Lisa R's Story

While some need a spark to ignite their passion for well-being, for Lisa Rhoades it has always been that way, pursuing not only quantity of life but good quality of life. Rhoades, the coordinator of Veteran Support Services at OU, is an avid runner who has been walking and taking aerobics classes since as early as her 20s.

When it comes to OU’s employee programs, Rhoades likes the “Rec Well philosophy.”

“I love that it's there for me. I did a ‘Couch to 5k’ last year, even though I run half marathons, I just needed something different. And I wanted to run with other people and get to know other runners on campus,” she says.

“It made me a stronger, better runner and honestly I was really surprised by that. Because I've been running for 15 years, but I needed to do something different and I'm so glad I did. I've increased my pace, I can run longer for stretches because I'm an interval runner,” Rhoades adds.

Rhoades also participates in the Annual Poker Walks, as well as the pick-up Pickleball games that are offered by OU Rec Well.

Aside from physical well-being, Rhoades believes that well-being is an all-encompassing part of your life including spiritual, emotional, physical, and even relationships. When it comes to the mental and emotional side of it, she is able to feel great from her work.

“There's just a real positive, caring group of people and that makes me want to come to work every day,” she says.