 Issue #163 · September 21, 2026 How I Moved from Hospitality to Women’s Health Using ConferencesWhat 55+ conferences taught me about building relationships that last. |
💼 This Week's Job Board 91 new roles in women's health Across 20 companies · 63 clinical · 13 business & ops · 5 international |
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✍️ From Jodi · Career Advancement How I Moved from Hospitality to Women's Health Using ConferencesWhat 55+ conferences taught me about turning one week into relationships that last for years. Here's the insider stuff nobody tells you as the women's health conference season gets into full swing. Back in 2018, HLTH was tiny. It was the first year in Vegas, maybe 3,000 people, and I didn't know a soul. I was raising money for Ovaterra, heard about an event at Topgolf, and walked in alone. I got a drink at the bar and started talking to the guy next to me. He invited me over to his group. He turned out to be the Chief Medical Officer of one of the largest at-home testing companies in the country, and the whole table was their C-suite. We spent the evening hitting balls at Topgolf and talking about healthcare, family, travel and life. We ended the night by exchanging not emails, but mobile numbers. I did my follow-up and stayed in touch. Every now and then I'd send them a note when something reminded me of them. Five years later, a VP of Brand Marketing role opened at that company. I texted him, and within 15 minutes I was talking to their Head of HR. I didn't get the job. They had made an offer 24 hours earlier. But that's not what surprised me. What surprised me was that one random night at a driving range was still working for me half a decade later. Another time I happened to get on the escalator with the Head of Women's Health for a large payer. We knew of each other, had been at similar meetings, but had never really spent time together. Turns out she was heading out to try to find some non-hotel food for lunch. By the time we got to the bottom of the escalator we had decided to grab lunch together. That's how I ended up with a 90-minute conversation that otherwise would have been impossible to get. I've been to more than 55 conferences, and that's the lesson I keep relearning: most of the value is the long game. It's in the conversations you have on the escalator, in the elevator, waiting for a drink. It's not usually the content you learn on the stage, but the stuff that founders tell you over breakfast, or in the hallways. But this doesn't happen by chance. I approach conferences with a deliberate plan. Here's how I make sure that I walk away with either short-term wins or long-term value from each trip. Take what's helpful here for you. 1. Decide what a win looks likeBefore I go, I have a clear plan of what winning looks like. What will make the trip worth the time away from my kids, my family and my work. I try to make it measurable so I can hold myself to it: → Who are the 3 or 4 specific people I know will be there that I don't know yet If you're going to invest the time, energy and financial resources to go, this makes you focus on the return on your investment. 2. Find out who's goingThis is where the hustle starts, usually two to three months out. Find out who will be in the room so you can work on initial reach out. A few ways I do it: → Read the speaker list the day it's published. Then use the conference as your reason to reach out: "Are you going to be at WHIS? I'd love to connect while we're both there." It's a numbers game. Send 100 notes, get 10 replies, and that's 10 people you didn't know last month.
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3. Plan both schedulesEvery conference has an official schedule (the agenda) and an unofficial one: the dinners, happy hours, and gatherings hosted by investors, law firms, banks, and recruiters. Half the battle is hearing about the second one, which is why being in communities matters so much. I map both in one calendar, plus the things people forget: sleep, a workout, and a follow-up block. I try to hold 3 to 5pm, the afternoon lull, to send that day's notes. I also block the day after a conference for follow-up. Coming home to five days of follow-up is the worst, especially when your schedule those days is already full. And book a refundable hotel early, as close to the venue as you can. For the big ones, I book months out. Credit card points can cover a lot of the travel, too. Because hotels are so expensive in San Francisco for the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, I often share an Airbnb with other women's health leaders. If you're more senior, it's also always a smart plan to book a table for 6-8 at a restaurant close by. Then work to meet 6-8 people to join you for dinner over the first day of the conference. 4. On the ground, lean into the socialThe show floor is my favorite part. The teams in those booths are there to talk to you, and emerging brands on that floor are the ones hiring as they raise their next round. Learn everything you can and get contact info. Give people a reason to stop you. A bright color, a pin, a company vest (I have one for every brand I've built). And please, flat shoes in Vegas. But the deepest relationships come from social settings. A few years ago, a friend at a growth equity firm couldn't make HLTH and introduced me to two colleagues who were going. We missed each other twice, finally met on the last night, and one of them and I hit it off over a glass of wine. We went to an event together the next night. Since then we get together whenever I'm in New York, and she has called me about a CEO opportunity at one of their portfolio companies and made warm introductions to others. 5. Follow up like it's part of the conferenceSend a note the same day. Reference something specific you talked about, and include anything you promised to share. Then set reminders for 60, 90, and 180 days to comment on their posts or send something relevant. Tools like Clay and Dex can nudge you automatically. If you want to stay on a busy founder's radar, give them something tangible. "I love your brand" is nice. A thoughtful observation about their customer experience is what gets a reply. After the event, post a recap tagging the people you met, then a few posts on what you learned and which companies caught your eye. That's a month of content and a stronger personal brand. When the timing doesn't line upSome seasons, family or budget mean you can't travel, and that's okay. Do steps 1, 2, and 5 anyway. The outreach still opens the conversation. What you can't replicate from home is the shared experience, so aim to get to at least a couple of events a year where you can be in the room. There are so many conferences coming up for women's health. We've put them all together for you right here.
There are so many stories like mine. I can think of 10+ people from the In Women's Health community right off the bat who got roles after they attended women's health events. Which one will be your first? If you'll be at any of this fall's conferences, reply and tell me which one. I'd love to say hi. We'll be hosting some IWH Happy Hours at some of them too. Stay tuned. So what? You don't need a perfect plan, just a start. Pick one event from the list below, write down one measurable goal, and send three "Are you going?" notes this week. The person you meet this fall might be the one who texts you about a role in 2031. xx 
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💡 Introducing: the Women's Health Reimbursement Summit A three-day program that teaches you how reimbursement actually works, so you can act instead of just absorb.A three-day virtual program teaching you how reimbursement actually works: CPT codes, coverage decisions, and payer negotiations, plus the structural gaps in women's health reimbursement and how to navigate them. New dates and speakers are being finalized now, and payment plans will be available.
3 live virtual sessions · Presented by In Women's Health with Tribunus Health · New dates and speakers coming soon
Early bird pricing to be announced · Payment plans available once registration opens · Be the first to know when dates and pricing drop |
⭐ Featured Roles Three we'd apply to this week
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🎯 Career Move · Your fall conference calendar 10 women's health conferences to plan around this fallPut today's essay to work. Here's what's coming between now and early December. Pick one, set one measurable goal, and start reaching out now.
🤝 In the Community
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📅 Upcoming Events Get in the room
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P.S. Know someone trying to break into women's health, or who has been "thinking about making the move" since roughly the last solar eclipse? Forward this their way: 91 open roles is a much better conversation starter than "so... how's the job search going?" |
