Professional News

Become More Resilient With HR Well-being Podcast

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 28, 2020) — A new podcast series from University of Kentucky Human Resources, called "Becoming Wildly Resilient," explores different well-being topics each month through conversations with experts in our university community. The podcast is hosted by wellness specialist Jakob W. Hester.

“We recognize many of our employees have schedules that keep them busy, particularly during this time, so we want to find new ways to meet them where they are,” Hester said. “A podcast allows listeners to listen when they have time, whether in the car, walking, exercising or cooking a meal.”

“We all face challenges from time to time,” he continued. “Resilience is how we grow through what life throws at us, and it’s a skill we can learn and practice. Through this series, we hope to normalize some of the common challenges we face and provide strategies and resources to thrive at work, home and beyond.”

The podcast episodes focus on increasing resilience by providing tools to improve physical, mental, emotional, nutritional and financial well-being.

Four episodes have already been released, including a special episode during “Recognize and Recharge”:

  • The first episode, “Living Truthfully” with UK HR health coach Jackie Hanson, discusses our desire to return to “normal” and how we can deal with these feelings. 
  • In the second episode, “Mindset to Move,” Carrie Davidson, MoveWell fitness manager, shares tips for building movement into your life and how fitness increases resilience. 
  • The third episode, “Caring for Yourself and Others,” features Azetta Beatty, HR Work-Life manager, and Terri Weber, an elder care specialist with HR Work-Life. They discuss how self-care is essential to balancing the demands of work and caring for others.
  • In a bonus episode, "Presenting: Recognize and Recharge" Jakob Hester shares the story behind events and tools offered by Human Resources and Staff Senate to strengthen well-being, individually and collectively. 

You can listen and subscribe here on the Human Resources website or wherever you find your podcasts. New episodes will be released on the second Tuesday of every month.

“With the launch of 'Becoming Wildly Resilient,' we hope the UK community will find episodes that resonate with them and walk away with information that encourages them to learn and grow in their own well-being during these times of uncertainty,” said Jody Ensman, program manager of UK HR Health and Wellness. “Everyone has the capacity to become more resilient and we, UK HR well-being, want to provide support to make that possible.”

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.