Wellness Ambassador of the Month
Sanne Stark Fettinger of UC Davis Campus Recreation and Unions

How long have you worked at UC Davis?

Since February 2005, so coming up on 17 years!

What does Wellness mean to you?

Wellness means overall well-being: being active by actively connecting, actively caring, actively giving, and actively moving are my go-to tactics toward well-being! Well-being is something that we DO. We eat well, move well, sleep well, rest well, work well, and relate well. Wellness means that we live well!

Why did you become a wellness ambassador?

I became a wellness ambassador because living well and caring for others are values that are very close to my heart. The 8 dimensions of wellness are important to me in order to be well. This includes physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, vocational, financial, and environmental wellness.

How long have you been a wellness ambassador?

Since 2015, which is almost 7 years! I am also a certified ACE Health Coach.

What has been the most rewarding or positive about your experience thus far?

It is always rewarding when I put a smile on someone's face. It is also rewarding when I inspire someone to be active, to live well, and to take care of their body by thinking of what they put into their body, and to celebrate their body by being active.

What are some challenges you face as a wellness ambassador, especially through the pandemic this past year?

I faced some challenges over the years, but I always turned these challenges into something new. For example, our colleagues needed ways to be more active. We used the Walker Tracker challenge to encourage them to be active.

What is one piece of advice you would like to share with new wellness ambassadors?

I would encourage new wellness ambassadors to join our monthly support group, which is held on the 3rd Wednesday of every month. These support groups start back up in January. This allows the new and seasoned Wellness Ambassadors to talk to and learn from other Wellness Ambassadors.

Staff and Faculty Health and Well-being aims to build an environment that makes the healthier choice the easier one, while providing staff and faculty with the required support to make UC Davis the healthiest community. How do you feel you have contributed to our mission?

I try to model healthy behavior. I bike to work everyday and participate in group exercise and take the stairs, among other activities; I encourage healthy eating and have organized healthy potlucks for the team; and I promote wellness challenges organized by Staff and Faculty Health and Well-being.

What is your favorite thing to do in your spare time?

I enjoy hiking by the ocean and in the mountains, enjoying nature, biking while getting kissed by the sun, Zumba, gardening, and growing fruits and vegetables.