Your Voice Matters: Early in my career, I sometimes felt as though my ideas weren’t heard, whether that’s because I was young and didn’t have a lot of experience under my belt or because I was a woman. I’ve learned how important it is to speak up and to realize that we bring unique perspectives to the table.
Today, more than ever, wellness is at the forefront of societal discussions. From mental health to physical well-being, women are making significant strides in bringing about change, introducing innovative solutions, and setting new standards. Despite facing unique challenges, they break barriers, inspire communities, and are reshaping the very definition of health and wellness. In this series called women in wellness we are talking to women doctors, nurses, nutritionists, therapists, fitness trainers, researchers, health experts, coaches, and other wellness professionals to share their stories and insights. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Alenka Brzulja, Worldwide President, Mentor Worldwide LLC.
For more than 25 years, Alenka Brzulja has championed women’s health and medical technology, and as Worldwide President, Mentor Worldwide LLC, part of Johnson & Johnson MedTech, she continues to advocate for patient access to education, innovative technology, and healthcare solutions that can make a meaningful difference in their lives, every day. As Worldwide President, Alenka guides Mentor’s long-term strategic vision, maintains end-to-end accountability for all internal operations, which includes leading more than 1,200 global employees, and actively engages healthcare professionals, patients, and community partners to ensure Mentor continues to deliver strong value to customers and meet the unmet needs of patients. Alenka is well known as a talent mentor, sponsor, and advocate, passionate about leading and empowering her colleagues to reach their full potential and her authentic, engaging, and inclusive leadership style has led to the creation of high-performing, diverse teams and a strong track record of business growth in changing and dynamic markets. Alenka has an MBA from Hofstra University in New York and earned a degree in economics from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
Ofcourse! I’m so happy to be here and thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. I’m Alenka Brzulja, Worldwide President of Mentor, the leading global brand in breast aesthetics and reconstruction, and part of Johnson & Johnson MedTech. I joined the company in 1996 as a country manager for the J&J consumer business in Slovenia and have since held several roles across the company. My journey with Mentor began in 2010, after the company was acquired by J&J, when I had the privilege to lead the integration, as well as the commercial EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) business for six years. Prior to transitioning to my current role at Mentor, I was the Vice President of Cardiovascular & Specialty Solutions (CSS) in the EMEA region.
Women wear many hats in society nowadays, and I truly enjoy being a mum, wife, daughter, friend and a working professional. Playing all these roles can sometimes take a toll, and women might forget that only when we are at our personal best, can we help and be the best for others. I think wellness for women is a critical aspect of our society, and I encourage women to selflessly put themselves first when needed. I am an advocate of not falling for cliches about what “wellness for women” should look like, but I suggest that we reflect on what makes each of us “well” in our skin, as one size does not fit all. My biggest energy renewals are sleep, social time with people that make me laugh and bring me energy, and a good book. I enjoy travelling, exploring new places and cultures, skiing, stand up paddling, and roller blading.
Additionally, I believe in the incredible value medical technology brings to patients and healthcare systems and have focused my career on advancing women’s health and digital solutions that deliver strong value to healthcare professionals and meet the unmet needs of patients around the world.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?
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It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about a mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
One of the greatest mistakes I made in my early days was to hire people just like me. I believed that having a team with similar views and perspectives would allow for faster progress, alignment, better execution and less conflict. I soon realized we were doing a lot of the “same old same” and were struggling with transformative breakthrough. Since then, I learned to deliberately focus on building diverse teams, with unique and complementary talents and capabilities. Yes, it was rockier at times, but the collective power after a common vision and strategy were established was unleashed and the successes achieved by far exceeded the ones we saw before. To take this approach, I believe one needs to openly communicate the intentional team design, one needs to pause and as a team, take the time to appreciate each other’s values, so the collective impact is by far greater than any individual impact.
Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?
My key motivation and love for J&J is the ultimate purpose we serve, helping one patient at a time. Everything we do at J&J is with our patients in mind — we believe our innovations should be driven by what our patients need and then backed by science, sophisticated design and thorough testing.
Within the aesthetics industry, it is so important to empower patients with the knowledge they need to feel comfortable and confident making any decisions they’re faced with.
Critical to patient empowerment is collaborative decision-making between the patient’s entire care team (e.g. surgeons, oncologists, etc.), listening to their feedback, and actioning against it.
At Mentor, we are committed to supporting women throughout their breast surgery journey. Mentor teams around the world have launched educational and empowerment campaigns and partnered with physician, patient and community organizations to generate more awareness and improve the standard of care, outcomes and quality of life for breast implant patients. We’re also focused on driving meaningful change in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion by partnering with organizations focused on reducing healthcare disparities among patients and increasing the diversity of under-represented minorities in the field of plastic and reconstructive surgery.
Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing?
1. Don’t succumb to external pressure, prioritize what makes you happy, not what others think you should be/do. We are not all created equal. Today’s societal norms and social media portrait of perfection can quickly point to areas we could all do better — find what you love and focus on living the life you want, guilt free.
2. One is better than none. When committing to a lifestyle change, people too often look for perfection and then when we fail to stick to high aspirations, we become frustrated or demotivated to try again. Reading one chapter of a book is better than none. Exercising once a week is better than never.
3. Be intentional and deliberate in planning for memorable events/moments. Calendars fill up quickly. I like to plan my next weekend trip, small treat, social outing, etc. in advance so I always have something to look forward to. Social interactions fill me with energy.
4. Minimalism: Long ago, I made the decision to prioritize investing my time and money into experiences and creating memories, over physical possessions. I find the impact of this approach is far longer lasting.
5. Challenge your own fears: We often regret the things we didn’t do more than the ones we did. Embrace failure, setbacks and constructive feedback as gifts, enabling personal growth. Moving to the US, a new country, different culture, needing to reestablish myself professionally and personally, from a place of comfort where everything was predictable and established, is the biggest gift I recently gave to myself.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
Mental health is dearest to me because it underpins every aspect of wellness — physical, emotional, and social. Working in breast reconstruction, I’ve seen how important mental health is to healing and recovery. It’s essential that we prioritize emotional wellbeing alongside medical treatments, ensuring that patients feel supported, heard, and empowered to take control of their health. By fostering mental health conversations, we can reduce stigma and ensure people receive the care they need, leading to better outcomes in all areas of life.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
- The Importance of Mentorship: Surrounding yourself with mentors is crucial. They can provide guidance, offer perspectives you haven’t considered, and help you grow faster in your career.
- The Power of Resilience: Setbacks are inevitable, but they are also opportunities. I wish someone had emphasized how critical resilience would be in navigating challenges, particularly in male-dominated industries.
- Networking Isn’t Optional: Building a strong network early on is key. It’s not just about career advancement but about creating a supportive community that helps you grow.
- Work-Life Balance is Essential: Burnout is real, and finding a balance between personal and professional life is vital for long-term success.
- Your Voice Matters: Early in my career, I sometimes felt as though my ideas weren’t heard, whether that’s because I was young and didn’t have a lot of experience under my belt or because I was a woman. I’ve learned how important it is to speak up and to realize that we bring unique perspectives to the table.
Sustainability, veganism, mental health, and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
Mental health is very important to me, and it’s a topic that is often discussed among our patients. I have met many of our patients over the years, and I hope to give them a voice and help to battle any negative connotations around receiving breast augmentation or reconstruction. As a company dedicated to enhancing women’s lives, we understand that choosing breast reconstruction or augmentation is not just a physical decision but a deeply personal journey. Prioritizing mental health throughout this process is crucial, and it’s important that women feel supported and empowered, not only by their physical choices but also by a compassionate network of providers that acknowledge and address their emotional well-being.
J&J is committed to educational and empowerment campaigns in partnership with physician, patient and community organizations to generate awareness and improve the standard of care, outcomes and quality of life/mental health for patients (e.g. partnerships with Susan G. Komen, National Breast Cancer Foundation).
What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?
- MENTOR Breast Implant Solutions | J&J MedTech (jnjmedtech.com)
- Alenka Brzulja — Mentor Worldwide LLC | LinkedIn
Thank you for these fantastic insights! We wish you continued success and good health.
About the Interviewer: Wanda Malhotra is a wellness entrepreneur, lifestyle journalist, and the CEO of Crunchy Mama Box, a mission-driven platform promoting conscious living. CMB empowers individuals with educational resources and vetted products to help them make informed choices. Passionate about social causes like environmental preservation and animal welfare, Wanda writes about clean beauty, wellness, nutrition, social impact and sustainability, simplifying wellness with curated resources. Join Wanda and the Crunchy Mama Box community in embracing a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle at CrunchyMamaBox.com .
