Heart disease and diabetes are chronic illnesses that require long-term changes in habit and lifestyle. Of course, making those changes is a lot easier said than done. That’s where Kerri Ubaldi, Health Coach and Founder of UB Healthy can help.
Kerri has worked in several different nursing capacities over the past 30 years, ranging from intensive care unit, OR, ER, Risk Management and various managerial positions. For the past eight years, Kerri has been developing and managing ambulatory surgery centers. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from SUNY Plattsburgh, an MBA from Fairfield University and a certification in Healthcare Risk Management.
Highlights include:
4:18 – KU: “You’ll go to your doctor and he’ll say, ‘Okay, I’ve done this blood work and it appears that you’re diabetic.’ At that moment, the patient just turns off. They don’t hear the rest of the things that the doctor says. They know that they have to stay away from sugar and maybe manage their diet a little, but they don’t know how to go about doing that. It’s very overwhelming.”
6:30 – KU: “Health coaching is a special role because it’s not just that the doctors don’t have time; they have no training in it. They have no understanding on how to help you change a habit. They just know how to diagnose and treat the condition.”
13:50 – KU: “One of the things that’s important is to be somebody who is a cheerleader.”
16:45 – KU: “Listening is probably one of the most important parts of all of this.”
17:26 – KU: “(Health coaches) help and provide you support. Yes, you fell off the wagon and ate those four doughnuts, but that’s okay. It’s in the past. Let’s move forward and find out, really, why did you eat those four doughnuts? What was going on with yourself at the time? Did it make you feel better? I’m thinking it probably didn’t, but for awhile it might have.”
19:00 – KU: “(Bad health habits) are really the best option you had to deal with the situation at the time. We just have to work on a better option for how to deal with it the next time.”
21:10 – KU: “As a health coach, I could get you into that bikini, but you’re not going to be any happier once you’re in that bikini unless we really figure out what’s (bothering you) underneath.”
Leading with Health is hosted by Jennifer Michelle. Jennifer has a Master’s in Public Health and Epidemiology and is a certified EMT. As President of Michelle Marketing Strategies, Jennifer specializes in healthcare marketing. She is on a mission to help women find their voice so they can create a stronger, more responsive healthcare system.