Leadership is often discussed in terms of strategy, decision-making, and results. Those matter. But there’s another responsibility that doesn’t get as much attention, and it shapes everything else: Setting the tone. Whether it’s intentional or not, leaders establish the environment in which their teams operate. How they communicate, how they respond under pressure, what they tolerate, what they prioritize—all of it sends a signal. And over time, those signals become cul

Most people think progress in cancer research happens in big moments. A breakthrough. A headline. A new treatment. What they don’t see is everything that happens before that. The years of work. The failed experiments. The collaboration across institutions. The early ideas that don’t yet have enough data to qualify for traditional funding. That’s where a lot of the real progress starts. And it’s where cancer research philanthropy can make a meaningful difference.

When people talk about the FDA approval process, the conversation usually splits in two directions. One side argues it takes too long. The other argues it exists for a reason. Both are right. The challenge isn’t choosing between speed and safety. It’s understanding that the FDA approval process is designed to manage risk in a system where the consequences of getting it wrong are significant. That makes the balance more complicated than most headlines suggest.

The race almost ended before it started. There was a 10-car pileup before we even got going. In this series, that’s not something you expect to see. Cars were checking up. The field compressed quickly. There was nowhere to go, and everything happened at once. In moments like that, you don’t have time to think through options. You react.

There’s a psychological reason busyness is so appealing. Responding to messages, attending meetings, and resolving immediate issues creates the sense that work is getting done. These activities are visible and measurable. They create the appearance of momentum. But they often focus on short-term inputs rather than long-term outcomes. Many leaders find themselves spending entire days reacting rather than directing. The schedule fills itself with operational issues, leavi

When people hear about a cancer research breakthrough, the story often sounds simple. A discovery is announced. A new therapy shows promise. A headline declares progress. But what most people don’t see behind cancer research breakthroughs is the long, demanding path that leads to that moment. Scientific progress rarely arrives in a single dramatic leap. It comes through years of incremental work, careful experimentation, and persistence from researchers who are trying to a

People see the speed. They see the pass in Turn 1. They see the podium photo. They see the lap time. What they don’t see is the mental preparation in motorsport that makes any of it possible. In racing, the margin for error is measured in inches and milliseconds. You are operating at high speed, surrounded by competitors who are equally skilled, equally aggressive, and equally committed to winning. Physical preparation matters. Engineering matters. Strategy matters.

For more than a decade, policymakers have promoted value-based care as the future of American healthcare. Pay for outcomes. Reward quality over volume.Lower costs while improving patient care. On paper, it makes sense. In theory, it aligns incentives. In practice? The results are more complicated. If we’re serious about healthcare reform, we need to ask a straightforward question: Is value-based care actually delivering measurable results, or are we just relabeling the

There’s a phrase I’ve heard hundreds of times over the years: “Let me think about it.” In some cases, it’s justified. But more often, it’s a stalling tactic. A way to avoid risk. A cover for not wanting to be wrong. And in leadership, indecision is a decision. It just tends to be the most expensive one.

But what they don’t see is the grind behind the scenes. The years of effort, the research that doesn’t get funded, and the scientists struggling to keep momentum without institutional support.

Things started off looking strong for the Team TGM lineup at Daytona. The #46 qualified P4, and the #64 rolled off from P33. From the outset, both cars showed they were ready to compete.

Everyone agrees the healthcare system needs to change. But almost no one agrees on how to change it. And even when they do? It takes forever.

Every new year starts with noise. Resolutions. Predictions. Overwhelm disguised as motivation. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in leadership, whether in the boardroom, on the track, or at the Foundation, it’s that starting strong doesn’t mean doing everything. It means doing the right things, on purpose.

Most people think of philanthropy as charity. I think of it as an investment, with an expected return measured in discoveries, not dollars. At the JKTG Foundation, we don’t fund cancer research the traditional way. We don’t issue massive RFPs or wait for consensus to form. We move quickly, prioritize bold thinkers, and stay close to the science. Why? Because the diseases we’re up against, like breast cancer, won’t wait.

Racing looks like adrenaline. But it runs on calculation. You’re balancing tire wear, fuel strategy, competitor behavior, weather shifts, traffic, and more, all in real time. And you can’t afford to guess. One bad call costs you the race. One smart call can flip the entire outcome.

Transparency sounds like a good thing. And in many cases, it is. But in healthcare policy, I’ve seen a troubling pattern: Transparency gets weaponized. Not to inform decisions. Not to improve outcomes. But to delay progress, justify inaction, or create political cover.

There’s a myth in leadership that experience automatically makes you better. But I’ve learned, on the racetrack, in health policy, and in research funding, that experience without adaptability is just a heavier anchor. The world changes. Fast. And if you’re clinging to “what used to work,” you’re not leading. You’re coasting.

That’s what happened with a recent study the JKTG Foundation supported, one that explored how iron-based nanoparticles could help detect and treat tumors more safely. This wasn’t hype. It was smart, specific science. And it’s the kind of work we’re proud to back.

You don’t usually associate spreadsheets with survival rates. But that’s exactly the connection Dr. Paul Macklin is exploring in our latest Driving Research episode.

For decades, we’ve known Medicare’s financial challenges were coming. The math hasn’t changed. The program continues to spend more than it brings in, and the demographic reality is unavoidable: more retirees, fewer workers, and escalating healthcare costs.