This article is part of a series about MOBE Guides and the work they do.
Name: Starr
Before MOBE: Starr worked as a registered nurse in inpatient and outpatient behavioral health before earning a graduate degree and obtaining national board certification in health and wellness coaching.
Years at MOBE: 6
After several years as a hospital behavioral health nurse, I wanted to invest the rest of my career working with people before they ended up in the hospital. At MOBE, I help my participants find the tools they need to feel competent in their ability to manage their own health. Although it’s bittersweet, the most rewarding part of my job is when a participant I’ve worked with for months says, “You know what? I'm in a good place right now. I have all the tools I need to be able to continue on my own.”
Change starts with getting to know each other.
Every participant has a story. We honor the unique experiences and challenges that brought them to us. As a Guide, I get the privilege of accompanying each person through the next chapter of the story—their unique MOBE journey to increased well-being.
I help participants create a vision of what they would like their health and well-being to look like. Then, we work together to set small activity goals to move in the direction of their wellness vision. Some participants come to me with clear areas they want to focus on. They want to lose 20 pounds, get down on the floor with their grandchildren, or get better sleep so they have more energy during the day.
We help people learn to believe they can improve their health and well-being.
Some participants aren't sure what they can do to improve their health and well-being. So, we explore that on the first call. I encourage them to think about what they would change if they could. In some cases, when they still can’t believe there’s a way forward, I have to say, “As your Guide, I’m going to hold on to this hope for you right now. We’re just going to work on this and trust the process.”
We talk about barriers they perceive and how we might be able to overcome them. Next, we set a real attainable goal—something very specific and small. Then, on the next call, we talk about it as a small move in the right direction.
We use creativity to customize the process for each participant.
MOBE Guides tailor the experience to the participant. And sometimes that means I need to get creative. For example, one of my participants was having trouble getting motivated to achieve her daily walking goal. After talking with her for a while, I found out that she was passionate about photography. We came up with the idea that each day she would go out for a walk and take pictures. Then, she would send her favorite one to me via the MOBE Health Guide app. The focus became more about finding that daily picture, than the exercise she was getting. She achieved so many goals throughout the time we worked together and it all started with searching for a creative way to find the motivation she needed.
We celebrate the wins and build on them.
When a goal is met, we celebrate! Then we set a new goal. It’s always about building on the positive we see. Occasionally, we'll hit a barrier to a goal. Then we go back to the drawing board and think about other activities that we might experiment with. We adjust as necessary, but we always take small steps and build up positive change. Eventually, participants start making those changes themselves.
When we support participants with their health goals, it leads to increased overall satisfaction in life. It enhances their ability to show up at work and to be present and to be engaged. They’re more present with their families and friends. And best of all, they have greater confidence in managing their health and well-being.
