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We work hard, but we laugh a lot too!

On January 8th, our Clinical Team took planes, trains, and automobiles to the beautiful-mountainous Santa Cruz, California for Hinge Health’s first Coaches Retreat. Each morning started with an optional wellness activity, jiu jitsu, yoga, guided meditation

Published Date: Dec 31, 2018
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Our Hinge Health Experts

Abby Blabolil, NBC-HWC
BS Kinesiology & Health conc. Psychology. Loves group exercise classes and Old Fashioned donuts.
Abby is a Health Coach at Hinge Health. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology and Health, Public Health Education and Promotion at Miami University. She is also a Certified Corporate Wellness Specialist and a Certified Personal Trainer. When she is not at the office, she is probably at a group fitness class or playing with her pup, Tilly.

Hinge Health's Clinical Team

About a year ago today, I applied for a coaching position at Hinge Health. As I reviewed the job description, there were two bullet points that stood out:

  • Your opinion is valued from day one

  • You’ll love this role if you have a sense of humor and like to have fun. We work hard, but we laugh a lot too! :)

Both of these points stood out because it wasn’t telling me about my daily tasks, it was giving me insight on the company culture — they value their employees and they like to have fun. After a year with the company, let me be the first to tell you, Hinge Health does just that.

On January 8th, our Clinical Team took planes, trains, and automobiles to the beautiful-mountainous Santa Cruz, California for Hinge Health’s first Coaches Retreat. Each morning started with an optional wellness activity, jiu jitsu, yoga, guided meditation, or my personal favorite, sleep until breakfast. Following your chosen morning ritual we gathered together to get down to business. Sitting among the damp trees and a shy sun, 43 employees reflected, collaborated, celebrated, meditated and most importantly, bonded.

Your opinion is valued from day 1

The goal for every work-related session was to create a safe space for opinions. The team leaders opened the floor for raw and vulnerable feedback. They strategically placed poster board around the walls, provided post-it notes, held discussions, and had a feedback jar, allowing individuals to give their feedback in the way they felt most comfortable. It’s safe to say each employee’s opinion was genuinely valued.

To provide some insight on what we discussed, we reflected on 2018 and envisioned 2019. We spoke about what went well over the past 12 months and which areas we need to improve. We dove deeper on how we can grow professionally within our roles and as a company. It’s easy for a company to say, “we encourage growth”, but then what? You enter and have no guidance on where to go or who to approach. This retreat created a space for employees to take a step back from their day to day work to create a plan for their own and the company’s future.

You’ll love this role if you have a sense of humor and like to have fun

As for the fun? Oh, we had ourselves a lot of fun. It was tough to start a session because the chatter and laughter echoed down the mountain. New relationships were formed and current bonds were made stronger. We held a “show and tell” where employees could share a meaningful or silly item. On other days, we celebrated life-milestones, played games, built bonfires, and created our own hot chocolate bar- vegan friendly! The tears and smiles were contagious.

In all, Hinge Health is starting their 2019 with fresh ideas and deeper connections. The energy from this retreat is still present and the emojis being sent through Slack mean much more than they did before. I can confidently say that at Hinge Health our opinions are valued, we work hard, and we laugh a LOT too!


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