AONN+ Keynote

Gail Zahtz was the keynote at the AONN+ Annual Conference

Gail Zahtz was the keynote at the Annual Conference in New Orleans for the Academy of Oncology and Nurse & Patient Navigators.

Jason Zemcik wrote the following summary of the impact he had from her talk:

This is Gail Zahtz

Today at #aonnannual2022 she told her story of surviving cancer, domestic violence, homelessness, financial distress, and dishonest business partners. 

It was an inspiring lesson in perseverance, purpose, and gratitude.

Officially, she was speaking on value-based care.

I arrived expecting to learn more about a healthcare business topic I’m interested in.

But by weaving in her personal story she made the talk so much more memorable for everyone in attendance.

Here are some of her lessons that apply universally to life:

1/ Acknowledge you don't have a choice when bad circumstances hit.  “I didn’t sign up for this, I was drafted" she said of her cancer diagnosis.

2/ Showing up...every day, no matter what…is 99% of “it” in anything.

3/ When you don’t know what to do, just do the next right thing. You may not know what you’re going to do next week, next month, or next year – but you ALWAYS know the very next thing to do. It can be as simple as saying thank you to someone.

4/ Find what brings you joy and go get it. It's not something we need others to create for us.

5/ “What’s the worst that’s going to happen, someone’s going to hurt my feelings?”  We all have a superpower.  But over time it becomes buried because we worry about what people think. Stop doing that.

6/ When we change our perception of what joy and success is, we find a lot more of it. 

7/ Our story is the only thing nobody can ever steal from us or replicate. It makes us who we are and it’s worth sharing.

Thank you, Gail, for a wonderful session and graciously taking the time to chat afterward!