The challenge to achieve breakthrough results is real, but the journey to growth is worth taking.
In 1994 I had an epiphany that has guided my 30+ years of helping people adopt physical activity and other self-care behaviors in ways that can be sustained: Cancer survivors who stuck with exercise during our 3-month exercise study discontinued exercising once our study ended.
Their reason? They were to too busy to take care of themselves. But this issue plagues most people, not just those who have faced a life-threatening illness. And solving it has been my professional North Star. Through extensive interdisciplinary post-graduate education and training, academic research, and real-world coaching I have identified specific key issues that drive low motivation, low prioritization of self-care, and lack of sustainability with self-care behaviors like exercise and healthier eating.
The systematic coaching method I developed targets these barriers and supports the specific mindset and tactics for adopting of self-care behaviors in ways that can be sustained within the unpredictability of the real world. And, I am passionate about guiding people on this transformative journey!
My coaching perspective is informed by my academic work: I am a University of Michigan (UM) behavioral scientist, Faculty Associate Center for Positive Organizations at the Ross School of Business, and Member of the UM Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation.
Books
No Sweat: How the Simple Science of Motivation Can Bring You a Lifetime of Fitness (Amacom, 2015).
Featured in The New York Times, by Sanjay Gupta and Dan Pink, and endorsed by Adam Grant, Dan Health, Jane Sarasohn-Kahn, and John Ratey, No Sweat won the Health: Diet & Exercise category in the USA Best Book Awards, achieved the #1 selling book when released in the Exercise/Fitness category on Amazon, and is being used to train individuals in health coaching, patient counseling, and fitness training across university and professional contexts around the world.
The Joy Choice: How to Finally Achieve Lasting Changes in Eating and Exercise (Hachette Go, 2022).
The Joy Choice was named one of “the best health books experts read in 2022” by The Washington Post, was selected as a Next Big Idea Club Nominee, and was featured on many popular podcasts, including The One You Feed, Behavioral Grooves, and Psychologists Off the Clock.
Education and Awards
Doctorate in Psychology, University of Michigan
Master of Public Health (Health Behavior and Health Education), University of Michigan
Master of Science in Kinesiology, University of Michigan
Bachelor of Arts (Focus: Culture and socialization processes), University of Michigan
Fellow, the Society of Behavioral Medicine
Other experience
My work is frequently featured in major media, including the Wallstreet Journal, New York Times, Forbes, and Fast Company, NPR, and the Washington Post and I have served as an advisor to the World Health Organization, the Global Health & Fitness Association (formally IHRSA), HERO (Health Enhancement Research Organization), the Wellness Advisory Council, and the American Council on Exercise (ACE). I consult with and speak to Fortune 500 and other leading organizations.
Fun fact
In 1992 I ran with the Olympic Torch at the Olympics in Barcelona.
Start The Conversation!
Optimize Your Leadership, Your Team, Your Career, Your Culture. OptimizeU.