University-Wide Initiatives

Spring 2025 Programs

2 options available!

Mondays, January 13 – May 5, 2025 (skipping MLK Day & Spring Break – March 17th)
12:30-1:00p (ET) 
Join Online HERE: https://iu.zoom.us/j/4827247576

Instructor: Leslie Flowers

These 30-minute drop-in Zoom sessions are an opportunity to relax, restore, and re-charge to meet our daily lives with inner peace and balance. Together, we will practice the relaxation tools of conscious breathing, meditation, and chair yoga. No previous experience necessary.

OR

Thursdays, January 16 - May 8, 2025 (skipping week of March 20 for Spring Break)
12:15-12:45 p.m. (ET)
Live online at  https://iu.zoom.us/j/99813946997?pwd=SWdnYkQreXNiKzBpejd1WWlNeFhnZz09

Facilitator: Linda F. Brown, PhD, HSPP; clinical health psychologist and certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction instructor 

You are warmly welcome to participate in these 30-minute sessions that include 15 to 20 minutes of guided mindfulness meditation practice plus a short reading about mindfulness. This is offered on a drop-in basis; you can join us whenever it fits your needs and/or circumstances, no advance notice required. We hope you will benefit from this span of stillness to relax and refocus in the midst of your workday. Participants are muted throughout the session; we encourage you to have cameras on to create a sense of community.

Mondays, January 13 - May 19, 2025 (skipping MLK Day and spring break)
10a-11a (ET)
Where: Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Roehm Family Art-Making Studio (2nd floor)

Add Mindful Mondays at Eskenazi to your Calendar Now

Join us at the museum and mentally prepare for the week by making art or journaling and make some time to check in with yourself!

The art studio will be open and equipped with art activities meant to help you feel more balanced and in control, while the nearby Martin Commons will have some yoga mats available for light stretching (when space allows).

Hosted by Keaton Evans-Black, Arts-Based Wellness Experiences Manager

Thursday, January 16, 2025
1:00 - 2:00 PM (ET)
Online

 Register for Start Strong, Stay Committed Webinar Now

Many resolutions fade by the second Friday of January. Join us to reset and stay on track. We’ll share insights and WW tools to keep you motivated and committed to your wellness goals all year long. Make this your best year yet by staying the course!

This webinar is hosted by WW (WeightWatchers).

Wednesdays, January 22 - April 30, 2025
12:30 - 1:00 p.m. (ET)
Online

Register for Nutrition Nuggets Now

Join Registered Dietitian Steven Lalevich on Wednesdays for a nutrition conversation via Zoom. Each week, we’ll explore a nutrition topic and open up the dialogue for Q&A. No need to attend every session; join us when you can.

Mondays, January 27 - March 3, 2025
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (ET)
Online

Register for Mindful Self-Compassion Now

We are all good at attending to the needs of those around us, but we are often very hard on ourselves. And that is a set up for things like burnout, stress, and resentment. Research shows that people who adopt self-compassion practices have less depression and anxiety and are more likely to experience positive mind states like happiness and life satisfaction. Mindful Self-Compassion is a training developed by Kristen Neff, Ph.D., of the University of Texas at Austin, and Christopher Germer, Ph.D., of Harvard. It is a research-proven 6-week course with each session lasting an hour.

Please join us for this chance to re-learn how to include yourself in your own circle of caring.

The course provides a number of ways to bring self-compassion into even the most stressful moments. Here is a breakdown of the classes:

  • Session 1: Exploring what self-compassion is and seeing how it does or does not show up for us, and then looking at ways to cultivate it.
  • Session 2: Seeing how to bring more self-compassion into our lives with simple, easy to implement practices that can be done in the moment.
  • Session 3: Looking at ways to work with the inner critic and to find our inner compassionate voice.
  • Session 4: Using self-compassion to work with difficult emotions.
  • Session 5: Investigating caregiver fatigue and burnout, and how self-compassion can remind us to offer care to ourselves as we attend to the needs of others.
  • Session 6: Exploring the importance of our core values, and how self-compassion can help when we can’t completely live in alignment with those values. We will also look at the resources available to maintain a self-compassion practice.

Facilitator: Jonathan Walker, MD; Clinical Assistant Professor, Indiana University School of Medicine, Fort Wayne; Certified Mindfulness Facilitator, International Mindfulness Teacher's Association

Tuesdays, January 28 – April 8, 2025 (skipping March 18th for Spring Break)
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM (ET)
Online

Register for the Prevent T2 Now

Prevent T2 is a 10-week lifestyle change program based on movement and eating habits. It is designed for people with pre-diabetes, but also for people who are at high risk for type 2 diabetes and want to lower their risk.

In this program, you will learn strategies that fit YOUR life in an expert-led, confidential, small-group setting. Examples of sessions in this 10-week program: Simple lifestyle changes resulting in a healthy you; Food choices that energize you and meet your goals; Group motivation and individual mentoring.

Note: If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, learn more about the Livongo diabetes management program available through IU benefits.

Instructor: Betty Klein, CCWS, Health and Wellness Specialist

Orientation  
Friday, January 31
Noon - 1:00 p.m. (ET)
Online

Classes
Fridays, February 7 - March 14
Noon - 1:00 p.m. (ET)
Online

Register for Mindful Way to Stress Reduction Now

A growing body of research has shown that mindfulness meditation practice improves concentration and focus and may lead to greater well-being, less reactivity to stress, and fewer symptoms of anxiety, depression, fatigue, and sleep disturbance.

This program focuses on:

  • Recognizing and addressing stressful situations effectively “on the spot”
  • Managing chronic stress
  • Improving focus and communication
  • Enhancing mind-body wellness

Employees are invited to the orientation, which is the first session, to assess if this class meets their needs. The class is free to IU employees committed to attending the weekly sessions. The class is an adaptation of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, the program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn and the Center for Mindfulness, University of Massachusetts.

Facilitator: Leslie Flowers

Tuesday, February 4, 2025
1:00 – 4:00 PM (ET)
Online

 Register for Anxiety at Work – Training for People Leaders Now

This training is recommended for people leaders. This training will help leaders create an emotionally safe place to work and build a resilient work culture for their teams. Participants will learn how to spot rising anxiety levels among their team members; ease the concerns of employees who are overwhelmed or worried about the future; and engage in effective conversations about emotions in uncertain times. This training will illustrate how everyone at all levels can work together to build an environment that fosters camaraderie, productivity, and calm.

Those who attend the session can opt in to receive a free copy of the book "Anxiety at Work: 8 Strategies to Help Teams Build Resilience, Handle Uncertainty, and Get Stuff Done" by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton through campus mail after the training.

This training will not be recorded to allow for a more comfortable environment for attendees to engage with the content.

Instructor: Catherine Matthews, JD, Ph.D., Sr. Consultant, Talent and Organization Development, IU Human Resources Sara Kinder, MSW, LCSW, Work + Life Coordinator for Healthy IU, IU Human Resources

Register for one of two separate sessions:
Friday, February 7, 2025
2:30 – 4:00 PM (ET)

 OR

Friday, February 28, 2025
2:30 – 4:00 PM (ET)

Where: IUB, Indiana Memorial Union (IMU), Bowling & Billiards

If you have never bowled before or just need some extra tips to improve your game, this is the program for you. This fun and interactive program is designed to teach the rules and 4-step approach of bowling. The session will include time to actively practice skills and concepts with the guidance of a coach. Socks are required. Bowling shoes will be provided. Hosted by IMU Bowling & Billiards

Instructor: Ryan Clemons is the Manager for the IMU Bowling Alley and has received his Gold level bowling instruction certification.

Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Noon - 1:00 p.m. (ET)
Online

Register for QPR Training Now

QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer — the 3 simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. People trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help.

What will you learn?

  • How to get help for yourself or learn more about preventing suicide The common causes of suicidal behavior
  • The warning signs of suicide
  • How to get help for someone in crisis

This training is a live, virtual Zoom session led by an IUB Prevention Insights instructor.

Tuesday, February 18, 2025 
12-1 PM (ET)
Online

Register for How to be a Savvy Consumer Now

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be expensive or time consuming. In this presentation, we’ll discuss healthy food choices, grocery shopping tips, nutrition label reading, and strategies for planning and preparing healthy meals and snacks.

Instructor:  Steven Lalevich, RD

Wednesdays, February 19 - March 12, 2025
10:30-11:30 a.m. (ET)
Online

Register for Winter’s Breath: A Mindfulnes Journey from Winter to Spring Now

Join us for 4-week introductory course designed to help you cultivate mindfulness practices that can enhance both personal and professional well-being. As we transition from the stillness of winter to the awakening of spring, this class offers a supportive and engaging environment to start your journey. Whether you are new to mindfulness or looking to deepen your practice, you'll find a space to renew your sense of peace and balance through guided mindfulness exercises and reflective practices.

Instructor: Natalie Rollman, MAEd Clinical Education Specialist Department of Family Medicine and Patricia K. Kinney Assistant Dean of Diversity & Inclusion Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law

Tuesday, February 25, 2025
11:00 – 11:30 AM (ET)
Online

Register for Chinese Finger Exercises Now

From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, there are six pairs of meridian channels going through the hands. Finger exercises can facilitate the flow of energy through these channels and stimulate the brain.

Instructor: Jing Wang; Associate Professor, IUI World Languages and Cultures

Friday, March 7, 2025
8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. (ET)
Online

Register for Adult MHFA Now

Mental Health First Aid is an 8-hour course that provides information on how to assist someone experiencing a mental health concern and practices how to approach a crisis until professional help can arrive.

What will you learn? Signs and symptoms of mental health disorders; How to reduce stigma; The impact of trauma and addiction; How to support a person with a mental health disorder and connect them to care; How to recognize, react and respond to mental health issues and crisis.

This training is a live, virtual Zoom session. Prior to attending the live training, participants must complete a two hour, online, self-paced course.

Who should attend? This training is tailored for individuals that live or work in Allen, Boone, Carroll, Clinton, Fayette, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Morgan, Owen, Scott, Tippecanoe, and/ or White County and interacts with adults in the general population.

This training is provided by IUB Prevention Insights.

Wednesday, March 26, 2025
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (ET)
Online

Register for Understanding Your Aging Parents Now

In this session, participants will learn how to recognize the signs of situations that might need to be addressed, along with tips, considerations, and crucial questions to ask your aging parent. Topics covered include home safety to maintain independence and understanding the impact of the losses associated with aging.

Instructor: Marcy Carlson, M.A., Associate Faculty, IUI & IUFW Health and Human Sciences; Professor Carlson has a M.A. in Adult, Community, and Higher Education as well as Applied Gerontology from Ball State University

Wednesdays (3-part series)

March 26 from Noon-1:30p (ET)
April 2 from Noon-1p (ET)
April 9 from Noon-1p (ET)

Where: IU Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Virgil T. DeVault Programs Room 111

Register for Awake at Work: Everyday Mindfulness Now

This is a workshop about ATTENTION as currency and the choices we make about how to spend it. The capacity to do things on autopilot or by rote habit is a wonderful gift we humans enjoy; yet it can be quite costly if we are not awake to its effects on well-being. Fortunately, we also have the capacity to step out of the trance of autopilot at times if we set an intention to do so and put it into daily practice.

We will meet in-person to explore together the practical ways of being awake to our moments when it matters, equipping us to meet stressors mindfully and be less likely to miss the daily opportunities for connection, awe, and gratitude. An examination of our relationship to technology will be included. There will be mini-lectures, in-session mindfulness exercises, and small and large-group discussions. Participants will be invited to fold a few practical mindfulness practices into their everyday activities between sessions—practices that do not require adding anything to the to-do list.

Instructor: Linda F. Brown, Ph.D., HSPP; clinical health psychologist and certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction instructor

Tuesday, April 1, 2025
12 – 1 PM (ET)
Online

Register for Nutrition for Dental Health Now

Did you know that your dental health affects your overall health, including your risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease? In this presentation, we’ll discuss dietary strategies for promoting healthy teeth and gums that will benefit your whole body.

Instructor:  Steven Lalevich, RD

Tuesday, April 8, 2025
1:00 – 2:00 PM (ET)
Online

Register for Vapes, Pouches, & IQOs Now

Tobacco use has evolved, and young people (and adults) today are using products you might not even know about—like vapes, heat-not-burn devices, and nicotine pouches (e.g., Zyn). Led by a tobacco expert, this workshop will dive into what these products are, how they work, and why they’re so addictive. You’ll learn about the serious health risks, the cost of addiction, and the growing popularity of these products among youth and why ongoing legislation matters so much in this space. This session will arm you with knowledge to know what/how to ask about or listen for regarding modern tobacco and how to have conversations with young people (or others) in your life about it.

Instructor: Deborah Hudson Buckles, CPAHA, NCNTT, Tobacco Control Branch Lead, Office of Community Outreach and Engagement Project Director, Rethink Tobacco Indiana Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist

Wednesday, April 9, 2025
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (ET)
Online

Register for the Sandwich Generation Webinar Now

Many people today will face having to take care of an elderly relative while they are still taking care of their own children. This is known as the “Sandwich Generation”. This presentation will discuss how to collect information, communicate with compassion, be proactive and respectful, and cope with the issues people in the Sandwich Generation must face.

This webinar is provided by Supportlinc EAP.

Friday, April 11, 2025
10:00 AM – Noon (ET)
Online

Register for Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR): Suicide Prevention Training Now

Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) is an evidenced-based skills training program to reduce suicide. This is an online, 2-hour training to help recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. The skills in this program can be applied to prevent suicide deaths within your work and larger community and amongst family and friends.

Learning Objectives:

-Understand the common myths and facts surrounding suicidal behavior.

-Understand risk factors of suicide and knowledge of protective factors.

-Recognize and identify warning signs that someone is at risk for suicide.

-Increase knowledge of referral sources and how to refer someone for help.

-Demonstrate implementation of the progressive QPR steps.

Those who attend the full training and complete a survey with their campus mailing address will receive a QPR booklet and additional materials through campus mail. This training will not be recorded.

Instructor: Sara Kinder, MSW, LCSW, Work + Life Coordinator for Healthy IU, IU Human Resources

Monday, April 14, 2025
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (ET)
Online

Register for the Managing Eldercare Responsibilities Webinar Now

It’s not uncommon for one family member to be the primary caregiver for an older relative. This presentation will teach attendees how to identify and access available resources, whether that be other family members or additional caregiving options.

This webinar is provided by Supportlinc EAP.

Friday, April 25, 2025
Noon – 1 PM (ET)
Online

Register for Reducing Mom-Guilt & Catching Joy Instead

In this presentation, we’ll dive into the messy, beautiful world of "mom guilt"—that overwhelming feeling that no matter how hard we try, we’re somehow falling short. Whether it’s balancing career and family, making time for ourselves, or just trying to be "a good mom," the guilt can feel all-consuming.

Together, we’ll explore where these feelings come from, how they shape our mental health, and most importantly, how we can rewrite the story with more self-compassion and less pressure. It's time to give ourselves permission to be imperfect—and in doing so, discover the power of embracing our authentic, beautifully flawed selves.

Instructor: Dr. Beth Trammell, PhD, HSPP, IUE Associate Professor of Psychology, Director, MA in Mental Health Counseling Program

If you are interested in participating in the Indy Mini and/or 500 Festival Miler Series this spring, an IU team was created as part of the 500 Festival Employee Wellness Challenge. This is open to all IU employees.

Register through this link to join the ‘Indiana University Indianapolis’ team for a discounted registration rate. If you register via the general website or have already registered, the team will show up in the employer pulldown list, but you will not receive the discounted rate. The discounted registration rates end by 4/27.

Discounted registration rates through the Employee Wellness Challenge:

  • Mini-Marathon: $75
  • 5K: $35
  • Mini Maniac Challenge: $155
  • Mega Mini Challenge: $130
  • Greatest Spectacle Challenge: $190
  • Miler Series: $65
  • Virtual Miler Series: $60

Please contact IU Team Captain, Brendan Maxcy, for questions: bmaxcy@iu.edu

Other Programs

Care Talks, by Care.com, provide advice and guidance from expert speakers to help you better care for yourself and your family.

There are seven monthly Care Talks on the following themes:

  1. Child Care and Parenting
  2. Disability and Neurodiversity
  3. Aging and Adult Care
  4. Financial Wellness
  5. Your healthy Lifestyle
  6. Emotional Wellness
  7. Succeed at Work

Click to see the monthly Care Talks

Watch these free, pre-recorded sessions of EAP’s most popular topics. 

Sign up to receive access to the recordings.

  • January - Healthy Habits: New Year's Resolutions

  • February - Resiliency: Building Resilience for Optimal Performance

  • March - Addiction Awareness: Understanding Addiction

  • April - Empathy: Compassion Fatigue

  • May - Mental Health 101: R U OK Overview for the Workplace

  • June - Understanding Diversity: Understanding Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging: What They Really Mean

  • July - Workplace Stress: Dealing with Difficult People

  • August - School-Life Balance: Navigating Return to School

  • September - Grief and Loss: Coping with Grief

  • October - Depression: Understanding Depression

  • November - Holiday Mental Health: Holiday Survival Guide

  • December - Boundaries: Healthy Workplace Relationships & Developing Supportive Connection

Learning to provide current IU staff, faculty, and students with access to an online library of more than 15,000 expert-led video tutorial and courses.  Expand and improve your business, technology and creative skills on your schedule, from any device, anywhere.

Access the learning library here.

If you are interested in accessing pre-recorded webinars, please browse our Healthy IU webinars and recordings here.  

Year Round Programs

SupportLinc Employee Assistance Program (EAP), administered by CuraLinc Healthcare, is a confidential resource that provides 24/7 access to professional counseling and referrals.

Learn more about EAP here.

IU is excited to offer WW as a covered benefit, year-round, at no cost to you! Core and Premium options are available.

Learn more about WW here.

Offered throughout the year, excluding June & July. Sessions last approximately 1 hour.

Learn more about 1:1 Nutrition Counseling here.

Whether you have pre-diabetes, diabetes, or simply want to focus on prevention, there are resources at every stage.

Learn more about Diabetes Management here.

Livongo, available at no cost to IU medical plan members, helps you manage hypertension using a smart blood pressure monitor, personalized action plan, and expert coaching. 

Learn more Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) Management here

These webinars are designed to increase financial literacy while focusing on actionable steps to develop healthier financial habits. Open to all ages and career stages.

Learn more about the financial wellness series here.

These webinars are targeted to IU faculty and staff who are ready to learn how to prepare for the years and months leading up to retirement and navigate the transition from employee to retiree.

Learn more about Road to Retirement series here.

As many tobacco users know, kicking the habit is not easy. But success rates increase with every attempt to quit. There are resources and support systems to help you quit tobacco!

Learn more about tobacco cessation here.

Check out our events calendar!

Explore upcoming programs from Healthy IU, IU Human Resources, and our benefits vendors on our Events Calendar.