Kevin Whelan has spent his life competing.

From professional baseball with organizations including the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds and Oakland A’s, to building a successful career in medical device sales and ultimately becoming Vice President of U.S. Sales at Nevro. Kevin learned early how to work, compete, lead and overcome adversity.

Then, at 40 years old and seemingly in the best shape of his life, Kevin was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive head and neck cancer.

In this deeply personal conversation, Kevin joins the Chase MedSearch Podcast to talk about the journey from professional baseball to medical device leadership, what separates elite performers from average ones, the mistakes leaders make when hiring and promoting talent, and why the transition from top sales rep to sales leader can be so difficult.

But the conversation goes much deeper.

Kevin shares what it was like telling his wife and children he had cancer, enduring multiple surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation, confronting his own mortality, and wrestling with the question so many people ask in difficult seasons: “Why me?”

Eventually, Kevin began asking a different question:

“Why not me?”

That shift changed the way he thought about adversity, faith, leadership, family and success.

This is a conversation about grit — but even more, it is about perspective. About controlling your attitude and effort when you cannot control the circumstances. About being present with the people you love. And about using whatever battle you are facing to make an impact on the people around you.

Kevin’s message is simple:

We all have battles. We don’t know how much time we have. So be present. Care about people. Control what you can. And make the days count.

🎧 Love what you hear? Share this episode with a friend and subscribe to the podcast! / @chasemedsearchpodcast. Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and let us know what resonates with you most.


📄 Looking for your next role in medical device? We’d love to connect with you! Send us your resume and let’s get started!

Medical device leadership becomes deeply personal in this conversation with commercial executive Don Donnelly.

For more than two decades, Don has helped build commercial organizations, launch disruptive neuromodulation technologies, and develop high-performing sales teams. But the greatest leadership lesson of his career didn't happen in a boardroom—it happened when his nine-year-old son suddenly became seriously ill.

Don shares how his family's two-year search for answers ultimately led to a diagnosis of PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections), and how that experience transformed the way he thinks about leadership, physicians, patients, and advocacy.

Jordan and Don also discuss:

• Building startup commercial organizations
• What separates good sales leaders from great commercial leaders
• Why the best leaders listen first
• Lessons learned from launching breakthrough neuromodulation technologies
• The future of neurotechnology
• Patient advocacy and navigating rare diseases
• Why "sometimes behavior is biology"

Whether you're in medical devices, healthcare leadership, or simply love stories about resilience, this episode is filled with practical wisdom and genuine humanity.

Resources:
To purchase "Navigating PANDAS: A Family's Journey to Healing and Advocacy" by Don Donnelly, click here: https://bit.ly/4wFklO7

To connect with Don: https://bit.ly/3TFzJeT

🎧 Love what you hear? Share this episode with a friend and subscribe to the podcast! / @chasemedsearchpodcast. Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and let us know what resonates with you most.


📄 Looking for your next role in medical device? We’d love to connect with you! Send us your resume and let’s get started!

Breaking into medical device sales—or landing your next opportunity—has never been more competitive.

In this episode of the Chase MedSearch Podcast, Jordan Chase sits down with recruiter Jay Waggoner to share three decades of hiring experience and discuss what separates candidates who consistently receive offers from those who never make it past the interview.

Whether you're trying to break into medical device sales, advance your career, or simply understand how top MedTech companies evaluate talent, this conversation is packed with practical, real-world advice from professionals who interview thousands of candidates.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to stand out in today's competitive medical device job market
• The biggest mistakes candidates make during interviews
• What hiring managers actually look for beyond the résumé
• How networking can accelerate your career
• The habits and characteristics shared by top-performing sales professionals
• Advice for recent graduates, experienced reps, and career changers
• With more than 30 years of executive recruiting experience and thousands of successful placements, Jordan shares lessons learned from helping many of the industry's leading medical device companies build high-performing commercial teams.

Whether your goal is your first medical device sales role or your next leadership opportunity, this episode will help you approach your job search with greater confidence and a clearer strategy.

Connect with Chase MedSearch
🌐 www.ChaseMedSearch.com

Connect with Jay Waggoner

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-jay-waggoner-637b0560/

#MedicalDevice #MedTech #ExecutiveSearch #SalesCareers #Leadership #Recruiting #MedicalSales #CareerDevelopment #ChaseMedSearch

🎧 Love what you hear? Share this episode with a friend and subscribe to the podcast! / @chasemedsearchpodcast. Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and let us know what resonates with you most.


📄 Looking for your next role in medical device? We’d love to connect with you! Send us your resume and let’s get started!