I've been working with Merakoi now since early 2021, and I've worn quite a few hats in that time. Right now, I consider my core roles to be Engagement Manager and Moderator of patient sessions across different projects.

To me, wearing both these hats means I get to see a project from every angle. As an Engagement Manager, I’m the one holding the line between what the client needs and what our internal team can deliver - I'm basically translating a big strategy into a practical session plan. Then, when I step into the Moderator role, I’m the one in the room setting the tone. I decide which thread to follow when a conversation opens, because I know that the quality of what our experts share really depends on the quality of the questions I ask. Since I usually hold both roles, I can make sure the project stays connected to that real patient experience from the very first call to the final readout.

In simple terms, I help connect the dots between patients, clients, and internal teams.

I feel I have the most impact in the space I create for patients when they’re sharing their lived experience, which can be deeply personal. It is incredibly important to me that they feel respected and safe, so I work to create that psychological safety by asking the right follow-ups and balancing empathy with clarity. But creating that safe space is only the beginning; the real magic happens when that safety allows for a level of honesty that transforms the work itself.

From "Technically Correct" to "Actually Meaningful"

Patient experts make a project dramatically better, just by being there. They bring lived experiences which translate theory into reality; talking to them makes it really clear what truly matters when someone is navigating a chronic illness. It brings an "emotional truth" which often reveals what data alone cannot. In short, patient experts help move a project from being technically correct to being actually meaningful.

Editors note: On "emotional truth". The most accessible anchor for this kind of language is Brené Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston whose work on vulnerability has reshaped how leaders and clinicians think about authenticity. Her line "stories are data with a soul" describes exactly what Rebekka is reaching for: the lived, felt dimension of experience that quantitative data alone can't reach.

▶ Watch: Brené Brown, The Power of Vulnerability (TED, 2010). Editor's note: On the science of "strategic fuel". Rebekka's chocolate habit is actually backed by more than just a sweet tooth; research suggests that cocoa flavanols can enhance cerebral blood flow and sharpen cognitive performance during high-intensity mental work. When navigating a full day of deep, emotional patient sessions, that small boost becomes a vital tool for staying present and focused.

When we treat patients’ expertise as strategic expertise, not symbolic inclusion, projects become grounded, relevant, and far more likely to succeed in the real world. I believe patient experts are often misunderstood when they are seen merely as adding perspective; they are actually adding foresight. Patient expertise is most powerful when used "upstream," when direction is still flexible, and assumptions can be challenged. When they are brought in too late, they are asked to validate something that is already 90% there, and their role becomes reactive rather than creative. This shift from reactive validation to proactive foresight isn't just a theory; I’ve seen it completely save a project from missing its mark.

Recalibrating the Compass

I remember one project where we were refining patient communication materials for a healthcare initiative. The messaging was clinically accurate, the design was nice, and it all looked strong on paper. But during a session, one of the patient experts said something very simple:

"It just doesn't feel like it's written for us, the younger generation."

They didn't identify with the language or the images, which were all of aging, fragile people.

Up until that moment, the focus had been on clarity and completeness, but the person receiving the information hadn’t been truly centered. That one insight shifted the entire direction of the work. Moments like that reinforce why patient expertise is not decorative - it literally recalibrates the compass. Of course, finding those moments of clarity requires staying incredibly focused during a session and knowing when to steer the conversation back to what matters.

The "Gentle Reset Button"

When I’m in a session and notice we are drifting into "tactical weeds" or forgetting why we are here, I use my "gentle reset button" phrase: "Let’s zoom out for a second." I use it to help us reconnect to the purpose and focus on the questions we actually need answers to. I learned a lot of this by observing my colleagues, Debbie and Sandra, when I first joined as a patient coordinator. Watching how they didn't let momentum or stress get to them shaped me a lot.

Finally, if you want to know how I stay sharp during a long day of sessions, a double espresso is non-negotiable. I also always have dark chocolate on hand, because I'm a total chocoholic. I've decided that chocolate is strategic fuel, not an indulgence!

Editor's note: Rebekka isn't wrong about chocolate as "strategic fuel". There's real, if modest, evidence that the flavanols in cocoa support cerebral blood flow and short-term cognitive performance during demanding mental tasks. Over a long day of patient sessions, that's not nothing.