Episode 85: A New Narrative for Health, From Hollywood to Healthcare
“I help people take data and turn it into compelling storytelling,” explains Ari Mostov, a healthcare narrative strategist at WellPlay, a business consulting firm where she utilizes the power of storytelling to help healthcare consumers become more empowered and proactive agents of their own healing journeys. Storytelling is in our human DNA, Ari explains, and most of us aren’t fluent in the hard data involved in diagnosing and treating disease. By packaging data in relatable, allegorical form that clients can understand, healthcare professionals can increase the likelihood that patients will take the necessary steps to improve and maintain their health, while saving the professional a great deal of frustration.
With a background as a Hollywood producer of film, television and gaming, Ari is well familiar with Joseph Campbell’s famous literary template the hero’s journey. Ultimately, each client is the hero in their own healing journey. In the same way that movie-goers often continue to co-create the narrative of their favorite films and enter into interactive worlds once they leave the theater, Ari hopes that healthcare consumers will do the same with healthcare once they leave the clinic. A big part of this is sharing their stories across social media where they can serve as inspiration and a source of motivation for others. Entertainment has proven to impact people’s behavior: when a patient watches a medical drama for example, they are more motivated to schedule and keep screening appointments, for example.
As the daughter of a physician, Ari grew up with doctors who were well-acquainted with her unique story. Using “relentless imagination,” she is helping to reimagine the healthcare system to reaffirm patient’s agency and self-advocacy.
About Ari Mostov, Healthcare Narrative Strategist:
Ari Mostov is an award winning entertainment producer turned healthcare narrative strategist. With a commitment to scaling healing, she works with healthcare innovators to create a new narrative for health.
In This Episode We're Talking About:
- A better healthcare narrative is possible, especially when we use storytelling to turn our imaginations into reality.
- Healthcare can embrace some of Hollywood’s tools to make healthcare more engaging and empowering.
- Healthcare becomes more consumer orientated, we have an opportunity to transform patients into fans of health.
Quotes:
- “Storytelling allows us to make meaning but it also allows us to create action, create mobilization, allow us to get from point A to point B, as long as we know what we want and where we’re going.” (7:01 | Ari)
- “It’s sort of like putting me in front of my car’s mechanic and him telling me all about the gears and the rotors and the whatevers. I wouldn’t know what he’s talking about, but he’s having a blast with all the data. But when you tell me, Hey, your car is about to die on the highway, if you were to take it out, again, because your tires are flat, that makes sense. That’s a story, and our patients deserve that as well.”(11:39 | Dr. Lara)
- “I do think there is a way to increase our own ability to self advocate and empower ourselves and really redesign the healthcare system in a way that reaffirms agency, reaffirms that at the end of the day, the person doing the healing is the patient, it’s not the doctor, it’s not the nurse, it’s not the pharmacist. I have this belief that all healing is really self healing.” (15:16 | Ari)
- “I really love how Hollywood has nailed down this fan model. Why can’t we apply that to health care? So it’s not just, ‘Oh, this is a healthcare experience that I enjoyed. It’s actually, ‘This is a healthcare experience that I want to be a part of, I want to help co create, I want to continue.’” (20:28 | Ari)
- “There have been several instances where TV or films have had an educational component, but they’re also really shifting the attitude, which I think, is even more important. You can go from, ‘Oh, yes, I’m aware that this is an issue, I’m aware that diabetes is a problem,’ or ‘I’m aware that maternal health is something I should be concerned about,’ to actually changing your attitude, and then even taking action. That’s where the real power is.” (22:29 | Ari)
Links for this Episode:
Connect with Ari Mostov:
Website: https://www.wellplay.world/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ari-mostov/
Connect with Dr. Lara Salyer:
Website: https://drlarasalyer.com
The Catalyst Way: https://drlarasalyer.com/catalyst
Instagram: @drlarasalyer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drlarasalyer
Linked-In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlarasalyer/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DrLaraSalyer
TikTok: @Creativity.Doctor
Thank You For Listening!
If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review! Your positive review helps other physicians find this podcast and increase the visibility.
About The Catalyst Host, Dr. Lara Salyer:
I worked as a family physician for 15 years until burnout changed the trajectory of my career. I realized I wanted to start a holistic functional medicine practice in my rural hometown and made it happen. In addition to practicing functional medicine, I now mentor practitioners who are looking to change their paths in healthcare by using what I refer to as the “Catalyst Roadmap”. I share each step of this framework with listeners so that they may apply it to their careers, relationships, personal goals, and projects.
Episode Search
Mark your calendars! The Catalyst launches episodes weekly. You can expect to find a new, insightful conversation with a catalyst every Friday!