Welcome to another episode of Flip Your Script, a vodcast by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, hosted by ACLM President Dr. Padmaja Patel. In each episode, we explore five key takeaways on how lifestyle medicine is helping clinicians and leaders reimagine the future of healthcare. This episode, “The Power Behind Lasting Change,” features Dr. Jessica Matthews, a nationally recognized leader in health coaching, behavior change, and whole-person health. As a tenured professor at Point Loma Nazarene University and Founding Director of Health Coaching at UC San Diego Health, Dr. Matthews has spent her career helping clinicians and patients move beyond simply knowing what to do and toward creating meaningful, sustainable lifestyle change. The conversation explores why lasting behavior change is about more than willpower, the science of intrinsic motivation, and how coaching can empower patients to take an active role in their health. Dr. Matthews shares practical insights on self-determination theory, the importance of empathy and curiosity in clinical practice, the growing impact of group medical visits, and how technology can support behavior change without losing sight of the whole person. Together, she and Dr. Patel discuss how lifestyle medicine professionals can build stronger relationships with patients, foster lasting motivation, and create healthier communities through collaborative, person-centered care. If you're interested in lifestyle medicine, health coaching, behavior change, motivational interviewing, self-determination theory, patient empowerment, whole-person health, group medical visits, physician coaching, chronic disease prevention, healthcare innovation, or sustainable healthy habits, this is an episode you won't want to miss. Subscribe to ACLM on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsjJsNjWtUf30LiofumGRfQ The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) is the medical professional society for physicians and other professionals dedicated to clinical and worksite practice of lifestyle medicine as the foundation of a transformed and sustainable healthcare system. Lifestyle medicine is a medical specialty that uses therapeutic lifestyle interventions as a primary modality to treat chronic conditions including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. Lifestyle medicine-certified clinicians are trained to apply evidence-based, whole-person, prescriptive lifestyle change to treat and, when used intensively, often reverse such conditions. Applying the six pillars of lifestyle medicine—a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connections—also provides effective prevention for these conditions. Connect with ACLM Online! Visit lifestylemedicine.org: https://lifestylemedicine.org/ Find ACLM on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lifestylemed/ Find ACLM on X: https://x.com/ACLifeMed Find ACLM on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aclifemed/?hl=en Find ACLM on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-college-of-lifestyle-medicine/
