Beyond Willpower: The Lagom Method™ for Creating Lasting Health Habits

Presented by: Jessica Lederhausen, DDS

Original Lecture/ Publication Date: October 7, 2026 (Webinar Series)

Course Description:

Why do people continue to struggle with healthy behaviors even when they know exactly what they should be doing?

Despite unprecedented access to health information, rates of chronic disease continue to rise. The challenge is no longer a lack of knowledge; it is the gap between knowing and consistently taking action.

In this engaging and interactive presentation, Swedish-trained dentist, public health advocate, and author Jessica Lederhausen introduces The Lagom Method™, an evidence-informed framework that combines the science of behavior change with emerging research on the mouth-body connection.

Drawing on principles from BJ Fogg's Tiny Habits® methodology and the Swedish philosophy of lagom—"not too much, not too little, just right" participants will discover why sustainable health is built through small, repeatable actions rather than willpower alone.

Using the mouth as a powerful yet often overlooked window into overall health, Jessica demonstrates how breathing, sleeping, eating, movement, and the saliva, the oral microbiome, and inflammation are deeply interconnected. She shows how understanding these connections can transform the way health professionals educate, motivate, and support lasting behavior change.

Participants will leave with a practical framework for helping themselves, their patients, and their communities build healthier habits that are realistic, achievable, and sustainable, one small habit at a time.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain why knowledge alone rarely leads to lasting behavior change.
• Describe how the mouth serves as an important gateway to whole-body health.
• Recognize the connections between breathing, sleeping, eating, movement, and oral dysbiosis
• Apply behavior science principles to help individuals adopt healthier daily habits.

Participants will learn how to:

• Incorporate small, evidence-based habit changes into patient education to improve long-term adherence.
• Use oral health findings to reinforce the connection between the mouth and overall health.
• Apply behavior change strategies to support healthier breathing, sleep, nutrition, and daily self-care habits.

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Jessica Lederhausen trained as a dentist at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, and holds an MPH in Epidemiology from UIC. She is also a certified Life Coach and Tiny Habits Coach. Jessica serves on the Board of the School of Public Health at UIC. She is the author of ORAL: The Swedish Secret to Full Body Health Starting in Your Mouth, where she explores the connection between oral and overall health, emphasizing how small daily habits can create lasting oral and overall wellness.

Jessica is a public health advocate, entrepreneur, and, most recently, the founder of TEDxChicago and The Lagom Method. She believes that lasting health is built on everyday habits around eating, breathing, sleeping, and moving. Her work is grounded in the power of connectivity and love, recognizing that true well-being comes not just from personal habits but also from the relationships and communities that support us.

Her philosophy is deeply influenced by her experience as a golf professional, where she learned that the key to success lies in focusing on what you can control—your own behavior. She applies this mindset to health, encouraging patients to take charge of their daily lifestyle choices to support their oral and overall health

Outside of her professional work, Jessica enjoys spending time with her 4 grown children, their spouses, and her many grandchildren, playing golf, staying active, reading, gardening, learning new things, crocheting, and cooking.