2/22/22, 3:22 PM Self-care for your ears - JMU

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Self-care for your ears

SUMMARY:
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UREC Health Promotion—formerly known as The Well—created the Well Dukes

podcast as a resource for disseminating health information and to encourage
further exploration of topics.

By Kristen Essex

Jordan McCann first had the idea of a health-and-wellness podcast in summer

2020. McCann, the assistant director for sexual and relationship health at the
University Recreation Center, wanted to offer students an alternative to traditional
health promotion programs affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

UREC Health Promotion

—formerly known as The Well—created the
Well Dukes
podcast as a resource for disseminating
health information and to encourage further
exploration of topics, ranging from sleep and
eating disorders to sex education and
demystifying sexually transmitted diseases.

McCann and this year’s co-host, MaryGrace

Johnson, emphasize that the topic of health
and well-being on college campuses is about
more than just sex and drugs. For example, a podcast episode titled “Self-Care
and Self-Medication” covered the differences between the two and how self-care
is an important area to develop, especially in our current times, with mental
health being so important. The podcast helps Dukes adapt to a changing world
by making health-related information available anywhere, anytime.

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“I am excited that my position allows me to provide credible information and

education on the wellness topics [that] college students want to learn,” said
Johnson, the graduate assistant for health promotion.

New episodes of
Well Dukes
air every other Wednesday and can be found on popular podcast platforms like
Apple Podcasts
,
Google Podcasts
and
Spotify
. Information can be found on UREC’s Instagram account (
@jmuurec
), where the team posts updates and takes episode requests through direct
message.

"The podcast does an

amazing job breaking
down complex health
information into
simpler bits of
knowledge that can
help me improve my
own health."
— Carly Sines, JMU senior

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Often, students who share a passion for wellness are featured on the podcast.
Other guests are pulled from different areas of campus, including faculty
members, the University Health Center and the Counseling Center. “I enjoy
chatting with professionals and students about their passion areas. I learn
something new every episode as well!” Johnson said.

Well Dukes
has made it possible to stay informed about health-related subjects during a time
of uncertainty, when many well-being has suffered for many. Johnson stressed
the importance of college students obtaining credible information on their
interests. It is easy to get “lost in Google sources,” she said. The podcast is
designed to help JMU students understand that there are many resources
available for them.

Well Dukes
has created a safe space to cope with difficult issues that a student might not
want to have a conversation about or admit that they are struggling with, which is
why a podcast can be the perfect platform.

JMU senior Carly Sines said, "I love the

Well Dukes
podcast! The podcast does an amazing job breaking down complex health
information into simpler bits of knowledge that can help me improve my own
health.”

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Jordan McCann, assistant director for sexual and relationship health at UREC, first
 had the idea of a health-and-wellness podcast in summer 2020.

In addition to the
Well Dukes
podcast, UREC Health Promotion offers wellness services and programs such as
the
21st Birthday Program
,
Green Dot
bystander intervention and wellness coaching. The primary goal is prevention.
Programming aims to educate students to make healthy decisions to avoid pitfalls
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like substance misuse. The hosts promote proactive measures and ensure that
their services are nonjudgmental, useful resources.

“With health promotion, it is important to acknowledge that students know

themselves best,” McCann said. “We are here to provide information and
resources that can assist and equip JMU students with the knowledge they need
to make their best-informed decisions. This includes conversations that can
challenge how they think and what they do around their own health and well-
being.”

Well Dukes’
mission is to “provide information, programming and services to JMU students
that helps them lead healthy and productive lives,” which is a direct correlation to
JMU’s mission statement
. Both emphasize students leading productive lives.

Well Dukes
hopes to grow its audience and continue the conversation about these important
issues. UREC Health Promotion intends to expand its reach to the student body
and ensure students understand that its services are inclusive and open to all.

James Madison University

Wilson Hall

951 Madison Drive

Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807

Email Us

(540) 568-6211
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Published: Tuesday, January 4, 2022

Last Updated: Thursday, January 20, 2022

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