Welcome to The Uprising Show! In this episode, we sit down with Madeline Smith, founder and CEO of MADDRS LLC, Making a Difference, Directing Real Strategy, to explore the transformative power of collective action within the healthcare industry. Madeline describes the organized chaos behind industry summits, the importance of creating a collaborative, sales-free space for innovation, and her hopes for the movement’s growth over the next few years. She shares her vision for democratizing information, bringing in voices from the legal and regulatory side, and motivating attendees to enact real change. Madeline also discusses her three-part book series, designed to educate employers, empower patients, and guide industry insiders, all aiming to arm individuals with the knowledge and tools needed to challenge the status quo in healthcare. Stay tuned as we unpack frustration into motivation and discover how small changes by many can reshape an entire industry.
Timestamps:
00:00 Balancing healthcare and event planning
04:55 Writing book to guide industry
Behind the Scenes with Madeline Smith: Insights from MADRS and Self Fund Summit
Healthcare innovation and industry evolution often begin with small, impactful changes. This truth was echoed in the recent podcast episode featuring Madeline Smith, founder and CEO of MADRS, whose passion for shaking up employer healthcare shines through every answer. If you’re curious about how collaborative communities and honest education are transforming the self-funded healthcare landscape, keep reading for key takeaways and inspiration drawn directly from the conversation.
The Power of Many Small Changes
Madeline Smith kicks off the episode with a powerful observation: genuine transformation in healthcare will only occur through the aggregation of many small changes by many people. It doesn’t matter if someone is an employer with a fully insured plan or a self-funded enterprise. Everyone has a role in the movement to bring practical, meaningful improvements to the industry. As Madeline Smith reveals, “this industry will only be changed through the aggregation of a lot of small changes by a lot of people.” Her message is clear: embrace frustration as motivation, and use it as a catalyst for action.
Creating a Collaborative Community
One of the standout achievements in Madeline Smith’s work is the unique collaborative atmosphere fostered at the Self Fund Summit, a gathering that is intentionally different from typical sales-driven conferences. Instead of pitches and product demos, attendees participate in what Madeline Smith calls a “think tank” where diverse voices come together to share ideas and fuel innovation. She notes her pride in facilitating a space where “it’s not a sales conference… it’s really about bringing all the entities to the table.” This spirit of collaboration is at the heart of real progress in the self-funded healthcare space.
Looking Forward: Expanding the Movement
When asked about the future, Madeline Smith expresses a vision where access to information is democratized and barriers to participation are lowered. She hopes to see continued growth, more accessible virtual options for the Summit, and meaningful engagement with legal and governmental voices. She highlights the importance of ensuring that “more people have access to the information that’s shared from the stage” and the need to involve regulatory perspectives in industry discussions. The goal is a movement that is more inclusive and far-reaching than ever before.
Inspiring Real Change
For Madeline Smith, the ultimate hope is that participants leave the event feeling both frustrated by the status quo and motivated to make constructive changes. Having tolerated ineffective systems for too long, she urges attendees to act. She states, “I hope it’s a combination of feeling just pissed off… and then pair that with a motivation to just do something different.” This blend of emotion spurs the small, persistent actions that collectively drive industry transformation.
Educational Resources for Every Audience
The episode also introduces Madeline Smith’s three-part book series, written to fill the gap in honest, educational content for employers, patients, and industry professionals. Book One offers resources for employers, while Book Two serves as a patient guide for navigating healthcare and insurance. Book Three, anticipated in March 2027, will serve as an industry manual, teaching what Madeline Smith had to learn the hard way. This commitment to transparency and real guidance underscores her mission: empower individuals at every level, from patients to professionals.
Where to Find Madeline Smith’s Books
For those eager to learn more or access Madeline Smith’s books, they are available on Amazon or through her bookstore at saltytxk.com, as shared.
Final Thoughts
The insights from Madeline Smith remind us that meaningful change in healthcare takes a community, a willingness to innovate, and access to honest information. Whether you are an employer, advisor, or patient, now is the time to get informed, get involved, and be part of a movement making a real difference.
If you’re interested in more behind-the-scenes moments and industry expertise, make sure to listen to the full episode featuring Madeline Smith.
The Uprising Show Website: https://theuprisingshow.com/
Vivek Nanda's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/viveknanda1/
Vivek Nanda's Twitter: https://x.com/vickks
TopHealth Media Website: https://tophealth.care/
“Disclaimer: Informational only. Not medical advice. Consult your doctor for guidance.”
[00:00:00] Whether they're an employer who's fully insured or an employer who's self-funded, this industry will only be changed through the aggregation of a lot of small changes by a lot of people. How do you want people feeling what? I want people to be frustrated that they waited so long and that this is sort of something they've put up with and then pair that with a motivation to just do something different. Crystal Smith, founder and CEO of Matters. Looks like mad doctors, but it stands for Making a Difference, Directing Real Strategy.
[00:00:28] All right. So Madeline, the first question, what does Summit look like behind the scenes? What's the chaos? It's definitely chaos. We try to make it look like control when we get on the stage. It's a blend of kind of my two worlds. Before I got into healthcare, I did event planning and other things for nonprofits. So it's a really fun, for me at least, it's a really fun marriage of those two things. I love event planning and pulling it all together.
[00:00:57] It does look like a lot of chaos, especially for those of us on the event side. You know, the things that go wrong that you don't plan for and, you know, trying to find band-aids and, you know, random things. But I always liken it to a quilt that, you know, the people looking at the quilt see this beautiful tapestry put together and then behind the scenes. It's not that it's ugly, but you're seeing all the patchwork. What are you proudest about how this community is growing?
[00:01:24] Yeah, I'm proud that it is such a collaborative dynamic between lots of different types of individuals. So I would say this Summit and Cell Fund in general are unique in the industry in that it's not a sales conference, right? Nobody's selling anything, so to speak. It's really about bringing all the entities to the table and almost have a think tank, right? Almost like share ideas and take that innovation. Like, how do we take this thing to the next step?
[00:01:54] And I'm really proud of that dynamic. Where do you see this movement going in, let's say, next three to five years? Yeah, I mean, I hope it continues to grow. I hope more people have access to the information that's shared from the stage, more access to the folks in the room. I do think that it's on some level a democratization of the information that the industry has sort of held back for a long time. So I hope more people get access to that.
[00:02:19] You know, we've talked about next year I'd love to see a virtual option so that travel isn't an obstacle for people. I'd love to see, because the regulation is such a component of what everyone has to deal with and everything is touched by it, I'd love to start engaging a fourth audience, which is more on the legal government side. But my big hope is just that it continues to grow. And of course, this event will end today.
[00:02:46] And what do you think or how do you want people feeling what? I hope it's a combination of feeling just pissed off. I hope I can say that. Pissed off enough that they want to do something different. Wherever they're at in the stage, whether they're an employer who's fully insured or an employer who's self-funded or an advisor who's looking to kind of take the plunge and start asking questions about maybe moving their book to more creative solutions or providers.
[00:03:16] I want people to be frustrated that they waited so long and that this is sort of something they've put up with. And then pair that with a motivation to just do something different. I believe that this industry will only be changed through the aggregation of a lot of small changes by a lot of people. And I hope people are frustrated enough to take those small changes. Much needed and hopefully will happen. Yeah, I'm hoping so. Yeah.
[00:03:44] And let's now talk about your book, which is launched with this event, book number two. Yeah. And we have the signed copy here. I guess tell us a little bit about both the book, book one and two, and also book three is going to come. So let's talk about that. So, yeah. So it's a three-part series. I wrote it because I was frustrated that there just wasn't honest content in the space that wasn't trying to sell something. And so I really wrote it from an education perspective.
[00:04:14] So book one is the Navy cover. It references legalized larceny because I do believe that's a big part of what employer health care, health insurance is. And it's written for the employers. So it's an anthology. I wrote several chapters and then found experts in the field who I knew wouldn't take the time to write a whole book, but they had a lot of knowledge to impart. So it's a great educational resource for employers or advisors who are using it to educate employers also. And book two is near and dear to my heart. It's the patient guide. It was written for all Americans.
[00:04:44] It really breaks down how to navigate the health care world and insurance in general. So not just somebody who's a part of a self-funded employer, but really any American insured or uninsured. I joked with my publisher that I wish it could be pocket-sized because I really wanted it to be something that armed patients with knowing where to go. What to ask. How to advocate for themselves. And the third book, which I'm writing now and will come out in March of 2027,
[00:05:10] is really an industry guidebook for the folks serving in the industry, whether they're brokers and advisors, selling or account management and support, teaching them the things that I had to learn the hard way. There was no manual for me. And I really want book three to be a manual for people who are trying to do good work in the space. And where can people find these books? So right now they are available on Amazon or you can get them from our bookstore that my husband and I own. It's saltytxk.com. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.