In a world where challenges often seem insurmountable, how can we leverage technology, innovation, and storytelling to create lasting change?
It鈥檚 a major theme taking center stage at the upcoming Consumer Experience & Digital Health Forum, Sep 24 鈥� 26 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Mick Ebeling, founder and CEO of Not Impossible Labs, will share the inspiring journey of his organization, where bold ideas and unconventional partnerships have fostered groundbreaking solutions in health care and beyond.
We sat down with Ebeling to learn more about his philosophy 鈥� and for a sneak peek of the powerful insights you can expect from the 熊猫视频digital event. Here鈥檚 how it went.
What inspired your 鈥榗ommit, then figure it out鈥� philosophy, and how has it influenced your work at Not Impossible Labs?
I want to give a big, profound answer for this, but the truth is, it was just sheer naivet茅. When I heard that graffiti artist Tempt hadn鈥檛 been able to draw in more than seven years because of his ALS, I thought it was absurd. And right then and there, I decided we had to change that. I had no business thinking I could do that, but if I say I鈥檓 going to do something, I鈥檓 going to make it happen. I had no clue where to start or how I was going to do it, but I had committed, so I needed to figure it out. And that鈥檚 exactly what we did.
In the years since, we launched Not Impossible Labs with that principle at its core 鈥� commit, then figure it out. When we take on a project, we don鈥檛 have all the answers. A lot of times, we may not have any answers. And yet we commit to it, whether it takes us a few months, or a few years.
That doesn鈥檛 mean we haven鈥檛 failed because over the years, we have, many times. But it鈥檚 also led us to innovations like Project Daniel, where we figured out how to print 3D arms for a boy in Sudan; Bento (formerly Hunger: Not Impossible), where we connect low-income community members with medically tailored groceries; and Music: Not Impossible, which is now transforming the way people experience music and live events.
None of these inventions would be possible if we worried about the 鈥渉ow,鈥� they only happened because we commit, and then figured it out.
How do you see innovation, technology, and storytelling transforming health care over the next decade?
I think it鈥檚 undeniable that we are already undergoing a massive transformation in the health care industry. It鈥檚 amazing! And that鈥檚 just going to accelerate in the next decade. We鈥檙e only starting to tap into the capabilities of AI.
We鈥檙e seeing investments in the billions for women鈥檚 health and mental health. So, the innovation and technology we鈥檙e going to see come out of that isn鈥檛 going to just be transformative, it will be life changing. People won鈥檛 just be living longer; they will be able to live longer without their health deteriorating at the rate it is now.
As for storytelling, I truly believe this is the most important part of this equation. Since Not Impossible Labs was created, it was based on the notion of creating technology and innovation for the sake of humanity. It鈥檚 what keeps me pushing to do what we do. And while we all believe everyone feels the same, the chances that we are wrong are looking pretty high.
But when you combine technology and innovation AND storytelling, we鈥檙e able to humanize the 鈥渨hy鈥� behind all the incredible work we鈥檙e trying to do. It鈥檚 these stories that will lead to the greatest impact.
Think about that one woman who was ignored by her doctor and revolutionized the women鈥檚 health care industry. The person who watched a parent or family member go through Alzheimer鈥檚, which became the catalyst for brain health research.
When we鈥檙e able to connect those dots, that鈥檚 when we go from an idea to help someone into an innovation that changes the world. Help one, help many.
Can you share a memorable story of how your innovations have directly impacted someone鈥檚 life?
There is this one story that sticks out from when we created Project HeartLine. We all have at least one Covid story 鈥� if not hundreds 鈥� which means you鈥檝e witnessed the heartbreak of watching a patient in the ICU, where there鈥檚 nothing else that can be done. Due to a hospital system that was struggling to deal with a pandemic no one understood, there was also no infrastructure in place that allowed people to communicate with their loved ones before passing away. This was an absurdity we just could not allow to continue.
We created Project HeartLine in collaboration with Lahey Hospital & Medical Center (LHMC) as a way to comfort loved ones in the ICU, despite being isolated from them. What we created wasn鈥檛 technologically revolutionary 鈥� a dedicated cell phone line at the bedside of a patient allowing them to hear from loved ones and providing a sense of dignity knowing they were not alone. There was no original code or hardware involved. It was a simple solution with a big impact.
And THAT is what Not Impossible Labs is about. We see a problem that exists in the world, and we refuse to sit by idly while it continues.
We heard stories from doctors, clinicians, and nurses about how much HeartLine meant to their patients 鈥� and the relief and joy it meant to them. They were able to connect patients to their families to hear 鈥淚 love you,鈥� or say their goodbyes. And that offered some level of comfort at one of the most difficult and confusing times.
There is this one story that I always think about. I remember there was a Latina woman, a grandma, who didn鈥檛 speak any English, so the nursing staff struggled to communicate with her. And because of that language barrier, she鈥檇 gone an entire month without speaking to her family.
I may not have been able to use my pretty decent Spanish to translate for her, but at least we were able to create a simple innovation where she was not only hearing messages from her family, but also hearing songs and prayers.
We were told by doctors that they believed this really had a meaningful impact 鈥� and is something that could lead to better health outcomes for people. And THAT is what Not Impossible Labs is about. We see a problem that exists in the world, and we refuse to sit by idly while it continues.
Hear more from Mick Ebeling and join us September 24-26 in Nashville, Tennessee, for the 2024 Consumer Experience & Digital Health Forum.