Why I Choose Health

My first week at PHM, my new boss asked me a question, one that really sums up how and why I landed at PHM.

“Why do you choose health?” she asked, five simple words. The answer is equally as simple: I’ve spent a career working in retail and consumer packaged goods devoted to getting people to buy more stuff. Health, for me, was an opportunity to apply my skills for good.

I’ve had a full and gratifying career as a journalist for consumer and B2B publications to the retail industry. For years, I covered the largest retailers and product manufacturers in the United States. Walmart, Target, Kroger, Best Buy – if it was a national chain or a global consumer brand, odds are good, I’d written a story about it.

I know a stupid amount about how and where we spend money. I’ve covered once-iconic American institutions (Sears, Kmart, RadioShack, Blockbuster) and documented their rise and fall. I tracked trends and tested new products. I’ve attended international press junkets and star-studded parties – the home entertainment industry was fun to report on. But ultimately, I wanted to do something more impactful.

“I don’t want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don’t want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed.” John Cusack as Lloyd Dobler said this in “Say Anything.” It’s an innocent and naïve statement to make about work, but let’s just say, that I no longer wanted to be immersed in a world about selling and buying.

So I joined an agency in an industry that has the power to change lives and create better health outcomes.

Now when I write thought leadership, POVs, blog posts and articles on behalf of PHM as the Director of Editorial Content and Communications, I have the ability to do some good. To reach people with critical information. It’s a chance to help people solve health challenges.

That’s why I choose health.

Connect with Laura on LinkedIn.

For the latest news and updates, follow PHM on Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

Questions? Thoughts? Ideas? Contact us.