Meet the In-Value-Able 2026 Speakers

Marcus Whitney is a self-taught, successful entrepreneur whose journey from college dropout and waiter to one of the most active healthcare venture capitalists in America provides a unique perspective on the Future of Health Care. His personal story is a powerful testament to claiming your Creative Power to drive systemic change. 

Marcus is a Founding Partner of Jumpstart Health Investors (JHI), recognized as the most active early-stage healthcare venture capital firm in the nation. He specifically leads Jumpstart Nova, JHI’s institutional, strategic seed fund focused on investing in Black-founded and led healthcare companies, making him a critical voice in shaping an equitable and innovative future for the industry. 

He doesn’t just invest in health; he shapes culture. Marcus is a co-founder and minority owner of the Major League Soccer Team, Nashville Soccer Club. He’s also the Amazon #1 best-selling author of “Create and Orchestrate,” sharing his blueprint for entrepreneurial success. An Aspen Health Innovators Fellow, and a board member of the Healthcare Finance Management Association, Marcus has been featured by CNBC, Inc., and Fast Company. He brings a world-class, competitive mindset to every challenge, proven by his title as a 3X IBJJF Masters World Champion in Jiu Jitsu. 

Rich Bracken is a motivational speaker and executive coach, known as a "Transformational Conductor," who uniquely fuses deep expertise in emotional intelligence (EQ) and leadership with dynamic entertainment. His sessions are a direct route to inspired innovation and culture change. 

Rich embeds a high level of research-backed content into his presentation to set the stage for you to drive the positive, sustained change necessary for navigating complex employee well-being challenges.  His session, Boosting Culture & Performance Through Emotional Intelligence, is critical because over 70% of an employee’s perception of company culture is directly influenced by their leaders’ EQ. In the session Rich will break down EQ's core components—self-awareness, empathy, and social skills—to show how they fuel better decision-making and resilience. This is key to innovating how you support employee health and performance. 

Dr. Rebecca Heiss is a renowned stress physiologist and fear expert dedicated to helping leaders and teams overcome the subconscious fears that limit peak performance. Her research, designated "transformative" by the National Science Foundation, provides the biological keys to turning stress into a powerful asset. 

Why Healthcare Benefits Leaders Need to Hear Her: 

As the author of two books, Springboard and Instinct , and the creator of the Fear[less] Stress formula, Dr. Heiss delivers an immediately actionable framework, her simple T-minus 3 Technique: 

• Transform Fear to Fuel: Teach your team how to train their brains to work for them in times of change and uncertainty.
• Drive Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG): Leverage insights from her continued research on how to turn trauma into growth rather than PTSD.
• Provide Tools, Not Fluff: Deliver "sticky", research-backed tools that can be implemented the second the audience leaves.