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.