Education: BA in Fitness Management, UMass Amherst; Post Baccalaureate: Teacher of Health K-12, Bridgewater State College; M.Ed Health Promotion Coursework, Bridgewater State College; Project Management PMP Prep Coursework, Bryant College

Certifications: Massachusetts Educators Certificate, Health K-12; ACE Health Coach; WELCOA

Honors received/awards won: Cum Laude

Passion for movement and health promotion drove me into the field.

My M.Ed Health Promotion coursework focused on the evidence and lifelong outcomes behind health promotion/prevention has been most valuable in my career thus far.

Demonstrated Success - major health promoting contributions made on behalf of my organization, clients’ organizations, community, etc.

a. What my most successful program/intervention addressed:

• Behavior change through Lifestyle Coaching

b. Intervention that worked best to address this issue:

• Lifestyle Coaching Program:  Lifestyle Coaching is an effective, empowering resource for employees to improve their health, happiness and well-being. The power of the coaching process is facilitated by passionate, professional, and caring Health Coaches who, through coaching empowers employees to make positive, healthy choices and to sustain a healthy lifestyle. Personal and financial prosperity is achieved when employees are meaningfully engaged in Lifestyle Coaching, improving their health, happiness and well-being, resulting in a profitable return-on-investment for Preventure and for our Client partners.

c. Outcomes:

     i. Health status improvements

• Over 5,000 participants touched with one-on-one lifestyle coaching.
• 90% of participants met their primary goal, and were given the tools to empower them to sustain a healthier lifestyle.
• Goals met encompassed: stress management, weight management, healthier eating, physical activity, and tobacco cessation. Achieving lifestyle improvements in any of these areas has been proven to improve health status and health care costs.

     ii. Behavior change

• 90% or completed participants reported having made behavior changes as a result of the program.

     iii. Culture change

• Our intent is to improve cultures and engagement through Lifestyle Coaching. This program offers a participant the leverage human interaction and expertise to achieve health improvement versus traditional online tools, trackers. This type of intervention is not for everyone, but leverages methodologies and tactics proven to encourage long term change. 

d. Impactful use of all/some of the 7 Benchmarks:

• The 7 benchmarks are so naturally part of everything we do. They are always subliminally there - part of the ‘quilt-work’ if you will. 

Leadership

a. How I “walk the talk” by living a healthy lifestyle:

• I have always infused wellness into my life even as a busy working mom. I find quick 30-minute bursts to take a walk, do a circuit workout in my driveway, or go for a trail run. I particularly pay close attention to my food choices, packing healthy lunches most days. Infusing fitness into my family is always one of my passions.

b. Resources/experiences that have helped me achieve leadership status in the field:

• Observing other leaders in my company and others and how their style/tactics affect their teams.
• Peer support from Preventure Leaders
• Leadership Training
• Being surrounded by exceptional teams
• Leveraging the StrengthsFinder
• Process and efficiency methodologies, tools, tactics

c. Advice to other wellness practitioners hoping to become leaders in the field:

• Lead from the heart
• Challenge the process
• Meet people where they are
• Be a servant leader
• Celebrate strengths

Innovation

a. What I have done differently to generate better results:

• Helped to develop a Lifestyle Coaching product that incorporates multifaceted strategy to engage participants to enroll, engage, maintain.
• With an amazing team, helped develop the Preventure Provider Network: a client facing group of providers to deploy proprietary onsite seminars, screenings.

b. For each innovative strategy/intervention, what were the results/outcomes?

     i. Health status improvements

         Lifestyle Coaching:

• Over 5,000 participants touched with one-on-one lifestyle coaching.
• 90% of participants met their primary goal, and were given the tools to empower them to sustain a healthier lifestyle.

         Provider Network:

• 548 programs deployed, 2014
• 9,500 participants touched, 2014

     ii. Behavior change

         Lifestyle Coaching:

• Goals met encompassed: stress management, weight management, healthy nutrition, physical activity, tobacco cessation. Achieving lifestyle improvements in any of these areas has been proven to improve health status, health care costs.

         Provider Network:

• Satisfaction ratings: 97% strongly agree/agree that program was excellent. 88% strongly agree/agree that program influenced a lifestyle change

     iii. Culture change

         Lifestyle Coaching:

• Participating client companies reported a positive experience with the co-creative partnership that resonates during the coaching process. They found the unique ability to set a personal vision of wellness through health coaching, unlike other initiatives like online workshops, challenges, or group classes.

         Provider Network:

• In an innovative, technological society, we have lost sight of the value of ‘human interaction.’ Initiatives offered through the Preventure Provider Network captures the spirit of in-person, live teaching and sharing. Client companies have reported that onsite wellness is an important piece of culture change. Participants have different engagement and learning styles, hence offering a variety of channels (web based, self-guided, community based, onsite) is a positive step to improving employee culture. 
   

Compelling Vision

a. Biggest threats or opportunities in the health promotion industry:

• In the US, employers are the second major driving force of the expanding wellness market, so those of us who have dedicated years in employee wellness are certainly on to something. There continues to be a gap between worksite health promotion, insurers, and providers. Studies continue to show that without the proper multi-pronged ecosystem of resources and support, long term behavior change isn’t as likely. We have a great opportunity to close the gap here moving toward a model of consistency within these channels.

b. What directions I plan to pursue to advance the industry:

• One major trend in the wellness market is that the distinction between food, dietary supplements and pharmaceutical products is becoming harder to draw. Consumers, through powerful social media and marketing are often miseducated, leading to fad diets and product consumption that discourage them in their wellness journey. Health Promotion professionals, insurers, and providers need to collaborate more effectively to provide education and guidance on effective methodologies. One of my personal goals to advance the industry is to work closer with our insurer partners and providers in this effort.