Wellness and Personal Development
About
With a mission and vision of personal and professional potential realized for all, wellness is foundational for the work of the Center for Human and Organizational Potential. The wellness pillar is led by two co-directors, Dr. Jody Lack and Ms. Tracie Johnson. Since joining cHOP in July of 2023, Jody and Tracie have worked to increase awareness of the importance of wellness at SIU School of Medicine through the creation of a Wellness Advisory Board. The Board, consisting of individuals from various backgrounds, works to build community and a sense of belonging, as well as design and facilitate wellness initiatives that support principle administrators, civil service, learners and faculty.
Optimal wellness in a specific area means that you're living your best life possible with regard to that aspect. Acknowledging that wellness means different things to different people, cHOP focuses on four key areas of wellness: financial, mental & intellectual, physical, and social wellbeing.
Services provided
The wellness pillar provides numerous services to facilitate growth at both individual and organizational levels. In addition to the services listed below, Jody and Tracie enjoy collaborating with offices and departments to create an initiative that addresses a specific area or need.
Coaching
Coaching is a process that builds self-reliance, intuition, and analytical/problem solving skills, helping a person grow through personal reflection and discovery, thus seeing circumstances from a new perspective and moving forward with newly gained knowledge. Through the use of powerful questions, coaching allows for answers to come from the coachee themselves.
In October '23, Jody and Tracie completed coaching training through an International Coaching Federation certified program, Positive Coaching Solutions. Jody and Tracie are available for coaching. To request a session please email
Workshops and initiatives
Jody and Tracie have developed several workshops to help facilitate improved wellness for the people at SIU-SOM. Most workshops are available free of charge to offices and departments and can be used for personal growth and/or professional development offerings.
Growth mindset - A 40-minute workshop that presents the importance mindset plays in our wellness/success and discusses two common mindsets, fixed mindset and growth mindset.
Growth mindset - Overcoming Barriers - A follow-up workshop to Growth Mindset that presents common pitfalls people encounter that prevents them from continually operating from a growth mindset.
Self-care and rest - A interactive workshop that presents the importance and practical steps to self-care.
PACE Palette - An interactive session that allows participants to discover their dominant colors (personality types) and provides helpful communication and collaboration guides for working with others from all color categories. Pace palette has a cost per participant.
Healthy eating initiative with Culinary Medicine - A workshop focused on physical wellness, the Healthy Eating workshop invites participants to create and enjoy a healthy meal together. The session is provided by Dr. Stacy Sattovia and Ms. Charlyn Ware, and the cost of food must be covered by the office/department requesting the workshop.
Wellness areas
Financial wellbeing
Personal wellness is directly influenced by the amount of stress we experience on a daily basis. According to a stress report by the American Psychological Association, 71% of Americans identify money as a significant cause of stress in their lives. cHOP provides resources to assist people gain financial wellness.
Mental and intellectual wellbeing
Mental and intellectual wellbeing is our ability to cope well psychologically with the everyday stresses of life and open our minds to new ideas and experiences that can be applied to personal decisions, group interaction, and community betterment. cHOP promotes mental and intellectual wellbeing through coaching, mentorship, and various workshops that strengthen wellness in these areas.
Physical wellbeing
Physical wellbeing is the ability to care for your physical body through practices such as yoga, exercise, nutrition, and reduction of harmful behaviors. cHOP works to promote and motivate individuals to take advantage of the offerings at SIU-SOM and as State of Illinois employees focused on physical wellness.
Social wellbeing
Social wellbeing is the ability to build and maintain healthy relationships with others, and to have meaningful interactions with them. cHOP works to increase social wellbeing for learners and employees at SIU-SOM through activities that develop emotional intelligence and allow for meaningful connectiveness.