A New Lifestyle Membership Model Development by Sarah Thomas

Early in 2019, before the pandemic, Sarah Thomas led the development of a unique wellness membership offering with partners Transforming Age and Seismic. Thomas, CEO of Delight by Design and a Fellow with Nexus Insights, is an accomplished leader of innovation, with over 20 years dedicated to transforming the aging experience. Seismic designs and produces Seismic Powered Clothing, an innovative fusion of apparel and robotics, designed to reduce muscle strain and fatigue by providing the person’s core with extra power and stability.

In Jan 2019, after taking the stage at CES, the largest consumer electronics show in the world, Thomas announced, “Well ahead in recognizing that wellness is already a dominant American lifestyle value, Transforming Age, a wellness and lifestyle network that serves older adults, is the first industry company to partner with Seismic, in an early-stage membership program designed to offer advanced access of Powered Clothing to people living across the lifestyle brand’s modern retirement communities.”

The VIP membership offered members access to community events, early-access to transformative technologies, expert trainings, and educational programming customized for each member, with a focus on wellness. The program was delivered via an upscale studio, where Thomas and her team created a premium experience-design for each guest in Transforming Age’s Seattle-based brick and mortar studio.

At the beginning of the pandemic, senior living veteran and visionary Lynne Katzmann, founder and CEO of Juniper Communities, demonstrated for the industry the importance of the membership model for committing to a lifestyle of personalized well-being. Thomas and her team at Delight by Design were brought in to do what they do best— design experiences, brands and spaces that delight the consumer at every age. Two years of productive partnership helped launch Catalyst, an exciting new “wellspan” lifestyle program, which was recently featured in McKnights Senior Living.

Other senior living providers are also forging new paths towards promoting a healthier lifestyle, building programs to meet the unique wellness needs of their current and future residents. Essex Communities, for example, is working with Thomas and the Delight by Design team to create an exciting new wellness lifestyle brand. It will be exciting to see more as they enter the market with their new wellness offering.

At Nexus Insights, our Fellows develop new ideas and models for the future of aging services. Sarah is a great example of the thought leadership these Fellows bring to re-think aging from every angle.

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