A few weeks back our CEO Jerry Ford thought we as a company should have a better way to describe the nearly 300 individuals on our team we call Marathon Nation.

The term “employee” doesn’t do much to speak to our core values, our purpose, or our mission.

With this in mind, we’re proud to announce our new nomenclature. With credit due to Jerry, we at Marathon Health are now referred to as ambassadors. It really is an ideal fit.

Almost any dictionary has two primary definitions for ambassador, with the first being some form of “an accredited diplomat sent on behalf of their country/nation as its official representative” and the second being some form of “a person who acts as a representative or promoter of a specified activity”.

As Jerry noted, isn’t that who we all should strive to be? Isn’t that who we all really are?

Our mission is to inspire people to lead healthier lives. We are their ambassadors for a healthy lifestyle. It’s an honor and privilege we carry, and we never take that for granted.

Now that we’re officially the ambassadors who make up Marathon Nation, we thought we’d share with you a story from one of our ambassadors who helped a patient reach a new health goal. We’ll be highlighting more of these in the coming weeks.

Enjoy.

“Last year, I worked with a guy who was addicted to soda. I won’t forget the pride in his voice the day he announced to
me that he hadn’t had a soda in a week. Now, a year later, he has maintained his success. What is amazing is that his accomplishment proved to be a stepping stone. Recently, he asked me to look at his lunchbox to see “what I thought” of how he was eating. He attended a “What’s in Your Lunchbox” session at work. We had never discussed his weight, though he was mildly obese, and I think it was a completely new experience for him because he’s probably used to hearing about it from his doctors. Last month, he told me he wanted to start our Ready, Set, Go! program. He has worked up to walking 5 times a week, a difficult task to fit into 10-12 hour workdays. He has now lost 20 lbs. This man’s determination and commitment motivates me as a coach–the proof in the pudding. He is succeeding at reaching his goals. He pulls from the success he had at overcoming his soda addiction to find a strategy to eat better and exercise. He now goes on hikes with his wife on weekends and enjoys social experiences he didn’t enjoy before. The biggest impact for him was finding a non-judgmental ear to listen and believe in him.”

Author

Subscribe to our newsletter and stay on the cutting edge of worksite healthcare.