Thank you to everyone who joined us at the 10th Annual Edge of Amazing Health & Well-being Conference on Oct 1, 2024.
Edge of Amazing is just one of Providence Institute for a Healthier Community’s (PIHC) community initiatives. For the full report on PIHC’s 2024 Impact, click here or visit the PIHC website and scroll down to see the 2024 Impact Report.
2024 Edge of Amazing Sponsors
Please join us in thanking them for helping make this work possible!
Tonya M. Drake, PhD
Welcoming back our returning Emcee, Dr. Tonya Drake. This will be her third Edge of Amazing she will emcee and we so grateful for her return. A leader in higher learning, Dr. Drake has dedicated her career to expanding access and success to high-quality and relevant higher education. She serves as the Regional Vice President for the Northwest at Western Governors University (WGU).
2024 EOA EMCEE
2024 Presentations
Manager, Compassionate Care & Co-Chair, Oregon AAPI Caregiver Resource Group, Providence St. Joseph Health, Nahele Studio
Mindfulness practice brings presence to the moment. It enriches your experiences, reduces stress, improves well-being, deepens connections, enhances self-awareness, boosts creativity, and nurtures gratitude. When we can stay in the present moment, it nurtures a more profound connection to life and promotes personal growth and well-being.
To start the day, we will explore the question – What keeps you running in place? At some point in our lives, we all reach a tipping point when we realize we are missing opportunities to live more authentically, a life that is truly our own. We will step into a short meditation that invites us to get curious about fully living and what that might feel in the mind, the heart and body.
Practicing Mindfulness & Presence,
Laura Chun, MPM, PMP, C-MT
2024 Morning Keynote
The State of Well-being Report for Snohomish County,
Jessica Burt, MPH
2024 Morning Keynote
Senior Director, Providence Institute for a Healthier Community
Revealing the results of the 9th Annual Health & Well-being Monitor™ for Snohomish County. Organized around six dimensions of health & well-being, hear insights about what’s impacting our individual and community well-being.
Join Jessica Burt as she presents key highlights of the Institute’s 2024 Health & Well-being Monitor.
Curiosity as a Practice,
Julie Pham, PhD
2024 Morning Keynote
Founder & President, CuriosityBased
Practicing curiosity is harder than it looks. Curiosity is often described as a personality trait focused on wanting to learn new things. What if we were to liken curiosity to a practicethat starts with trying to understand ourselves first so that we can then be more open to understanding others, deepening capacity for collaboration, inclusion, and trust.
Dr. Julie Pham will share how she discovered curiosity as a practice through community organizing - working with and not against - a variety of perspectives, finding connectivity through stories that build connection, and foster collaboration. She'll guide people to practice inward and outward curiosity so that they can improve their communication and relationships with others.
Stories of the Aging Unhoused,
Michael Larson
2024 Morning Keynote
Founder & Executive Director, Humans For Housing
Older adults (55+) are the fastest growing demographic of people falling into homelessness across the country. They have names and stories. They are sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, moms and dads. If we aren’t exposed to their stories and their humanity, we fall into the dangerous habit of dehumanizing a population and seeing them only for the problems they cause.
Humans for Housing is working to bring curiosity and diverse perspectives to this issue in a way that inspires action and advocacy. Michael Larson will be sharing some of the stories of older adults either on the edge or who are currently experiencing homelessness, and why this issue holds a personal passion for him. He'll present the data about why this population is growing at a faster rate than any other demographic and some of the targeted interventions we can make to ensure we begin to reverse these trends.
Strengths in the Community,
Dennis Worsham
2024 Morning Keynote
Director, Snohomish County Health Department
Public health, like all of us, learned from our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the most important lessons were about the health and equity challenges people experience in Snohomish County. As the needs in our community deepen and resources are often unstable, how do we balance our approaches and look at assets vs. problems in our communities? How do we place real value on the importance of protective factors? We are in a unique time of regrouping and re-building, while also acknowledging how the pandemic altered the public health landscape. We work to strengthen the health of our communities and we know our communities are where most of our strengths live. To realize many of the goals of public health, we need curiosity, we need a variety of perspectives, and we need tailored approaches that build connections and foster collaboration. Public health is all of us.
In this presentation, Director Worsham will share some local areas of focus and related actions that are necessary to move public health efforts forward in Snohomish County. He will also introduce the afternoon Discussion Lightning Rounds, where participants will have the opportunity to continue the conversation across a variety of topics and sectors, discovering the strengths of our community together.
Registered Dietitian, Genomic Led Nutrition
When it comes to the role of the microbiome, it shouldn’t be a surprise that it has such wide-reaching influence on so many areas of our health. Emerging science increasingly recognizes it as a major determinant of human health and disease. The diversity of our gut bacteria and the integrity of our lining affects all aspects of our health from obesity, mood disorders, longevity and more and scientists are still discovering more everyday!
Hippocrates was right over 2,400 years ago when he said, “all disease begins in the gut.”
Nadia Mahmud will be sharing some basics about our microbiome and its impact on our health and well-being, latest research on the microbiome, and also tips for optimizing our gut health in this everchanging landscape. She’ll also demonstrate how various cultures have supported gut health through fermented foods and end with a cooking demo on how you can ferment foods at home to benefit your gut and your brain!
The Secret World of your Microbiome with Nadia Mahmud, RDN, CD, MPH
2024 Afternoon Keynote & Cooking Demo
Movement with the YMCA of Snohomish County
The YMCA returns to Edge of Amazing in 2024 with a pre-conference Chair Yoga class (taught by Andi Skorheim again!) to start your day, as well as a presentation during the general session to get everyone moving!
After Lunch, join us for
Discussion Lightning Rounds: Exploring Community Health and Well-being Efforts Across Topics & Sectors
Looking to have more focused conversation time, learning together and from each other? This is an opportunity to make new connections and explore multiple perspectives around a variety of topics.
Each lightning round is just 25 minutes and participants are welcome to move through three different topic rounds of guided conversations by local community subject matter experts. There will be opportunities to view poster-data and/or other resources.
Insights will be shared with all participants for consideration, post EOA.
Building Healthy Communities through Financial Empowerment
Health Literacy, Access to Health Information, & Trusted Resources
Meeting the Emotional and Mental Health Needs of Our Community
Opioid Crisis – Myth Versus Reality
Local Innovation & Equity in Access to Healthcare & Basic Needs
Housing - Foundational Impacts on Health & Well-being
LiveWellLocal.org Resource Share Area
Connect with programs and services that are available within your community.
There are a vast array of health and well-being resources in our community. Making connections and networking with local resources helps foster better and easier access to support our community toward improved health and wellbeing. While our venue can only hold a limited number of tables, the LiveWellLocal™ Community Resource Share will provide space for all EOA participants to connect with one another, exchange information, offer support, and strengthen networks among those passionate about health and well-being.
Mind, Body & Spirit: The Well-being Room
Hosted by the Spiritual Health Departments at Providence Swedish Everett & Nahele Studio
A self-care room will serve as a tranquil haven, designed to cater to your mind, body and spirit. The room will be designed as a quiet space, away from hectic activity of the conference. Here you’ll find a comfortable space with relaxing sound, lighting, and other natural elements. Activities will include options for meditation, art, sensory experiences, self-care resource share board, and spiritual/soul-care mapping.
With an opportunity to join a 20-minute mini-workshop, Crafting Your Life Purpose, Vision, and Mission Statement. Ready to get unstuck or step on a new path? Nahele Studio breaks it down into an engaging and insightful process. You’ll explore what holds meaning for you and create a statement that captures the essence of who you are and the life you envision.
