For Impact

Blog

Culture of Health

Personal | | Nick Fellers

To ‘Be For Impact’ is to have a very whole-person view… of impact… and of your own role (and vitality) in that impact. ‘Change the world’ is a common refrain in our sector but this begins by taking care of yourself.

Three years ago we asked ourselves, “What would it look like for our company to be completely and totally committed to health?” We launched THE SUMMER OF HEALTH. For 90 days we were ALL-IN in terms of supporting, incentivizing, and funding lifestyles of wellness, nutrition, and fitness.

That was a big success.

More than the impact it had on our team, the Summer of Health was a value (and a story) that catalyzed relationships beyond our team. I began to hear from readers that wanted to talk about HEALTH, first and foremost!

Health. Vitality. PERSONAL Impact. These are values that resonate for us and for others. So I wanted to share a quick update…

After the Summer of Health, we decided to adopt the commitment (and investment) as a permanent part of our culture and business model. We simply call it: CULTURE OF HEALTH.

Here are some selected stories from our team (as shared in our annual survey), almost three years in. The biggest words that come up again and again are PERMISSION and FAMILY.

  • “I’ve found it interesting how my efforts in the gym have spilled over into other aspects of my life. When I cook meals for us at home, I do so with my exercise and health goals in mind. These healthy meal choices affect my family as well as myself, and I think my enthusiasm for my gym routine has helped create a positive feedback loop where we work to support family members’ exercise goals.”

  • “I think one of the main things Culture of Health has given me is PERMISSION. Without having to worry about cost, I can do the kinds of self-care that I was probably hesitant to indulge in. A number of years ago I wrote down some dreams I had, and one of those included getting regular massages – not just once a year, but much more frequently – they are one of the ways I can fully relax and be taken care of. I’ve been getting massages every two months, and it’s such a great way to unplug, and basically do 90 minutes of meditation too (I struggle to do 5 minutes of meditation!). Having the same massage therapist has also meant she knows when things are out of whack with my body, and can give me a more holistic treatment.”

  • The family impact comes up again-and-again. “When I grew up we ate fast food and processed stuff. The Culture of Health has us thinking about nutrition. My kids are growing up with a completely different eating habit. That’s an impact that will last forever.”

  • “After reading It Starts with Food we [husband and I] decided to try the Whole 30. It then inspired my brother-in-law and his family. While the impact has been big on us, it’s been transformation on them. He’s down 60 pounds and going strong. I don’t think you expected to have the ripple impact through the Culture of Health but that’s what I’m seeing.”

When we first introduced the Summer of Health, we saw the loss of weight, energy spikes and the like. Then things started to normalize.

While that might seem bad, I think it’s simply normal and probably more ‘practically sustainable’. I’ve also notice the ‘normalized conversation’ changes. It moves from ‘diet and exercise’ to ‘environment, nutrition, and fitness’… and I hope we can continue to move forward toward ‘vitality’.

In my mind our overall ‘health and vitality’ went like this.

Overall, this continues to be the right move. On average it’s an incremental financial investment of 3% to 4% each year to our bottom line. The financial return is not a straightforward calculus — but it’s there. Moreover, the impact return is transformational (and generational).

We all want to impact the world. Hopefully, this post gives you a little PERMISSION to take care of yourself, first!