Unapologetic Leadership: A Conversation with Randi Escobedo and Crissy Turino
Members of the 2025 Carol Emmott Fellowship Cohort

Doug Riddle: I’m here with Randi Escobedo, Chief Healthcare Experience and Population Health Officer of Providence Health Plan, and Crissy Turino, Chief Operating Officer of CountyCare for Cook County Health. Both are members of the 2025 class of the Carol Emmott Fellowship. This cohort created a collective work—Unapologetic: A Playbook for Women Leaders in Healthcare. Thank you both for being here.

Let’s start with the origin story. Most fellowship projects are individual efforts, but your class chose a collective approach. How did that happen?

Randi Escobedo: When we came together for our first convergence in February 2025, the healthcare landscape felt chaotic. Policy changes were happening rapidly, affecting equity, funding, and vulnerable populations. Many of us entered healthcare to serve those populations, so the moment felt personal and urgent.

In that first gathering, something unspoken happened—we chose to show up authentically, to be vulnerable, and to create a safe space. As we shared experiences, a sense of both urgency and responsibility emerged. We realized we had an extraordinary group: executives, clinicians, strategists, operators—representing every corner of healthcare across the country.

At one point, I thought: If we can’t figure this out, who can? I raised the idea—what if we created something meaningful together, something that could influence the future of healthcare? Around the same time, we were reminded of our fellowship advocacy project. That’s when it clicked. We decided to do it collectively.

Doug Riddle: That’s a powerful start. Crissy, can you give us a sense of the book itself—something that captures its spirit?

Crissy Turino: Absolutely. As we worked together, themes kept emerging—power, authenticity, credibility, storytelling. Those themes became the foundation of the book.

Here’s an excerpt that resonated deeply with me:

Leadership visibility in healthcare is not about being everywhere. It’s about being present with purpose. True presence comes from aligning what you say, what you do, and how you show up. Influence matters, but credibility is earned through genuine interactions, not granted by title. 

That idea—credibility through alignment and consistency—feels especially relevant in leadership today.

Doug Riddle: How does that show up in your own leadership?

Crissy Turino: At CountyCare, we serve a large Medicaid population, and our work is deeply mission-driven. That excerpt reinforces the importance of showing up authentically and following through—supporting our teams, staying accountable, and ensuring people feel seen. Credibility isn’t abstract; it’s built in everyday interactions.

Doug Riddle: Randi, what stands out to you from the book?

Randi Escobedo: Each chapter includes what we call “power moves”—practical actions leaders can apply in real time. It’s meant to be a tool, not something you read once and shelve.

I’d like to share a passage from the conclusion:

This playbook is an invitation, not a prescription. Take what you need, return to it when the ground shifts, and adapt it as your leadership evolves. When one woman leads boldly and authentically, she makes it easier for others to do the same. Your leadership matters. Your voice matters. The future of healthcare is better because women are choosing to lead unapologetically—together.

That captures the spirit of what we set out to do.

Doug Riddle: The tone is remarkably unified for a 24-person collaboration. How did you achieve that level of alignment?

Crissy Turino: It wasn’t easy—group projects rarely are—but this one was unifying. We explored many ideas before landing on the playbook. Once we did, we built structure collaboratively.

We worked in small groups, shared stories, drafted content, and came back together to refine it. Randi played a key role in helping us move from ideas to execution and shaping a shared vision.

Randi Escobedo: We organized into triads and used a common template to ensure consistency. Drafts were reviewed collectively, then refined iteratively. A subset of the group focused on editing—ensuring voice, tone, and formatting were cohesive.

It was truly a team effort. Everyone contributed what they could, when they could. That flexibility made a big difference.

Doug Riddle: Has the project influenced how your cohort approaches writing or sharing ideas?

Randi Escobedo: Yes. When we launched the book, many in our cohort began sharing more—especially on platforms like LinkedIn. It seemed to spark confidence in using their voices more publicly.

Crissy Turino: I also saw growth in how people articulated their perspectives. Over the year, fellows became more confident in telling their stories and synthesizing ideas. The book became a kind of capstone for that development.

Doug Riddle: Are you seeing the playbook used within your organizations?

Randi Escobedo: Yes. One example: a leader on my team, interested in advancing her career, asked about the book after seeing it referenced. We used it as part of a coaching conversation—particularly around influence and decision-making. We built a development plan grounded in those concepts, and she’s now actively applying them.

Seeing the book used in that way—practically and meaningfully—is incredibly rewarding.

Crissy Turino: I’ve shared it with our leadership team and emerging leaders. The feedback has been encouraging. Many see it as a tool they can grow into—something they can apply now while preparing for future leadership roles.

Doug Riddle: Looking ahead, what’s your vision for the playbook?

Randi Escobedo: We want this to be a movement, not a one-time project. It should be something people return to—a living resource. We envision workshops, discussions, and continued evolution. It’s meant to be used, adapted, and shared.

Crissy Turino: This is a moment that calls for courage. Healthcare leaders are navigating significant challenges—policy changes, funding pressures, equity concerns. The tools in this playbook are not just for individual advancement—they’re meant to help leaders drive meaningful change in service of people and communities.

Doug Riddle: That’s a fitting place to end. Thank you both—and your entire cohort—for creating something so thoughtful and impactful.