Why Saying Yes to Discomfort Is the Fastest Path to Innovation Leadership with Tracy Elmer

David Wright sits down with Tracy Elmer, Chief Innovation Officer of TrueCare. They discuss building a career on saying yes before feeling ready, leading innovation in community healthcare and using AI to restore human connection at the point of care. Key Takeaways 00:00 Introduction 03:04 Saying yes before feeling ready has driven every major career leap — discomfort is a growth signal, not a warning sign 06:07 A summer job in Army medical records at 16 set the foundation: service, curiosity and the belief that even short experience counts 09:10 Leading an Epic implementation mid-pandemic reinforced that excellence rather than perfection is the standard 14:37 Admitting what you don't know builds trust and creates the safety culture innovation requires 21:30 TrueCare's access mission extends to food, housing, transportation and a street medicine program for those with the most basic unmet needs 27:30 The workforce represents the community: taking care of the team is how TrueCare takes care of everyone else 29:45 Ambient AI is not about cutting documentation time — it restores eye contact and deepens patient trust 31:05 Agentic AI is being piloted in the contact centre to elevate staff, freeing people for complex work while AI handles the routine Thanks for listening to the “Disruptive Innovators” podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, hit the subscribe button and never miss another insightful conversation. And be sure to leave a review to help get the word out about the Champions of Digital Business. Resources Mentioned TrueCare: https://www.truecare.org/ “The Light We Carry” by Michelle Obama https://www.amazon.com/Light-We-Carry-Overcoming-Uncertain/dp/0593237463 “A Bit of Optimism Podcast” – Simon Sinek https://simonsinek.com/podcast/ #DisruptiveInnovation #Innovation #DisruptiveTech