The Art & Science of Health Behavior Design

Now that time has passed since those New Year’s resolutions, most people may have fallen short of their goals, failed miserably, or even forgotten what they had resolved. If this has happened to you, it’s not too late to revisit your goals and make a new, wiser, evidence-informed start.

As most of us have experienced, making a decision to change a habit does not necessarily result in sustainable behavior change. One way to succeed is to focus on creating systems and processes with tiny, achievable habit changes. Through a combination of psychology, science, and art, you can succeed.

In this powerful presentation, Dr. Steven Leib will present actionable ways for you to make sustainable change. It’s not about motivation, willpower, and grit. Rather, it’s about tying the desired behavior to a cue for which you already have success. In this way, the new habit becomes part of who you are..

We will start our time together with a whole food, plant-based potluck. Please bring a dish to share that is made exclusively from whole plant ingredients and is free of added oil. Please avoid bringing dishes containing meat, dairy, fish, eggs, or other animal-derived ingredients. To align with the topic of the evening, we encourage you to bring a dish that you think people would enjoy, whether they eat plant-based or not!

Here are some recipe sites for inspiration:

• Forks Over Knives Recipe Collection
• Monkey and Me Recipes
• Center for Nutrition Studies Recipes

If you are new to this way of eating, feel free to bring something simple like a fresh fruit platter or green salad.

Dr. Steven Leib is board certified in Family and Lifestyle Medicine. A 1978 graduate of UCSF School of Medicine, Dr. Leib served a residency in family medicine at UCLA from 1978–1981. He supported hundreds of patients to transform their lives through lifestyle changes as a physician in private practice in Scotts Valley and the San Lorenzo Valley for forty years.

Dr. Leib currently facilitates the Lifestyle Medicine Book Club that meets monthly at the Felton Library. He also leads a Walk with a Doc experiential Henry Cowell State Park program incorporating many of the pillars of lifestyle medicine in the healing environment of nature. To sign up for this free program, go to and look under the “Redwood Rx” list of activities. Offered every third Saturday at 12:00pm through the month of October.

in addition to your plant-based dish to share, please bring your recipe or a list of ingredients, plate and utensils. And please invite your friends!

Drive towards the back of the parking lot. About halfway down you will see a smaller parking lot towards the left. We are in Sundean Hall, between the side parking lot and the street.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Santa Cruz Seventh-day Adventist Church, 1024 Cayuga Street, Santa Cruz, United States