Women Defining Wellness | 37 Inspiring Leaders in Health & Wellness You Should Know
- The WW Team
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
Health and wellness are industries that impact our daily lives in truly personal ways. From the products we use to the treatments we need, the space is evolving rapidly with both medical and technical improvements. And at a variety of companies, women are leading the way.
These women are running businesses, creating new products, inspiring the future vision of health and wellness (for men and women alike), and sitting at the helm at a truly exciting time of development. They also bring heart and a human-centered approach to building in the space, with some having even created entire companies because they saw a need or experienced a profound loss and thought: "I can do something about that."
[A special mention that in the first quarter of 2026, we saw the arrival of two new unicorns in women's health, in particular.]
In a special series from Wednesday Women, we're shining a light on extraordinary leaders at health and wellness companies. These women are leading teams in fields ranging from mental health to hospitals to supplements.
Why is this series important? Wellness is a $6.8 trillion industry and it's critical for us to understand who's leading it, even reshaping what it means to take care of ourselves in the modern era.
Plus, let's be honest, most of these women are not getting the visibility and recognition they deserve. Each spotlight series we run is a step toward addressing this gap in visibility – as well as a way to build community among the leaders themselves.
Whether you're looking for your next keynote speaker, podcast guest, expert panelist, or simply want to diversify your network—these are women to watch, learn from, and be inspired by.
This series is made possible by our generous partner, Booth – a certified B Corp that helps companies scale their talent and supports companies in building without sacrificing culture, quality, or control. (We'd love to introduce you, if that sounds like something you could use at your company!)
These are the women lighting the way—brilliant minds who are leading the conversations and problem-solving with health and wellness at the center of the conversation.
💡Heidi Jannenga - CEO/Founder at Rizing Tide, WebPT
💡Dylon MacEachran - VP Marketing at Neurotrack
💡Bonnie Radintz - VP Customer Success at AvaSure
💡Katelyn Watson - CMO at Talkspace
💡Sona Jones - Head of Marketing at Vital Proteins
⚡️ Michele Henry - Founder and CEO at Face Foundrié
⚡️ Liz Johnson - Assistant Professor at Montana State University
⚡️ Susan Kristiniak - Chief Nursing Officer at Caregility
⚡️ Tara Narula - Chief Medical Correspondant at ABC News, Northwell Health
⚡️ Kim Shartsis - Head of Brand Marketing at Tava Health
👋 Mahvish Zaman - CPO at Liquid IV
👋 Nini Fritz - CEO, Workplace Experience Manager at Mindbody/The Work Happiness Project
👋 Emily Boschwitz - Cofounder, President at POCA
👋 Katherine Grill - Founder & Chief Strategist at Katherine Grill Consulting
👋 Ikram Guerd - CMO at Aspivix
👋 Jennifer Gendron - Chief Commercial Officer at Digital Wellness
👋 Shaema Talib - VP Product & Strategy at MedSys Health
👋 Deepti Bahel - Founder at MediMate Foundation
👋 Mandy Ghias - Cofounder and Chief Medical Officer at Tono Health
Read even more about a few of these brilliant leaders in our special weekly features:
See Samia's feature post and read about this leader known for her collaborative leadership style, fostering strong cross-functional partnerships, and embedding compliance into the fabric of healthcare organizations.
As Chief Compliance Officer at AccentCare Inc, she is passionate about:
“The impact that a strong culture of compliance and ethics can have on business goals and performance.”
See Justine's post to read about bringing empathy and rigor to the workplace and advocating for customer and data-driven decision-making.
Justine is the VP/GM, Employer Solutions at Lyra Health. She drives the roadmap, vision, and commercial strategy for new solutions across Lyra's Employer business.
She champions two things:
Benefits that address employees' unmet mental health needs
What if actually takes to turn a good idea into something real
Her advice to people starting in their career?
“Not all who wander are lost.”
Read about Bridget's 20+ years of leadership in marketing, sales, and customer success for early-stage companies as well as global brands.
She's the Chief Revenue Officer at PatientNow. And she's a proponent for talking about the messy middle of leadership. Especially when the playbook that got you to where you are is outdated or needs tweaking to fit into the world we're in now.
Her advice for professionals growing their careers?
“Courage is a muscle. Do it scared. Every time you do something uncomfortable, uncertain, or difficult, it gets stronger. Don't wait until you feel ready. Go create the evidence.”
See Celine's featured post to meet this brilliant leader on a mission to inspire others to live their best life.
She is the CEO at Juice Plus Wellness with 40+ years of experience selling, two books, and also a board member of Direct Selling Australia
Her advice to fellow women?
“Invest in coaching and mentoring. The wisdom of those who have walked the journey before you is priceless, and it will condense the journey for you.”
We're not done yet. Here are 14 more women to follow that we absolutely admire, building and innovating at companies in the Health & Wellness space:
💡Jill Angelo - VP, Women's Health & Commercial Partnerships at Oura
💡Naomi Allen - Founder and CEO at Brightline
💡Kristen Cerf - President and CEO at Blue Shield of California
💡Joanna Strober - Founder at Midi Health
💡Angie Barrie - Chief Commercial Officer at Kindbody
💡Laura Walmsley - Chief Commercial Officer at Virta Health
💡Chelsea Kocis Trombino - Chief Operating Officer at Thirty Madison
💡Melanie Marsden - Global Head of Professional Service at Fresha
💡Kate Ryder - Founder/CEO at Maven
💡Ami Parekh - Chief Health Officer at Included Health
💡Shyamali Choudhury - Chief Commercial Officer at Pomelo Care
💡Roxanna Gapstur - President and CEO at WellSpan Health
How You Can Support Women Leaders in the Health & Wellness Space
One of the best ways to support executive women leading the way in health and wellness is by amplifying their voices. Some ways you can do this include:
Following these women on social platforms (just click their LinkedIn profiles above) and engaging with their content
Reading their insights and interviews, and inviting them to speak on panels
Advocating for diversity in leadership across all verticals
Learn More About Our Sponsor: Booth
This special series featuring extraordinary Women in HR & Talent is brought to you by our partner, Booth—the partner that provides managed outsourcing, talent solutions at scale, and AI support to help businesses grow without compromising core culture or control.
Interested in supporting Wednesday Women and seeing more executive women features?
To stay up-to-date with everything Wednesday Women, follow us on LinkedIn, subscribe to our monthly newsletter, and check out The Ripple—our podcast featuring executive women in leadership.
