As much as anything, this is a personal story of a very small group of people. As you know from experience, any journey can be unpredictable. Often we end up at a destination we didn’t foresee.

Let me begin with a personal example of my own. I entered the University of Virginia with a certain path in mind. I intended to be an international lawyer patterned after my uncle’s career. I majored in English and minored in French and Spanish. But I flunked out and transferred to the University of North Carolina. Although it took an extra year, I completed all pre-med requirements and was admitted to med school. I ended up a MD not a JD, not the destination for which I set out. And so it has been with J2H.

The Journey 2 Health™ (J2H) was on no one’s mind when our company began. Instead, we set out to help doctors, then hospital systems, and then employers. But we were focused on the ever-burgeoning costs of healthcare, and how to incentivize medical and corporate clients to provide better care at a lower cost. We were focused on a value proposition many talked about, but few acted upon.

Finally, we realized a blinding glimpse of the obvious: a company’s employees are its most valuable asset, and the healthcare system is ill-equipped to address the root cause of those employees' chronic illnesses. We created an educational program called the "Feel Your Best Campaign" and then offered a corporate product for employees. The Journey 2 Health was born. But only as a corporate product.

Once we had embarked on J2H, we realized that it was not just a day trip. We built the program on a solid foundation of three pillars: Eat Well, Move Well, and Live Well. Despite a robust curriculum, easy-to-use technology, and creativity, we quickly recognized that most people on the Journey 2 Health benefit from personal help and encouragement. Thus our coaching platform was the next addition to the platform.

What came next surprised us. As we traveled giving our "Skinny on Fat" educational presentation, potential clients would say, "How can I get on this program myself?" My Internist said, "I really need that program. How do I sign up?" A hospital nurse asked how she could get started. We always responded that J2H was intended as a corporate, not individual, program. Sorry.

But the individual requests kept coming. So here we are. While we know that weight loss drives many people to "quick fix" platforms, we also know that 95% of those folks will add back the weight they lost by the end of the third year following "success."

So J2H is not a crash course. Rather it is a life long educational process of how to Eat Well, Move Well, and Live Well. Yes, you will lose weight. Your blood pressure may normalize. Your days as a "pre-diabetic" may end. Your low back pain may disappear as you learn to move properly again. You may sleep better and feel more rested after you recognize your tiredness traps.

But our sincerest hope is that you will feel the best that you can while living a fulfilling life.