Conferences & Industry
Atlanta Life at DMEC — Whole Person Wellness, a Donation Drive, and a Conversation Worth Continuing
August 2026 · Memphis, Tennessee
Conference · Thought Leadership · Community · Industry
Memphis welcomed some of the most serious minds in employee benefits, disability management, and workforce health this August — and Atlanta Life Insurance Company was there, ready to work. As a presenter, exhibitor, and community contributor at the Disability Management Employer Coalition (DMEC) Annual Conference, Atlanta Life brought its full presence to one of the most respected gatherings in the health and productivity space.
What followed was a conference experience that reflected everything we believe about this work — that the conversation about workforce well-being is inseparable from the communities those workers belong to, and that showing up fully means showing up on all fronts.
On the Stage — A Presentation Worth the Room
Dr. Kristin Tugman, Atlanta Life's Workplace Mental Health & Health Productivity Specialist, took the stage alongside Courtney Johnson, Vice President of Group Solutions, and Trish Payne of the Group Solutions team to present Whole Person Disability Management: The Missing Link in Controlling Healthcare Costs.
The session explored how physical, mental, financial, and social well-being intersect to shape return-to-work outcomes — making the case that disability management cannot be addressed effectively when it treats each dimension of a person's health in isolation. The four pillars that underpin Atlanta Life's LiveBalanced™ platform were at the heart of the argument: that when organizations attend to the whole person, the outcomes — including return-to-work outcomes — improve across the board.
For a DMEC audience of HR professionals, disability managers, and benefits leaders, the presentation landed in exactly the right context. These are the practitioners on the front lines of the return-to-work process — and the case for a whole-person approach resonated with the complexity they navigate every day.
At the Booth — Introducing LiveBalanced™ and Its Point Solutions
At the Atlanta Life booth, the energy was consistent throughout the conference. Attendees stopped to learn about LiveBalanced™ and its three digital point solution partners — introduced here as the newest additions to the platform and framed specifically around their relevance to disability management and whole-person well-being:
Mellie — caregiving support for employees managing the care of older adults and loved ones with special needs.
Goodpath — whole-person health programs for chronic conditions that frequently intersect with disability and return-to-work challenges.
Express Wages — earned wage access and financial wellness tools that reduce the financial stress that so often complicates recovery and reintegration.
The conversations at the booth reflected the same themes as the presentation — employers and benefits professionals hungry for solutions that address the full picture of their employees' lives, not just the clinical dimensions of a disability claim.
The Donation Drive — Choosing to Give Back to Memphis
One of the most memorable moments of the conference was not a session or a handshake. It was a choice — and we gave that choice to the people who visited our booth.
Atlanta Life ran a donation drive throughout the conference, inviting booth guests to vote on which local nonprofit would receive a contribution on behalf of Atlanta Life. The community spoke: the National Humane Association in Nashville, TN was selected as the recipient of Atlanta Life's contribution.
It was a small gesture with a real spirit behind it — the belief that when you come into a community for a conference, you leave something behind that matters to the people who live there. That is how Atlanta Life thinks about showing up.
DMEC Was Just the Beginning
The conversations started in Memphis are continuing. Atlanta Life's engagement with DMEC extends beyond a single conference:
Atlanta Life will join WMN+ Collective ATL on Friday, August 28, 2026 at Buckhead Art & Company in Atlanta — a full day dedicated to women's health and wellbeing at work, featuring Courtney Johnson, Trish Payne, and Dr. Kristin Tugman.
And on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, Atlanta Life continues the disability management conversation with a DMEC Tools & Tactics Webinar — Psychological Safety as a Disability Management Strategy — examining how psychological safety shapes trust, disclosure, and return-to-work outcomes.
Atlanta Life is also hosting the Employee Benefits & Total Rewards Summit on Thursday, October 22, 2026 at Epicenter, 150 Peabody Place in Memphis — bringing HR leaders and benefits professionals together for a full day of insight, networking, and a civil rights tour experience, in partnership with Mellie, Goodpath, and Express Wages. Registration is free and seats are limited.
About DMEC
The Disability Management Employer Coalition (DMEC) is the only organization focused exclusively on absence and disability management, providing education, resources, and community for HR and benefits professionals navigating the complexities of workforce health and productivity.
Atlanta Life Insurance Company is committed to the communities it serves — through purposeful partnerships, meaningful presence, and a mission that has guided this organization for more than 120 years.