It all started at the University of North Florida. As a student, I brought a project to life and offered a wellness program to university employees – igniting my passion! After earning a Bachelor’s in Health Science in 1998, from UNF, I later became a Certified Health Education Specialist – now, an MCHES. In 2005, I earned my Master’s, graduating Summa Cum Laude, later completing trainings for Intrinsic Coaching and Wellcoaches, and earning a spot on the list of WELCOA faculty. Professional development is a priority and always worthwhile, but my BSH was ultimately most valuable – landing me my first position.

In my role with Health Designs I have supported organizations of all sizes, in every industry – with those representing thousands of employees. But these are whole people, not just employees - parents, sons and daughters, neighbors, volunteers, etc. I consider it my privilege to inspire them in taking steps toward becoming their best selves, and to consult their organizations on how to cultivate a healthy culture, thereby supporting those individual efforts. My most successful opportunities have come in some of the most unlikely circumstances. A handful of my clients were among the first to initiate outcomes-based programs, focused on reducing key risk areas (i.e., tobacco and BMI). We have supported those with onsite screenings and a health assessment among other services, but most importantly, intrinsic coaching – face-to-face, for every onsite participant. In their first years, employees were angry, feeling pressured and concerned about a “big brother” approach. But when employees had the opportunity for health coaching, they realized our coaches were there to support them in pursuing what they “wanted” for their health, and tapping into their intrinsic motivation, regardless of the company’s outcomes – ultimately leading to an improvement in the company’s overall outcomes. Risk stratification trend reporting showed significant shifts in risks. One client began with more than 10% of participants having 5 or more risk factors in year 1, and just two years later, that dropped to 3% - including biometric improvements and behavior changes. These companies have had clear CEO support, albeit often initiated by a desire for containing health costs. But after collecting meaningful data and evaluating outcomes, these organizations have become receptive to our recommendations for designing appropriate interventions and taking steps toward creating supportive environments. Most recently, my role has shifted to allow me the opportunity to also serve one specific client on a deeper level, as their onsite health coach (on an ongoing, part-time basis). The role started first as a reasonable alternative for those not meeting the biometric criteria for the company’s outcomes-based initiative. There has been significant growth and I now offer health coaching, behavior change programs, and wellness challenges to many more employees – PLUS, serve as a wellness champion and culture committee member. In nearly 10 years with Health Designs, my expertise has grown substantially – and I have not only served clients in the ways described here, but have also been integrally involved in the development and facilitation of our proprietary health assessment, and led an expansion of the training efforts for our team to keep doing the meaningful work we offer. 

At Health Designs, I have been part of the leadership team and have mentored other team members and interns, and continue to support them in growing their skills and having a better grasp of our industry. I also spent time on the board for the First Coast Worksite Wellness Council, and even offered a wellness course at my church called “Healthy Habits, Healthy Souls.” I am truly grateful to work with a fantastic leader that fosters growth and development. A core value of ours is to “live our passion for health and well-being.” I personally love organized runs (5Ks and beyond), eating GOOD food, getting enough sleep, fostering healthy relationships, growing spiritually, and living life to the fullest, with family, through travel and adventure. As others look to me for advice, I might share with them that nurturing relationships, having a willingness to learn and share ideas, humility, recognition of others talents, and a spirit of service will go far. 

Health coaching has always been a core service of Health Designs – though the buzz in our industry seems fairly recent. Our leadership team felt so strongly about the value of health coaching that, a few years ago, we shifted our onsite health screening approach to a “single station” set up to allow our team to begin coaching, asking powerful questions, from the moment a participant begins the screening. I have been a huge advocate of this approach from the beginning and know that not only is it more cost-effective and efficient, it allows for a more meaningful experience and deeper support for behavior change. Participants, who had different experiences previously, appreciate this method and share their positive experience with others – leading to higher engagement.  

I envision the health promotion industry integrating high-touch and high-tech methods on a more regular basis, and involving “community building” – internally among co-workers, and growing external opportunities. I see the biggest threat to the industry being a lack of results from “standard” wellness approaches, discouraging some decision makers into deciding they will decrease investments in wellness. The biggest opportunities lie in the notion of an increased acceptance of the value of making investments in culture, and in coaching. I personally plan to grow my expertise in those two areas and share my learnings with other colleagues through webinars, wellness council events, and conferences. Eventually, I would love to teach at a university level and inspire future professionals in this industry – sharing my lessons with them.