Five Years of Swaay.Health LIVE!
Swaay.Health LIVE 2026 is almost here!!! I find myself looking forward to it more every year that goes by. Not because of any single session or keynote (but that agenda!!🤩🤩). But because of what happens in the in-between moments. The hallway conversations and the dinners that run long and the person you meet between sessions who turns into a collaborator, or even a friend! There is genuinely no room in healthcare quite like this one — no posturing, no ego, just a community of people who actually want to help each other win.
This will be my fifth year at Swaay. Five years of connections that turned into collaborations, friendships, and people I call when I need a real answer from someone I actually trust. Healthcare is a relationship business — and so much of that starts here.
At the heart of it all are John Lynn, Brittany Quemby, and Colin Hung. What they've built isn't just a conference...it's a community with a real culture. Generous. Ego-free. Genuinely invested in the people who show up. That doesn't happen by accident, and it doesn't happen without years of care and intention. Every time I walk into a Swaay room and feel that energy, I think about how rare it is — and how much of it traces back to them. John always shares the conference mantra, "give before you get."
I decided to ask some first timers and veterans what they're most looking forward to... and SAME, across all of this!
First-time attendees:
Shirel Daniel said something that stuck with me: healthcare marketing is specialized, and she's often felt "a bit removed from traditional marketing communities because of the unique constraints we work within." Being surrounded by people tackling those same challenges feels "refreshing and energizing." That's Swaay in a sentence.
Liat Kozuch is arriving with a beginner's mindset, hoping to walk away with "unexpected perspective shifts and a few real aha moments." Honestly, the best possible way to show up.
Caitlin La Honta nailed it: "this community is so fantastic about keeping in touch virtually but the real magic happens when we all see each other IRL." First timer and already gets it.
Sarah Ferguson is a team of one coming to figure out how to keep making a difference with limited budget and resources. That kind of scrappy, mission-driven energy is exactly what this community was built for.
The veterans bring the same kind of energy:
Alexandra Ferraro is still thinking about a session from the Atlanta year — the plain language conversation from AHA Media Group. "A solutions website should not read like a peer-reviewed journal. The more technical the solution, the more important it is to simplify it." Healthcare leaders' jobs are complex enough. Don't make it worse with how you communicate. Two years later and it's still resonating!
Ashley Dauwer said it perfectly: "It's the in-between moments — the chats between selfies, after sessions, over dinners, or out on the dance floor — where the real value happens. If you show up curious and human-first, the ideas, partnerships, and momentum naturally follow." 🩷
Rebecca Nadeau has been coming since 2021 and has made real friends, landed a job, and hired someone through this community. (That was me. I was the hire!) This year she's bringing a new colleague for her first conference. The cycle continues.
Sara Strom is on year 7 and keeps coming back for the same reason: Swaay has built "a truly unique, friendly, and helpful environment" — she's been hired, hired others, and built lifelong friendships through it. (And has won Marketer of the Year TWICE!)
Jen Fontanella captured the culture: "a community of healthcare marketers who leave their egos at the door and show up to support one another — honest conversations, continuous learning, and lifelong connections."
Jaime Lira summed up the spirit: "Swaay is a generous community. I always look forward to sharing what's working for my team and hearing about what's working for others."
Tina Feldmann made a bold and accurate claim: "I know it will change your life." She's looking forward to reconnecting, collaborating on what's trending (tools, AI, social, and search), celebrating successes, learning from pitfalls, and welcoming new people into the community.
Jane Bogue is coming for the peer learning and to understand how people are actually leveraging AI right now — and Carol Flagg (my fellow 2025 co-Community member of the year!) calls it simply "the one conference I will never miss." She's looking forward to learning what's new, why it's on trend, and how to implement. Abdul Rastagar is back for more of what made last year so good: the people.
As for me, I'm going for all the above! I'll be the one laughing too loud between sessions and maybe running late because of it, meeting new people and making introductions, and soaking in every in-between moment. Last year left me genuinely humbled by this community in ways I didn't expect, and I'm carrying that into year five.
See you in Foxborough!
Are you going to Swaay? Drop a comment!! I'd love to know who I'll see there.