Hard work, integrity and pure intentions will pay off in the end.
Josiane Peluso is the Director of Sales and Marketing for UnitedHealthcare’s New York Medicare plan. Since joining the company eight years ago as a Health Education Specialist, Josiane has moved up the ranks within the company as she continues to show her knack for marketing to provide better health care options for all her customers.
Josiane received her Bachelor’s Degree in Health Promotion and then paid her way through CUNY-Brooklyn College, where she graduated with a Master’s degree in Community Health Education. Before joining UnitedHealthcare, she worked in a call center for two years with Health Plus.
She has also volunteered for City Harvest and specialized in teaching healthy eating and nutrition to New York’s most vulnerable and had completed an internship in Nutrition through NYU before she found her calling educating people on how to improve their health and well-being through a variety of programs.
Josiane is happily married, and currently residing in New York City.
Where did the idea for your company come from?
I was interested in health promotion, while studying for my undergrad I had become intrigued by all aspects of health. The degree covered an array of topics from natural and social sciences to nutrition.
Originally I considered becoming a nutritionist and applied for an internship at NYU, shortly after I was accepted then began shadowing a dietician in a hospital setting and realized that this wasn’t the path that I wanted to take, however I was still intrigued in health promotion.
Exploring various avenues, I decided to volunteer at City Harvest’s food rescue program as a nutrition instructor. I educated Individuals in transitional housing and former foster care kids on the benefits of eating healthy while maintaining a budget. Although I liked to educate others, that’s when I realized that becoming a nutritionist wasn’t for me.
While my friends pursued nursing degrees, fear of needles would not enable me to do so. Instead, I continued my education with a master’s degree in community health, which develops professionals to design, conduct, and evaluate activities to help improve communities and health of individuals. In addition, studied for a certification through the National Commission for Health Education, and that was my entry point into United Healthcare.
From there, I navigated through the enterprise enhancing my skillset and Knowledge eventually becoming sales director. It required me to build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders. I continuously evolve by networking with new individuals. I was hooked by its never-ending challenges. looking for ways to better prospect, engage in decision making, eliminate obstacles or inefficacies operationally, handling complex decisions and overcoming competitors.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
I start my day with a 30 minute exercise routine which varies week to week, along with a daily affirmation to help me handle anything that comes my way. I am huge on lists and make a list of what I am going to accomplish during that time and make it plausible; I make four boxes- urgent, non-urgent, today, this week to categorize what I need to do so I can complete it all in time. I like to manage my energy and collaborate it with my projects that I must get done. I eliminate distractions by not checking social media during the day or answering personal phone calls.
How do you bring ideas to life?
When I am at my most relaxed state and take that moment to detach that is when I can come up with ideas. Often there are so many roadblocks that get in the way, sometimes it makes you feel like giving up. If something can be tweaked or modified to fit my needs, especially if I believe in something. I need it to persevere so I can continue whatever I am working on long-term with a vision in mind.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Artificial intelligence, especially in medicine. It’s exciting to see how things can be predicted and identify the best course, how characteristics can be identified from looking at data for patient care and population health, and I think that artificial science I believe to be incredible in general.
Being able to predict what the consumer would be taken from the data that I collected over the years. You aren’t continually piloting campaigns, because we have the data to know what the customer needs are.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
Restful sleep is something that helps me be more productive. I also like to surround myself with the person who make me feel like my best self and allows me to be the most authentic person I can be. People who support me and motivate me, and in return, I provide that for them.
What advice would you give your younger self?
The one thing I would tell myself is to not give in to fear and work through it. I can say that fear is a funny thing and that we should work through it the best way we can.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
I think gratefulness is one of the best qualities when it comes to building a successful and meaningful life. Just figuring out things which adversities you can be grateful for – I always ask myself “what is this challenge trying to teach me”? “what can I learn from this”?
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
I have a list of personal and professional goals every year, and I make sure that they are attainable. Usually, I write down a list of what I am going to achieve each day and week. Regularly, I’ll check in on these goals either on a monthly or quarterly basis and ask myself how am I doing, where am I going at meeting the goals I have set for myself, that way I know if I am on the right track of meeting them.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
I have a list of personal and professional goals every year, and I make sure that they are attainable. Usually, I write down a list of what I am going to achieve each day and week. Regularly, I’ll check in on these goals either on a monthly or quarterly basis and ask myself how am I doing, where am I going at meeting the goals I have set for myself, that way I know if I am on the right track of meeting them.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
Successful people don’t usually think about challenges or failures. They know it is a part of the journey. I mean, by changing your approach and changing your mindset, you will come across a similar fate.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Finding a way to synchronize the medical workplace with artificial intelligence is the future of healthcare. Streamlining the processes as well as creating business plans for hospitals and clinics that will incorporate these technological advances will be a fruitful endeavor.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
I had lunch with a friend of mine, who I haven’t seen in quite some time. We got a chance to hang out together and catch up on life. Because no matter how busy life gets, it’s essential that we continue to put time and effort into maintaining the relationships of those we care about.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?
The Todoist App – in particular, its ability to categorize tasks according to project, priority and date – and accept shorthand input while doing so – is a major selling point.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert — I enjoyed learning about how to take on what I love most, how to conquer the things that get in my way, and live creatively, mindfully and passionately.
What is your favorite quote?
Bradley Whitford wrote “Infuse your life with action. Don’t wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own goals. Make your own love. And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to make grace happen… yourself, right now, right down here on Earth.”
Key Learnings:
● If you are not willing to take calculated risks, then you won’t be successful.
● Stay organized, so you have direction to follow for the day/week/month/year.
● If you fall, get back up and try again.
● Follow your own path towards success.
● Hard work, integrity and pure intentions will pay off in the end.
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Steve (Stefan) Junge hails from Germany and helps with the day-to-day publishing of interviews on IdeaMensch. While he and Mario don’t share a favorite soccer club, their enthusiasm to help entrepreneurs is a shared passion.