The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is the largest philanthropy focused on health. My client was trained as a nurse and was extremely passionate about both supporting other nurses and leveraging their expertise to build healthier communities. Prior to the pandemic, the team supporting her conducted deep research, with a focus on the unique challenges nurses face. The key insight derived from this work was that nurses listen to other nurses.

In early 2020 I joined the team to lead the content strategy for SHIFT and prepare a core set of assets to launch the program, which was positioned as “sponsored by” RWJF. I worked with strategists, creatives, UX designers, and junior writers to develop the program. It included a brand guide, an original podcast hosted by a nurse, a robust website with content developed in partnership with nurses, and SHIFT-branded social channels.

This was truly a unique project, not just because of all of the integrated components, but because it was built during the pandemic and centered around a group of essential workers. I was privileged to be able to both listen to and help tell many, many frontline nurses’ stories. I worked closely with my creative partner to elevate nurses’ voices and create compelling visual representations of their experiences.

Today the podcast, Shift Talk, has a 5-star rating in the Apple store. The second season received an honorable mention by The Webbys. The SHIFT Instagram has grown to 10.5k followers.