For years the health and fitness club industry has viewed itself as a trusted and essential community health resource. Despite this internal view from the industry, being declared a non-essential business at the beginning of COVID, and then being categorized with bars and casinos upon reopening certainly suggests there’s dissonance with how external stakeholders view our industry. Clearly medical, public health, and government officials do not hold the same view the health/fitness industry belie...
Dec 29, 2021•42 min
Many fitness and wellness professionals struggle to coach their clients on nutrition. Indeed, nutrition is a very complex area of health behavior change and requires a significant amount of time investment on the part of the practitioner. Often this is time fitness and wellness professionals don’t have. Beyond that, coaching nutritional behavior change requires an operational knowledge of not just the physiology of nutrition, but also psychology, as many clients’ relationship with food is compli...
Dec 22, 2021•51 min
Episode 31 of the Wellness Paradox Podcast brings us to a unique conversation about the importance of collaboration. Clearly the public health crisis of chronic disease that the health/fitness industry is attempting to address is bigger than what we can alone handle. Indeed, collaboration between multiple sectors will be necessary to address this ongoing public health crisis in our country. One unique and important area of collaboration exists with local parks and recreation departments, which i...
Dec 15, 2021•50 min
In episode 30 we’re discussing a very important public health topic, the role of strength training in preserving muscle mass and function as our population ages. Given the fact we’re living longer, due to modern medicine, we need to ensure our population lives as functionally as they can during this longer life. This is where strength training becomes a critical component of a plan for vitality and longevity. For this conversation we’ve connected with an expert in the field to discuss this topic...
Dec 08, 2021•1 hr 3 min
Sales is often looked at as the dirty five letter word in the helping professions, but the reality is, failing to sell your services to consumers means you don’t have a business, and you won’t be helping anyone. The ability to sell effectively need not be viewed as using tactics or strategies to deceive or coerce your perspective client. Quite the contrary, an effective sales person (in any field, but especially the fitness and wellness industry) needs to be able to build value and meet the cons...
Dec 01, 2021•54 min
In episode 28 we’re going to tackle Instagram marketing. If you’re anything like me, you might not necessarily the biggest fan of social media, but do understand its importance. So, before you go heading for another podcast to listen to, pause for a moment to consider this episode not as a lesson in social media (although it will be a great one), but as a lesson on how to build a dedicated following and get your message out into the world more effectively. Episode 28 features Lily Allen-Duenas a...
Nov 24, 2021•55 min
In Episode 27 I'm joined by Dr. Kendrin Sonneville from the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health for a very thought-provoking discussion on something I don’t think many fitness and wellness professionals think enough about – weight stigma. If you’ve not heard of this term before, it might catch you off guard at first, but if you dive a little deeper into thinking about stigmatizing people in larger bodies it happens all the time. I, for one, as an overweight child/teen remember ...
Nov 17, 2021•51 min
In episode 26 we're joined by Amy Ritsema the Co-Owner of OnSite Wellness, a corporate wellness company based in western Michigan. Amy has a deep and extensive background in the corporate wellness space, getting involved in the late-80’s/early-90’s where the corporate wellness industry has its roots. This conversation with Amy spans a number of interesting topics related to current strategies in corporate wellness, and how contemporary wellness programs are not merely seen as a way to cut h...
Nov 10, 2021•55 min
In Episode 25 I’m joined by Dr. John Evans, a mental health professional, from BLND Health to discuss Acceptance and Commitment Training. You may remember this topic from Episode 5 with Steven Hayes, widely regarded as the “father” of ACT. In Episode 5 we talked about the ACT framework in its entirety and it’s an amazing listen (in fact it is our most downloaded episode). This episode will be from a little different perspective on ACT, as we’ll look at how fitness and wellness professionals can ...
Nov 03, 2021•53 min
In episode 24 we’re joined by Thomas Hammett, a physical therapist who has a unique perspective for the role fitness professionals not only play in the physical therapy ecosystem, but also in the overall medical continuum. Although Thomas is a traditionally trained physical therapist, the clinical model he oversees and proliferates employs the use of fitness professionals (exercise specialists as he calls it) in the intake and ongoing treatment of all patients that come into the clinic. This ver...
Oct 27, 2021•59 min
Episode 23 of the Wellness Paradox Podcast brings us a very special guest, fitness industry icon Dr. John Berardi. Dr. Berardi co-founded and subsequently sold Precision Nutrition, the world’s largest nutrition coaching, education, and software company. Many industry professionals are likely very familiar with PN and all their amazing educational content. In fact, this is how I was very first introduced to Dr. Berardi’s great insights. Now Dr. Berardi is onto the next iteration of his career, an...
Oct 20, 2021•1 hr 4 min
In episode 22 of the Wellness Paradox Podcast we’re joined by Kinesiologist Jeff Young. The best way to describe Jeff is he’s a medical fitness practitioner. That is, he works with populations who are chronically diseased to improve their fitness, vitality, functional capacity, and most importantly enhance their quality of life. Jeff has a particularly unique perspective on what it takes for fitness and wellness professionals to become part of the healthcare delivery system. In fact, this is a p...
Oct 13, 2021•56 min
In episode 21 of the Wellness Paradox Podcast we’re joined by Dr. Cate Collings, a board certified cardiologist and lifestyle medicine physician. Dr. Collings is also the president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM). As an organization the ACLM focuses on lifestyle as a true clinical intervention for the treatment of chronic disease (in place of, or in compliment to, traditional medical interventions like medication and surgery). As Dr. Collings will discuss, these pillars of h...
Oct 06, 2021•58 min
Anyone who has been in the fitness and wellness industry knows that turnover is notoriously high. Many young, enthusiastic, professionals enter the industry only to become disenfranchised quickly, and leave for other industries. How can people who start out so passionate and enthusiastic lose that fire so quickly? That’s exactly the conversation we’ll have in episode 20. For this discussion I’m joined by my good friend and business partner Devin Tarrant (who you may remember from episode 15 on p...
Sep 29, 2021•58 min
In episode 19 we’re joined by a true fitness industry icon, Sara Kooperman, the founder of SCW fitness. SCW provides education to fitness and wellness professionals as well as to Group Exercise instructors. Sara has been involved in the fitness and wellness industry for close to 40 years and has seen the evolution of the industry from its humble beginnings to its present day prominence. This conversation spends some time looking back to where we’ve been, but more importantly looks forward to whe...
Sep 22, 2021•57 min
In episode 18 we’re joined by Josh Leve of the Fitness Business Association (FBA). Clearly fitness and wellness professional have strong passion for what they do; it is less of a job or career and more of a calling. Having passion and a calling are not the only attributes required for a successful business. Practices, policies, produces, and strategies must all intersect with that passion to ensure a fitness and wellness business thrives. A discussion around the necessary business requirements a...
Sep 15, 2021•57 min
In episode 17 we’re joined by David Trosin, the Managing Director of Health Sciences Certification at NSF International. In this podcast we discuss regulation and certification of dietary supplements, which as you’ll hear is a bit of a thorny and complex area. With increasing demand for nutritional interventions to improve health and combat disease new innovations are hitting the supplement market almost daily it seems. In many cases there is very little know about the safety, efficacy, or even ...
Sep 08, 2021•50 min
In episode 16, we’re joined by Dr. Laurie Whitsel of the Physical Activity Alliance (PAA). This discussion focuses primarily around the role public policy can play in making the healthy choices easier and the unhealthy choices hard. In this case, the choice of being active. So often fitness and wellness professionals focus on their microenvironment of their fitness center, clinic, or individual clients. While is absolutely necessary, it is not sufficient if we are to make a significant change in...
Sep 01, 2021•54 min
Episode 15 brings us to an interesting and very practically relevant conversation for all fitness and wellness professionals. Whether you are an owner/operator of a fitness/wellness business, or you're a solo fitness or wellness professional, development and growth are key factors to the health of your clients and your business. In this episode we unpack professional development through the lens of personal development. In fact, as we'll discuss, these two concepts are inextricably lin...
Aug 25, 2021•57 min
In episode 14 we’re joined by Dr. Mark Stoutenberg from the American College of Sports Medicine Exercise is Medicine initiative. This conversation is at the very intersection of the Wellness Paradox as it discusses how we integrate physical activity assessment and intervention into clinical workflows for physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. In essence, it is the integration of fitness and wellness professionals into the healthcare delivery system (in other words, our holy grai...
Aug 18, 2021•47 min
Episode 13 represents an exciting inflection point for the podcast. Through the first 12 episodes, you’ve heard the wellness paradox defined as the gap between what we know as a health sciences community and what we implement in the real world to make a real difference with real people. While that certainly is a REAL paradox of wellness, after much reflection, it turns out it’s not the wellness paradox this podcast (and its host) were created to solve. Despite the great guests we’ve had and the ...
Aug 11, 2021•38 min
In episode 12 we’re joined by Dr. William Cromwell from Precision Health Reports. Dr. Cromwell is a lipidologist, spending the past three decades dedicated to the diagnosis and management of lipoprotein and metabolic disorders. As he nears the end of his career in medicine, he was interested in leaving a lasting legacy. That legacy – his company - Precision Health Reports. PHR has developed a comprehensive cardiometabolic analysis that provides personalized and individualized care (it is indeed ...
Aug 04, 2021•1 hr 1 min
In episode 11 we’re joined by family medicine physician Dr. Ebony Parker-Featherstone. In addition to her role as a practicing physician at Michigan Medicine she is also the director of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee for Family Medicine. This conservation will discuss some foundational concepts of DEI and then expand into the broader implications of DEI for clinical care and patient/client outcomes. As Dr. Parker-Featherstone points out, an acute awareness of DEI is critical...
Jul 28, 2021•48 min
In episode 10 we’re joined by Todd Burroughs, the founder of Atelier Art Studio. Before you get confused and think you’re listening to the wrong podcast, this is still the Wellness Paradox. Today we'll talk about the role art can play in improving self-confidence, self-efficacy, and improvement of overall wellbeing. Indeed, wellness is much more than just the physical elements of health and performance, it’s extension to mental and emotional dimensions are equally (if not more) important. I...
Jul 21, 2021•45 min
In episode 9 we’re joined by Pallav Sharda to discuss the role of technology in healthcare. Pallav’s diverse background in medicine and technology gives him a unique perspective on how technology can be used to make us healthier and help our healthcare system run more in a more patient-centric fashion. With technological advancement occurring at a rapid pace (particularly with regard to wearables) and new laws being introduced that allow for more flexibility with health data sharing, this is a v...
Jul 14, 2021•54 min
In episode 8 we’re joined by a true visionary and world-renowned expert in the fields of public health, lifestyle medicine, and nutrition; Dr. David Katz. It’s challenging to encapsulate the full depth and breadth of Dr. Katz’s knowledge of public health in one podcast. In this conversation we specifically discussed the pandemic of chronic disease that raged for decades before (and exacerbated) the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Katz speaks eloquently and passionately about the burden of chronic disease...
Jul 07, 2021•1 hr
In episode 7 we’re joined by Oran Hesterman, the founder and CEO of Fair Food Network, a national nonprofit headquartered in Ann Arbor, MI on a mission to grow community health and wealth through food. This includes its Double Up Food Bucks program that doubles the spending power of individuals on SNAP, or food stamps, helping them bring home more fruits and vegetables while supporting local farmers. Our conversation spans topics related to the Double Up program as well as a larger discussion on...
Jun 30, 2021•50 min
In episode 6 we’re joined by Elizabeth Hertel, the Director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). This wide ranging conversation certainly covers COVID-19, but dives even deeper to discuss what public health officials and the health sciences community can do to invest in the future health of our society. A great discussion not only for Michiganders, but for anyone interested in looking “under the hood” of a state department of health and human services. Our Guest: Eliz...
Jun 23, 2021•40 min
In episode 5 we're joined by Dr. Steven C. Hayes the founder of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a therapeutic and behavior change framework that has been researched since the early 1980's. ACT has been used to treat depression, anxiety, and other forms of psychopathology, but has also been clinically vetted to assist in weight loss, smoking cessation, sports performance, and many other domains. Dr. Hayes is one of the most highly regarded scholars in the field and provides a w...
Jun 16, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 5
In episode 4 we’re joined by Dr. Meeta Singh, the chief of sleep medicine for Henry Ford Health Systems (in Detroit, Michigan) and sleep consultant to business executives and all four major professional US sports leagues. Mounting evidence suggest that sleep is as foundational to overall health and wellbeing as exercise, nutrition, and stress management. In fact, sleep has first order connections with all of those areas. In this podcast Dr. Singh will provide a basic framework for the important ...
Jun 09, 2021•1 hr 7 min
