We spend so much time breaking down silos for our clients—between teams, systems, business units. But we rarely turn that lens on ourselves.
The truth is, we’ve built silos around our own profession.
We (myself included) fall into the trap of believing our toolkit—Prosci, Kotter, Lean Change—is the definitive guide to driving change. And don’t get me wrong, I love a good framework. But if the last few years have taught me anything, it’s this.
But if you’re paying attention, the most powerful lessons about leading change aren’t coming from the usual suspects. They’re showing up in gyms, hospitals, marketing agencies. Real people. Driving real change. Without ever calling it “change management.”
Want to dive deeper into this topic? In the first episode of Season 2 of the Reroute Reflections podcast, I sat down with Becca—my wife and a registered dietitian—to unpack how we each approach change in our work. We talked about frameworks, resistance, urgency, and what happens when you stop treating your model like a rulebook. If you’ve ever wondered what dietitians, personal trainers, and change managers have in common, this conversation is for you.
For more information about the resources discussed in the podcast, click here
Dietitians: Frameworks Only Work If You Adapt Them
My wife Becca is a registered dietitian. She helps patients and athletes make some of the most difficult changes of their lives—how they eat, how they see their bodies, how they take care of themselves through illness or peak performance.
We’d sit at the kitchen table after long days and realize… we’re doing the same job.
She draws from the Health Belief Model, social determinants of health, and stages of change. I work with ADKAR, strategic change canvases, and change assessments. But when you strip away the jargon, it’s the same work: helping people move from where they are to where they need to be.
Different fields. Same goal.
But here’s the difference between Dietitians and many change professionals—they don’t treat those frameworks as fixed paths. They adapt them based on who they’re working with. They build trust. They observe what works. And when something doesn’t? They reroute.
Change Management Is Just Marketing—for Employees
I’ve said it before—change management is just marketing, but instead of trying to get customers to buy a product, we’re helping employees buy into a new way of working.
The best marketers don’t rely on logic. They tap into emotion, identity, and behavioural science. They craft compelling narratives. They remove friction. They build journeys. Sound familiar?
Marketers don’t expect a customer to change their behaviour after a single announcement. They build layered, targeted campaigns. They focus on emotion, not just information.
If we can borrow from product marketing, UX design, or even influencer strategy, we might be able to build better change experiences.
Personal Trainers: Progress Over Perfection
Want to see behaviour change in action? Spend a day with a good personal trainer.
They don’t overwhelm clients with 50-slide decks or three-phase strategies. They set clear goals. Break them into steps. Celebrate small wins. And when life gets messy? They adjust the plan. Track behaviour. Build routines. Encourage habit stacking. (If you’ve read Atomic Habits, you know exactly what I mean.)
There’s nothing “corporate” about it—but it’s incredibly effective. Because change isn’t an abstract strategy. It’s a lived, daily experience. One rep at a time.
We could use more of that mindset in our work.
Your Framework Isn’t Sacred—It’s a Starting Point
The issue isn’t using frameworks—it’s clinging to them like they’re the only thing on the menu. Too often, we act like we’re locked into the prix fixe option, when what we really need is something à la carte.
Becca doesn’t hand every client the same pre-set nutrition plan. She gets to know their needs. She reads the room. Then she builds the right plate—sometimes mixing frameworks, sometimes skipping the entrée entirely.
Change management should work the same way.
Pick what fits. Skip what doesn’t. Customize the experience.
Because when it comes to helping people through change, one size never fits all.
It’s Time to Reroute
At Reroute Consulting, we talk about test and learn. Try something. Watch what happens. Adjust. Repeat.
That doesn’t just apply to projects—it applies to us.
As change leaders, we need to be curious. We need to get out of the echo chamber. Stop chasing perfection and start building range. Be the kind of practitioner who can borrow from a marketer, a trainer, a nurse, or a coach—and make it work.
The goal isn’t to score points for your framework – it’s to help people.
So let’s reroute our approach.
Not because what we’ve been doing is wrong—but because it could be so much better.
Resources
Health Belief Model (HBM)
Focuses on individuals’ perceived severity, susceptibility, benefits, barriers, cues to action, and self-efficacy. Helps predict readiness for behavior change.
Social Determinants of Health
Social determinants of health refer to a specific group of social and economic factors within the broader determinants of health. These relate to an individual’s place in society, such as income, education or employment. Experiences of discrimination, racism and historical trauma are important social determinants of health for certain groups such as Indigenous Peoples, LGBTQ and Black Canadians.
Transtheoretical Model / Stages of Change Theory​
Describes change as a process moving through Precontemplation → Contemplation → Preparation → Action → Maintenance. Useful for identifying where someone is in their change journey and tailoring support accordingly.
ACMP Change Curve Model
A visual model showing the dip in performance and proficiency that typically occurs during change. Used in the episode to emphasize how support can shorten this dip and speed up adaptation.
Reference: ACMP Global
Mintzberg’s Leadership Model
Henry Mintzberg’s framework describes effective leadership—and by extension, change leadership—as a balance of art (intuition), science (evidence), and craft (experience). This episode uses it to explore how managing change requires more than just tools.
Reference: Managing by Hentry Mintzberg
