Events

Format: Online keynote and panel

As we live longer, retirement is evolving from a period of rest and relaxation into an opportunity for continued growth and fulfillment. This shift calls for a more holistic approach to retirement planning, one that includes the often-overlooked non-financial aspects. How will you spend this new chapter of life meaningfully? How will you integrate purpose, connection, and personal growth into your retirement plan?

Join Waterloo alumni Simon Chan (BA ‘98) and Kyra Jones (BSc ‘09, PhD ‘14), both featured recently in Waterloo Magazine, along with special guest retirees including Mike Drak, Canadian best-selling author on the non-financial aspects of retirement, and Waterloo Retiree and former OHD Director, Katrina Di Gravio, on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. for a thought-provoking webinar on reimagining retirement. Listen to retirees share their experiences, learn about the non-financial considerations that are crucial for a fulfilling retirement, and participate in a live Q&A.

Open to all Waterloo staff interested in learning about retirement for themselves or supporting others to reframe their retirement planning.

Format: In-person event

For a Keeping Well at Work special event, join us, in partnership with the Cultivating Talent: A Mentorship Collective, for an interactive morning with guest speaker Natalie Stuart from Connect2You to learn about building your personal brand, ways to invest in cultivating meaningful connections with others, and strategies to ensure you are gaining access to a diversity of perspectives throughout your personal and professional life.

Open to all Waterloo staff interested in learning about building their personal brand, cultivating meaningful connections, and leveraging diverse perspectives to grow professionally are invited to join this engaging and interactive session.

Format: In-person workshop

Join us for a unique workshop focused on mindful creativity in the workplace. Join facilitator and artist Zack Sandor-Kerr to explore his reverse colouring book experiences, where you doodle and draw over beautiful blobs of shape and colour. In the workshop, we will learn and develop some tools for mindful creativity, and experience the refreshing and mood-boosting power of a mid-day art break.

If you hear “making art” and typically run the other way, this session is especially for you. No experience or (perceived) skill is required. Just come and doodle.

All participants will receive their own copy of Zack’s “Not A Colouring Book.”

Format: In-person and virtual components

More than ever, strategies for coping with stress, managing your wellbeing and creating healthy habits are needed. The goal of Deep Health: Small Group Coaching is to support and educate the university community about improving individual wellbeing. This 10-week program aims to bring people together in conversation to focus on their individual health. Health coaching will help you establish, or fine-tune behaviours and habits related to sleep, stress management, nutrition, physical activity, recovery, and more.  

While not a requirement, it is strongly recommended that you have attended the Deep Health: Setting the Foundation workshop in advance. 

Format: In-person workshop

Join us for a unique workshop focused on mindful creativity in the workplace. Join facilitator and artist Zack Sandor-Kerr to explore his reverse colouring book experiences, where you doodle and draw over beautiful blobs of shape and colour. In the workshop, we will learn and develop some tools for mindful creativity, and experience the refreshing and mood-boosting power of a mid-day art break.

If you hear “making art” and typically run the other way, this session is especially for you. No experience or (perceived) skill is required. Just come and doodle.

All participants will receive their own copy of Zack’s “Not A Colouring Book.”

Format: Online session

This session will share, in an accessible, digestible way, the current state of knowledge around airborne illness and how we can protect ourselves against it, both in our workplaces and in our daily lives. Attendees will learn practical strategies for protecting themselves against airborne illness, and will be introduced to a range of community and campus resources they can rely upon to assess the quality of the air and protect themselves against airborne transmission. WIN: One workshop attendee will be randomly selected to win an air purifier for use in their campus space!

Format: Online session

Chefs Donna Shin and Mari-Beth Davis are hosting a fun and interactive virtual cooking class where you’ll learn how to craft your own delicious, fresh poke bowl. Whether you're a seafood lover or prefer plant-based options, you will be guided through the process step by step, helping you create a balanced, vibrant, and healthy dish with your choice of tuna, salmon, shrimp, or tofu as your base. 

Format: In-person workshop

Inspired to grow your own garden but don’t know where to start? This introductory and experiential workshop led by Monica Vesely will show participants how to start growing plants from seed and provide tips on how to do so successfully. Spots are limited! Necessary gardening materials will be provided.

Format: Online workshop

Practicing self-compassion is sometimes viewed as being self-indulgent, self-absorbed or letting ourselves off easy. In fact, self-compassion enables us to evaluate our experiences more rationally and also kicks in to help us develop more effective solutions for making things better. Research shows that practicing self-compassion is a powerful tool for motivation and is strongly related to psychological well-being, including increased life satisfaction and resilience and decreased anxiety and depression. Join this session to learn about how to start implementing self-compassion in your own life.