1. Professional Development

My road to this industry began as I found a passion for nutrition and fitness while losing 40 pounds. I had received and Bachelors Degree in Psychology and Business from Ithaca College. I continued my education to receive a Masters Degree in Physical Education from the University of Central Florida. The Masters Degree has proven to be the most beneficial to me. It has opened doors and gave me practical education for the real world. I spent many years as a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor. I've created programming, developed and presented countless wellness topics to groups small and large, provided one-on-one consultations, created marketing, communication and operating plans for wellness activities throughout the years. I am currently the Wellness Program Manager for a statewide company. We have been honored with awards that include the American Heart Association Platinum Fit Friendly Award, The Orlando Business Journal Healthiest Employers Finalist, Florida Hospitals 1st Healthy Workplace Award, Orlando Sentinels Top 100 Company’s for working families and Recognition of Excellence in Worksite Wellness from the Florida State Surgeon General.

2. Demonstrated Success

We have had many successful wellness campaigns at Children's Home Society. By offering a variety of programs we have been able to reach about 75% of our population. This year alone we have offered Biometrics Screenings with Health fairs (reaching 54% of our population), Flu shots (increased participation 3% over previous year), monthly wellness education and quizzes (reaching 55% of our population), 40 lunch and learns on a variety of topics, offered monthly wellness tips, incentivized employees with online social networking fitness programs and other company wide programs, and increased usage of EAP services 6% with webinars, trainings, counseling.

One of our most successful programs was actually a very simple one. We challenged our employees to drink more water during the hot summer months. Our goal was to educate our employees on water intake goals, keep them away from sugary drinks and soda, and create a behavior change. Almost 500 employees accepted the "hydration challenge" and drank 64 ounces of water a day. 51 percent of the employees completed the challenge. We received a lot of feedback saying this was an eye opening experience and they continue to drink the recommended amount of water.

Children's Home Society’s wellness program does use WELCOA's 7 benchmarks to help design our programs. We have enlisted support from our CEO to send supportive emails to encourage healthy eating during the holiday get togethers. Since we are statewide, it was necessary to enlist wellness champions and wellness committees across the state. These wellness teams are imperative to the success of the programs. CHS collects data through biometrics and health risk assessments. We analyze the results each year to create our wellness programs. A yearly plan (month to month) is crafted to meet the need of our employees. We offer a variety of programs knowing that our population is diverse and enjoys different things. While some prefer on on-line fitness program with social networking components, we know that others prefer a more simple paper version. We like to offer something for everyone - to reach the masses and engage as many people as we can without alienating anyone.

3. Leadership

Being in the wellness industry for almost 20 years has given me the experience and confidence to be a leader in my field. I have had the opportunity to get to know many people and have learned along with them - I have grown as my clients have grown. I pride myself on customer service, getting to know each person and giving them personalized answers for their needs. I have been able to make people feel at ease when I give them my story of weight loss. I have been there and know the struggle. I continue to "walk the talk" every day with healthy eating, exercise and not giving up. No more excuses. To keep myself motivated I run with friends and compete in mud and obstacle races. My advice to anyone is to educate yourself, never stop learning, get personal with people and to always be kind.

4. Innovation

I feel blessed to be in a position where I am given the freedom to create and implement wellness programs of my choice. I have been able to engage our wellness champions, encouraging them to expand programming by offering them monthly ideas and projects. I've been able to get support from our CEO to encourage healthy eating during the holidays. I'm happy to report that this Thanksgiving will be a healthy salad day instead of the traditional potluck. We've created a supportive environment with a variety of programs for everyone. We encourage daily wellness walks and monthly on-site fitness classes. We have a wonderful culture of wellness that allows our employees to take part in these activities. Our new and upcoming programs that will be implemented in the next few months include subsidy for weight watchers programs and a treadmill desk work station.

5. Compelling vision

I believe continued education is needed to help our country with growing health concerns. People just don't know what they are doing to themselves. We need to teach people to go back to the basics. Keep it simple. Read and understand your food labels, eat fresh and get more exercise. Their is no quick fix and no magic pill - but it does not have to be difficult. Take it slow and keep it simple.