Meet first-ever One Rogers Road Trip winner Lily Anderson

01/18/23 03:30:pm

Lily Anderson - Rogers Road Trip winner other shot.jpg Congratulations to Lily Anderson who is the first-ever One Rogers Road Trip grand prize winner! Selected through a random drawing in January, Lily, a behavioral specialist in Denver, made 14 connections and earned 38 points during the three-month contest.

“Lani (Healey, director of operations, Denver) called me into her office without any explanation,” says Lily of how she learned the news. “I needed to practice some tolerance of uncertainty skills in that moment! It was honestly such a great surprise and I’m so grateful for this opportunity.”

Lily says she chose the behavioral healthcare field because she wants to help people.

“As I’m sure many can relate, I’ve had loved ones struggle with mental health issues and have seen how much growth and improvement in quality of life they were able to achieve by working with a professional,” she says. “I wanted to be someone who could help other’s loved ones like that.”

Lily says the ability to foster connections is one of the best things about Rogers, which she’s witnessed firsthand.

“I was fortunate to become part of the Denver team at the beginning of our clinic’s journey and was surprised by how flawlessly we were able to bond with each other,” she says. “As we welcomed visitors from all over the country during our clinic’s grand opening, I noticed the value of building connection is truly system-wide.”

Road Trip license plate.jpg Throughout the Road Trip, Lily enjoyed learning about different positions within Rogers and hearing about teammates’ experiences. The Denver team even had a favorite question they asked to help break the ice.

“If you were a scented candle, which one would you be?” she says. “That was a fun way to get to know people. I would definitely be a jasmine vanilla candle. That’s my favorite scent.”

Lily is still figuring out which Rogers site she wants to visit, and she’s looking forward to her meal with John Boyd, PsyD, president and CEO.

“As I’m gaining clinical experience, I’m also learning so much about what I want to do in the future,” she says. “I would love to ask him about his experience in the mental health field and how he got where he is today. I’m also excited to hear about his experience as a PsyD since that’s one of the programs I’m considering when I decide to go back to school. And in the spirit of the Road Trip, I’ll ask which scented candle he would be.”

Kristin Wendlandt cropped.jpg Kristin Wendlandt, director of operations at Silver Lake and one of the One Rogers Road Trip creators, says she’s pleased with how well it was received.

“We had 1,006 connections and teammates earned 2,259 points,” Kristin says. “It’s fun to hear some of the stories that came out of the connections, like, ‘Did you know this clinic is doing x, y, and z? What if we tried something like that?’ I think it brought to light new ideas and possibilities.”

Kristin says making connections helped people realize they’re an important part of the organization.

“Some of my favorite comments were people saying it made them feel special that someone reached out to connect,” she says. “Reading through the forms that were submitted, I saw an overarching theme of gratitude for someone choosing them.”

Kristin is looking forward to hearing feedback from other leaders, and her goal for future One Rogers Road Trip contests is to make improvements.

“I would like to see even more people participate, specifically our colleagues who work in inpatient and residential levels of care,” she says. “As we look at employee well-being and having that sense of connection, how can we make sure they feel included?”

Please stay tuned to upcoming issues of Insight, where we will share more details on the next phase for One Rogers and an update on Lily’s trip and visit with John, including which scented candle he would like to be!