Meet the Innovator: Anthony Watters of More Watter Co.
Anthony is a member of the Social Innovation Lab’s 2019–20 Cohort. To learn more about SIL and the cohort, click here. Join him at our virtual SIL Impact Forum, available here! Stay tuned: Anthony’s pitch will be released at 3:45 on Thursday, May 21st!
SIL: Tell us about “Movement as Medicine.” What are you trying to do?
AW: More Watter Co.’s “Movement as Medicine” project offers a comprehensive solution to combat chronic disease in Baltimore City. We leverage the medicinal properties of exercise to educate and empower our community to take control of their health. By building community, and working with healthcare institutions, fitness facilities, and community organizations we create experiences where exercise meets medicine and provide value based care to the people we serve.
SIL: Why did you decide to start this? Where did the idea come from?
AW: After working in stroke rehabilitation and physical therapy settings and earning a Master’s degree in Exercise Science, I learned first-hand the impact that exercise could have on the rehabilitation of individuals recovering from stroke. I also saw there were few opportunities for stroke survivors to benefit from exercise training. In 2018, I designed the post-rehab exercise program at Medstar Good Samaritan Hospital in Northeast Baltimore. The program provides specific exercise programming for people affected by neurological conditions such as stroke. Since its inception, the program has greatly improved patient success and overall quality of life.
SIL: What would you consider as success for the project, and how will the world be different when you’re successful?
AW: Success for us is building a community — a tribe — and an ecosystem where people can find new resources, support, accountability, and motivation to create lifelong healthy habits.
SIL: What have you accomplished so far?
AW: We have a website with over 200 subscribers and we are growing our tribe each day with people looking to get healthy. We have developed a curriculum that teaches our tribe how exercise impacts our body. We can then use this new information to influence our health outcomes. We have worked with organizations all around the city including MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital, the Be Org, Brilliance in Black, and Baltimore City Public Schools.
We have been acknowledged by several newspaper outlets such as The Baltimore Times and The Afro. We have also won 3 social innovation awards: Innovations Works’ Boost Program; Baltimore Corps Elevation Award, & Johns Hopkins Social Innovation Lab.
SIL: What did you find most helpful in your time with SIL?
AW: I valued the customer discovery process the most. I wanted to know more about the people we serve and potential partners we can work with and had the chance to build my network through these interviews. I am planning to continue this process to learn how to engage with health care providers and insurance companies to create meaningful partnerships.
SIL: Tell us about yourself. What got you interested in this issue? Any work or personal experience that informs your work now?
AW: Growing up I was an athlete, playing football. When it came time to go to college, I wanted to major in something that kept me near the sport. At the time, I had no idea that I would take a huge pivot into healthcare.
While studying Sports Medicine at Howard University, I started a new job with Medstar National Rehab Hospital working with stroke and brain trauma patients. I noticed that there were very few black physical, occupational, and speech therapists in the industry. I had the opportunity to work with an African American patient who usually refused to work with his therapist. When I walked into his room for the first time it was as if he saw a familiar face and after a little conversation he agreed to complete his exercises. At that moment I knew there was a need for more black people working in the rehab space.
One of the main reasons why chronic disease is important to me is because it impacts communities of color the most. I see myself as a bridge between health care institutions and my community. I know how important it is to have someone who looks like me leading the fight against health disparity.
SIL: What’s your favorite thing to do in Baltimore?
AW: My favorite thing to do would be to watch the Baltimore Ravens play with friends and family. More recently, I enjoy running throughout different parts of the city with my Runners Run Collective (Instagram: @runnersrun_).
SIL: What innovator do you look up to? Why?
AW: Nipsey Hussle — He was a rapper that overcame his troubling environment and built a sustainable business ecosystem that was centered in community. Nipsey Hussle taught me the concept of believing in your true fans to grow a tribe that is centered around a shared vision to accomplish a goal.
SIL: What advice do you have for aspiring social entrepreneurs thinking about starting a social venture?
AW: Trust the process. There’s going to be many ups and downs along the way. Believe in the process and don’t rush. Take advantage of every opportunity to learn. And it’s okay to not be right; your idea and your business model is supposed to change as you go.
SIL: What can we do to help you? How can we get involved?
AW: Subscribe to the website & engage with us on social media. Buy merchandise. Start a healthy lifestyle habit and tell us about it.
We also want to expand on the proof of concept built at Good Samaritan Hospital. We have proven what specific exercise programming can do for stroke survivors, what about diabetes patients or people with hypertension? We are seeking partnerships with researchers and research institutions to do larger case studies and collect more data around exercise and health outcomes. We are also looking to collaborate with health insurance companies, healthcare providers and fitness facilities to provide value based care for the people we serve and continue to bridge the gap between medicine and exercise.
Join Anthony and More Watter Co. on the web at www.MoreWatter.co and through social media on Instagram and Facebook. You can connect with Anthony through SIL’s Impact Forum online, starting May 18th! Details available at this link.
