What if healthcare focused less on treating disease and more on creating health? In this powerful conversation, Brigid sits down with Dr. Toby Cosgrove, visionary former CEO of the Cleveland Clinic, to unpack the bold decisions he made that changed healthcare—from banning smoking and removing McDonald’s from hospital cafeterias to pioneering functional medicine on a global stage. Dr. Cosgrove shares his insights on why nutrition, prevention, and innovation (including AI) are essential to transforming healthcare.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why Dr. Cosgrove banned smoking and soda from Cleveland Clinic campuses
• The backlash (and eventual success) of these groundbreaking health initiatives
• How nutrition, obesity, and chronic disease are linked
• The pivotal role of functional medicine in the future of care
• How AI could change the practice of medicine and patient outcomes

Timestamps

• 04:41 – Dr. Cosgrove’s vision: shifting from “sickness” to “health” care
• 06:39 – Banning smoking at the Cleveland Clinic & backlash
• 10:38 – Removing soda and McDonald’s from hospital cafeterias
• 11:52 – The politics of sugar and its parallels to tobacco
• 26:35 – Bringing nutrition into medical education
• 33:11 – Founding the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine
• 38:54 – Why doctors resist change & the potential of AI in healthcare
• 43:06 – The future role of dietitians, health coaches & food prescriptions

Next Steps + Resources

• Watch the full episode on YouTube
• Brigid’s Website
• Brigid’s Instagram