The start of a new year feels like a fresh start—and for many, that means setting goals related to personal wellness. If not approached correctly, these types of New Year’s resolutions can bring you down by the end of January.
“If people have a New Year’s resolution related to well-being, that is a great mindset to have,” said Deanna Duffy, wellness manager at Case Western Reserve University. “That means they’re thinking about their health. It means that they want to make that a priority. And I just hope that they will be thinking about changes that are sustainable and can fit into their current lifestyle.”
Duffy advised that wellness shouldn’t be seen as a one-time event, but instead as a lifestyle. Here at Case Western Reserve University, a team of 16 Wellness Champions helps faculty and staff members adopt such a view.
Supported by the Wellness Program, these faculty and staff volunteers promote wellness offerings, share their enthusiasm about wellness with colleagues and offer fresh perspectives.
They’re led by Duffy, who, having been at CWRU for just over two years, has more than doubled the number of Wellness Champions in the program. Duffy works alongside Medical Director Elizabeth Click as the only full-time employees running the robust Wellness Program, making the Wellness Champions’ support crucial.
“I appreciate all their enthusiasm and their efforts,” Duffy said. “We really have some talented and eager people as part of the group, and I feel really lucky and blessed to be able to work with them.”
Want to join the team? Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. But before you apply, make sure to get to know four members of the team—and find out how they keep their momentum going when it comes to pursuing goals.
Janice Gerda

Associate Vice President
Student Affairs
1. What does wellness mean to you?
Choosing actions in my life that keep me healthier and happier and more able to do the things that matter for the people and places and organizations I love.
2. What are your favorite wellness activities?
Walking around University Circle and other Cleveland neighborhoods to see traces of the past and the ways that our city is constantly changing and adapting—sometimes by myself, sometimes with others.
I also like to tend gardens, for the time outdoors, the movement, the food, and sharing a space with plants and wildlife.
3. How do you suggest others stick to their wellness goals in the new year?
Be gentle with yourself. Nobody is wellness-perfect. Forgive mistakes and lapses, and focus on the next decision or the next habit to cultivate going forward.
4. What’s a simple thing people can do to take care of themselves?
Move. Walk beautiful or interesting paths, and get up and move around if you’ve been sitting too long. If you feel stuck or worried about work or a class, take a 15-minute walk and drink a glass of water and try again.
5. How do you motivate yourself?
Sometimes wellness activities are about joining other people, and I look forward to time with others. Sometimes, I walk to places that are changing so I can see progress or complete a task. I try to remember how good it feels after you’ve eaten well, stretched out, or come home from a walk.
6. What do you enjoy most about being a Wellness Champion?
Sharing knowledge and opportunities with colleagues, and hanging out with all the very cool Wellness leaders and other Wellness Champions.
Kristy Miskimen

Senior Research Associate
Population and Quantitative Health Sciences
1. What does wellness mean to you?
To me, wellness means taking care of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally. It is an ongoing, lifelong process and will always ebb and flow.
2. What are your favorite wellness activities?
I love anything taught by Heidi Weiker, my stress management guru. I also like any kind of physical activity challenge that helps motivate me to keep moving my body.
3. How do you suggest others stick to their wellness goals in the new year?
I would say be honest with yourself and set small, achievable goals. Small, incremental changes can truly impact your health for the better.
4. What’s a simple thing people can do to take care of themselves?
It seems simple, but I would say be kind to yourself, though I’m aware this can be very challenging.
5. How do you motivate yourself?
I am very inspired by active people that are older than me. I look at them and think “that’s how I want to be when I’m 60/70/80.” It’s also important to have fun and try new things. I try to stay active by doing Zumba, yoga, and playing basketball—things I greatly enjoy.
6. What do you enjoy most about being a Wellness Champion?
The Wellness incentives offered at CWRU have been transformative for my personal health journey so I am grateful to Elizabeth [Click], Deanna [Duffy], and formerly Mary Ann [Dobbins] for having such a vibrant wellness program. Being a Champion gives me the best outlet to promote and advocate for wellness for CWRU employees.
Jason Steckel

Associate Director
Greek Life
1. What does wellness mean to you?
It means taking care of your whole self, physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually and relationally.
2. What are your favorite wellness activities?
Some of my favorite wellness activities are meditation, nature walks, dancing, biking, vulnerable conversations, cooking and eating healthy meals, a good cry or laugh, and word puzzles.
3. How do you suggest others stick to their wellness goals in the new year?
Start simple, be kind to yourself and get a few small wins. Find an easier goal to get the year started and then build on it. For example, set a goal to exercise a certain number of times in January. Make it a goal that will push you, but is easy to do. If you hit that goal, celebrate and build on it. If you miss the goal, forgive yourself and set another goal for February. I also think it’s important to find at least one cheerleader to encourage you to keep going, even when you want to give up.
4. What’s a simple thing people can do to take care of themselves?
Put time for yourself on the calendar or a task list, even if it’s just five minutes to meditate or take a quick walk. When we get busy, our own well-being is often the first thing we sacrifice. We schedule meetings and create to-do lists for work, but we often forget to block out time for ourselves. There are plenty of people and things clamoring for our attention, and if we don’t make our wellness a priority, those other things will crowd out taking care of ourselves.
5. How do you motivate yourself?
My motivation starts by reminding myself how much better I feel and show up in the world when I am feeling well. I also find that doing one thing to take care of myself motivates me to do more. For example, when I am getting up early to exercise, I tend to make better food choices. When I am meditating regularly, I tend to be more present and grateful.
The other thing that motivates me is using apps. Once I get a good streak going, I hate to break it. There were literally times last year when I would jog around my house in my pajamas at 9 p.m. for five minutes to close my rings on my Apple Watch.
6. What do you enjoy most about being a Wellness Champion?
I am a relatively new Wellness Champion, but what I have enjoyed so far is the positive and encouraging attitudes of other Wellness Champions.
Anita Zaremba

Director
Research and Competitive Award Development
1. What does wellness mean to you?
I think wellness means feeling capable, calm and able to tackle both physical and mental challenges without too much trouble.
2. What are your favorite wellness activities?
Hands down, walking and hiking as a means to both exercise and work toward a calm, clear state of mind. The other is sleeping, which is incredibly important in nervous system maintenance and basically, all biological systems repair. I can accomplish twice as much when I’m rested than I can when I’m burning out, and there are real, organic reasons for this as we are all learning when we don’t take care of ourselves.
3. How do you suggest others stick to their wellness goals in the new year?
Many goals are abstract ideas that need to be broken down into smaller, actionable tasks. Weight loss always comes to mind after the holidays, but building muscle, for example, which might not be reflected in a loss on the scale, might just be the engine needed long-term to fuel calorie burning.
I think incrementally working on one goal, mastering that and adding another is helpful. More importantly, remembering that every day is a new day and if yesterday didn’t work out, try again. There can be intervening factors (flu, for example) that might knock you off schedule, but then you need to be flexible and revise your schedule to allow for that intervening event. And you need to continue to be flexible when things don’t go your way. You may need to keep pressing that reset button until a new habit sticks.
4. What’s a simple thing people can do to take care of themselves?
Sleep. Truly one of the most important things you can do for yourself. Good sleep hygiene is critical for keeping a positive attitude.
5. How do you motivate yourself?
Positive self-talk or reaching out to others who will give me a boost. Everyone has days that don’t go as planned, but if you can start the day with a list of priorities, and make self-care a part of that list, then you’re more likely to accomplish it. At the end of the day, go over the list and think about what you have accomplished, not about what you haven’t accomplished. That gets put onto tomorrow’s list. If you can prioritize according to the Eisenhower matrix, you’ll reduce your stress levels.
6. What do you enjoy most about being a Wellness Champion?
I really like learning new things in a group. It’s humanizing and reminds me that we’re all learners in life and that none of our goals for wellness are “one and done.” They all require consistency, and having a group of like-minded individuals around can carry you when you don’t have the energy. Also, sometimes you may think you can’t (walk 44,000 steps in a day!) and then when you start to work with others who have accomplished goals you haven’t yet, you find out that you can! Which helps you level up.