Champions of Active Women

Ann Eason is a local elementary school teacher and former All-American who began running right here in Lexington. After competing in cross-country and track for four years at Sayre High School, she went on to Eastern Kentucky University. While at EKU, Ann won 11 Ohio Valley Conference titles. She was named the Ohio Valley Conference female runner of the year three times, the OVC scholar athlete of...

Dr. Liz Combs is a faculty member in the Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition at the University of Kentucky. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Dietetics and Food Science, her Master's degree in Dietetic Administration, and her Doctorate of Education in Health Promotion all from the University of Kentucky. Prior to joining the UK faculty, Dr. Combs counseled patients in an outpatient nutri...

Jen Flynn Oldenburg recently returned to her alma mater as the head coach of the Ohio State University women's volleyball program. As an athlete at Ohio State, Jen finished her career 7th in assists and 12th in digs in program history and led the Buckeyes to four consecutive NCAA appearances. Jen went on to earn a silver medal at the 2002 World Championships as the starting setter for the USA Nati...

Pat Deacon is a Kentucky native who has been an athlete, teacher, coach, trailblazer, and an active role model across her lifetime. Pat earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Physical Education from the University of Kentucky in 1957 and 1960. During college, Pat was a field hockey and basketball athlete on teams that were organized by the Physical Education, rather than the Athletic depart...

Dr. Dee Dlugonski earned her undergraduate degree in Kinesiology from Penn State University where she was a nine-time All-American swimmer and a member of two Big Ten Championship teams in 2002 and 2005. After graduating, she coached swimming at the University of Connecticut and Penn State before returning to school to earn her PhD in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois. Dee's research foc...

Dr. Sharon Brown is a Professor of Health and Exercise Science at Transylvania University. Dr. Brown's athletic career began as a member of the first Little League Softball team in her town and continued at Eastern Illinois University where she was a Division 1 softball athlete and named to the All-American Academic Team. Dr. Brown has never stopped being an athlete. She has run marathons, compete...

Kerry Smith is in her second year as the head coach of Women's Swimming & Diving at Stony Brook University. Last year, she coached the Seawolves in their first America East Conference Championship since 2012. Her team also excelled in the classroom and was named a Scholar All-America team in the fall and spring semesters by the College Swimming Coaches Association. Prior to her current position, K...

Natalie Novosel is a native of Lexington, KY and played basketball at Lexington Catholic where she and her team were 2 time KY State Champions. She earned a full scholarship to play basketball at the University of Notre Dame where her team was a runner-up for the National Championships in 2011 and 2012. She won a Gold Medal with Team USA in 2011. Then, in 2012, she was selected by the Washington M...

Heidi Guckenberger is the Executive Director of Girls on the Run Central Kentucky. Over the past 10 years, Heidi has helped expand the program from Lexington to serve 22 counties throughout Central Kentucky. Over 10,000 girls have participated in this life-changing program. Heidi is an avid runner and in addition has over 20 years of experience in group exercise settings including certifications i...

Casey Hill earned her Associate Degree in Nursing from Midway University and has worked as a nurse for the past 12 years. Casey played several sports in high school and is now an outdoor endurance athlete who enjoys running, hiking, mountain biking, trail running, and adventure racing. In 2017, her all-female adventure racing team won the 30 hour national championships at the United States Adventu...

Jody Ensman is the Program Manager of University of Kentucky Health & Wellness. Prior to joining UK, she worked in a number of key management positions with responsibility for design and administration of health promotion and fitness programs for leading global corporations, including Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems, Owens Corning World Headquarters, Ford, and General Motors. Jody holds a Ba...

Mikaela Jenkins is a competitive swimmer with aspirations of making the 2020 Paralympic Swimming Team in 2020. Mikaela was born with a left Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency and underwent a left Symes Amputation at 8.5 months of age. She was fitted with her first prosthesis at 12 months and walked independently at 17 months. Mikaela learned to swim at age 4 and began competitive swimming at 8 year...

Narmada and Uma Nanjundan are sisters who share a love of being active in the outdoors and have traveled the world as they journeyed through climbs on three of Earth's seven highest peaks together. In 2015, Uma and Narmada hiked to Everest Base Camp and have set their sights on an Everest summit attempt in 2022. In their professional lives, Narmada works as the Director of Risk for East Kentucky P...

Dr. Lori Bolgla is a Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Kellett Chair in Allied Health Sciences at Augusta University. Over the past 15 years, Dr. Bolgla's research has focused primarily on the management of individuals with patellofemoral pain. In this episode, she discusses research on patellofemoral pain, the importance of promoting healthy lifestyles beginning at a young age,...

Leslie Davis is a native of Lexington, KY and 2009 graduate of Paul Laurence Dunbar high school where she was a multi-sport athlete, competing in soccer, cross country, and track. She continued her athletic and academic career at Washington University in St. Louis where she competed in varsity soccer, cross country, and track and was named captain of the track team during her senior year. She is c...

Sandra Broadus is a champion of active transportation on the University of Kentucky campus and in the Lexington Community. She is actively promoting cycling among women as the founder of the "Women Bike Lex" Facebook group and the "Spokeswoman Series" monthly bike rides. In her professional role as the Alternative Transportation Manager at the University of Kentucky and in her personal life she is...

Vanessa Oliver is a Registered Dietitian in the University of Kentucky Health and Wellness department. After a lifetime of working in restaurant kitchens and avoiding anything resembling intentional physical activity, Vanessa simultaneously found both her career as a dietitian and her running hobby in 2013. Since then, she has completed 7 marathons, many half marathons and shorter races, and one 5...

Our guest today is Jill Burkeen, Information Security Officer at United Southern Bank, single mother, avid hiker, and dedicated supporter of the Active Women's Health Initiative. In this episode, Jill describes the challenges and successes of her journey to reclaim an active lifestyle. Jill has developed a love of hiking that keeps her active and provides a physical challenge while also allowing h...

Dr. Michelle Boling is currently an Associate Professor and Director of the Athletic Training Program at the University of North Florida. In this conversation, Dr. Boling shares her personal passion for injury prevention to help individuals, especially women, maintain an active lifestyle. She discusses the impact of early role models on her career path, her research on gender specific risk factors...

Kirby Willoughby is currently the Assistant Athletic Director and head volleyball coach at Lexington Christian Academy. In this episode, Kirby shares lessons she learned as a dual sport athlete, her experiences with positive female role models, and how she strives to be a role model for the girls she coaches and her own children.

Brigid DeVries is a pioneer in women's sports in Kentucky. She coached several sports and helped to transition women's sports from the club to varsity level. Brigid was the first female Commissioner for the Kentucky High school Athletic Association where she oversaw the Title IX program. Brigid is credited with expanding opportunities for girls in Kentucky and was inducted into the KHSAA Hall of F...

Natalie Jones earned a Bachelor's Degree in Exercise Science from Transylvania University and a Masters of Public Health in Health Behavior from the University of Kentucky. In her current role, Natalie is working to promote health across the state of Kentucky as an Extension Specialist. Natalie was a collegiate soccer athlete and is a two-time Ironman finisher. Tune in to hear her tips for finding...

Kelly Cecil is currently serving as the President of the Active Women's Health Initiative advisory board. He earned a degree in Exercise Science from the University of Kentucky and has been promoting health in rehabilitation and wellness settings in the local area for several decades. In this episode, Kelly talks about his mother and grandmother as active women who were influential role models in...

Bettie Lou Evans has had a long and decorated career in golf. She coached the University of Kentucky women's golf team for over two decades and developed the program into a consistent competitor in the Southeastern Conference, Mid-Atlantic East Region, and the NCAA Tournament. She is an advisory board member and supporter of the Active Women's Health Initiative at the University of Kentucky. Tune...

Susan Bradley-Cox has been active in many different sports throughout her life and continues to be active today. She has been competing in Masters swimming since the 1980's and was a member of the USA Triathlon team for 23 years. Susan was inducted into the USA Triathlon Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014. In this episode, she shares stories about her active childh...