Health Circles
Applying wisdom to the beautiful and challenging adventure of being human, together
Community-engaged Lifestyle Medicine
We bring the pillars of lifestyle medicine to life within our community. By connecting people to nourishing food, to one another, and to supportive healthcare relationships, we build lasting partnerships with local farmers, community organizations, and health professionals who are deeply committed to our shared flourishing.
Springfield Community Gardens (SCG) has collaborated with us since the beginning, even before we were an organization, to provide our patients and community with fresh, local, nutrient-dense produce. Our Food is Medicine work is the fruition of this deeply connected partnership.
Photo: A Health Circle session with the American Indian Center of Springfield. Gathered at the picnic table at the SCG Market Garden.
What is a Health Circle?
Health Circles are clinician and community co-facilitated gatherings that create intentional space for lifestyle medicine education, community-building, and human connection. They are not a class and not a clinic visit.
In a Health Circle, the curriculum is based on the six pillars of Lifestyle Medicine — optimal nutrition, physical activity, stress management, restorative sleep, connectedness, and freedom from harmful substances. But the curriculum is always adapted to the people in the room: their questions, their goals, their challenges, their cultural practices and beliefs. Every circle is unique. Most circles include a Food is Medicine produce prescription program connecting the participants to nutrient-dense fresh food that only a local food system can offer.
A different kind of facilitation
Health Circle facilitators are trained in embodied leadership through the HEAL (Healthy Embodied Agile Leadership) pathway. This is not health education delivered from the front of a room. Facilitators practice deep listening, noticing opportunities to build and bolster motivation, and presence with difficulty and suffering. They offer guidance through their compassion along with their expertise.
Connection is the priority.
Photo: Drs Lucore and Williams participating in peer-coaching training during an in-person HEAL workshop in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Other participants not shown are Family Medicine Chief Residents from the University of Wisconsin Family Medicine Residency. These residents participate in HEAL training as part of their leadership training in family medicine.
A Sample General Lifestyle Medicine Health Circle Program
Session 1: Orientation
Session 2: Toward Health- Frameworks and practical strategies
Session 3: Nutrition- Food stories, nutrition myths, treating, preventing, reversing chronic disease, food sampling
Session 4: Nutrition- Nutrient density, fiber, budget-wise meal makeovers
Session 5: Mind- Working with the mind, understanding habits and stress
Session 6: Movement- Natural movement, nature and exercise
Session 7: Sleep- Restorative sleep and deep rest
Session 8: Closing- Potluck, review and reflections, moving forward
*Any session (2-7) can be expanded into multiple session or a full program
A Sample of Other Health Circle Program Formats
We love creating custom circles
Book Club-based: A more open and informal format with topics grounded in a book discussion. Previous books include Braiding Sweetgrass-Robin Wall-Kimmerer, Seven Circles: Indigenous Teachings for Living Well-Chelsey Luger and Thosh Collins
Mind-Body-Spirit: Focused on overall mental health and wellbeing. Sample topics: Mind, Habits & Other Adventures in Being Human, Mind and Body, How To Cook Your Life, Practical Stress Relief, How Nature Heals
Diabetes Remission: LEADR (Lifestyle Empowerment Approach for Diabetes Remission) - a 12-week ACLM-certified program designed for those with diabetes or at-risk for diabetes who are interested in preventing, treating and if possible, reversing their diabetes with lifestyle medicine approaches