January 2018
Two years after moving to Hawaii, Blair Grant had a scary decision to make to follow her dreams.
It was 2015 and the `Ekahi Ornish Lifestyle Medicine program was about to launch. Blair was in love with the idea and was in the running for a position as a Nurse. However, there were some serious unknowns.
“When I first signed up with ‘Ekahi, there wasn’t even working water at the facility, which was still being completed,” explains Blair. “I didn’t know what any of this was going to look like! It took a huge leap of faith to have the courage to leave a really secure job to step into this abyss of the unknown and have faith in the people and the process. But because it was something I was willing to pour my heart and soul into, I took that step of faith with `Ekahi.”
“We are so fortunate that Blair’s desire for health prevention and promotion brought her to Hawaii,” says Dean Hirata, CEO of ‘Ekahi Health. “It’s always our goal to attract incredible and amazing people from Hawaii and around the world. And with Blair, we did just that.”
Blair is originally from New Jersey and received her nursing degree from Griffith University in Australia. In July 2013, Blair moved to Hawaii and began her career in health promotion. Two years later, she was knocking on ‘Ekahi’s door.
Blair Grant and her husband, Travis, celebrating their wedding day in Palm Beach, Australia
“`Ekahi’s vision was completely in line with what I wanted to do in life,” Blair recalls. “During my interview with Dr. Kevin Lum, Medical Director of the program, I instantly fell in love with the company and the people. You could tell they were genuinely interested in who I was and what I was able to bring to the table.”
“No other employee during their interview was as enthusiastic about what she’d be doing than Blair,” explains Dr. Lum. “I remember leaving the room knowing without a doubt we had found the right person for the job—and much more. Man, she had me jazzed on becoming an empathetic, stress-free, athletic, vegetarian!”
`Ekahi Ornish is a part of the `ike family of companies, who all share a set of Core Values. One of Blair’s favorite Core Values is Greater Good.
“From the beginning we wanted to deliver a program that was going to help not just individuals, but families, and eventually communities,” explains Blair. “And soon we’ll be graduating our 1000th participant living a healthier, happier life! Think about that influence—to their family, their coworkers…it trickles out and spreads health awareness and wellness. We want to cause a huge ripple effect to touch not only our own community but soon the state, nation, and world.”
Blair with 1 month old son, Hugo, and team celebrating the 1 year anniversary of ‘Ekahi Ornish
Another `ike Core Value, the value of Dream Releasing, has played an important role in Blair’s development.
“When I started at ‘Ekahi, I came in as a nurse,” says Blair. “Today, I am the Clinical Manager. This was something I was really interested in doing and it was something that I had approached the leadership team about. The fact that I was able to set goals, put them in motion, and know I was supported has been huge.”
Blair Grant and Robert Walker, Program Director of ‘Ekahi Ornish Lifestyle Medicine
In addition to her connection with the company’s values, Blair continues to speak about the immense support of her leaders, Dean Hirata and Creighton Arita, CEO of ‘ike.
“The leadership of Dean and Creighton is amazing,” explains Blair. “They were in our first cohort here at `Ekahi Ornish and completed the entire program. It was awesome to see how leadership was involved with the development of the program and how much they believed in and supported it. They are the embodiment of what we can really do here.
“Even though the `ike family has many family members, we’re one team.”
– Blair Grant