Professional Development

I knew early on I would pursue a career in the health field.  However, it was not until I was earning my Masters in Clinical Epidemiology at Wake Forest and working as a personal trainer that I wholeheartedly decided to pursue a career in wellness/health promotion.  I became a certified personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) upon the encouragement of my own personal trainer at the time. She saw the passion I had for my health and my enthusiasm for encouraging my fellow gym colleagues to make their health a priority.   While at Wake Forest I had the opportunity to work on two research projects that focused on different aspects of creating desired behavior change.  One looked at the sources of information a population with hypertension or pre-hypertension used to learn more about managing their condition.  The second researched what experience and/or education created the desired self-efficacy needed for overweight adolescent and teen girls to make and maintain healthier choices. All three experiences solidified my career choice to become a wellness professional.  After graduating, I continued my academic learning by gaining a Masters in Sports Administration with a concentration of Fitness Center Management, pursuing opportunities to grow professionally in the wellness and health promotion industry. 

Demonstrated Success and Innovation

I am proud to work with a team of wellness professionals that was formed by the rapid growth of EPIC through merger and acquisition.  In a short amount of time, we were able to combine our strengths and create impactful services for our clients. I lead the internal wellness initiatives and client programs for EPIC’s Southeast Region headquarters in Atlanta.  We are a company that leads by example, starting with our executive team emphasizing a “People First” approach.  They understand that employees are their best when they are well.  Therefore, our overall strategy is to provide programs, resources and tools that will create an “a-ha!” moment when a person realizes that they should incorporate a new healthy behavior and possesses the confidence to do so.  Along with using a third party wellness vendor, we offer fitness classes for all skill levels, and informative seminars including celebrating awareness and survivorship of breast cancer.  Also, through our activities committee, we offer several opportunities to give back to the community through mentorship at local elementary schools, participating in fun runs and donating food and other necessities to those in need. 

The same principles we use for our internal program, we use for our clients.  My team and I understand that successful initiatives can only come from taking the time to listen to employers and employees’ needs.  We always start by getting a clear understanding of our clients’ current health management program and where they want to go with it.  I always start each strategy meeting with this question: “At the end of the year when we review your wellness program, what initiatives and outcomes should have occurred for you to feel the program met or exceeded goals?” 

We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all programs.  We understand that each client has their own needs and challenges.  For instance, one of my clients has been actively engaged in offering a wellness program for their employees and spouses for four years.  The employee population is relatively healthy except for the higher than desired number of people with total cholesterol and high blood pressure.  The client and I devised a strategy that included targeted communications, engaging the wellness champion committee to get more involved, and selecting a new wellness vendor that aligned with their goals. I am proud to report that each year, we have seen a 30% reduction in the number of participants who score out of range on both of the aforementioned metrics.  Senior leadership was pleased with the results and would like to extend their wellness offerings to their international offices. 

EPIC has been recognized as a “Healthiest Employer” along with several of our clients.  We understand that to earn the award each year, we must continue to provide results-driven programming, as well as offer new programs that are aligned with the latest trends. Therefore, we strive to have innovative services that meet current needs.  For example, we partnered with a mobile app software company developer to provide our larger clients an opportunity to develop a customized mobile app where they can communicate and engage with their employees without the use of email.  Clients can now send pertinent wellness-related information to their employees instead of sending an email that most likely will get lost in the thousands of emails they receive daily.  We had a soft launch this year and have several clients that have engaged EPIC in the process of developing their own app. Each year we grow our wellness services so we can continue to provide excellent programs and results for our clients.

Leadership

I exercise for my physical health, as well as, for the spiritual and mental benefits that come with challenging me to run a little faster and or push a little harder. I always try to bring that same mentality to my professional career.   Taking risks and not being afraid to pitch new ideas to senior leadership has been pivotal in professional growth and growing my leadership skills.

During a team meeting, one of EPIC’s senior executives told a story about a CEO of a fortune 100 company that credited his success to “filling in holes”. Wherever there was an opportunity to assist in a project, jump in a fill that role. That lesson motivates me volunteer to lead monthly team meetings,  and regularly communicate with my team to see how I can be of any assistance to them. My advice to other wellness practitioners is to never stop the learning process.  Read articles, attend seminars and network with other wellness health promotion professionals. 

Compelling Vision

The use of technology in managing and improving one’s health will continue to drive innovation in the wellness and health management field as consumers continue to look for convenient ways to manage and control their health.  As consumers become more educated about their health, organizations will have to continue to provide robust offering of services to meet the various needs of their employees.  Programs the emphasize stress management through financial education, work life balance and physical activity will continue to be the most sought after programs for employees.

Making healthy lifestyle changes isn’t easy. That is where me and my fellow health professionals step in.  We are charged to be there and provide resources needed whenever someone is ready to take that first step.  We are a select group of individuals proudly making the population one step at a time.