It’s been just over a month since we rang in the New Year – and new decade! Conversations and content on resolutions and change abound in the first weeks of January. But what happens when the dust settles? For some, it’s back to business as usual. For others, a long journey begins.

We’ll share resources on the latest thinking around habit change in our monthly newsletter. Hint: big resolutions may not be the path to lasting change. Click here to get the newsletter.

Newtopia wrapped up the decade with one particularly big change: the addition of our new Chief Marketing Officer, Theresa Champagne. Theresa joins Newtopia after holding leadership positions in the health benefits space at Cleo and Livongo. In addition to her deep experience with employers, she brings a passion for individualized healthcare and leads with a values-to-action approach.

“We are beyond thrilled to have Theresa on board at Newtopia,” said Newtopia founder and CEO, Jeff Ruby. “As we work to expand our offerings in the employer space, it’s vital that we bring in leaders who have industry expertise as well as a true commitment to keeping healthy people healthy. We’ve found that in Theresa and know she will play a huge role in Newtopia’s continued growth.”

We sat down with Theresa to learn more about her thoughts on habit change in healthcare and how Newtopia makes an impact on employers and participants.

Why did you choose to join Newtopia?

I have an innate drive to bring energy and open doors for others to live their unique version of health – and it sounds corny, but this is truly what gets me out of bed in the morning. I was fortunate to learn from incredible leaders throughout my career, and I feel a sense of duty to go forward and do my best to improve the health and lives of people. I believe Newtopia is taking a different approach that honors each person’s individuality in order to elevate choices that result in better health. This is revolutionary for employers and participants.

What do you think sets Newtopia apart from traditional disease prevention programs?

Newtopia is 1:1 and is focused on keeping healthy folks healthy. Rather than pushing forward a curriculum or meeting people after they’ve been diagnosed with diabetes or high blood pressure, we want to understand people, where they are on their journey, and their risk factors today so that we can inspire them to take small steps to mitigate the risk of getting chronic disease in the first place. This approach raises interesting questions around intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, which ultimately dictates where we start on our journey to health.

Why should employers care about intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation?

The distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is about where the trigger for change is coming from. Is it internal (you decide to change) or external (someone else – like an employer rewarding or incentivizing change)? For lasting behavior change to occur, we have to understand the individual’s readiness to change — and that readiness depends on whether they are intrinsically or extrinsically motivated. In any population, there’s a mix of both. What I love about Newtopia is that we have the ability to not only meet everyone where they’re at, but also help employers better understand their population.

What change are you most excited about for Newtopia in 2020?

Continuing to grow the team and culture as we scale up.

To learn more about how Newtopia can deliver 2x ROI in one year for your at-risk employees, email mjackson@newtopia.com.