In a world where challenges often seem insurmountable, how can we leverage technology, innovation, and storytelling to create lasting change?
It’s a major theme taking center stage at the upcoming Consumer Experience & Digital Health Forum, Sep 24 – 26 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Mick Ebeling, founder and CEO of Not Impossible Labs, will share the inspiring journey of his organization, where bold ideas and unconventional partnerships have fostered groundbreaking solutions in health care and beyond.
We sat down with Ebeling to learn more about his philosophy — and for a sneak peek of the powerful insights you can expect from the AHIP digital event. Here’s how it went.
What inspired your ‘commit, then figure it out’ philosophy, and how has it influenced your work at Not Impossible Labs?
I want to give a big, profound answer for this, but the truth is, it was just sheer naiveté. When I heard that graffiti artist Tempt hadn’t been able to draw in more than seven years because of his ALS, I thought it was absurd. And right then and there, I decided we had to change that. I had no business thinking I could do that, but if I say I’m going to do something, I’m going to make it happen. I had no clue where to start or how I was going to do it, but I had committed, so I needed to figure it out. And that’s exactly what we did.
In the years since, we launched Not Impossible Labs with that principle at its core — commit, then figure it out. When we take on a project, we don’t have all the answers. A lot of times, we may not have any answers. And yet we commit to it, whether it takes us a few months, or a few years.
That doesn’t mean we haven’t failed because over the years, we have, many times. But it’s also led us to innovations like Project Daniel, where we figured out how to print 3D arms for a boy in Sudan; Bento (formerly Hunger: Not Impossible), where we connect low-income community members with medically tailored groceries; and Music: Not Impossible, which is now transforming the way people experience music and live events.
None of these inventions would be possible if we worried about the “how,” they only happened because we commit, and then figured it out.
How do you see innovation, technology, and storytelling transforming health care over the next decade?
I think it’s undeniable that we are already undergoing a massive transformation in the health care industry. It’s amazing! And that’s just going to accelerate in the next decade. We’re only starting to tap into the capabilities of AI.
We’re seeing investments in the billions for women’s health and mental health. So, the innovation and technology we’re going to see come out of that isn’t going to just be transformative, it will be life changing. People won’t just be living longer; they will be able to live longer without their health deteriorating at the rate it is now.
As for storytelling, I truly believe this is the most important part of this equation. Since Not Impossible Labs was created, it was based on the notion of creating technology and innovation for the sake of humanity. It’s what keeps me pushing to do what we do. And while we all believe everyone feels the same, the chances that we are wrong are looking pretty high.
But when you combine technology and innovation AND storytelling, we’re able to humanize the “why” behind all the incredible work we’re trying to do. It’s these stories that will lead to the greatest impact.
Think about that one woman who was ignored by her doctor and revolutionized the women’s health care industry. The person who watched a parent or family member go through Alzheimer’s, which became the catalyst for brain health research.
When we’re able to connect those dots, that’s when we go from an idea to help someone into an innovation that changes the world. Help one, help many.
Can you share a memorable story of how your innovations have directly impacted someone’s life?
There is this one story that sticks out from when we created Project HeartLine. We all have at least one Covid story — if not hundreds — which means you’ve witnessed the heartbreak of watching a patient in the ICU, where there’s nothing else that can be done. Due to a hospital system that was struggling to deal with a pandemic no one understood, there was also no infrastructure in place that allowed people to communicate with their loved ones before passing away. This was an absurdity we just could not allow to continue.
We created Project HeartLine in collaboration with Lahey Hospital & Medical Center (LHMC) as a way to comfort loved ones in the ICU, despite being isolated from them. What we created wasn’t technologically revolutionary — a dedicated cell phone line at the bedside of a patient allowing them to hear from loved ones and providing a sense of dignity knowing they were not alone. There was no original code or hardware involved. It was a simple solution with a big impact.
And THAT is what Not Impossible Labs is about. We see a problem that exists in the world, and we refuse to sit by idly while it continues.
We heard stories from doctors, clinicians, and nurses about how much HeartLine meant to their patients — and the relief and joy it meant to them. They were able to connect patients to their families to hear “I love you,” or say their goodbyes. And that offered some level of comfort at one of the most difficult and confusing times.
There is this one story that I always think about. I remember there was a Latina woman, a grandma, who didn’t speak any English, so the nursing staff struggled to communicate with her. And because of that language barrier, she’d gone an entire month without speaking to her family.
I may not have been able to use my pretty decent Spanish to translate for her, but at least we were able to create a simple innovation where she was not only hearing messages from her family, but also hearing songs and prayers.
We were told by doctors that they believed this really had a meaningful impact — and is something that could lead to better health outcomes for people. And THAT is what Not Impossible Labs is about. We see a problem that exists in the world, and we refuse to sit by idly while it continues.
Hear more from Mick Ebeling and join us September 24-26 in Nashville, Tennessee, for the 2024 Consumer Experience & Digital Health Forum.