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Confessions of a Failure

5 minutes of reading / 4 Comments / By Trisha Torrey / August 10, 2020

Think of the successful business people you know or know of. They probably run different kinds of businesses, even non-profits. Their businesses are different sizes, too – from solopreneurs to multi-national conglomerates. They represent different sectors of business from manufacturing and selling products to offering personal services – and everything in between. What is the first thing most of them have in common? Most of them, at one time or another, have failed. Some of their failures were highly visible – and well publicized. Some of their failures are never to be spoken of (meaning we have no idea what […]

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Turkish Lore and Sir Francis Bacon Suggest a New Approach to Workshops and Bootcamps

3 minutes of reading / Leave a Comment / By Trisha Torrey / July 22, 2020

It’s been a conundrum, now solved. It’s been a wish, now solved. It’s been a challenge, which has now been solved, and solved with a solution that will continue to grow the profession of advocacy (hopefully) far into the future! Announcing…

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(Update #5) For Your Listening and Learning Pleasure…

2 minutes of reading / Leave a Comment / By Trisha Torrey / April 13, 2020

Covid-19 Update: April 13, 2020 Whether you’re holed up in your home office, or enjoying a nice walk or other exercise, or anything in between, your earpods, or earbuds, or a headset can be your friend and teacher for three podcasts APHA recently recorded and published under the title Crisis Conversations.

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(Update #2) Fostering the Right Attitude for Your Clients and Your Practice

3 minutes of reading / By Trisha Torrey / March 19, 2020

Covid-19 Update: March 19, 2020 During the past week, as the coronavirus / COVID-19 crisis has taken over our lives, I have heard from many advocates who are taking all the steps needed to stay safe, who tell me they are recommending such steps to others, and that (in the words of one) they are “just planning to wait it out until this all blows over.” No NO No No No! That is NOT the right thinking for smart practice owners! In fact, it’s just the opposite of how we should be looking at our world right now, as follows:

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Patient Advocates and the Coronavirus

5 minutes of reading / 1 Comment / By Trisha Torrey / March 4, 2020

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know you can’t turn on the news, read news online or in a newspaper, or attend an event, or go anywhere – in person or online – without seeing or hearing something about the 2019 coronavirus. It’s the only health-related story that can knock the horror of uncontrolled medical bills lower down the list of headlines. And, of course, because its eventual impact is totally unknown, it frightens people in ways only the media knows how to frighten people. Since we all work in the world of health and medical care, and

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Get Unstuck – Learn to Overcome the Paralysis of Analysis

5 minutes of reading / Leave a Comment / By Trisha Torrey / January 3, 2020

Common scenario: You have dreamed about becoming a private health /patient advocate or care manager for a while. You know you can do it, you know you are a good advocate, your heart really WANTS to change careers to advocacy, you know people need help with their medical system challenges… Plus everyone you know thinks it’s a great idea! They all tell you “OMG! There is such a huge need!” Maybe you have helped friends and family members over the years, or you have been a doctor or nurse for decades. (I often hear, I’ve been an advocate all my

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Why Lifelong Advocates Can Fail at Independent Advocacy

5 minutes of reading / Leave a Comment / By Trisha Torrey / December 4, 2019

Many of you, despite the fact that you have developed outstanding patient advocacy skills, will not succeed as independent private advocates, because you don’t act on one important distinction. Doesn’t seem right or fair, does it? So what’s that distinction? Let’s try a metaphor: Colleen has always loved houses, and has been the admin in a real estate company for almost 30 years. She has handled details upon details for others – from seller contracts to purchaser contracts, from hiring inspectors, to setting and retrieving signs on a property’s front yard. She knows her stuff, she’s done it all, she’s

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