Workday Playdate 43. How Authenticity Can Lead to Success with Ravyn Miller, Senior Marketing Director at Medtronic
“Success does not come without hardship.” - Ravyn Miller
Where are you in your career journey? Does imposter syndrome stop you from being your best professional self? Does showing up authentically in your career scare you out of your (most comfortable) work from home pants?
If so, today’s episode is going to hit home. Failed it! Fam, grab your notebooks, and give a warm welcome to the most selfless, and authentic gal we’ve seen on LinkedIn, Ravyn Miller. She is a Senior Marketing Director at Medtronic with an impressive and unique background that spans from the boardroom to the pulpit. Listen in as she shares her own realization of how failing is part of the process, authenticity is her super power, and how you can lean into both. You’ll leave wanting to become a truer, more real version of YOU.
In today’s episode, Ravyn talks to us about:
- How success is not linear
- Why failing is a part of success, and why sharing those fails matters
- The importance of being real and humble in your career journey
- How failure drives innovation
Links from show discussions:
About the guest: As the Sr. Marketing Director for Medtronic’s High Power Global Growth team, Ravyn Miller is responsible for creating and executing strategies that accelerate access for patients appropriate for CRT and ICD indications. Upon graduating with a dual Master’s in Business and Divinity from Vanderbilt University, she joined the company through their Leadership Development Rotation Program (LDRP). In her previous roles at Medtronic, Ravyn worked as the Commercial Marketing Director for Venous, led a cardiac and vascular group wide market development effort focused on reducing cardiac health care disparities for women and people of color, worked as a Health Policy Fellow in DC and was the National Implementation Leader for the Cardiac and Vascular Group (CVG) Strategic Solutions Organization.
During her tenure at Medtronic, she has earned several company recognitions, such as the Marketing Excellence Award, the Champion of Change and the Star of Excellence. In 2107, she was recognized by Diversity Inc. as one of the Top 100 Emerging Leaders Under 50 and in 2019, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal named her as a Women in Business Honoree, which annually recognizes 50 of the region’s most influential women in business and community. Prior to Medtronic, Ravyn was a Sales Representative with Johnson and Johnson DePuy in Houston, TX and Nashville, TN.
A selfless leader, Ravyn seeks opportunities to advocate on behalf of other people. As a member of Medtronic’s African Descent Network (ADN) Leadership Team, she helps shape strategies aimed at creating a diverse and inclusive work environment for all employees. She also serves as an advisory for the company’s Campus Leads for Vanderbilt University’s Owen School of Management. Outside of work, Ravyn serves on the Board of Directors for Be the Match and sits on the Advisory Board of the following organizations: Odonata Health, National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF), the University of Minnesota’s Venture Center Business Advisory Group and the Minnesota Orchestra’s Young People’s Symphony Concert Association. She is also a former member of the State of MN’s Health Equity Board.
Ravyn is an ordained minister, a sought after speaker on topics ranging from leadership to health equity and proudly embraces her self-proclamation of being a “brunch enthusiast.”
About the Host: Erin Diehl is the founder and Chief “Yes, And” officer of improve it! and host of the failed it! Podcast. She’s a performer, facilitator and professional risk-taker who lives by the mantra, “get comfortable with the uncomfortable.” Through a series of unrelated dares, Erin has created improve it!, a unique professional development company that pushes others to laugh, learn and grow. Her work with clients such as United Airlines, PepsiCo, Groupon, Deloitte, Motorola, Walgreens, and The Obama Foundation earned her the 2014 Chicago RedEye Big Idea Award and has nominated her for the 2015-2019 Chicago Innovations Award.
This graduate from Clemson University is a former experiential marketing and recruiting professional as well as a veteran improviser from the top improvisational training programs in Chicago, including The Second City, i.O. Theater, and The Annoyance Theatre.
When she is not playing pretend or facilitating, she enjoys running and beach dates with her husband and son, and their eight pound toy poodle, BIGG Diehl.
You can follow the failed it! podcast on Instagram and facebook, and you can follow Erin personally on Instagram here. We can’t wait to connect with you online!