06/02/2026
“Intuition will tell the thinking mind where to look next.”
— Jonas Salk
"Earlier this month, I visited my friends Paul and Cynthia Yock. As many of you know, Paul, a cardiologist, world-renowned innovator, and the founder of Stanford Biodesign, is fighting pancreatic cancer. Cynthia is leading the battle on his behalf. One of the things that brings them a lot of joy is their shared passion for fostering rescued German Shepherds.
I am not a dog person. I like other people's dogs, but have never wanted one of my own. And that has become a problem lately, as my kiddos and wife Monica, who have been talking about it for some time, have seriously escalated the conversation now that summer is near. Most recently, they informed me that I do not actually have veto power and that they planned to start visiting animal shelters.
But then, when Paul answered the door, I met Maxie.
She is a majestic, dark-colored shepherd with golden eyes, and she radiates something closer to human than dog. I fell for her immediately. We sat down and she took a lap around the table, greeting us all cordially before settling at Paul’s feet. I kept watching her as we spoke, feeling an internal tug-of-war between my mind and my gut. It wasn’t long before I gave in, pulled out my phone and started texting Monica.
As a rescue, there were lots of hoops to jump through, but we were eventually accepted as Maxie's new family.
I’ve been thinking about that moment since. Whether it was Paul’s knowing grin when he saw me fall for the dog, Cynthia’s quiet comment that Maxie was something special, or the feeling we were gaining both a friend and a protector, I knew I needed to act on the opportunity in front of me.
I've had similar feelings about people—that immediate sense that you trust someone—and about companies, when you can see the outline of something important and you know it’s a good thing before you have all the evidence.
Tom Fogarty was a master at this. I remember when Denise Demarais and I were pitching Ardian to him at Emergent Partners. About ten minutes into our presentation, I glanced over. He didn’t seem to be paying attention. But on his notepad, he had already written a single word: “Yes.” I started skipping ahead, confusing Denise. As I raced to the end, I saw he had repeatedly circled the word. I knew the deal was done when one of the partners asked me a question—and Tom answered it.
The older I get, the more I’ve come to appreciate that intuition isn’t random—it’s experience, values, and pattern recognition coming together faster than we can consciously articulate. The challenge is not to ignore that feeling, but to recognize it, trust it, and act on the opportunity before you.
Sometimes that opportunity is a company. And sometimes it’s a German Shepherd named Maxie.”
The above is excerpted from Andrew Cleeland’s column in our monthly newsletter. To receive it in your inbox directly, you can sign up here: https://www.fogartyinnovation.org/get-involved/
