Founder of Revealing Genius, LLC, Mary E. Maloney is a notable figure in the world of branding, particularly in the healthcare sector. Her journey is marked by entrepreneurial success and expertise in healthcare branding. She achieved her first major milestone by selling a marketing and communications company at the age of 32, which focused on promoting medical practices and healthcare technology firms. Following this achievement, Mary took on the role of General Manager and Partner in a brand identity and marketing firm known for its specialization in healthcare architectural branding and wayfinding.
Throughout her career, Mary has worked with distinguished clients, including Independence Blue Cross, The Center for Creative Leadership-Healthcare, Mercy Health System, and Penn Medicine. Her achievements led to invitations to serve as CEO and Chief Marketing Officer for healthtech software companies backed by private equity and venture capital, where she played a crucial role in preparing these companies for significant transactions.
The inception of Revealing Genius came during the recession of 2007-2009, prompted by confidential requests Mary received from executives seeking assistance with their personal brands. These individuals, many of whom had lost high-profile roles, were grappling with the emotion of the loss as well as imposter syndrome and needed help in crafting an authentic personal brand. Fast forward to 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, Mary recognized the rising demand for personal branding, leading her to launch Revealing Genius. The venture aims to support seasoned leaders in standing out in competitive landscapes and adapting to changing workforce dynamics.
Mary’s portfolio includes collaborations with senior-level healthcare executives from esteemed organizations like Blue Cross Blue Shield, Johnson & Johnson, Genentech, Lehigh Valley Health System, Centene, and Optum. Her expertise extends to individuals with diverse backgrounds, such as MDs, Ph.Ds., PharmDs, healthcare lawyers, allied health professionals, public health officers, scientists, nurses, dentists, veterinarians and founders of revolutionary healthcare tech companies. Through Revealing Genius, Mary amplifies their unique personal brand narratives, ensuring their voices are heard and recognized.
Brand Manifestos and Impactful Messaging
Mary emphasizes that the rapid success of Revealing Genius can be attributed to its unwavering focus on clear values. These values are precisely articulated in her company’s Brand Manifesto, which can be distilled into the powerful phrase, “Messaging Matters.” The Brand Manifesto serves as a companion to a company’s mission, vision, and value statements, offering a complementary perspective.
The team at Revealing Genius frequently collaborates with board directors, C-Suite teams, and executive leaders to craft a corporate Brand Manifesto that fosters alignment and influences brand culture and awareness at the highest echelons of an organization.
The Brand Manifesto has swiftly emerged as one of Revealing Genius’ most sought-after and impactful offerings for individuals as well, particularly among executive leaders and their teams, signifying the significance of personal values and messaging in leadership.
Mary believes that every leader should possess one, considering it a paramount exercise in their career. Crafting a Brand Manifesto prompts deep introspection into one’s life, illuminates its purpose, and identifies core values. This process provides a simple, yet powerful framework for conscientiously pursuing impactful work. Leaders say that when they define their personal principles and their calling their path becomes clear and most importantly, it empowers them to to graciously decline endeavors that no longer serve.
Elevating Women Leaders
Mary firmly believes that the world requires a more comprehensive approach to inclusive sponsorship that actively elevates more women into pivotal leadership roles, particularly within STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, math). She acknowledges the invaluable role played by an ophthalmologist who believed in her and kick-started her first business through investment. This act of faith, which she initially couldn’t perceive within herself, drives her to reciprocate and uplift others.
Her involvement as an advisor for Springboard Enterprises brought her into collaboration with two female founders from Australia seeking Series A funding. Despite having the potential to reach $100 million in five years, their pitch deck was struggling to gain traction. However, the creation of their Brand Manifesto became a transformative moment. Together, they forged their “why,” igniting a new level of motivation that positions them for expansion into the US and the UK.
Mary’s commitment to empowering women leaders in the healthcare sector translates into her passionate dedication to paying it forward. She actively engages as a guest podcaster and conference speaker, advocating for the themes of #brandonpurpose and #inclusivesponsorship. Through these avenues, she contributes to fostering an environment where women’s leadership can flourish and make an enduring impact.
Transforming Lives Through Strategic Branding
Seeing the results of the Excavate-Tell-Affirm™ process changing the trajectory of people’s lives is what makes this experience so special. It never fails. She says that being able to parlay the hard-won lessons learned from almost three decades in corporate branding to executive personal branding has been the most fulfilling work she has ever done. It all comes down to alignment.
Some of her favorite examples are:
- A CEO emeritus of one of the largest payers in the nation repositioned himself to become a mentor and investor to innovative healthcare technology firms in the behavioral health space, an area he is passionate about.
- A neurosurgeon who dedicated his life’s work to documenting rare brain surgery procedures is training the next generation of brain surgeons, even in third world countries.
- The President of one of the largest health systems in the nation, at the apogee of his career, strategically remessaged to attract a 7-figure role where he could impact millions of lives with one of the largest healthcare companies in the world.
- A physician executive prepared carefully for the first 90 days in a CEO leadership role for a telemedicine company and is making her mark specializing in #hyperlocalhealthcare and the revitalization of rural communities.
- A nurse, who moved up the ranks to the C-Suite, serving at the same prestigious health system for 41 years, pivoted into a private consulting practice and now has a waiting list of top tier clients in need of her unique leadership development approach for large multi-location healthcare organization.
- A scientist from one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world rekindled her passion for medicine and secured funding for a moonshot project she masterminded to help underserved communities in her native South Africa.
- A tech genius started a radiology scheduling company after his father experienced issues and delays during his radiology visit – a narrative that has earned his team the trust of the largest practices in the nation.
According to Mary, 1:1 coaching, working directly or through HR outplacement has helped healthcare executives achieve their dream job, double their salary, obtain a coveted board seat, raise millions in capital, launch a thriving consulting practice, deliver mission-critical speeches and become recognized, cause-based experts inside and outside their organizations.
Words of Wisdom on Finding Joy and Purpose
Mary’s key advice for leaders is straightforward: “Seek your joy.” This means understanding your purpose, what you excel at (best in the world!), and what truly drives you. This consistent foundation helps you navigate different career paths while staying rooted. Mary’s guidance, captured by Howard Thurman’s quote, encourages discovering what ignites your passion and sharing it with the world, contributing to a more vibrant and alive society.
Vision for Revealing Genius
Mary’s current role as the Principal of Revealing Genius centers around formulating the organization’s business strategy. Her performance metrics continue to encompass vital aspects such as financial status, client influence, and project pipeline. However, an additional dimension has been introduced: fulfillment. At present, fulfillment is defined as the time freedom – the capacity to engage in work that ignites passion, alongside individuals held in high regard, whether from the comfort of home or any corner of the world. This aspiration extends to all the individuals she works with in her private practice.
Nonetheless, the challenge of maximizing impact and expanding the organization while evading burnout occupies her thoughts. A prior experience of pushing her limits led her to a profound realization, driving her to create the Excavate Your Brand Genius Online Course. Recognizing a broader demand, Mary intends to license the Excavate-Tell-Affirm™ intellectual property to diverse markets outside healthcare. This includes aiding military veterans transitioning to civilian life, as well as assisting high school/college students and early careerists in finding their path. To achieve this, she acknowledges the necessity of partnering with experts in these crucial niche areas to broaden the initiative’s reach. Despite its non-scalable nature, Mary finds immense joy in connecting one-on-one during coaching calls – a treasured aspect of her daily routine.
Mary shares, “In addition to 1:1 coaching, healthcare executives can engage by enrolling in the Flagship, live, facilitated Brand Leadership Summit and the self-paced Online Course called “Excavate Your Brand Genius,” where in just a few focused hours, youl leave with a solid framework to articulate your expertise and “why” with conviction to rapidly achieve the next inflection point in your career.”
