Behavior Change Architect

Changing Behavior. Some believe that the adoption of positive behaviors by individuals and communities “just happens”. But the truth is, there is a science behind how to encourage and design for change.    The Behavior Change Architect Podcast is a conversation about innovative and evidence-based behavior change strategies to increase well-being. Listen in to discussions with thought leaders, industry experts, and innovative scientists, on hot-button topics around specific behaviors like vaping, resilience, and financial well-being, as well as research and design issues including engagement, technology, and communication strategies.    We will go beyond published works to discuss behind-the-scenes topics and cutting-edge findings. Tune in as your host Dr. Kerry Evers takes you on a journey to change the discussion, change perspectives, and ultimately, help you change behavior for your clients, populations, and perhaps even yourself!    Change is always in the air for your host, Kerry Evers, Ph.D.…. or at least always on her mind. She is deeply and passionately committed to leveraging the undeniable power and reliability of behavior change science to empower people to experience life-changing breakthroughs. As the Co-President and CEO of Pro-Change Behavior Systems, she leads a team focused on assisting organizations with behavior change challenges to help their populations improve and maintain high well-being. Kerry, who holds a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of Rhode Island, is best known for her expertise on theory-driven approaches to health behavior change, implementing evidence-based behavior change strategies using sophisticated tailoring, and integrating these solutions into population-based systems. She has published widely in the field and is a sought-after speaker and trainer. She has been recognized as a “40 Under Forty” in her state and received the Health Enhancement Research Organization’s Mark Dundon Research Award. Her passion for improving well-being extends beyond work to her community through her services on several non-profit boards, and by recently founding a charitable giving organization. Kerry brings her curiosity and passion to every interview to help her listeners provide cutting-edge behavior change strategies to their populations and clients.   

In this pilot episode, you’ll learn about Kerry Evers and her intention to create conversations about the challenges surrounding behavior change and how to innovate in the field. She will lead discussions with thought leaders, industry experts and innovative scientists to challenge the way we approach change in our behavior. Why is the science of behavior change important? It’s a field of study that has woven itself into an endless list of business types, fields, products and services including health, wellbeing, organizational change, safety, finance and mental health.  Change can be intentional or not, gradual or sudden, internally or externally motivated. While some may believe change “just happens”, the truth is that there is a science of how behavior changes.  The science of behavior change focuses on what strategies can we as a field employ to encourage people, communities and society to adopt healthy, beneficial and positive behavioral practices.  Research publications and presentations can sometimes be delayed. So these discussions will focus on hot button topics and the latest in research and innovation.  The aim of this podcast is to pull together leaders in the field of behavior change, with differing perspectives, to guide our mutual understanding so that we can, through conversation and stories, collaboratively build an innovative framework for change. IN THIS EPISODE: [00:32] Kerry introduces herself and discusses the importance of behavior change. [01:35] What is behavior change science?  [02:13] Behavior change science has woven itself into a variety of fields, with the most prominent being health, including lifestyle behavior change for prevention as well as condition management. [03:35] Public health, technology developers and program designers all have incorporated aspects of behavior change science into a variety of interventions to increase financial behaviors, environmental sustainability, and productivity just to name a few.  [03:52] the field of behavior change communication focuses on how thru communications of some kind, individuals and communities can somehow be persuaded to behave in ways that will make their lives safer and healthier.  [05:00] The field of behavior change has expanded in ways that would have been difficult to predict. How do we keep up? How do we stay innovative and continue to build upon best practices? As with any evolving field, it's not easy. [08:05] Every month or so we will be releasing a series of three podcasts focusing on a specific topic in the area of behavior change. I will have a guest on each episode. A whos who in the topic area, from a variety of disciplines.  [09:00] The possibilities for topics discussed in each series of this podcast are endless.   [10:00] The series name comes from the word ‘architect’: Someone who guides a plan or undertaking, in this case, the science of behavioral change. KEY TAKEAWAYS: Lifestyle behaviors affect physical health, the management of conditions, recovery from illness, and wellbeing. The field of behavior change has expanded in ways that would have been difficult to predict. Regardless of the field that you work in, it is very likely that behavior change science influences your work.

Today’s guest, Karen Mosely, is the president and CEO of the Health Enhancement Research Organization, also known as HERO. HERO is a national think tank dedicated to advancing best practices in workplace health and wellbeing. Karen provides a summary of where she views the workplace health and wellbeing field being right now, including equity, sustainability, workplace performance and mental and emotional health. Tune in to hear Karen’s description of HERO as a trend spotter in the field, and how the future of workplace well-being will have a focus on diversity and inclusion, the employer ecosystem and how the choices we have impact the choices we make.   IN THIS EPISODE: [03:00] HERO’s 3 to 5 year strategic plan [04:12] Impact of remote work on well-being [06:00] The evolving mission of HERO and behavior change industry [09:00] The effects from the combination of COVID and structural racism [11:00] HERO Forum On-Demand sessions available to listen to [12:00] HERO Health and Well-Being Best Practices Score Card in collaboration with Mercer [15:00] Resources that are publicly available on the HERO website [17:00] Implementing these programs has been shown to increase profitability and create better stock prices [18:00] Caregiving, work life balance, burnout and exhaustion are three of the key topics going into 2022   KEY TAKEAWAYS: Employers have a very large stake in improving their employees’ health and well-being. HERO is dedicated to advancing best practices in workplace health and wellbeing The focus in 2022 and how organizations will need to take care of employees and assist individual resilience, post pandemic.   BIO: Karen Moseley is President & CEO of the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO), a national think tank dedicated to advancing best practices in employee health promotion. In collaboration with HERO members, Karen and the HERO team provide leadership in research and education on issues such as the impact of wellness program best practices on health outcomes and the impact of healthy cultures on employee performance.

The Behavior Change podcast is hosted by Dr. Kerry E. Evers, Ph.D. discussing innovative and evidence-based behavior change strategies designed to increase wellbeing. Today’s guest, Dr. Ron Goetzel, Ph.D. is a nationally recognized and widely published expert in health and productivity management return on investment program, evaluation and outcome research. Dr. Goetzel is the senior scientist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of public health, the director of the Institute for health and productivity studies, and the president and CEO of the health project. Tune in for Dr. Kerry Evers and Dr. Ron Goetzel’s conversation as they discuss workplace wellbeing in addition to establishing a relationship between employee wellbeing, productivity and organizational success! IN THIS EPISODE: [01:00] Americans will spend about a third of their lives at work [02:45] There is a relationship between employee health and well-being and economic and business outcomes [04:00] Can you improve the health and wellbeing of your employees? [06:00] The culture of the organization and leadership are central to any programs [08:00] What will emerge post COVID-19 [11:30] Top 10 list of magic ingredients for workplace programs [16:00] Recommendations for small businesses [21:00] C Everett Koop National Health Awards   KEY TAKEAWAYS: Worksites are doing more well-being and disease prevention work than any other entity in society today. There are many benefits to implementing wellness effectively, not only for the employees, but also for the organizations. Simple wellness-focused changes can cost almost nothing and create monumental change.   BIO: Ron Z. Goetzel, PhD, Senior Scientist and Director, Institute for Health and Productivity Studies at Johns Hopkins University and Vice President of Consulting and Applied Research at Truven Health Analytics (formerly Thomson Reuters Healthcare Business) is a nationally recognized expert in health management, data analysis, and applied research. He has led numerous projects focusing on documenting the health and productivity cost burden of various disease conditions and the ROI achieved by health management programs. He is Principal Investigator (PI) on several large-scale NIH, CDC, and CMS funded studies focused on risk reduction and cost savings. Dr. Goetzel earned his doctorate in Organizational and Administrative Studies and his MA in Applied Social Psychology from New York University, and his BS degree in Psychology from the City College of New York.

Today’s guest, Dr. Sam Dolezal, is the Wellbeing Officer at Union Bank & Trust, acting as the company go-to for anything health & wellness related. Sam’s role focuses on personal training, fitness classes, and generally being a cheerleader for the employees. Sam asks the question ‘How do individuals learn?’ and provides information on how she helps others to strive for well-being. UBTWell offers a whole host of benefits including the wellness reimbursement account, where associates get $250 every year to spend on a variety of approved items. Tune in to hear Kerry and Sam discuss everything from focusing on what the needs of your team members are, creating virtual events during the pandemic and how to establish the effectiveness of a program.   IN THIS EPISODE: [01:00] Introducing Sam Dolezal [05:00] UBTWell Programs and wellness benefits [08:00] The Wellness Reimbursement account [10:30] Staying on top of innovation [14:00] The C Everett Koop National Health Award [20:00] Success is based upon the engagement of the entire community   KEY TAKEAWAYS: Union Bank & Trust is an example of an award winning and successful workplace wellness programs. UBT uses a variety of strategies to implement programs that obtain a very high engagement rate. How the workplace wellness programs are implemented at UBT, including the Wellness Reimbursement account. How outcomes can be tracked both for the employer and employees.   BIO: Dr. Sam Dolezal is the Wellbeing Officer at Union Bank & Trust, acting as the company go-to for anything health & wellness related. While her responsibility is ensuring a healthy workplace, she gets to fulfill her passion for supporting others on their journey to a healthier tomorrow. With a doctoral degree in Healthcare Education and extensive background in exercise science and community health, Sam draws on all her education and experience to help others live their very best lives. As passionate about community as she is fitness, Sam is an active volunteer in multiple organizations and is a business member of the Tobacco-Free Lancaster County Task Force.

Today’s guest, Dr. John Norcross, is an internationally recognized authority on behavior change and psychotherapy. Dr. Norcross is the author of more than 400 scholarly publications, and his work has been featured in hundreds of media interviews. In this episode, Dr. Norcross provides insight on setting our New Year's resolutions: the history behind the tradition, how we keep them, and the reasons behind why we let them slip. Tune in to hear Dr. Norcross explain how the pandemic affected our resolutions, the number one resolution people make each year, the statistics on how many succeed, and the research behind how a “slip” can become a success. IN THIS EPISODE: [03:00] There is a historical and psychological tradition to resolutions. [05:00] Weight loss is at the top of the list of New Year's resolutions for Americans [08:00] The success rate for resolutions is actually higher than many people think. . [10:00] Not only Americans have this concept of a New Year's resolution. [15:00] There is no difference when people make changes at other times of the year, other than they gain a lot more support from the society due to the timing at the beginning of a year. [19:00] Create reminders for resolutions, and limit exposure to high risk situations.   KEY TAKEAWAYS: New Year's resolutions stem back to ancient and medieval times. 60% of Americans declare to make a resolution in December but come New Year's day only 35 to 40% actually do so. There are ways to successfully stick to your resolutions, like creating reminders, declaring your intentions publicly, and limiting exposure to high risk situations.   BIO: An internationally recognized authority on behavior change and psychotherapy, Dr. John C. Norcross is Distinguished Professor & Chair of Psychology at the University of Scranton, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at SUNY Upstate Medical University, and a board-certified clinical psychologist. Author of more than 400 scholarly publications, Dr. Norcross has co-written or edited 25 books, most of them in multiple editions. These include the 5-volume APA Handbook of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy Relationships that Work, and Systems of Psychotherapy: A Transtheoretical Analysis, now in its 9th edition. He also published the acclaimed self-help books, Changeology and Changing for Good (with Prochaska & DiClemente). Dr. Norcross has been elected president of the American Psychological Association (APA) Society of Clinical Psychology, the APA Division of Psychotherapy, and the Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration. He has served on the Board of Directors of the National Register of Health Service Psychologists as well as on APA’s governing Council of Representatives. Dr. Norcross edited the Journal of Clinical Psychology: In Session for a decade and has been on the editorial boards of a dozen journals. Dr. Norcross has also served as a clinical and research consultant to a number of organizations, including the National Institutes of Health and pharmaceutical companies. A Fellow of 10 professional associations, he has been honored with APA’s Distinguished Career Contributions to Education & Training Award, the Pennsylvania Professor of the Year from the Carnegie Foundation, and election to the National Academies of Practice. His work has been featured in hundreds of media interviews, and he has appeared dozens of times on national television shows, such as the Today Show, CBS Sunday Morning, and CNN. www.changeologybook.com/ www.scranton.edu/faculty/norcross/index.shtml https://www.facebook.com/john.c.norcross

In this episode, Dr. John Norcross is back to provide insight on how the science of behavior change can help us be successful in keeping our resolutions not only in the new year but throughout the year! Dr. John Norcross is an internationally recognized authority on behavior change and psychotherapy. Dr. Norcross is the author of more than 400 scholarly publications, and his work has been featured in hundreds of media interviews. In this episode, Dr. Norcross discusses the science behind making resolutions and change, and his book ‘Changeology’ which is based on 40 years of scientific research.   IN THIS EPISODE: [04:00] The book Changeology [06:00] The five steps in making change [08:00] The right thing at the right time [11:00] How to maintain change [15:00] Population-based interventions [18:00] Getting back on the horse KEY TAKEAWAYS: It takes 90 days to implement real change The book Changeology will help you not only with addictions but a variety of areas including relationship issues and organizational change. If you slip up, get back on the horse. BIO: An internationally recognized authority on behavior change and psychotherapy, Dr. John C. Norcross is Distinguished Professor & Chair of Psychology at the University of Scranton, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at SUNY Upstate Medical University, and a board-certified clinical psychologist. Author of more than 400 scholarly publications, Dr. Norcross has co-written or edited 25 books, most of them in multiple editions. These include the 5-volume APA Handbook of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy Relationships that Work, and Systems of Psychotherapy: A Transtheoretical Analysis, now in its 9th edition. He also published the acclaimed self-help books, Changeology and Changing for Good (with Prochaska & DiClemente). Dr. Norcross has been elected president of the American Psychological Association (APA) Society of Clinical Psychology, the APA Division of Psychotherapy, and the Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration. He has served on the Board of Directors of the National Register of Health Service Psychologists as well as on APA’s governing Council of Representatives. Dr. Norcross edited the Journal of Clinical Psychology: In Session for a decade and has been on the editorial boards of a dozen journals. Dr. Norcross has also served as a clinical and research consultant to a number of organizations, including the National Institutes of Health and pharmaceutical companies. A Fellow of 10 professional associations, he has been honored with APA’s Distinguished Career Contributions to Education & Training Award, the Pennsylvania Professor of the Year from the Carnegie Foundation, and election to the National Academies of Practice. His work has been featured in hundreds of media interviews, and he has appeared dozens of times on national television shows, such as the Today Show, CBS Sunday Morning, and CNN. www.changeologybook.com/ www.scranton.edu/faculty/norcross/index.shtml https://www.facebook.com/john.c.norcross

Today’s guest, Kathy Caprino, is an internationally recognized career and leadership coach, writer, speaker, and educator dedicated to the advancement of women in business. Kathy Caprino is also a corporate vice-president and a trained therapist and executive coach, who assists women in business to make a difference in the world. She has written for Forbes.com, Thrive Global, and LinkedIn and hosts the podcast Finding Brave. In today’s episode, we discuss her journey and her view on New Year's resolutions, goals, and her perspective of 2022. IN THIS EPISODE: • [03:00] Kathy Caprino’s journey to where she is today • [06:00] Women’s challenges are also relevant to men • [09:00] Being scared to death to achieve a goal • [11:00] What is underneath your goal? • [14:00] Soul commitments vs external goals • [17:00] Career assessment and survey results KEY TAKEAWAYS: • It’s better to have soul commitments rather than external resolutions. • Many women and men have a lack of power and bravery. • There are many overlaps between career struggles and relationship struggles.   LINKS MENTIONED: https://kathycaprino.com https://findingbrave.org https://mostpowerfulyou.com https://amazingcareerproject.com https://certification.amazingcareerproject.com   BIO: KATHY CAPRINO, MA, is an internationally-recognized career and leadership coach, writer, speaker and educator dedicated to the advancement of women in business. A former corporate Vice President, she is also a trained marriage and family therapist, seasoned executive coach, Senior Forbes contributor and the author of Breakdown, Breakthrough and her latest book, The Most Powerful You: 7 Bravery-Boosting Paths to Career Bliss. She is a contributor to Forbes.com, LinkedIn, Thrive Global and her own blog at kathycaprino.com/blog. With her Finding Brave podcast (ranked in the Top 100 Apple Career Podcasts), her new course The Most Powerful You, and other key resources and services, Kathy’s core mission is to support a “finding brave” global movement that inspires and empowers women to close their power gaps, create more impact and make the difference they long to in the world.

Welcome to the third series of The Behavior Change Architect Podcast, hosted by Kerry E. Evers, Ph.D. In this series, we will be focusing on something we can all relate to… food.    So much of our lives revolve around food, whether it's for celebrations, comfort, socializing, or fuel. But can the food we eat be thought of as more than just nutrition? Over the course of the three podcasts in this series, we will be focusing on food as medicine, including discussions on the experience of food and how that affects our wellbeing. Throughout the series, our guest will be Dr. Dexter. Shurney. Dr. Shurney is the president of the Blue Zones Wellbeing Institute, which is sponsoring this series. He is a frequent speaker often recognized for his thought leadership on health disparities research and innovative healthcare business models, and the immediate past president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.   Today’s episode will focus on Dr. Shurney’s journey from practicing general surgery to becoming a preventive medicine physician, and his aim to empower people to take better care of themselves. Be sure to listen to this first in the series on Food as Medicine.    IN THIS EPISODE:    [03:25] How Dr Shurney got interested in the topic of food, specifically as medicine. [08:00] What factors assist nutrients to be absorbed in the body? [08:50] What is the difference between whole foods and taking supplements for nutrition? [12:20] The foundation of good health is using food as medicine. [18:30] How to save time by buying bulk and repurposing food.    KEY TAKEAWAYS:    The food we eat has a huge effect on our health and wellbeing. Eating whole foods are a lot more beneficial than only taking vitamins. Other factors, such as who we socialize with when eating food, also make an impact on our health and wellbeing. Along with providing access to healthier foods, it is important to show people to integrate these foods into their diets.   RESOURCE LINKS   Blue Zone Wellbeing Institute   American College of Lifestyle Medicine Website   Dr. Shurney on LinkedIn    BIO:    Blue Zones Well-Being Institute President  Dexter Shurney, MD, MBA, MPH, FACLM, DipABLM Dr. Shurney leads the work of the Blue Zones Well-Being Institute as a “living lab” to create and codify best practices that can be replicated across regions to improve the health and wellness of communities. He ensures the capitalization of local opportunities and enhances the strength of the Blue Zones portfolio to serve communities of greatest need. A frequent speaker often recognized for his thought leadership on health disparities research and innovative healthcare business models, Dr. Shurney is immediate past-president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) and continues as one of its representatives to the AMA House of Delegates and Executive Board Committee. He also serves on numerous other boards, including the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO), National Association of Managed Care Physicians (NAMCP), and Population Health Alliance (PHA).

The Behavior Change Architect Podcast, hosted by Kerry E. Evers, Ph.D., discusses innovative and evidence-based behavior change strategies designed to increase wellbeing.    The third series focuses on food as medicine and is sponsored by The Blue Zones Wellbeing Institute. In the first episode of the series, we introduced our listeners to this topic with the help of our guest, Dr. Dexter Shurney.   In today’s episode, the second in the series, we are welcoming back Dr. Shurney as we delve deep into the state of the research and the topic of misinformation.  Dr. Dexter Shurney is the president of the Blue Zones Wellbeing Institute. He is a frequent speaker often recognized for his thought leadership on health disparities research and innovative healthcare business models, Dr. Shurney is immediate past president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.   Join us in this exciting episode as we discuss the current state of research on how food is medicine.     IN THIS EPISODE:    [2:25] What is the Blue Zones Institute? [05:00] One of the core elements in the Blue Zones is how we eat, especially related to increased consumption of whole foods.  [08:50] The diet that was healthy for us 50 years ago, is, for the most part, healthy for us today. [10:30] Understanding the gut microbiome. [11:45] Diet determines our gut microbiome, which assists in maintaining a healthy weight. [14:00] Description of calories in processed foods versus wholefoods.    KEY TAKEAWAYS:    Blue Zone communities consume a whole food diet and tend to be healthier and live longer. Eating whole foods has many health benefits including supporting the gut microbiome and maintaining a healthy weight. Choosing whole foods to eat can boost our immunity and assist in preventing disease.    RESOURCE LINKS   How Not To Die by Dr. Mike Greger   How Not to Die Cookbook by Dr. Mike Greger and Gene Stone   The True Health Initiative Dr David Katz   American College of Lifestyle Medicine Website   Blue Zone Wellbeing Institute   Dr. Shurney on LinkedIn   BIO:     Blue Zones Well-Being Institute President  Dexter Shurney, MD, MBA, MPH, FACLM, DipABLM Dr. Shurney leads the work of the Blue Zones Well-Being Institute as a “living lab” to create and codify best practices that can be replicated across regions to improve the health and wellness of communities. He ensures the capitalization of local opportunities and enhances the strength of the Blue Zones portfolio to serve communities of greatest need. A frequent speaker often recognized for his thought leadership on health disparities research and innovative healthcare business models, Dr. Shurney is immediate past-president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) and continues as one of its representatives to the AMA House of Delegates and Executive Board Committee. He also serves on numerous other boards, including the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO), National Association of Managed Care Physicians (NAMCP), and Population Health Alliance (PHA).

Welcome to the third episode in the Food as Medicine series of the Behavior Change Architect Podcast. In today’s episode, we are welcoming back Dr. Shurney to discuss how this all impacts our clients, our populations, and ourselves. What can we do to turn our knowledge of food as medicine into better health and wellbeing?    We welcome back Dr. Dexter Shurney, the president of the Blue Zones Wellbeing Institute, our sponsor for this series. As a thought leader in this field, he brings us practical resources for how food as medicine can be incorporated into our programs and our lives.    IN THIS EPISODE:    [02:00] Understanding the challenges and barriers with addressing food choices. [04:00] Convenience of fast food and expenses when choosing the food we eat. [09:00] Hibiscus tea as an alternative to water, to assist in lowering hypertension. [13:00] Ensuring to eat a wide variety of whole foods to receive as many nutrients as possible. [16:00] Food as medicine doesn’t mean giving up your favorite foods.    KEY TAKEAWAYS:    Food as medicine means eating wholefoods, but also adding natural foods to your current favorite foods or changing the meal to a healthier version. The next decade of research in this area will be focused on the gut microbiome. Food as medicine is not only taking vitamins as a substitute but including a wide variety of wholefoods into your diet.    RESOURCE LINKS   Blue Zone Wellbeing Institute   NutritionFacts.Org   How Not To Die by Dr. Mike Greger   How Not to Die Cookbook by Dr. Mike Greger and Gene Stone   The True Health Initiative Dr David Katz   American College of Lifestyle Medicine Website   Dr. Shurney on LinkedIn   BIO:  Blue Zones Well-Being Institute President  Dexter Shurney, MD, MBA, MPH, FACLM, DipABLM Dr. Shurney leads the work of the Blue Zones Well-Being Institute as a “living lab” to create and codify best practices that can be replicated across regions to improve the health and wellness of communities. He ensures the capitalization of local opportunities and enhances the strength of the Blue Zones portfolio to serve communities of greatest need. A frequent speaker often recognized for his thought leadership on health disparities research and innovative healthcare business models, Dr. Shurney is immediate past-president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) and continues as one of its representatives to the AMA House of Delegates and Executive Board Committee. He also serves on numerous other boards, including the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO), National Association of Managed Care Physicians (NAMCP), and Population Health Alliance (PHA).