International Women’s Day gives us an opportunity to reflect not only on progress, but on purpose. As the founder of One Cross Community Health, a woman-owned healthcare organization serving rural Kentucky, I often reflect on what leadership has meant in my own journey—and what it means for the next generation of women stepping into entrepreneurship and executive leadership.
Early in my undergraduate education, I sat in a leadership class where it was suggested that women who wanted to lead would need to adopt more traditionally “male” characteristics to be successful. At the time, I made a quiet decision: if leadership required me to diminish who I was as a woman, then leadership was not for me. For many years in my nursing career, I was content being the dependable worker behind the scenes. I loved patient care. I loved serving. I did not aspire to lead.
But vision has a way of calling you forward.
When I founded One Cross Community Health in 2015, I carried a bold mission: to provide high-quality healthcare of body, mind, and spirit to all we serve. That mission has grown into a dual-site, FQHC-lookalike organization delivering integrated primary care, psychiatry, addiction recovery services, HIV/HCV treatment, pediatrics, geriatrics, peer support, and community health worker programs across rural Kentucky.
However, early on I learned a hard truth: vision alone is not enough. Culture shapes outcomes. Leadership shapes culture. If I did not grow as a leader, the organization would never grow into the mission it was called to fulfill.
That realization transformed my perspective on leadership. Leadership is not about adopting someone else’s traits. It is not about volume, dominance, or personality. It is about clarity, accountability, courage, and service. It is about creating environments where others can thrive. It is about stewarding resources responsibly and making decisions that serve the greater good.
Women bring extraordinary strengths to leadership and entrepreneurship—relational intelligence, resilience, strategic empathy, long-term thinking, and community-centered vision. In healthcare especially, these qualities matter deeply. Rural communities require leaders who understand systems, but who also understand people. They require entrepreneurs willing to take risks for the sake of access and equity.
Today, at One Cross Community Health, women serve at every level of leadership within our organization. They lead clinical teams, operational strategy, community outreach, and patient advocacy efforts. As a woman-owned organization, we are proud to demonstrate that strong leadership is not about gender—it is about stewardship and impact.
Entrepreneurship is not easy. Healthcare entrepreneurship in rural America is even harder. But women must not disqualify themselves from leadership because of outdated narratives about what leaders “should” look like. Communities need diverse voices at decision-making tables. Healthcare systems need innovative thinkers. Rural Kentucky needs leaders who are willing to build, advocate, and persevere.
On this International Women’s Day, I encourage every woman—whether you lead a household, a classroom, a clinic, a nonprofit, or a business—to recognize that leadership begins with ownership. Ownership of your voice. Ownership of your growth. Ownership of your vision.
When women step into leadership authentically, communities are strengthened. Systems are improved. Access expands. And culture shifts.
The future of healthcare, entrepreneurship, and community development depends on leaders who are willing to grow, serve, and build with integrity.
And many of those leaders are women.
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Kim McKenna-Johnson, FNP, MSN
Founder & CEO
One Cross Community Health
