Savor That Cup of Joe – Tips for Healthy Brands and Healthy Living

Regular readers know I’m doing 50 healthy things this year in honor of my 50^th birthday. Here’s number 32 – Enjoy your coffee.

Sometimes coffee gets a bad rap in health circles. I’ve actually never paid attention to the naysayers. In fact, I remember giving a persuasive speech in a college class about the benefits of coffee. So, let’s just say I’ve been a proponent for a long time. It seems many experts agree.

Coffee contains healthy antioxidants, and current research suggests several other benefits as well. Drinking coffee in moderation may strengthen memory, reduce depression, rev up metabolism and increase energy. It’s also credited with potentially reducing the risk for several diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, gout, prostate cancer and some types of breast cancer.

I can’t imagine starting my day without coffee. I especially like to try new coffee shops when I travel.

Yesterday, I came across a place called Green Beans in the Pittsburgh Airport.   I struck up a conversation with the manager who told me the chain got its start on military bases. Their mission was to offer some comforts from home to men and women deployed overseas and in areas of conflict. Their on-base cafes offer premium coffee beverages, baked goods and a place to relax.

According to the manager, Green Beans is now expanding its footprint with locations in 6 airports and its first street-side store in Omaha.

I am officially a fan. First, the coffee was excellent. My Americano was the perfect blend of strong and smooth. But what really got my attention was a corporate social responsibility initiative called Cup-of-Joe.

For two dollars, one can buy a cup of coffee for a service member on the Green Beans Coffee website. The coffee is served at the cafes on various bases. You can also write a message that will be delivered to a service person via email. Often, the service members respond, and apparently, several pen pal relationships have been forged.

The website also offers an option to donate to Snowball Express, a charity for the children of our fallen military heroes.

My colleagues at Kuhn & Wittenborn and I are always on the lookout for brands that make life better. I’d say Green Beans fits the bill, and it was especially appropriate I learned about their efforts on Veterans Day. What are your favorite brand programs that are making life better?

 

Beating Brownbag Boredom – Tips for Healthy Brands and Healthy Living

Regular readers know I’m doing 50 healthy things this year in honor of my 50^th birthday. Here’s number 29 – bring your lunch to work.

I’ve long appreciated the health and affordability virtues of bringing lunch from home. I have a lot of lunch meetings outside of the office, but I’ve made a renewed effort this year to pack a lunch whenever possible.

Unfortunately, I’ve found myself falling into a bit of a rut. My friend, Brian Martorana, says I can make anything into a salad. I think he’s right; I eat a salad of some type almost every day. Fortunately, I genuinely enjoy salads.

However, I was pretty excited when we recently had the chance to partner with our friends at GEHA to spice things up a bit. GEHA is the second-largest national health plan and the second-largest national dental plan serving federal employees, federal retirees, and their families. Just like the rest of us, federal employees are looking for better lunch ideas.

Health and wellness are important brand tenants for GEHA, as it provides resources for a variety of health challenges. So, it stands to reason that GEHA has a great answer to the question, “What’s for lunch?”

Kuhn & Wittenborn partnered with The Culinary Center of Kansas City on GEHA’s behalf to highlight five healthy and tasty recipes:

• Asian Chicken Sandwich with Sriracha Mayo
• Quinoa with Arugula
• Roasted Barley Salad
• Tuscan Bean Soup
• Whole Grain Pasta Salad

The delicious Roasted Barley Salad

Click here to see the videos we produced and view the recipes. Bon appetit! And please share some of your favorite lunch ideas.

Surprise! – Tips for Healthy Brands and Healthy Living

Regular readers know that I am doing 50 healthy things this year in honor of my 50^th birthday. Here’s number 23 – embrace the unexpected.

So, the big milestone actually arrived. I’d been looking toward my 50^th birthday with a mix of trepidation and enthusiasm since New Year’s. I publicly declared that I would do 50 healthy things this year, and I’m about halfway there.

The good news is that I survived the big day, and all is well. However, I learned a great lesson in the days leading up to it. Those of you who know me well understand that I am extremely inquisitive (okay more like downright nosy.) I like to blame it on my background as a journalist, but truth be told, I think it’s just ingrained in my personality. I’m also very scheduled (controlling?) in most aspects of my life. As such, I am very hard person to surprise. And frankly, spontaneity makes me a little anxious.

However, I had a feeling that my husband and kids would try to pull something over on me to celebrate my big birthday. Therefore, I’ve been on high alert for several weeks. My husband has been snatching up his phone to make sure I don’t read his texts and unexplainably hanging up on phone calls when I walk into the room.

We were scheduled to go out for drinks and dinner with another couple on the Friday night before the big day. Frankly, I was suspicious that these plans were a decoy. But then, my husband really threw a wrench into my suspicions by telling me to pack an overnight bag and be ready to leave by 9 a.m. on Saturday morning.

I was lamenting about my confusion to my mother, and she replied, “Just go with the flow on this. It will be good for you to not be in charge for once.” At first, I was a little miffed by her comment, but deep down, I knew she was right.

Granted, I juggle a very busy schedule between professional and personal responsibilities, so I need to be organized. But on the other hand, maybe being a little less structured could be good.

So what happened? Well, we did go to drinks with our friends as planned. However, when it was time to move to our table for dinner, things shifted. My husband, Randy, guided me into a different room where my extended family and very closest lifetime friends were waiting. Surprise! It was an amazing celebration that both touched and humbled me. It was better than anything I could have imagined — and believe me, I had imagined many possibilities.

My key takeaway is that sometimes outcomes can be even better than expected if one just lets go a little and lets things unfold vs. trying to plan every move. I think it’s good advice for both healthy brands and healthy living.

It’s been a fun journey, and I look forward to more healthy activities between now and December 31.

Play a Team Sport – Tips for Healthy Brands and Healthy Living

Regular readers know that I am doing 50 healthy things this year in honor of my 50^th birthday. Here’s number 21 – play a team sport.

As mentioned in previous posts, I recently returned from a two-week road trip. This post is the sixth and final in a series about lessons learned from the road.

The final destination and main event on our road trip was a weeklong baseball tournament – the Perfect Game 17 and Under World Wood Bat Association (WWBA) Championship. Perfect Game is one of the largest scouting organizations in amateur baseball and the host of events throughout the country. This particular tournament was huge, with about 300 teams competing.

The KCBarnstormers. All photos by Christi Patterson.

My son, Griffin, and his teammates will be seniors in high school this fall. They all love baseball, and they all hope to play in college. This summer has been filled with a number of showcase tournaments that were well attended by college coaches looking for talent. The WWBA Championship was a great opportunity for the boys to strut their stuff. They played their hearts out – going 5-2 against some of the stiffest competition in the U.S. All of their parents and coaches were extremely proud of their efforts.

Even more than the wins, though, I am proud of the young men they are becoming and the life lessons they are learning. Baseball is the ultimate metaphor for life. As the lyrics to an old Dire Straits song say, “some days you’re the bat; some days you’re the ball.”

Griffin’s coach, Karl Carswell, founder of the KCBarnstomers organization often tells the players that the “game will never love you back.”

However, he encourages them to give it their all anyway. In his words, Karl and his team have “formed a baseball environment where players, parents, and coaches have found common ground. We are all interested in the development and training of our players and coaches individually and collectively. When done properly, teams are built around players and coaches who push each other to be better everyday.”

This philosophy certainly benefits a baseball team, but I think it benefits brand teams as well. The best brands are built in an environment that stresses both individual and group achievement as well as continuous improvement. They’re also built by encouraging respectful debate on the way to finding common ground.

Karl also stresses the concept of being “a finisher” – the player who runs hard down the baseline every time, the player who makes the opposing pitcher uncomfortable by taking a good swing at every hittable pitch, the player who slides hard into every base every time, and the player who backs up the same base with maximum intensity every time for just one opportunity to make a great play.

“No one knew they were making a great play before it was made and when you decide not to try, you are deciding not to make a great play,” Karl says.

Indeed. Are you the person on your team who is performing like a finisher? Or are you the person who is stuck in your comfort zone, afraid to try a new idea because someone on your management team might think it’s too risky?

Like baseball players, many of the most successful brands didn’t know they were “making the great play” before it happened. They were just working with intensity at every viable opportunity.

It’s harder than ever for brands to stand out from their competition. But it’s certainly achievable if, as Karl says, you “flipping play your heart out, and separate yourself from the guys who won’t understand.
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Finding Calm Amidst the Chaos – Tips for Healthy Brands and Healthy Living

Regular readers know that I am doing 50 healthy things this year in honor of my 50^th birthday. Here’s number 20 – finding calm amidst the chaos.

As mentioned in previous posts, I recently returned from a two-week road trip. This post is the fifth in a series about lessons learned from the road.

The final stop on our journey was Atlanta for a weeklong baseball tournament with my son, Griffin’s team. (More on that later in an upcoming post.) But suffice it to say that playing 7 games in 6 days against the toughest 17U teams in the country was somewhat of a grind. Most of our energy was spent making sure the boys were fed, hydrated, rested, motivated and punctual.

However, in the midst of all the activity, my husband, Randy, and I managed to find a great getaway one afternoon. Prior to this trip, we had never spent time in Atlanta outside of the airport. Its lush and hilly terrain was a pleasant surprise. We were even more surprised to learn that the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area runs right through one of the city’s northern suburbs.

It was a beautiful oasis offering hiking, fishing and rafting. I had kind of a surreal feeling because I felt as though I was hiking in one of the many remote National Parks we have visited. Yet, a quick turn onto a busy road when we were finished was a stark reminder that we were actually right in the heart of a bustling city.

This impromptu break ended up being a highlight of our trip. It was a great reminder to stop and smell the proverbial roses even during intensely busy times. Just a quick couple of hours was enough to rejuvenate us for more baseball.

What do you do to reenergize yourself or your brand team during especially hectic times?

Expanding Your Fitness Horizons – Tips for Healthy Brands and Healthy Living

Regular readers know that I am doing 50 healthy things this year in honor of my 50^th birthday. Here’s number 19 – Expand your fitness horizons.

As mentioned in previous posts, I recently returned from a two-week road trip. This post is the fourth in a series about lessons learned from the road.

One of my biggest concerns about being on the road for so long was that I would get out of my normal exercise routine. I did get out of my “normal” routine, but that turned out to be a good thing. While visiting our daughter in Greensboro, AL, I was searching for a gym. As it happened, I needed to look no further than the local city park.

Thanks to Rural Studio, an off-campus, design-build program of Auburn University, I was able to work out in the beauty of nature on equipment more typically found inside a gym. The Lions Park project offered an excellent mix of cardio, strength and flexibility training.

Rural Studio gives architecture students a hands-on educational experience while assisting an underserved population in west Alabama’s Black Belt region. The Rural Studio philosophy suggests that everyone, rich or poor, deserves the benefit of good design. To fulfill this mission, the Studio focuses on community-oriented projects. It also focuses on “what should be built, rather than what can be built.”

This project certainly provided me with a fun workout. However, the whole time, my mind was actually preoccupied with thoughts about how our clients and all brands can learn valuable lessons from Rural Studio. First, it took a tried and true product, gym equipment, and put it into a whole new distribution channel, broadening access and expanding the target audience. Second, it took a relevant audience need and built what the market truly needed, not just what the company wanted to build. I wish I could take my clients here for a strategic planning session. This project is one of the best examples of “out of the box” thinking I have ever seen.

 

Eat More Pie – Tips for Healthy Brands and Healthy Living

Regular readers know that I am doing 50 healthy things this year in honor of my 50^th birthday. Here’s number 18 – Eat more pie.

As mentioned in previous posts, I recently returned from a two-week road trip. This post is the third in a series about lessons learned from the road.

With all of my recent rants about healthy eating, one might find it curious that I am recommending eating more pie as a health tip. I might be skeptical myself if I hadn’t experienced a magical place in Greensboro, AL, called the Pie Lab.

Welcome to Pie Lab.

Pie Lab is much more than a typical restaurant. It’s a shop meant to build community. It’s founded on the idea that simple things, like delicious pie and good conversation, can bring people together and spread joy. Pie + Conversation = Ideas. Ideas + Design = Positive Change.

Pie Lab’s home, the small town of Greensboro in Hale County, AL, is a special community. A group of committed citizens, including Hale County native Chef Seaborn Whatley and his wife, Chef Kelley Whatley, owners of Pie Lab, are working tirelessly as catalysts for community development. Greensboro is also home to HERO, a group that runs several businesses focused on job training, affordable housing and economic development in a quest to end poverty in the Alabama Black Belt.

Chefs Kelley and Seaborn Whatley, owners of the Pie Lab.

Our daughter, Lyndall, works at HERO Bike in Greensboro. A stop to visit her was one of the highlights of our road trip. Kelley and Seaborn have essentially adopted Lyndall as a part of their family – which includes five adorable children and a menagerie of pets. I think Lyndall eats the majority of her meals courtesy of the Pie Lab duo. Their home has also become her go-to spot for laundry and just hanging out. Randy and I are so appreciative of the love and kindness they have shown our girl, as she is so far away from home.

In addition to pie, Pie Lab serves breakfast and lunch Tuesday – Sunday. Each day, it has a hot lunch entrée. We were fortunate to experience incredible homemade meatloaf and Cajun tetrazzini. It also features an array of homemade soups, salads and sandwiches. In addition, Pie Lab caters special events and hosts a monthly dinner with a different international theme each time. Check out Pie Lab on Facebook if you want to drool over the daily specials.

Chef Kelley hard at work.

Pie Lab’s food rivals that of any fine dining restaurant in the world. But its mission of building community through conversation puts it far ahead of any restaurant I’ve experienced. And in terms of health, that philosophy trumps any amount of sugar and calories in my book. Global brands would be well advised to study the Pie Lab model. Its brand essence is as well defined as any I’ve seen. Pie Lab also has an exciting new line extension opening soon – the Pie Lab Creamery, which will feature Chef Kelley’s homemade ice cream. I may have to make a special trip back for that.

Coconut Cream

 

Getting Back to Your roots – Tips for Healthy Brands and Healthy Living.

Regular readers know that I am doing 50 healthy things this year in anticipation of my 50^th birthday. Here’s number 17- getting back to your roots.

As mentioned in my last post, I recently returned from a two-week road trip. This post is the second in a series about lessons learned from the road.

The first stop on our journey was Oklahoma City for my cousin Troy’s wedding to his beautiful bride, Brianna. I have been very fortunate to have close relationships with my cousins throughout my life. I always joke that Troy was my birthday present the year I turned six. I wanted him to be born on my birthday so badly, but alas, he was a few days late. At any rate, Troy and his brother, Aaron, have always been like little brothers to me.

My cousin Aaron’s son, Dax, my cousin Aaron, my brother-in-law, Steve; my cousin Troy, my son Griffin, my husband Randy

Griffin, me and Randy

Troy’s mother, my Aunt Kathy, is my father’s only sister. She and I have always been close, and now that my dad is deceased, she is my strongest connection to the history of that side of my family. We always have a lot of fun when we get together, and this event was no exception. We laughed and reminisced about so many shared experiences over the years. It struck me that there is nothing like spending time with extended family to really make you appreciate your heritage.

My Uncle Don and Aunt Kathy

Sharing stories and memories highlighted the core values of our family over the years – hard work mixed with a lot of fun and the importance of community, faith and fellowship. After the evening was over, I reflected on the many ways this group has contributed to the person I am today. Holiday traditions and summer memories forged together at my grandparents’ house are among my favorite life experiences. In addition to Troy and Aaron, I am fortunate to have two more cousins, David and Shawn, with whom I have similar relationships.

This group has known me my whole life, and they love me anyway. They have encouraged me in pursuing my goals and indulged my crazy ways. Spending time with them always helps me to pause in the midst of my over-scheduled life to remember the things that are most important.

Troy and Brianna cutting cake

The happy couple, Brianna and Troy

Just as getting back to basics is a rejuvenating life strategy, I think it’s also a smart brand strategy. As people and marketers, we are constantly being pushed to change and adapt to new technology and new ways of thinking. On one hand, that progress is invigorating. However, the challenge is not to adapt so much that we lose the core strengths of our brands or ourselves. Strong people and strong brands will weather the storm over time by staying true to their roots.

Life on the Open Road – Tips for Healthy Brands and Healthy Living

Regular readers know that I am doing 50 healthy things in anticipation of my upcoming 50^th birthday.  Here’s number 16: road trip.

I just returned from a two-week road trip.  My family and I are affectionately calling it our “Summer Southern Odyssey.”  Our travels took us from Kansas City to Oklahoma to Atlanta and several points in between.  Activities included a family wedding, visiting more family and a weeklong high school showcase baseball tournament.  I managed to get in a fair amount of work too – thanks to the joys (?) of technology.

I have only been out of the office for a full two weeks once before in the past 25 years.  Needless to say, preparing to leave was slightly intimidating.  I have the utmost confidence in our team at Kuhn & Wittenborn, so I knew they would proceed without missing a beat. Maybe I was even a little worried they wouldn’t miss me at all.  More than anything, though, I wanted to find the right balance of staying in the loop and staying out of the way.

Email certainly kept me in the loop.  I also participated in several phone meetings – including a client conference call while simultaneously watching a baseball game. My multi-tasking skills were put to the ultimate challenge when the coach put my son in as the closing pitcher at the top of the seventh inning.  We won the game, so all was well.

I learned a lot of great lessons during this trip that apply to both healthy living and healthy brands.  My key takeaway is that we can all benefit from a change in scenery.  New locations yield new perspectives and new ways to solve problems.

Please stay tuned for a series of posts that will outline more specifics.

Supercharging with Powerhouse Greens – Tips for Healthy Brands and Healthy Living

Regular readers know I’m doing 50 healthy things in anticipation of my 50^th birthday.  Here’s number 14: “powerhouse” greens.

We’ve already established the importance of eating at least seven fruits and veggies each day in a previous post.  But let’s dig a little deeper.  Not all produce is created equal.

According to a study published in a Centers for Disease Control and Protection journal, some fruits and veggies are  are powerhouse foods because they are “most strongly associated with reduced chronic disease risk.”

Here are the top five, based on the authors’ “nutrient density scale:

1. Watercress
2. Chinese Cabbage
3. Chard
4. Beet Greens
5. Spinach

Fortunately, I actually like all five of these greens, and I eat them on a regular basis.  But I know that for some people, including a few of my family and friends, eating greens is a real challenge.

Here’s a quick and easy recipe that will fool you into eating greens without even noticing:

Green Choco Shake

4 T unsweetened cacao (or cocoa) powder

1 banana (frozen if possible)

2 T natural almond butter or peanut butter

2 cups chopped greens of your choice (I think any of the five powerhouse greens would work with the possible exception of Chinese cabbage.  I’d suggest starting with spinach or beet greens.)

2 t local honey or pure maple syrup

6-8 ice cubes

2 cups unsweetened almond milk

I promise you this treat tastes more like a dessert than a vegetable.  In addition to the greens’ nutritional punch, the cacao adds powerful antioxidants.  The shake is also loaded with protein and many other nutrients.

I love this unconventional strategy for packing powerhouse greens into your diet.  Using new or unusual combinations of various elements can be great strategies for healthy brands too. I welcome your ideas.