Deborah Hemingway, PhD’s Post

What’s on your wish list this holiday season? As 2024 comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on what truly matters and the power of one simple yet impactful question: “How can I help you?” This question is more than just a polite nicety. At its heart, it is transformative. It builds trust, fosters authenticity, and lays the foundation for lasting relationships. When we were kids, our wish lists were filled with toys and games. But as we grow up, priorities often shift to the intangibles. Intangibles like changing the way we approach medicine and healthcare, saving lives and improving the quality of life worldwide, revitalizing impoverished communities and entire cities through economic development, revolutionizing entire industries through disruptive innovation, and building strong and enduring relationships. That last one is exactly what we focused on during the final Ecphora Capital seminar of 2024: building strong, enduring relationships. At Ecphora, we believe trust is the cornerstone of every great relationship. Trust is not built overnight. It is earned through the actions that matter most: showing up consistently, time and time again; having the courage to be transparent, even when it is tough; and going above and beyond to offer genuine, thoughtful help that makes a real difference. In the spirit of giving and building these types of relationships, we ended the seminar with a practical exercise called “Needs & Leads.” For those who have not participated in this type of activity, everyone shared what they needed, and as a group, we came together to provide connections, solutions, and support. Watching sparks of collaboration and problem-solving in real-time was truly inspiring. Here are a few requests from the session. If you can, keep it going, and respond now to asks: 1. Stephanie Brandford is building her consulting business Brayearst Validation Consulting and looking for LinkedIn connections. Add her! 2. Chris Ewing is a fractional exec for gaming company Game4Good, seeking connections to gamers, nonprofits, and investors in the gaming space. 3. Brad Hennessie is the CEO of NextStep Robotics, seeking connections to physical therapists and medtech investors. When it came to my turn, my “need” was simple: a group photo for this post! Thank you to everyone who made my wish come true!! As we close out 2024, I want to thank everyone for your incredible support, energy, and engagement this year. Special thanks to Robert Storey and The LaunchPort, a phenomenal partner over the past almost two years, as well as Fulton Bank and BioBuzz for your unwavering support in the community. Now, it's your turn. What is on your wish list this holiday season? How can we help you? Drop a note in the comments, and let us harness the power of this incredible community to make those wishes come true! Here is to an amazing #2025 filled with trust, growth, and collaboration. Wishing you all a joyous holiday season and a prosperous New Year!