We are all curious about behavior—our own and that of others. Understanding and influencing behavior is something we constantly engage in, both in our personal and professional lives. We often wonder: Why do we act the way we do? How can we change our behavior? And how can we sustain these changes to build lasting habits? For decades, we operated under the assumption that humans are rational beings. This led us to rely on methods such as raising awareness, educating, and reminding people to influence behavior. However, this approach often falls short.Early in my career in marketing, I struggled to understand why consumers often said one thing in research settings but did something completely different in real life. The existing models for understanding and changing behavior just didn’t resonate with me.Luckily, in the 90s, I had the opportunity to collaborate with brilliant minds who introduced me to the fields of behavioral economics, cognitive neuroscience, and design. The groundbreaking work of Nobel laureates like Daniel Kahneman and Richard Thaler opened my eyes to new models of understanding human decision-making.In 2007, I co-founded Final Mile, the first consulting firm of its kind to integrate principles of behavioral sciences & design. We built an exceptional team of behavioral scientists, designers, and architects and quickly earned the trust of major companies like Unilever, Colgate Palmolive, P&G, and eBay, successfully executing numerous behavior change projects. We were also able to tackle some intractable problems, such as reducing trespassing-related fatalities on the Mumbai railway network.In 2011, we developed a new research methodology called Ethnolab, designed to minimize biases commonly found in focus groups, interviews, & surveys. Ethnolab is a gamified, simulated decision-making environment that better predicts real-world behavior compared to traditional methods. We successfully deployed Ethnolab across various markets, including financial services, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, e-commerce, global health, & development.In 2014, we began our partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, one of our largest clients. I have since led multiple multi-country projects focusing on HIV prevention and treatment, reproductive and maternal health, financial inclusion, immunization, & vaccine hesitancy, among other areas.In 2018, Final Mile was acquired by Fractal Analytics. Today, we are creating new value propositions by integrating AI, behavioral science, and design to continue innovating in the field of behavior change.