Ways to Flourish

We are continuing on with our 8D series today by talking about occupational wellness! "What are you doing after college?" is the dreaded question that so many college students are asked on a daily basis, and while it definitely isn't necessary to know quite yet, taking steps to care for our occupational wellness can lower stress and add meaning to our lives. We talk to WAs Claire Am...

8D is back! Today's dimension is intellectual, a dimension we often engage in given our roles at a university, but for which there are also many ways to tap into outside a classroom. We talk to Wellness Ambassadors Anne Ryan Gareis and Audrey Murcko about what we should prioritize in relation to intellectual wellness, how we can find motivation to  seek intellectual stimulation outside school...

Welcome back to the 8 Dimensions series! Today, we are talking about financial wellness, a dimension that is often overlooked but is applicable to everyone no matter their life stage. The financial world can seem convoluted at first, but Sam Gruber, a Peer Educator from the Boehly Center's Financial Literacy Program, breaks down why it's important to care about finances while still in co...

Welcome back to the 8D Series! We've talked about environmental wellness on the podcast before, but we've talked a little less about the fact that environmental wellness is not just nature surrounding you. We unpack this fact with Wellness Ambassador Elena McCullough as we also talk about what spaces make us feel the most ourselves, how much contact with the outdoors will make a differen...

We often reference the Eight Dimensions of Wellness on the Ways to Flourish podcast, but we know that eight different dimensions are a lot to keep track of and truly understand. To help with this, we're beginning a series to tackle each dimension in more depth: Welcome to the 8 Dimensions series! Today, we are kicking off the series with Wellness Ambassadors Becca Gaylin and Katie Diehl to ta...

Ways to Flourish is on the run! William & Mary Homecoming 2022 just took place last weekend, and amidst all of festivities, Ways to Flourish set up on Sadler Terrace to ask W&M alumni and current students a couple questions. To the alumni, we asked the question, "What is one piece of advice you have for your past self?," and to current students, we asked, "What is one way th...

College is confusing. The college dating scene can be even more confusing, and it's often difficult to figure out what's "healthy" when there are competing pressures of new experiences, other people's opinions, and the media. Today, we talk to Hannah Artiles-Stravers, Assistant Director of the Office of Health Promotion and Sexual Violence, as well as student Eli Svoboda a...

What sounds better to you: learning behaviors that make you feel better temporarily, or learning behaviors that intend to make you holistically healthier for the long term? The answer's clear! SOS (Self-Care Over Soothing) is a program available to W&M students that takes an integrative approach to wellness. Today, we talk to T Davis, Assistant Director of Health Promotion, about the stru...

Organizations on our campus have a lot of opportunities to support specific causes and organize events to raise awareness. It is still Suicide Prevention Month for the month of September, so today, we are talking to Cole McAndrew, William & Mary alumnus and the previous coordinator for the Out of Darkness Campus Walk planned in conjunction with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. W...

September 16-18 is W&M Women's Weekend, a time for attendees to gather back on our campus to connect and reconnect. It is a continuing initiative philanthropically supported by the Society of 1918. Today, we speak to Dr. Val Cushman, Senior Director of Engagement and Inclusion Initiatives, about what her experience has been as a woman leader at W&M, why establishing a network is so vi...

Content warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide and self-harm. Suicide Prevention Week 2022 is September 4 to September 10, right in the middle of Suicide Prevention Month. This episode is posted in the midst of various initiatives the Wellness Center has planned for this week. In today's episode, we have a valuable conversation with Dr. Kevin Clancey, Assistant Director of Clini...

Everyone at William & Mary knows about Student Transition Engagement Programs (STEP), and every student went through STEP's Orientation program when they were new to the school. No matter how important one thinks STEP may be for the school, it's probably more vital than they think. We talk to Lauren Garrett, Director of STEP, about what she organizes, why college transitions are spec...

Going to college is one of life's biggest changes. We meet new people, learn new things, and have experiences we never would have imagined before. But transitioning from one phase of life to another can be hard. Today, we welcome back Dr. Kelly Crace, Associate VP for W&M Health & Wellness, to talk about why college transitions are difficult, why it's so hard to navigate change i...

Welcome back to Ways to Flourish ! We are booting up the fifth season of the podcast and our 81st episode with a smaller, but still familiar team. We're kicking off the season by talking about things we've learned in the past, advice we have for incoming freshmen, and resources that might help you kick off the year. Stay tuned every Wednesday to listen to our episodes on Buzzsprout, Spot...

It's the Season 4 finale! The entire  Ways to Flourish  team sits down to talk about the last couple of years, during which this campus and this team have seen many shifts and changes. Lindsay, Ginny, Ben, Daria, and Calder have loved producing the podcast this season, and although we bid farewell to Ben and Daria, we also look forward to what Season 5 has to bring. Thank you for a wonderful...

It's finals season, and that means we're all looking for ways to destress. The Climbing Wall at the Rec Center is a great way to do just that! Today, we talk to Claire Hutcheson, a Climbing Wall Attendant and TAP Leader, about how to access the Climbing Wall, how rock climbing is beneficial physically and mentally, and what jobs are available for the Climbing Wall. Resources: Climbing Wa...

Wellness Rocks is an initiative began by Wellness Ambassador Marissa Del Zingaro to help connect and destress the W&M community. Today, we talk to Marissa about how Wellness Rocks work, what benefits this initiative can have on our well-being, and what other projects the WAs are working on at the moment. Resources Upcoming May 2 Wellness Rocks Signup

For our Q&A episode a few weeks ago, we received a question after recording that we did not get the chance to address. Even though COVID-19 isn't over, getting back into the "flow" of socialization is a problem that all of us have been experiencing. Today, the entire Ways to Flourish team comes together to talk about how social anxiety can affect our day-to-day interactions, how...

William & Mary gives students the opportunity to join a wide variety of dance groups on campus, even if they have no previous experience. Today, we talk to Shriya Pothireddy of W&M Afsana, Meeran Khan of Griffin Bhangra, and Heidi Zmick of W&M Heritage Dancers about their respective cultural dance groups. We discuss how they got involved in their groups, how dance has helped them maint...

Discrimination in health care is unfortunately still very present, and LGBTQ+-identifying people often experience unique challenges in seeking medical care. Today, we are joined by Vincent SheaBerry, President of the Rainbow Coalition, to discuss what obstacles queer individuals face in health care, how we can increase equity at our school and wider health care industry, and what events the Rainbo...

April is Undergraduate Research Month! Engaging in research as an undergraduate is not an opportunity everywhere, but at William & Mary, the possibilities are endless. Today, we are joined by Director of Undergraduate Research Dr. Dan Cristol, as well as student researchers Daniel Posthumus and Leo Murphy. We discuss what our own undergrad research journeys have been, why research is so fulfil...

The libraries are here to help! If you keep up with campus opportunities at all, you have probably heard of or participated in Swem's destressing events, especially during exam seasons. Today, we talk to Tami Back, Director of Communications & Strategic Planning, about how library facilities promote student wellness, why it tries to help students destress, and what events are coming up th...

Sustainability is often misunderstood-- it's a lot more than turning off lights and not using plastic straws. Its goals are often much more far-reaching than most people realize, which means there are a lot more ways people can get involved! Today, we sit down Graduate Assistant Maddie Saul from the Office of Sustainability to discuss how to define sustainability, why we should care about it,...

How about a semester check-in? This week on Ways to Flourish , we open the floor to questions submitted by students of William & Mary. We talk about how to add things to your plate when it's already getting full, how to manage busy schedules, and how to talk to acquaintances who may be struggling. Resources: SLD Depth Over Breadth Seize the Awkward website

Looking for something fun to do around campus that will get you outside and enjoying everything nature has to offer? This spring, consider picking up a kit from the Wellness Center to participate in the Bird Scavenger Hunt! Today, we sit down with project organizers Caroline Taylor and Lauren Lam to discuss what the scavenger hunt is, how it can benefit one's physical and mental wellness, and...