AGEnts of Movement

Mike Water's is a health coach and longtime fitness/worksite health promotion leader. He describes his career since the 1970s and his shift from prescribing exercise to using motivational interviewing, empathy, and listening to build trust and support intrinsic motivation.

We discuss stages of change, why fear-based health messaging fails, and how autonomy and psychological safety help people adopt activity, especially after setbacks.

Mike shares workplace examples at Hewlett-Packard in Oregon, including fly-fishing talks for night-shift employees and health fairs that drew new participants by featuring arts, crafts, and hiking/Volksmarching groups rather than traditional fitness.

We explore making gyms more welcoming by prioritizing social connection (clubs, coffee groups, book/knitting groups, life review) as a pathway to movement.

Connect with Mike:

LinkedIn

Connect with AGEnts of Movement

Free download: The Movement Leader's Language Guide

Get the guidebook: The Modern Guide to Movement Leadership for Older Adults

Bring Erin to your facility: Designing Movement Experiences for Older Adults, a four-hour staff training

Learn more at agentsofmovement.com

From the AGEnts of Movement Learning Lab: Building Belonging Through Movement with guest contributors David Leventhal, the founder of Dance for PD and Gill Erskine and Andrew Telfer, founders of WildStrong. We discuss how community is intentionally designed—not a byproduct—by shifting from a coach-led “service” to participant ownership, where people contribute, take roles, and feel their presence matters. They note social isolation’s health impact, critique fitness-only lenses and siloed funding, and highlight practical tools like questions, constraints-led games, and balancing structure with co-creation to reduce fear of “doing it wrong” and increase joy and participation.

Links:

Dance for PD

WildStrong

AGEnts of Movement

This episode is from the AGEnts of Movement Learning Lab From Exercise to Experience. The question we aim to answer is

What if the goal isn’t just to deliver a great workout, but to create an experience people want to return to?

I’m joined by wellness business consultant Jessica Maurer and functional training specialist Reuben Thickstun for a conversation about shifting from exercise delivery to experience design.

We discuss why the most memorable movement experiences are often defined by how people feel when they leave—not just by what exercises they completed. We explore the role of environment, language, music, inclusive options, and intentional connection in creating spaces where everyone feels like they belong.

The conversation also dives into common mistakes that impact participation and retention—from class descriptions that unintentionally discourage people, to modifications that can make participants feel different rather than included. Jessica and Reuben share insights on grassroots marketing, engaging families and caregivers, creating themed or charitable events, and adapting experiences for people living with cognitive changes.

Movement is not just about what we do.

It’s about how people feel, who they connect with, and what they believe is possible.

Links for Guest Contributors, Ruben Thickstun and Jessica Maurer:

Connect with Ruben:

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/functionallyevolved/

https://www.instagram.com/rubenpthickstun/

Website:

https://rubenpthickstun.com/

https://www.functionallyevolved.com/

Connect with Jessica:

Website: https://jhmfitness.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JessicaHMaurerFitness

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicahmaurer/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicahmaurer/

Ashley Hilman from Safe Communities, a 27-year-old injury-prevention coalition in Dane County, Wisconsin, about a creative, community-wide approach to reducing falls among older adults.

We explore:

• How EMS data can identify where fall-related interventions are needed most

• What happens when communities build a collaborative “backbone” around injury prevention
• How to connect people with resources after a fall, when the need is immediate
• Why the language and images we use around falls matter
• The shift from fall prevention toward fall resilience and positive aging
• How the Balance Stamp of Approval can help communities identify and promote balance-enhancing activities
• How other communities can replicate these approaches

Links:

Safe Communities Wisconsin: https://safecommunities.org/

Reframing Falls Prevention Toolkit: https://fallsfreewi.org/reframing-falls-prevention-toolkit/

Ron Blehm is a longtime physical therapist who left clinical practice to found EEI Physical Wellness Institute and focus on something he believes is often missing from healthcare: whole-person functional assessment.

Ron challenges the diagnosis-driven, reimbursement-focused model of care that can leave important pieces of the puzzle overlooked. Things like gait speed, balance, endurance, cognition, sleep, nutrition—and how all of these factors work together to influence how we move and function.

He also shares his experience working in a falls specialty clinic, and explains why he believes we shouldn’t wait until someone is falling repeatedly to start paying attention.

We talk about his 30-point FAST—Functional Assessment Screening Tool—and some of the “blind spots” it can reveal, including proprioception and rapid strength. And Ron challenges one of our most common assumptions: is age itself really the risk factor, or is it what happens to our function as we age?

Most importantly, this conversation asks us to rethink prevention.

What could we do differently if we started assessing and developing balance, mobility, strength, and movement capacity in midlife—long before a fall becomes the reason we pay attention?

Links:

EEI Physical Wellness Institute

Connect with Ron on LinkedIn

https://www.agentsofmovement.com/

I’m joined by coach and midlife transition expert, Dana Hilmer, who brings a deeply personal perspective to our conversation.

Dana has experienced her own significant health setback—one that challenged her sense of identity and changed the way she thought about her future.

We explore what it means to face a health setback and the emotional experience that comes when the person you thought you were—or the things you thought you could do—suddenly feel uncertain.

We talk about the stories we tell ourselves during times of change, how we can hold space for grief while still making room for possibility, and what it looks like to build a new sense of identity when life doesn't go according to plan.

This is a conversation about resilience, self-compassion, possibility, and learning to see yourself not only for where you are today, but for who you are becoming.

Links for Dana:

Substack: Living Never Gets Old

Website: www.wiserandfree.com

Connect with AGEnts of Movement:

https://www.agentsofmovement.com/

Dr. Amy Bantham is founder of Move to Live More, an organization dedicated to building bridges between healthcare, the fitness industry, and community organizations to help more people live healthier, more active lives. Amy is the Past President of the Physical Activity Alliance, a certified health and wellness coach, personal trainer, and group fitness instructor, and holds a Doctor of Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

We explore how the language we use shapes beliefs about aging and movement, why phrases like "exercise keeps you young" can do more harm than good, and how we can shift the conversation from fear and decline to strength, confidence, and possibility.

We also discuss what really keeps people coming back to movement programs. Spoiler alert: it's rarely the workout itself. It's the relationships, the laughter, and the sense of belonging.

From simple ways to build social connection into your classes to rethinking how we talk about falls, strength, and confidence, this conversation provides practical ideas for movement leaders and anyone passionate about creating healthier communities.

Links for Amy:

https://www.movetolivemore.com/

LinkedIn

https://www.agentsofmovement.com/

Physical therapist, educator, and author Mike Studer joins the podcast to explore the powerful connection between mindset, movement, and healthy aging. Mike shares insights from his book The Brain That Chooses Itself, challenging us to rethink how autonomy, belief, and choice shape motivation, adherence, and long-term health.

We talk about:

• Why generic advice often falls flat
• How listening can be one of the most effective interventions we have
• Why the words we choose can either reinforce limitations or open the door to possibility.

Mike also shares his own experience recovering from Bell's Palsy, offering a personal perspective on resilience and avoiding the mental traps that can slow recovery.

This conversation will change the way you think about behavior change, confidence, and what it really takes to help someone move toward a longer, healthier life.

Matt Scheib, a judo practitioner, judo school owner, and professional stuntman, explains how Ukemi (falling techniques) translate into teaching people 55+ to reduce injury, fear, and stigma around falls, which he frames as a normal part of life.

We discuss barriers created by fall-prevention-only language, the importance of changing the narrative around falling, making movement more fun and helping people gain confidence instead of avoiding risk altogether. 

Links for Matt:

The Falling Class

LinkedIn

Connect with AGEnts of Movement

www.agentsofmovement.com

Interview with fitness veteran, Mindy Mylrea to discuss creating classes that meet older adults where they are. Mindy shares her decades-long fitness career and how she’s focused on active aging through her SASS program (Seated, Assisted, Standing for Seniors), designed to let participants with very different abilities train together in one class.

We cover:

• How to structure a class
• How to use simple equipment and body positioning for multiple options; and
• How to market and cue classes to avoid intimidation and ensure success for everyone.

She identifies gaps in active aging programming, and how her and her husband built a non-profit based on Blue Zones research.

Links for Mindy:

https://themovementors.com/

Instagram

@mindymyrealfitness

Connect with AGEnts of Movement

https://www.agentsofmovement.com/

Sign up for the newsletter:

https://www.agentsofmovement.com/newsletter