Meet Vanessa Liebl | CEO of Choice MD

We had the good fortune of connecting with Vanessa Liebl and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vanessa, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Like many new business ventures, Choice MD was started because of the need to solve a problem. To be specific, health problems I encountered after being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. I have been living with MS for over 20 years and every time I moved I was faced with the same problems. Where do I go to find local MS resources? And more importantly, what resources exist in my community? You see, I didn’t have the healthcare sector figured out at the age of 21, and definitely NOT to the expert level needed to navigate something like MS. I felt lost and afraid and it wasn’t until I reached out to local resources that I realized I could find ways to succeed. Actually, everyone has the ability to thrive, despite their circumstances, they just need the desire and will to connect with the organizations that will help them.

What should our readers know about your business?
Choice MD is a community-based website that helps connect you with physicians, dentists, hospitals, medical facilities, assisted living facilities, non-profits and many other health-related resources. That alone sets us apart as we are the only website in our community offering that service. However, the fact that we truly care about the success of every individual and organization is what sets us apart. For every decision we make in the company we base it on how it will help improve the lives of our users. Obviously, not every step has been easy and initially just going up against major competitors had its drawbacks. It really wasn’t until the pandemic hit that people understood that having everything under one website made sense. Oddly, similar to Zoom, the pandemic has only proven the need for our website. I want Choice MD to drive initiatives that will change healthcare. Not just the sector but how we as individuals manage our own healthcare needs.

That said, I am extremely excited to mention two of our ongoing projects. Both projects will improve our platform as well as the health of our community. The first is a campaign that focuses on creating awareness and improving Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s), as they are linked to health complications later in life. I initially created Choice MD to help people and bringing light to this issue will save many individuals. The second project is developing a widget for our application that will map out resources in the community by ailment. Perhaps this part started to satisfy my own needs, in my case, I really thought it would be great to just enter Multiple Sclerosis in a search and have it propagate all doctors, rehab centers, nonprofits and the like specializing in MS with the push of just one button.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Miami is such a great city and I absolutely love everything it has to offer. The restaurants are amazing, the views are spectacular, and there really is always something new to do. I love checking out SecretMiami to find unique shows. The museums are fun but honestly History Miami is always the museum I take newcomers because you really can give them an understanding of the culture within the walls.

Wynwood: I’d take them to Wynwood Walls! We’d end a great day with drinks and appetizers at Beaker and Gray followed by Dinner at KYU.

Coconut Grove: Vizcaya Museum with lunch at Planta, and dinner at Glass and Vine.

Brickell: I’m on the fence with this one. The shopping is great at Bickell City Centre and so is the steak at Nusr-ET Steakhouse but I also love biking The Underline – it’s such a fun way to see the different areas and you can finish with drinks at American Social.

Key Biscayne: A family favorite is to take the kayak out to Key Biscayne and have a fried fish at Boater’s Grill. Sometimes the simple things in life are the best. On the flipside, I also love the Ritz Carlton where you can dig your toes in the sand while sipping on piña coladas.

South Beach: You have to rent a boat and take it out at least once, it really is part of the Miami experience. You could also spend a day at the beach in South Point with the kids of course. Kids will never refuse the pizza at Spris on Lincoln Road and I’m always happy with the shopping.

Coral Gables: I live, work, and play in the Gables and it’s all fabulous! Brunch at Bachour’s is a must, after that you have The Venetian, Cabanas at The Biltmore, Kayaking on the canals, movie at Gables Cinema or at show at Actor’s playhouse!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I love that you guys have a Shoutout series – my favorite part of Choice MD is that it continually grows in the community as our partnerships grow. At the moment we have over 44 community partnerships and I am incredibly grateful for the continual work our partners do in the community. A lot of those partnerships were formed because our membership and participation within the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce so, of course, a shoutout to them seems appropriate. However, this shoutout will end up having a kind of ripple effect as the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce was where I met Katrina Vargas Vila, Founder and CEO of Socially Intuit. She truly is amazing and I can honestly say that she has been primordial in the presence and success of Choice MD on social media.

Our latest campaign on ACE’s (more on this below), the help, mentorship and support from Dave Lawrence, The founder of The Children’s Trust, Nelson Hincapie, president of Voices for Children, and Madeleine Thakur, president of the Children’s Movement has been the most remarkable gift am I am truly honored to learn from such remarkable individuals.

On a personal level, I’m grateful for both my dad and husband for challenging me to think more, and for presenting me with every possible problem that could arise, so that we could find a better solution.

Website: https://choicemd.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/choicemd.miami/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/choicemd/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChoiceMD

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChoiceMD