The word contagious has been on everyone’s minds these past 2 years, with terms like contact tracing and transmissibility saturating the pandemic media cycle. This disruptive chapter of human history has felt overwhelming and turbulent, upending the world we all share. As we catch our breath and reflect back, we marvel at the resilience of the human spirit and all we have learned.
With large scale disruption often comes shifting perceptions of discomfort, possibility, and needed change. This can induce a wave of positive contagious energy that confronts us in the tiny places we once hid from ourselves and ripples toward the better versions we are each becoming.
At Vincere Health, we talk a lot about the Ripple Effect. This phenomenon really matters in the work we do and the products we design. In fact, we noticed that positive contagion shows up in so many places that we chose to redesign our whole brand and logo around it!
The Ripple Effect is a powerful springboard for change and growth. It is on full display at Vincere, both in the ways our mobile app and coaches inspire participants toward positive change and cross-functionally with how our internal teams ignite creativity and collaboration. Each of us plays a vital role in the rippling of energy across the pond of people we touch. I think about that each time I begin a coaching session: how can I be fully present to this person’s unfolding story? How can I be positively contagious?
There are a lot of ways to champion the ripple effect to strengthen trust and personal agency. Building relationships is key to just about any desired outcome, and we know that cultivating rapport is the gateway to helping people resolve ambivalence, soften fear, and achieve their goals. Our participants tend to be guarded about trusting the healthcare system. So relaxing any lingering doubts about what is possible for them is our #1 priority. We listen respectfully to understand.
Once a foundation of trust takes root, our next goal is to support the growth of motivation and confidence. To do this, we join up to explore a person’s values, disrupt trigger patterns, and uncover cognitive dissonance. Illuminating this gap between a person's values and actions yields a compelling tension toward positive behavior change. Without compelling tension, a person cannot grow. Shining a light on any misalignment between values and choices can be a really eye-opening, catalyzing moment.
Confidence builds from cumulative feelings of competence and success. Quitting smoking is hard, and many participants arrive at our door carrying a heavy weight of discouragement and overwhelm. Their negativity biases (internal pressure) and societal stigma (external pressure) have been conspiring against them. Our program of slow and steady habit change is a breath of fresh air for them. We encourage small, incremental, achievable goals (setting carbon monoxide (CO) targets, tracking habits, adopting new routines, and enlisting allies) that become micromovements of change.
Each time a tiny wave of success is felt, the ripple effect of confidence expands. Practicing a breathing exercise or creative hobby reprograms the stress response and offers a taste of self-efficacy. Personalized, well-timed coaching outreach reinforces this can-do confidence to sink deeper and cascade forward. We know that small steps add up to big change and that the benefits of smoke-free living lead to countless other healthy choices. Helping someone to reclaim their personal power ripples into their future.
I think I can, I believe I can, I see I am.
Three months ago, a 34 year old engineering tech named Andy came to our program, saying “I hate it, the kids hate it, it smells awful, it’s a terrible habit, I’m ready.” He kept an open mind, discovered some new feel-good activities, and learned from setbacks. His twice-daily CO breath testing became a friendly, mojo-building competition with himself.
Three weeks ago, Andy reclaimed his smoke-free life after 16 years of tobacco use. Two weeks later, his 31 year old wife Beth quit smoking too. They love the freedom, renewed energy, and extra money in their pockets. And their two daughters are excited to have parents who are spending more time with them. Andy shared, “I grew up in sports and hiking with my dad. The smoking was holding me back and I knew it. Now my energy is up, I feel mentally clearer, I’m more productive at work, and I’m looking forward to a family camping trip in July. Beth and I are thrilled that we finally quit smoking, and we couldn’t have done it without the program and people at Vincere!”
2 smoke-free parents + 2 happy kids = 1 HEALTHY FAMILY
Just think of the ripple effect there!
Each day at Vincere presents an opportunity to launch endless ripples of possibility. It’s an opening to invest in someone with tools and insights, hope and human connection. It’s a moment of inviting trust, and a chance to observe, learn, and grow as a team. We sit in awe on the frontlines of this powerful precipice of human potential.
Today is Vincere’s 3rd birthday, and we are more charged up than ever! We will continue to experiment with our recipe and test ingredients for the best blend of science, tools, and human touch. We do this because we care deeply about helping people live unbounded by barriers and in the power of the RIPPLE EFFECT to create a better world.