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Join host Cynthia Kirkpatrick in a deeply inspiring conversation with Sylvia Owens, the Director IT Revenue Cycle Systems at BJC Healthcare. With over 27 years of experience in healthcare, 18 of them in IT, Sylvia shares her incredible journey from growing up in East St. Louis to playing professional basketball in Europe and eventually transitioning into a leadership role in healthcare technology. Sylvia’s story is one of resilience, reinvention, and the power of hard work.
In this episode, we dive into:
Key Takeaways:
Memorable Quotes:
About Our Guest: Sylvia Owens is the Director of IT at BJC Healthcare, where she focuses on software change management and business process design. She has an 18-year background in healthcare IT, implementing Epic electronic health records across large healthcare systems. Before transitioning into healthcare, Sylvia played professional basketball in Europe and has continuously demonstrated courage and resilience throughout her life.
🏀 Sylvia’s Background and Career (00:00 – 09:41)
🎓 Education and Early Career (09:41 – 19:01)
💻 IT Career in Healthcare (19:01 – 27:32)
👥 Leadership Philosophy (27:32 – 35:14)
🌟 Overcoming Challenges (35:15 – 47:06)
🚀 Advice for Success (47:07 – 56:47)
🌈 Personal Growth and Inspiration (56:47 – 01:06:16)
🤝 Mentorship and Giving Back (01:06:16 – 01:17:00)
Content Notice
This podcast and all She Lift Project content represents the opinions of Cynthia Kirkpatrick and her guests. The content here is for informational purposes only, and should not be taken as professional advice – financial, legal, medical, or otherwise.
Views and opinions expressed in the podcast and across all She Lift Project media channels are our own and do not represent that of our places of work. While we make every effort to ensure that the information we are sharing is accurate, we welcome any comments, suggestions, or correction of errors.
“I got to a point in Frank’s office where I realized there was kind of a ceiling. People that I had come in after me, I was training, were now moving up. And my ego got to the best of me. This is the dream job. Like, what happens after Frank Gehry? What could possibly be next after that?”
We’re catalysts for better conversation. And we know at Filament that the teams that we work with are not looking for the right answer, because there’s no such thing as the right answer. There is the next best answer to the questions that we’re asking.
“Research actually shows when there’s this lack of trust in a relationship, this lack of connection, the same part of our brain that processes physical pain gets activated when there’s an emotional pain. Right? And so if I’m feeling rejected or I’m feeling like I’m not part of the team or I’m not valued in any way, that part of our brain activates and says, like, pain. And so if you think about it in that way, think about the number of people who are walking around your office every day in pain.”
“Women in their 40s start to disappear from photographs because they think that they’re not young enough, thin enough, pretty enough. But the truth is that when you are in your 40s, you are leading a company, you’ve had children, you have a family, you’re doing things in your community. This is when you should be photographed.”
“You have to be cautious and mindful of the board of directors you invite into your head. And we as women especially listen terribly to that board of directors. And if you have one bad seat on there, one bad teacher, one bad classmate, one whatever from your history that you are listening to, it can really sabotage you.”
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