Tanya Little

The most important conversations in health care aren't happening in boardrooms — they're happening in rooms like this. 😎 Joining friends at the Scrub Capital Unconference in NYC this week, and the agenda couldn't be more timely: how we reimburse for responsible Clinical AI, and where venture and growth equity are headed in health care.

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This one’s personal. Together with Johnnie Jenkins, Aubrey Sawyer and I started inhealth Health and Wellness Coaching  and now her and I started CoachLinq because of something close to home — our moms. Both of our mothers struggled with chronic conditions that demanded lifelong change but received little to no support along the way. Mine faced obesity, hypertension, and diabetes and was constantly told what to do — “Here’s a new medication. Change your diet.” — with no follow-through or accountability. Aubrey’s mom went through bariatric surgery, only to be left without the guidance or coaching she needed to sustain those changes long term. Those experiences became our “why.” They showed us that health isn’t just about access to care — it’s about consistent, human-centered support that helps people actually change. Fast forward 10 years, and the employer market is still struggling with the same challenge: awareness and engagement. People know what to do, but they still aren’t getting the help they need. That’s why CoachLinq was created, to reach every person, across every condition and lifestyle factor, connecting them to meaningful support for long-term change. CoachLinq is a spin-out powered by inHealth designed to scale certified health coaching through AI. It is the technology company that we always wanted to build, but now better and more intelligent then we could have ever dreamed. It uses the same guardrails, frameworks, and behavioral science our board-certified coaches use, delivered through intelligent conversation, empathy, and evidence-based guidance. In a world that needs answers #now, we’re offering a credible solution that brings the science of coaching to everyone, not just the few who can access it. We’re deeply grateful to Unity Stoakes and the StartUp Health team for featuring our story and supporting our mission to make health coaching more accessible, connected, and effective for the people who need it most. And as we officially launch our #fundraising round, we’re building dedicated channels to take CoachLinQ to employers, health systems, and digital health partners who share our vision. Read the full feature on StartUp Health below. #CoachLinq #inhealth #StartUpHealth #HealthMoonshot #DigitalHealth #AIinHealthcare #HealthCoaching #BehaviorChange #EmployerWellness #HealthInnovation #Founders

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One year into the transition from a Fortune 20 company to a PE-backed environment, I've learned what it really takes to make AI real at Gainwell—improving Medicaid and human services in tangible outcomes. This year felt personal, too. Most roles come with a canvas that's already sketched. This one felt like a blank canvas—and a chance to deliver with full ownership. My goal for 2025 was simple: embed AI to optimize the business and drive growth, and deliver production-grade impact that moves the P&L. 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬 This year, we delivered. We now have multiple AI agents in production across the company—supporting product and service workflows—and we've seen measurable impact on cost, quality, and growth. What I'm most proud of is that we didn't treat AI as a collection of use cases. We treated it like a real operating business: clear priorities, fast delivery, and accountability for outcomes. 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 We're now shipping new AI capabilities into production on a ~3-month cadence. The biggest unlock for me has been execution clarity: break complex initiatives into smaller parts, then drive them with day-to-day rigor. I'm a big believer in speed—but speed only happens with discipline. I'm holding myself to that standard—and the teams around me are holding me to it too—because execution rigor is what turns AI potential into P&L results. 𝐀𝐈 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦, 𝐫𝐞𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 We've also been intentional about how we build. We're building for reuse, not one-offs—so each capability makes the next one faster. We're standardizing AI agents into configurable, reusable services on one integrated platform. In parallel, we've been growing our "ground-truth" test set so we can evaluate LLMs and agents against real-world tasks. This approach lets us adopt new models/agents quickly while maintaining robust, production-grade systems. 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞, 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐈 I feel lucky to work with people who share the same passion and persistence for using AI to solve hard problems in healthcare. I'm learning every day as the field evolves. My team and I use AI to accelerate our own learning—bridging gaps in business context, mastering new domains—then feeding that understanding back to make the AI more effective. Better context drives better AI. 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 Heading into 2026, I feel real momentum and real meaning. We're building something that matters, with people who care deeply about getting it right. I'm grateful for this opportunity and excited for what we'll create together. #AITranformation #GainwellTechnologies

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Mental health wasn’t on the list. Now it’s top 5. For years, we’ve known the top cost drivers in healthcare: ➜ Cancer ➜ Cardiovascular disease ➜ MSK ➜ Diabetes But when I sat down with Ellen Kelsay, one number jumped out: A 54% compounded increase in healthcare trend over the last decade — and for the first time, mental health cracked the top 5. Here’s why that matters: 1. It signals a shift in access. Utilization has spiked. And for the first time, it’s not just about awareness. It’s about action. People are using the mental health benefits employers have put in place. 2. It flips the old model. Mental health used to be a cultural initiative. A checkbox. Now it’s a financial reality. Employers need to treat it with the same rigor as every other major condition. 3. It’s a double-edged sword. More people getting care is a good thing. But rising access means rising cost. And most benefit strategies weren’t built to absorb this new demand. 4. It’s not a short-term spike. This isn’t a pandemic blip. It’s part of the long-term trendline. The data shows it. The claims confirm it. 5. It demands a new approach. If mental health is now a core cost driver, then point solutions and EAPs can’t be your only response. You need infrastructure. Integration. Real strategy. That’s what Ellen and I unpacked on the latest episode of Margin of Care. This trend isn’t going away. And if you’re still treating mental health like a wellness perk…You’re already behind. 🎧 Watch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/etDDB98S

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I love the insights in this CEO World article from my friend Leo Bottary. Peer influence is a powerful force -- for good or for detriment -- that we often overlook among teams. In Stamp & Chase's work with teams and their leaders, we lean into the research of Dr. Christina Maslach highlighting the six root causes of burnout. One of those six causes is "community." When peer influence is positive in the work team community, it's like jet fuel, driving higher performance among the entire team. When that influence is negative, it can ground everyone, eventually burning out key players. Leo sums up our opportunity and duty as effective leaders to our teams: "The leader’s role, then, is not simply to direct performance from above. It is to cultivate the conditions where colleagues elevate one another." https://lnkd.in/g9MTiwre

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