166: How Adverse Childhood Experiences Impact Employee Wellness with Diana Bishop, Sr. Learning Consultant and Health and Wellness Coach for Kaiser Permanente

Redesigning Wellness Podcast

Although we aim to impact adults in the workplace, our childhood experiences teach us how to cope with life and affect our overall health and wellness. Wellness programs often offer simple health solutions or use words that may be triggering for employees with adverse childhood experiences. How can we influence employee health when we don’t have the full picture of what an employee has been through in their life?

Today’s guest, Diana Bishop, has done an extensive amount of work to understand the implications of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), how they affect adult health and wellness, and what strategies wellness professionals can use to work through ACEs rather than against them.

Diana is a Senior Learning Consultant, certified Health and Wellness Coach, and Life Care Planning instructor trainer for Kaiser Permanente, San Diego. With 20 years of experience working with ACEs, as well as personal experience understanding and working through childhood trauma, she is an industry expert on developing programs for people with high ACE scores and is dedicated to meeting employees where they’re at in their emotional journey, not just their health and wellness.

In today’s episode, Diana shares not only her professional background but also her experience growing up as a child in a volatile home. She explains the origins of the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study and breaks down its implications including a higher risk of chronic disease and premature death.

Diana encourages wellness professionals to take a look at the language surrounding health initiatives and discusses some helpful strategies to avoid isolating and disengaging employees with high ACE scores. Lastly, she explains the benefit of tapping into employer groups to boost wellness programs and how important it is for wellness professionals to explore their own ACE score.

For links mentioned in today's episode visit: http://bit.ly/Redesignpod