, showcasing the multi-year effort to reposition and strengthen the Children's Minnesota brand. Additional resources: /episode/index/show/abravenew/id/37824165

How to Nail Your Health Tech Brand Positioning, with Brad Steinbacher 07/09/2025

The State of Health Tech Venture Capital, with Tamar Rudnick 05/21/2025

The State of Health Tech Venture Capital, with Tamar Rudnick Tamar Rudnick is a healthcare executive who has spent 10+ years in leadership roles across early-stage, public company, and PE-backed businesses. She is currently an Operating Partner at Define Ventures, one of the largest early-stage digital health VCs with ~$800M under management and $22B in exited value. At Define Ventures, Tamar leads strategic growth initiatives. Based in Silicon Valley, Define invests in early-stage companies from Seed stage to Series B, and has backed and built some of the category-leading companies such as Livongo, HIMS, and Evolent. Define differentiates itself by providing unparalleled expertise in go-to-market and commercialization. Tamar leads this work—developing relationships with a coalition of industry-leading Payers, Health Systems, and Life Sciences companies. To date, Define has delivered customer contracts for over 50% of their portfolio companies. Prior to Define Ventures, Tamar was the SVP of Growth at apree health, where she was responsible for leading Sales, Enablement, Marketing, and Customer teams across Employer and Health Plan segments. apree health is a leader in tech-enabled primary care delivery for commercial organizations, including Fortune 500 Employers and National Health Plans with Elevance as a key strategic partner. apree health was formed as a combination of Castlight Health and Vera Whole Health. At apree, Tamar led the commercial team, delivering 30% revenue growth for the combined business while integrating two commercial organizations and developing the combined go-to- market strategy. What you’ll learn about in this episode: The current state of the health tech venture capital space Trends within the health tech space, including Regulatory trends and shifts that are both positively and negatively impacting the startup space Generative AI’s ability and potential to drive efficiency and reduce operational costs GLP-1s and how they are driving the consumerization of healthcare Where AI is having an impact in the healthcare space and how to discern the signal from the noise The key findings from Define Ventures' recent study of the health tech space, including a deep dive into funding trends and exits The importance of go-to-market and brand strategies in the startup environment Additional resources: /episode/index/show/abravenew/id/36645205

Brand Architecture Basics with Josh Dougherty 05/01/2025

Branding Fundamentals, Part 2 with Josh Dougherty 04/16/2025

HubSpot for Healthcare & Sensitive Data, with Hank Lander 04/02/2025

HubSpot for Healthcare & Sensitive Data, with Hank Lander Product Management and innovation enthusiast, Hank Lander, currently serves as a Group Product Manager at HubSpot, focusing on Customer Data Protections. Hank's expertise lies in launching new products and building product pipelines. Prior to his current role, he was the Director of Product at ZoomInfo and worked at multiple early-stage startups. Hank holds an MBA in Entrepreneurship from MIT Sloan School of Management and a BS in Computer Science from Georgia Institute of Technology. In this episode Josh and Hank have a conversation about HubSpot’s Sensitive Data Management functionality and how it enables healthcare organizations to store and leverage protected health information (PHI) in marketing while staying compliant with HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). You’ll want to listen whether you want to understand the functionality from a high level or if you’re interested in the nuts and bolts of how it works. Josh and Hank cover both. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How HubSpot’s Sensitive Data Functionality works How it enables healthcare companies to leverage new marketing functionality while protecting PHI How it enables healthcare organizations to securely store and handle PHI How this data can then be leveraged to personalize marketing to whole new levels How sensitive data like PHI is segregated from the rest of the database How access control is managed What audit trail capabilities exist within the functionality What encryption methods are leveraged What resources HubSpot and its partners offer to help healthcare companies implement the functionality What new product rollouts are upcoming for the Sensitive Data Management product Legal Disclaimer: None of the information shared in this episode should be construed as legal advice or counsel. Josh and Hank are not legal experts and any claims made regarding PHI or HIPAA are purely opinion and should be verified by legal counsel. Additional resources: /episode/index/show/abravenew/id/35950265

Insights from the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer for healthcare brands 03/21/2025

Insights from the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer for healthcare brands Josh Dougherty is a brand strategist, speaker, and the founder and CEO of A Brave New, a Seattle-based branding agency that crafts bold & memorable healthcare brands. They have specific expertise in healthcare technology, employee health & wellness programs, and hospitals & providers. Josh has 15 years experience building new brands from scratch, refreshing existing brands and building strategies to bring those brands to life in the market. What you’ll learn about in this episode: In this episode we take a deep dive into the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer. Specifically, Josh spends time: Highlighting some of the most salient insights from the Trust Barometer, so that you’re equipped with a solid understanding of what’s happening in the market (I’ll argue even in the B2B market) including: Trust is a minority position Lies are the assumed default for ⅔ of the population Hostile activism is more and more acceptable Optimism deficit & zero sum games are the norm Suspicions of AI are on the rise Businesses remain most trusted entities, except among respondents with high grievance Identifying some of the unique challenges that flow out of the crisis of grievance for healthcare companies (especially in the areas of healthcare tech, employee health & wellness, and hospitals and healthcare providers where we primarily work), including: Trust can no longer be assumed Healthcare providers have significant work to do to build trust with patients We must do work to ensure that healthtech driven by AI clearly articulates its values and the guardrails that exist An authentic brand is a must, not just a flashy marketing game If they can show up with authenticity, healthcare brands have an opportunity to build trust Discussing actions healthcare brands can take to build trust with customers, buyers, and patients in the midst of this environment, including: Showcase and champion shared values with your customers and with patients Create opportunities for optimism backed by real data Act boldly on behalf of patients…and show your work Look for opportunities to work together with others Focus on authenticity in your brand above all else Additional resources: /episode/index/show/abravenew/id/35782170

Unpacking the Intelerad Rebrand, with Jordan Bazinsky 11/06/2024

Unpacking the Intelerad Rebrand, with Jordan Bazinsky Intelerad recently completed a rebrand in May 2024. In this episode Josh and Jordan spend time unpacking the reasons Intelerad decided to pursue a rebrand, the process they followed to get there, as well as the outcomes in terms of brand essence and strategy, visual identity, and market impact. Here’s a little more about Jordan. As CEO of Intelerad, Jordan Bazinsky is committed to improving global human health through advanced imaging technologies. He is entrusted with ensuring that Intelerad’s vision aligns with their clients, and ultimately patients, in supporting their unique healthcare journeys. Jordan has spent over two decades applying technology and design thinking to drive positive change in healthcare– expanding access, improving outcomes, and lowering costs. He most recently served as Executive Vice President at Cotiviti, delivering billions of dollars in measurable value for some of the largest stakeholders in the healthcare community. He has proven leadership experience in understanding the market, developing growth strategies, and scaling transformational healthcare companies, including: Cotiviti, Verscend, Verisk Health, and The Advisory Board. Jordan earned an MBA from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree from Duke University, where he previously served on the Board of Trustees. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Who Intelerad is and what they are trying to accomplish in the advanced imaging technology space Why Intelerad decided to pursue a rebrand The reasons why Jordan believes branding should be viewed as a ROI generating activity by companies The concepts and ideas that inform Intelerad’s new brand essence The impact that the brand has had with customers and patients so far The ways that that essence informed the new visual identity of the brand Jordan and Intelerad’s vision for the next five years Additional resources: /episode/index/show/abravenew/id/33811142

Branding Fundamentals Part 1, with Josh Dougherty 09/18/2024

Strategic Software Selection, with Rachael Radford 06/05/2024

Eight mistakes to avoid when rolling out your brand, with Josh Dougherty 05/22/2024

Building Big Bold Brands, with Karley Cunningham 04/24/2024

Pipeline Marketing, with Matt Heinz 04/10/2024

Pipeline Marketing, with Matt Heinz Matt is President and Founder of Heinz Marketing with more than 25 years of marketing, business development and sales experience from a variety of organizations and industries. He is a dynamic speaker, memorable not only for his keen insight and humor, but his actionable and motivating takeaways. Matt’s career focuses on consistently delivering measurable results with greater sales, revenue growth, product success and customer loyalty. He has helped organizations such as Amazon, Seagate, Morgan Stanley, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and many others create predictable, repeatable sales & marketing engines to fuel growth. Matt is a repeat winner of Top 50 Most Influential People in Sales Lead Management, Top 50 Sales & Marketing Influencers and Top 50 Keynote Speakers. Matt and his wife Beth live in a 105-year-old historic farmhouse they renovated in Kirkland, Washington and share with their three children, two dogs, two cats, and several chickens. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Matt and his team at Heinz Marketing help B2b companies with long and complex sales cycles drive revenue through pipeline marketing. Why Matt believes it’s important to teach internal teams rather than take on the work as an outside partner. About the intersection between pipeline marketing and your brand. We also discuss how brands should influence and impact pipeline marketing. About the importance of focusing on both short term results and long-term brand equity. The value of relationships and human to human selling in all B2B marketing and sales. Why go-to-market motions are getting more lengthy and complex every day. How a go-to-market playbook can help you stay organized AND pivot when agility is needed. The relationship between corporate strategy and effective pipeline marketing. How to evaluate and integrate artificial intelligence into your strategy. Additional resources: /episode/index/show/abravenew/id/30734513

Discussing Marketing Trends, with Kirsten Cutshall 03/28/2024

Designing Brand Identity, with Rob Meyerson 01/17/2024

Designing Brand Identity, with Rob Meyerson Rob works with business leaders to build identities for their organizations, products, and services. More than a name or logo, Rob believes an identity is defined by clear, focused beliefs, expressed through compelling words, and substantiated by consistent actions. His specialties include strategic positioning, naming and messaging, brand architecture, qualitative research, and organizational change. Prior to launching Heirloom, he was global head of brand architecture and naming at HP, and previously held strategy director roles at several leading, international brand consulting firms. Rob is the author of Brand Naming: The Complete Guide to Creating a Name for your Company, Product, or Service, the most complete and detailed book about brand naming. He has also written about brand strategy and naming for leading publications such as Harvard Business Review, AMA.org, Entrepreneur, TechCrunch, Business Insider, The Guardian, and VentureBeat. Rob also hosts How Brands Are Built, a popular branding podcast and blog. What you’ll learn about in this episode: What it was like for Rob to work alongside the legendary Alina Wheeler co-authoring the 6th edition of Designing Brand Identity. Both Josh and Rob’s reflections on the impact that Alina Wheeler had on the brand and design communities in her lifetime What you can expect from the latest edition - what content has been updated and what content is new A few of the new case studies that Rob is excited to feature in the new edition (all 50 case studies are brand new) An inside look at the all the work that went into producing the latest edition The pros and cons of generative AI in the branding discipline Rob’s advice for anyone diving into the branding process for their company in 2024 When you’ll be able to pick up your copy of the 6th Edition of Designing Brand Identity Additional resources: /episode/index/show/abravenew/id/29449148