Ways to Flourish

We sit down with Assistant Director of Campus Recreation for Outdoor Recreation Michael White, Willa Moffit ('21) and Daria Moody ('22) to talk about the Tribe Adventure Program (TAP) and how  the outdoors is a powerful wellness resource. TAP offers COVID-conscious outdoor experiences designed for everyone from the seasoned adventurer to the first time camper.

Resources:  https://www.wm.edu/offices/wellness/campusrec/outdoorrec/index.php
Sign up for Tribe Adventure Programs at:  campusrec.wm.edu and click on the "outdoor trips"

Dorothy Ibes, Senior lecturer for Environmental Science and Policy Program and Center for Geospatial Analysis, has such a fun topic to share with us today!  She conducts research to help promote healthy, sustainable lifestyles in cities and college campuses by focusing in on parks and greenspace.  She shares with us the importance of nature engagement on our mental health and how you can get your daily dose nature each day.

Resource Link:  https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/eb580ec7c77346e39fe97fc03fca0d75

Eric Garrison talks with the Jody and Layton Smith Professor of Psychology and Gifted Education and Director for the Center for Gifted Education, Dr. Tracy Cross. 

Reference Link:  https://education.wm.edu/centers/cfge/

Our very own Eric Garrison sits down to talk to us about how we can prepare our bodies for Daylight Savings.  Tune in as he provides some tips on how to make the 1-hour loss of sleep this Sunday a little less tough on our minds and bodies.

Campus Recreation has welcomed a new position to their staff, BOC and state licensed Athletic Trainers Christi Ferrell & Kim Gong.  They will be primarily working with sports club but will be offering their services to Campus Rec community too.  They talk to us about what led them to the decision to become AT's, some common misconceptions about the profession and how one may look in to becoming an athletic trainer.

Resource:  https://www.nata.org/about/athletic-training

Wellness Professional and Health Coach Jenny Call talks with Lindsay Heck about the current climate on W&M's campus in regards to the staff wellbeing during these challenging times.  She discusses that many essential employees have continued to work non-stop during this past year and how their work goes unrecognized.  She provides some advice on how we can cultivate a community where all employees can flourish and how hearing about the work and needs of staff on campus will build awareness and empathy.  This provides students the ability gain understanding of the value staff provide and be motivated to show appreciation.

Article in regards to Staff Wellbeing:  https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-staff-are-not-ok

We sit down with Dr. Natoya Haskins who is the Associate Professor of Counselor Education and Director of Diversity and Inclusion at the School of Education.  As the Director of Diversity and Inclusion, she shares information about the current climate on W&M's campus, some of the biggest challenges right now, how we can work to continue to make changes and how to elevate those voices and support the faculty, students and staff around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Today we are excited to bring you W&M alum Kelly Gorman.  She is the Health Promotion Specialist at Columbia University where she oversees initiatives related to resilience, nutrition, sleep and stress management.  On today’s episode, she will be discussing a new approach that Columbia is developing and implementing that is moving away from a ‘nutrition science’ frame of reference.

To view the resources that Kelly mentions in the recording, check out:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZVBfCfbDrXU4UQzsdVeWjSlBq2w5gQz9/view.

We received some great questions from the community for this first ever Q&A day!  Lindsay Heck and Eric Garrison share these questions and answers to help  provide you more information on ways you can continue to flourish in your everyday life.

For more information on W&M Health & Wellness, check out wm.edu/wellness.

On our next self-care episode, we site down with Wellness Professionals & Certified Yoga Therapists Patti DeBlass and Cindy Crace to talk about all things yoga and help us answer the tough question of "Which yoga class is right for me?"  They help to explain the variation of class that W&M Campus Rec offers and even dive in to how can become a yoga instructor.

For more information on the various types of yoga classes that W&M offers, check out campusrec.wm.edu or the Wellness App today.

For more information on becoming a Yoga instructor, check out https://www.wm.edu/offices/wellness/campusrec/fitwell/yogaschool/index.php.