Meet Our Client Solutions Advisor: Interview with Harmony Healthcare’s Jeff Atkinson

He and his lovely wife welcomed a new son to the world just a few months ago. Allegedly, he’s amazing at playing air guitar on his leg, but word is he reserves that talent for wedding receptions only. He’s the star hooper on the Harmony basketball team, he’s a die-hard Colts fan, and he’s well known for his invaluable training skills – especially with new team members.

Without further ado, here’s Jeff in his own words.

What does a typical day look like for you here at Harmony?

I wouldn’t say any one day is typical in my role. I am responsible for managing and growing strategic client relationships and ensuring we exceed expectations. That can take many different paths on any given day.

Tell us something about yourself that may surprise us.

I was on an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.  When I lived in Indianapolis, I went to this restaurant called 3-Sisters all the time and got to be friends with the owners.  When they got the call to be on the show, they asked me to be part of the taping.  Pretty sure my line was, “It’s delicious,” and I was on screen for about 5 seconds.

Give your teenage self your best advice in 150 words or less.

Sometimes life smacks you in the face out of nowhere.  Like Mike Tyson said, “Everyone has a plan til they get punched in the mouth.” How you react and adapt to life’s challenges will define your future.

What is your favorite book and why?

Right now most of what I read are children’s books to Emory, my 3-month-old. I’m a big fan of the message in The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss. There’s also a great series by a local author, Brad Meltzer, called Ordinary People Change the World.  He highlights influential people across time written for kids to understand.  Right now, we are reading about Einstein. Some of the others in the series include Rosa Parks, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, and Neil Armstrong.

Jeff Atkinson

Create the soundtrack to your life in 5 songs. What makes each song representative of your journey?

  • “Die a Happy Man” by Thomas Rhett (This song reminds me of my wife. It was our wedding song.)
  • “Farmhouse” by Phish (It reminds me of my formative years.)
  • “Program Director” by O.A.R. (It reminds me of my friends.)
  • “Take me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver (It reminds me of my dad.)
  • “Sing to You” by John Splithoff (I play this song every time I get on an airplane.)

Tell us a story from the weirdest job you’ve ever had.

I don’t know if it was the weirdest job I’ve ever had, but when the Super Bowl was in Indianapolis, ESPN made their headquarters for the week in the building I worked in. They did a lot of their recording in the plaza outside the building as well. So I got to meet a lot of ESPN personalities just riding up and down the elevator going to work that week.

You can take one suitcase, $5,000 and one travel buddy. Where are you heading, who are you taking along for the ride, and why?

The obvious answer would be my wife Katy. We’ve had some pretty awesome adventures across the years, but I think the Azores off the coast of Portugal would be next on the list. There are tons of ecotourism trips and some interesting wineries I wouldn’t mind trying.

 

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