What happens when the person who used to run Health systems suddenly becomes the one lying in the hospital bed?

In this episode of Experience Over Expectation, host Mary McCorvey talks with Dana Sherwin—a seasoned health system executive, stem cell transplant survivor, and patient advocate—about how to become a “thinking patient” in a system that often feels overwhelming.

For 35+ years, Dana helped hospitals, managed care organizations, and consulting firms improve patient–physician communication. Then a chronic blood Cancer progressed, and she needed a stem cell transplant. That shift—from leader to lived experience—gave her a rare vantage point: systems and stories, policy and pain, expertise and empathy.

Dana now teaches a five-part framework to help patients step into agency, communicate clearly with their doctors, and show up prepared instead of powerless.

Links & Resources

🌐 Dana’s website:
thethinkingpatient.com

📘 Mary’s book:
Experience Over Expectation: Let Go of the Plan, Live on Your Terms – available on Amazon and wherever you get your books.

🎧 Listen to the podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | (other platforms you use)

🔔 Subscribe to the channel for more conversations on nonlinear living, reinvention, and navigating real life beyond the “perfect plan.”

#PatientAdvocacy #Healthcare #DoctorVisit #HealthLiteracy #ChronicIllness #StemCellTransplant #ThinkingPatient #ExperienceOverExpectation #marymccorvey

Medical Disclaimer: This video is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare professionals about your specific medical situation.

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Mary McCorvey Mary McCorvey

Mary McCorvey is a veteran of the Gulf War, founder of 7 companies, TV producer, author, radio host, and playwright whose life reads like a memoir—because it is one. From being implicated in a murder at 17 to surviving sarin gas exposure in Kuwait, Mary’s story is defined by resilience, reinvention, and one core question: What do you do… when life keeps rewriting the script?

After being diagnosed with terminal pulmonary fibrosis and told she had two years to live, Mary defied the odds. She rebuilt her life after betrayal, launched a mission to send students’ work to the Moon, and most recently, opened a locked box she’d carried for 35 years—unleashing a memoir-in-motion about love, memory, and healing.

Now the host of the podcast and author of the book, Experience Over Expectation, Mary brings wit, warmth, and depth to conversations about identity, aging, forgiveness, and second chances. She’s equally at home discussing trauma and tenacity as she is laughing through the absurdities of life.

Mary lives—and thrives—in Pennsylvania, with a story to tell and a mic in hand.