The Talent Shift No One’s Talking About with Catherine Mitchell of InnovAge

On this episode, we’re joined by Catherine Mitchell, Senior Vice President of InnovAge and a seasoned healthcare operator with a passion for building teams that lead with empathy, adaptability, and purpose. Catherine shares how her early personal experiences shaped her leadership style, and why hiring for story and transferable skills often leads to better outcomes.

Catherine and Oz discuss how to build resilient healthcare cultures, the importance of non-linear thinking in hiring, and how AI may reshape how we evaluate talent. Catherine also opens up about common hiring mistakes — including the danger of overvaluing referrals — and what she looks for in candidates beyond the résumé.


Key Takeaways:

(03:03) Caring for a chronically ill parent shaped Catherine’s leadership lens.
(04:45) Why healthcare complexity makes empathy essential.
(10:22) Emotional intelligence and curiosity are highly transferable.
(13:14) AI can help uncover non-linear hiring potential.
(21:51) Look for the story, not just the résumé.
(26:43) Strong hires can explain what they’ve learned from failure.
(30:14) Great leaders mentor for the long term.
(32:51) Job-hopping may signal deeper decision-making issues.
(35:10) Culture fit goes both ways during interviews.
(38:18) Catherine’s top advice: Be brave, take the risk.

Resources Mentioned:

Catherine Mitchell
  / catherine-mitchell-319a0b10  

InnovAge | LinkedIn
  / myinnovage  

InnovAge | Website
https://www.innovage.com/




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Connect with our host, Oz Rashid, on LinkedIn:   / ozrashid  .

To learn more about MSH, visit https://www.talentmsh.com.




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