29. Dr Heather McKee, Health Behaviour Change Specialist

In this episode, Stuart King and Dr Tiago Moutela, have the pleasure of chatting with Dr Heather McKee. Heather is a known leading lifestyle behaviour change specialist and keynote speaker, with a background in health behaviour change psychology. Heather is on a mission to provide sustainable, evidenced based alternatives to an industry saturated by quick fixes and fads. Crediting her natural curiosity and “following her nose”, Heather’s career spans the many possible applications of a specialism in behavioural science. Starting out her academic journey at Dublin City University, Heather completed a masters at Loughborough University in the psychology of physical activity, and has spent time lecturing at St Mary’s University, Twickenham. She has worked in the community on behaviour change initiatives, with charities, and now consults to large corporations, with a particular passion for companies in digital health. Heather’s career has not followed a linear path, but her exposure to these different working environments has allowed her to translate her academic learnings into real life settings. Through her varied experiences, Heather has developed her own professional confidence which has led to her own brand of teaching behavioural science, focussed on helping people have fun whilst learning how this can be applied in their setting. Heather offers practical examples of the ways in which she brings behavioural science learning to life with new audiences and supports them to develop individual intrinsic motivation before beginning work with them at an organisational level. A must-listen for anyone on a “squiggly career” in the wonderful world of behavioural science!