A strategic visionary, Joanne has over 15 years of experience as a business owner and has overseen the evolution of Sargent & Associates into a comprehensive health management company specializing in health, wellness, safety and risk management services. In 1991, Joanne pioneered the introduction of health and wellness programs in the workplace as a means of reducing behavioral and lifestyle risk factors. She is a sought after local and national speaker on Health and Wellness Issues and the host of Choose Health TV.
Prior to conceiving Sargent & Associates, Joanne worked as an Occupational Health Nurse and provided Case Management services for workers compensation and LTD/STD claims. As a Master Health Coach, she designed the wellness program that provided the foundation for Middleoak Insurance Company to win the Boston Business Journal Healthiest Employer Award for two consecutive years. Joanne has been instrumental in collaborating with with PureWellness/Cerner to maximize the effectiveness of our online health coaching tool.
She is at the center of all of our internal health and wellness program and is known for finding innovative ways to make our health fairs, lunch and learns and wellness challenges fun and engaging. As part of Sargent & Associates long-term wellness strategy, Joanne has applied considerable resources aimed at ensuring her employee’s wellness needs and goals are met. She firmly believes that healthy behavior choices can be nurtured in the workplace by enabling her employees to make better choices about their health and providing a positive environment allowing for wellness at work.
As a Master Health Coach and Registered Nurse, Melissa’s goal is to change lives and improve health – one person at a time. As the Team Leader for the Health Coaches, she coordinates program management activities, ensures clear communication channels and tracks industry best practices. She oversees a large wellness program serving 100+ members of a major health insurance provider. In addition, she inspires the entire Sargent and Associates office by leading engaging and diverse wellness challenges. As the mother of two boys she stays active in a variety of outdoor activities including running, skiing, biking, hiking and snowmobiling.
Melissa began her career as a RN in 1995 and her clinical background includes positions in home health, school nursing and ambulatory care. Throughout her career, she has championed health and wellness initiatives for her patients and co-workers. Melissa was instrumental in establishing the first Nurse Clinic at a major health facility and was selected to serve as the clinical expert when the program was expanded to provide detailed one hour consults to review lifestyle, medication and health goals. During her tenure at Sargent and Associates, Melissa has contributed to the design, implementation and evaluation of wellness programs reaching from 10-300 people. She offers a personal approach that focuses on taking time to get to know her clients and to understand their unique concerns and needs. Melissa incorporates these findings to inspire healthy lifestyle changes that convert even the most difficult challenges into success stories. Her program designs have proven to be both effective and to achieve excellent participation rates.
Melissa has achieved WELCOA Faculty Status, is a Certified Worksite Wellness Specialist (CWWS) and completed the WELCOA Eat Right For Life Certification. She studied nursing at the New Hampshire Technical Institute and is Certified in Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers through the American Heart Association
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As a Wellcoaches® Certified Health & Wellness Coach and Certified Wellness Practitioner, helping others gain the knowledge, tools and confidence to be the best they "choose" to be has always been Denise’s passion. It is the common thread throughout her professional career and she finds great purpose and gratitude in sharing her knowledge and experience to support her clients to achieve their goals.
Denise joined Sargent and Associates in 2014 and brought with her a wealth of experience working with large insurance carriers and corporate clients as a Worksite Wellness Manager, Worksite Wellness Health Coach, Wellness Consultant and Health Educator. A dynamic presenter, she has given seminars on a variety of topics including nutrition, physical activity, medical self-care, grocery shopping tips, holiday stress-less and staying well through the winter months.
Denise has a Bachelor of Science in Health, Fitness and Sports from Salem State University and has taken graduate courses in Nutrition Education at Framingham State University. She has dedicated herself to the study of fitness, health and nutrition. She holds wellness certifications from the Chapman Institute, National Wellness Institute, Coaching Certification from Wellcoaches Corporation, and Eat Right for Life Nutrition Certification through WELCOA. Denise has studied Lifestyle Medicine Nutrition Curriculum through the American College of Preventative Nutrition and completed a Nutrition and Cardiovascular Health course at the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine. Denise applies her training as an active volunteer with the Worksite Wellness Council of Massachusetts and at local wellness events in the community. When she is not working, she enjoys participating in activities with her family such as kayaking, cycling, hiking, completing local fundraising walks and doing yoga.
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In 2008, Chris became a Certified Health and Wellness Coach through Wellcoaches and a Certified Personal Trainer through the American College of Sports Medicine. This career change came about after her 2005 Multiple Sclerosis (MS) diagnosis woke her up to the importance of prioritizing her well-being. Choosing to thrive with this condition, Chris made many lifestyle changes for her self-care, ultimately leading to her desire to help as many people as possible achieve their ideal version of wellness. Believing that one solution does not fit all, she gets immense rewards from collaborating with each client to discover and tailor their approaches to achieve their desired state of wellness.
Prior to becoming a Certified Health and Wellness Coach, Chris worked for over 14 years in the high tech, government and retail sectors. On a daily basis, she applies her engineering, training and performance improvement background to the analytical, creative and communication aspects of devising effective wellness solutions for her clients. Chris develops and delivers wellness workshops for professional organizations and companies including programs eligible for Continuing Education Units for nurses and social workers.
Chris holds a Masters of Education in Instructional Design from the University of Massachusetts at Boston and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Lowell. Chris is also a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Certified Practitioner. In her free time, Chris enjoys cooking at home and frequenting new, local restaurants. She is an avid reader who enjoys day trips and weekend getaways at bed and breakfasts.
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Amy joined Sargent & Associates in 2011 as a Web Designer and Social Media Specialist. In that capacity, she oversees the design and maintenance of our website and social media pages. She applies her creativity and talent for design to produce online and print advertisements and eye-catching informational handouts for our clients.
Amy has always aspired to live an active lifestyle that includes exercise and healthy eating habits. Amy has been surrounded by health and wellness her entire life, as her mother worked in physical education and her father as a programmer in the medical industry. She has been able to bridge those two diverse worlds to forge a career in the wellness industry.
Amy has over 15 years of experience as a web designer and online marketing specialist. She has driven the success of many small businesses by designing creative, user-friendly websites, establishing an engaging social media presence and introducing innovative marketing solutions. She has contributed to business growth and expanded corporate reach through the application of targeted marketing strategies, branding campaigns, email marketing initiatives, and search engine optimization.
Her training and educational background includes a BA in Fine Art from Clark University, proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, MS Office, Filemaker Pro, CSS, and Constant Contact. Outside of work, she stays active outdoors doing physical activities such as taking her dog on long walks or running football patterns with her son. She also enjoys photography and the occasional indulgence in chocolate.
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