Ways to Flourish

Welcome back to a new season of Ways to Flourish! Here at the beginning of our 9th season, Lindsay, Cher, and Calder sit down to chat about what to look forward to this semester and what they're each doing 'for the well of it.'

Questions? Feedback? Know someone who should be a guest? Reach out to our email [email protected] or DM our Instagram account @wellnesswm!

Albeit belatedly, the Ways to Flourish is wrapping up their eighth season and fourth year in the usual fashion, by sitting down with the whole team to chat about the past, the present, and the future. Lindsay, Ginny, Calder, Lilly, Jazzy, and Cher reflect on the past semester, our upcoming summers, and the future of the podcast. We hope you all have a wonderful summer break!

P.S. It has been such an honor to have been able to work with this podcast and this team for so many years! I'm always going to treasure these little conversations, and thank you to everyone who's tuned in :) --Ginny

The health and wellness industry is currently thriving, but this success can come at the expense of accessibility and authenticity. Dr. Phil Wagner is a Clinical Associate Professor at William & Mary. He is also an instructor with Les Mills, and he hosts the podcast Diversity Goes to Work with the Mason School of Business. Today, we chat about wellness as a business, the toxic messaging that can result from the pursuit of profit, and the future of accessibility in fitness and health.

Resources:
W&M Health & Wellness
W&M Campus Recreation
Diversity Goes to Work podcast -- Phil Wagner & Mason School of Business
Maintenance Phase podcast -- Michael Hobbes & Aubrey Gordon

Environmental wellness is one of the eight Dimensions of Wellness, and it refers to not only nature, but also any physical space that one surrounds themselves with. Creating a physical space that is welcoming to all identities is vital, so in this week's episode, we're sitting down with junior Kenny Ferguson to talk about inclusive spaces on our campus. We go over what initiatives the organizations he is a part of plan for students of color, what factors go into whether a space is inclusive or not, and what we could do better as individuals to be more mindful about creating spaces that are welcome to everyone.

Resources:
Center for Student Diversity website
TribeLink cultural & identity organizations

Content warning: This episode contains discussion of drug addiction.

Azad Ashim Sharma is a writer and publisher, director of the87press, based in South London. He recently published his latest collection of poems, Boiled Owls, in which he explores drug addiction, mental health, and their relationship to capitalism and personal connection. Azad visited us in the Wellness Center to talk about the place of poetry in history, the role of creative expression in the recovery process, and his own personal experiences navigating through struggles using his art.

Resources:
Boiled Owls by Azad Ashim Sharma, available now
Azad's bio on Nightboat Books
the87press website
W&M webpage about substance abuse
W&M Counseling Center

Some of us aren't huge touchy-feely people, and some of us are. No matter what, though, physical touch has proven benefits. Kay Hamlin is our new Massage Therapist at the Wellness Center, and she's excited to be here today to talk about why we all need physical touch in our lives. We talk about what touch can do for us, how COVID has impacted our reactions to touch, and how underdiscussed yet important consent is when we're talking these subjects.

Resources:
Book a massage with a touch professional at W&M!
W&M Wellness therapeutic modality staff webpage

Taking the initiative to learn about ways to make our campus more inclusive for LGBTQ+ students is crucial! Wellness Ambassador Audrey Murcko has been building relationships between the Wellness Center and campus organizations Lambda Alliance and the Rainbow Coalition to help queer students on campus access resources. Today, we go over some of their work by talking about what programs they've been planning, how LGBTQ+ students are sometimes excluded, and what kinds of activism strategies are most impactful for creating a community of inclusion.

Resources:
Lambda Alliance Instagram
Rainbow Coalition Instagram
Center for Student Diversity LGBTQ+ Resources webpage
W&M Counseling Center
W&M TimelyCare webpage

As we continue through cold and flu season after the peak of COVID-19, it can be difficult to decide as students when we can still make it to class and when we ought to stay home. Dr. David Dafashy, Medical Director and Staff Physician at the W&M Student Health Center, is here to clear up some misconceptions. We talk about the difference between upper respiratory infections and bacterial illnesses, what we should do when we experience a particular set of symptoms, and when we should consider making a visit to the Student Health Center.

Stay healthy!

Resources:
Student Health Center website
Health Center appointment webpage

On Ways to Flourish, we're often talking about transitions. One of our biggest questions as students is what we're doing and where we're going after college, and it can turn into a big source of anxiety. Luckily, we're not alone! W&M seniors Lily Dines and Richie Carr and UVA graduate Kaitlyn Baker join us to chat about what feelings arise with graduation, what school traditions we're still trying to fit in, and what some coping strategies are for managing our anxieties.

Resources:
W&M Counseling Center
W&M Career Center

So far in our Music & Wellness series, we've been talking to people who consider music to be a huge part of what they perceive as their well-being. Today, Dr. Max Katz, Associate Professor of Music at W&M, helps us turn a critical lens to music as a form of wellness, as well as what music and wellness are in general. We chat about what role music has in his life, how music can be used in ways that may not qualify as "wellness," and what questions we should be asking to remain curious in our perspectives.