"I find wellness to mean living a healthy lifestyle to support physical and mental well-being. Really, that encompasses anything - taking time for self-care, treating myself to a new fun activity or delectable snack, creating a routine, pushing myself to learn something new . . . the list goes on."

"Wellness means being mindful of yourself, including your emotional and physical health, and making thoughtful choices that leads you towards a fulfilling life of positive growth. Wellness is a personal decision, and we get to define how this goal can be accomplished in our own life."

"I've contributed to the mission by starting the conversations with my coworkers and management to consider doing activities that will promote a healthier work environment, having wellness conversations, and having a wellness mindset to take actions towards being a healthier department overall."

"As a Wellness Ambassador, I help create accessibility to wellness opportunities and create events based on my colleagues' interests. I cheer on their participation, accomplishments and offer resources."

"Being a Wellness Ambassador has given me the opportunity to learn more about ways to live a healthy lifestyle. Sharing that information with my team has been rewarding as their feedback, upon receiving this information, has been positive and encouraging. In addition, I have developed wonderful friendships with my committee members who are just as passionate about sharing health and well-being with the rest of our team."

"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!"

"I feel I contribute to the mission by actively promoting making healthy choices. I encourage my peers to go walks, take the stairs, I provide them a helpful ear when they need someone to talk to, and I promote a balance between work and life."

"I think of wellness as a measure of the overall healthiness of my life. This includes all aspects not just physical, although that definitely plays a big part, but also emotional, relational, and mental healthiness too. When I'm enforcing healthy boundaries... when I get up and walk... when I use my finances ... when I take rest time for my emotional health that's a part of wellness." 

"I try to make talking about wellness a regular practice. Talking about wellness creates a culture where wellness is a priority. Helping people get started with one small step is how wellness happens. Eventually, the healthier choice is the easiest choice."

Focusing on wellness has been one of the greatest gifts I have given myself and shared with others. In a world full of constant distractions and challenges, wellness gives me the opportunity to slow down, hit the rest button, and focus on the things that matter most. Wellness also drives my creativity, which is an important part of my work that brings me joy.