In this episode of the Chase MedSearch Podcast, host Jordan Chase sits down with Kate Willis, a rare commercial leader whose career spans Broadway stages and boardrooms at some of the most influential medical technology companies in the world.

Kate shares her unconventional journey from performing eight to ten shows a week as Dorothy in the national tour of The Wizard of Oz to leading commercialization efforts at Medtronic, Nevro, and Neurovalens. Along the way, she’s built markets from scratch, launched FDA-cleared devices, secured 100% Medicare coverage, negotiated VA national contracts, and scaled high-performing sales and marketing organizations across neuromodulation, sleep medicine, and digital health.

This conversation dives deep into:
- How storytelling and performance translate into elite healthcare sales leadership
- What it really takes to commercialize disruptive medical technologies
- Selling into the VA system vs. traditional commercial healthcare
- Building trust through clinical credibility and consumer marketing
- Leading high-performing teams in competitive medtech markets
- The transition from top sales rep to enterprise-level leader
- Women in leadership, bias in promotion decisions, and building inclusive cultures
- Ethical boundaries in healthcare marketing and influencer partnerships

Kate also reflects on her work advising early-stage companies, serving on nonprofit boards focused on youth advocacy and access to care, and building a resilient, sustainable career while raising a family.

This episode is a must-listen for medical device sales professionals, commercial leaders, founders, and anyone interested in how great leaders earn trust and build markets in healthcare.

RESOURCES:

🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/katewillis-medtech/

🤝 https://www.lys.org/

🤝 https://www.childrenslawky.org/

👩‍💼 https://chief.com/

#medicaldevicesales
#medtech
#leadershipinhealthcare
#healthcarestartup
#careergrowth

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From Broadway to Breakthroughs: Kate Willis on Building MedTech Markets, Trust, and Leadership