Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kayla Shawn. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kayla, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you share a customer success story with us?

One of my favorite moments is when a user reaches out to share how our platform has made a real difference in their life. We get plenty of feedback from brokers who love using it for their clients, but hearing directly from the employees themselves—the ones actually benefiting—hits differently. It’s what makes the work we do so rewarding.

One story that stands out to me is about an employee in a high-stress industry who was struggling with serious health issues. Through our platform, he saved 60% on labs, found a doctor he loved, and used our Care Genius feature to analyze his medical bills. Care Genius uncovered overcharges, negotiated the bills down, and saved him and his employer thousands of dollars. He told us that, after years of feeling like his disease was in control, he finally felt like he was getting his life back. That’s priceless.

We’ve also just launched The Data Center, the market intelligence side of our platform, which is perfect for benefits consultants, brokers, healthcare reporters—anyone who needs access to healthcare market data. The Data Center pulls together everything from hospital quality scores to procedure pricing and ASC ratings, making it easy to find all the information in one place. One of the brokers who uses it told us it simplifies his day-to-day operations.

Brokers have a real need for comprehensive market intelligence to steer clients, craft plans, and analyze hospitals, doctors, and ASCs. We’re known for being both comprehensive and easy to use, and that’s exactly what The Data Center delivers. Now, not only do we provide brokers with innovative, convenient healthcare solutions for their clients, but also tools they can use themselves. It’s a win-win for both sides.

The Healthcare Navigator is built on a future where people are in control of their health and they’d have easy tools to help advocate for themselves. That’s clear with our entire platform, we’re building that future and we’re excited that so many organizations want to be a part of that journey with us. People are tired of feeling disempowered by the healthcare system. They’re ready to get their power back, and with us, we’re creating the firepower to help them do just that. It’s an exciting time.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Sure, my name is Kayla Shawn. I am the proud CEO of The Healthcare Navigator, a digital health navigation platform that empowers users to get their power back through innovative tools that decrease unnecessary costs and connect them to quality care, all in one place.

I started the platform after 7 years in corporate healthcare where I saw many issues in the system that was hurting patients and I knew that I could do something about it.

We help employers through being an employee benefit, either as a corporate wellness program or in addition to their insurance plan, through their benefits broker. Our platform helps employers lower their rising healthcare costs through effective steerage and education of their employees. We provide price transparency on procedures, low-cost labs and medications, medical bill negotiation, provider search, and more.

In the same light we also help individuals who can get the platform either through their insurance broker or on our website.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

What has truly built our reputation is that we don’t just talk about what we can do—we show it. I know this is an interview, so I can only tell you about our platform, but all of our brokers, partners, and users will tell you the same: we deliver on what we promise. When we say our platform does something, it’s evident the moment people start using it. The product speaks for itself.

In today’s market, many companies offer flashy promises but lack substance. They don’t deliver, and that hurts their credibility. We’ve taken a different approach. We let our users’ experiences validate everything we say. I keep every testimonial from users because their feedback is what fuels us. It’s a reminder that our platform has earned a reputation for consistency in quality and innovation. Brokers who’ve had demos or work with us will tell you we’re one of the few who actually do what we say. That’s something I’m incredibly proud of.

We’ve become known for solving tough, nuanced problems with bold, effective solutions. These are problems that most consider unsolvable, but we’ve built a reputation for tackling them head-on. When we tell our brokers that something new is coming, they know it’s not just talk. They trust us because we’ve proven time and again that we deliver on time, with top-tier quality.

Our reputation is built on three things: consistency, innovation, and ease of use. We do what we say, we innovate where others hesitate, and we make our solutions easy for everyone—from brokers to end users. That level of trust has earned us a place as a go-to solution for employers, brokers, individuals, and families. When people work with us, they know they don’t have to worry. We’ve got them covered.

One of the biggest issues we hear from employers and brokers is the inconsistency in other benefit solutions—whether it’s in messaging, product quality, or timelines. That’s where we set ourselves apart. We’re consistent. And it’s not just our platform that’s reliable—it’s the people behind it. When you work with us, you’ll know who we are. I personally meet with every broker we partner with. We’re selective about who we align with because it matters. We only work with brokers who care deeply about their clients, are bold enough to drive change, and are visionaries. It’s not enough to talk about problems; we partner with people who take action to solve them.

We’ve built this reputation by staying true to our mission, working only with those who share our vision for real change, and delivering exceptional results. That’s why our brokers are not just passive partners—they’re active participants in transforming the healthcare landscape. Our selectivity has paid off because it all circles back to reputation and trust. And we don’t take that lightly.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I used to think that, in order for people to listen to what we had to say about healthcare and innovation, I had to fit a certain mold. I remember, my mom encouraged me to learn to code when I was younger, and I was passionate about it. But in every coding class, I was the only woman. Some people didn’t care, and those were the ones I worked with. But others couldn’t get past the fact that I was there, and that stuck with me. I worried the same thing would happen when I started this company. I even considered not letting people know I was the CEO, fearing that my appearance would overshadow the product.

In industries like healthcare and tech, people don’t typically imagine someone who looks like me driving innovation. I thought that might hold me back, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. One of our strongest partners, who has been incredibly successful in this space, gave me advice that changed my perspective. I was hesitant to do a certain interview early on because I worried people wouldn’t take me seriously. He said, “Kayla, if people don’t want to work with you because of something as superficial as how you look, then screw ’em.” It was funny at the time, but he was serious. He told me he didn’t build his career and platform by worrying about what someone looked like. What mattered was grit, determination, and whether the product worked. He told me that no good businessperson is going to care about that stuff. If they do, you don’t want to work with them anyway. They should care about your mind, your vision, your product, your mental toughness. Not something as dumb as what you look like.”

It turns out he was right, the people who are truly successful in this industry don’t care about appearances. They care about results and your passion. They care that our platform works, that we have a great reputation, and that we’re relentless about solving problems. My team and I have some of the brightest minds in healthcare, and we consistently develop some of the most innovative solutions out there. That’s what people value.

It took me 3 months of building partnerships and alliances with some of the most successful people in the industry to unlearn that thought. It’s not what you look like. It’s about what you bring to the table and whether you can keep pushing forward no matter what. And that’s exactly what we do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thehealthcarenav.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayla-shawn-051b2b212/
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-healthcare-navigator-llc/?viewAsMember=true

Image Credits

The Healthcare Navigator