Wellness In Every Season

Episode 149:Parks and Recreation Wellness Programs

• Autumn Carter/ Frederick County Parks and Rec • Season 1 • Episode 149

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Episode 149: Exploring Wellness Opportunities at Parks and Rec

Wellness doesn’t have to be complicated—or expensive. In this conversation, Autumn welcomes Sarah Delise and Jen Shell from Frederick County Parks & Recreation to show how community programs can support real-life wellbeing for every age and stage.

You’ll hear Sarah and Jen’s personal journeys into parks and recreation, why every day feels different (in the best way), and how they co-create offerings based on what families actually need. We cover parent-friendly preschool drop-off classes, affordable swim lessons and camps, cooking nights in the teaching kitchen, chair yoga and social connection for active adults, and easy ways to sample new hobbies without long commitments. We also talk about the ripple effect—how small, local activities can boost social, emotional, and physical wellness for whole families and neighborhoods.

Not in Frederick County? No problem. You’ll get simple tips for finding similar programs wherever you live (or travel), plus ideas for stepping a little outside your routine to spark joy and community.

Follow along on social:

  • Frederick County Parks & Recreation: find them on Facebook and Instagram by searching the department name.
  • Autumn / Wellness In Every Season: @wellnessineveryseason

Explore programs and resources at your local parks & rec—and see what new season of wellness might be waiting for you.


For more wellness tips and exclusive content, join my newsletter! Sign up now at https://wellness-in-every-season.kit.com/5-days-to-mastering-mornings-and-evenings receive a free 5-day guide called "Awaken and Unwind: 5 Days to Mastering Life's Mornings and Evenings."

Episode 149: Exploring Wellness Opportunities at Parks and Rec

[00:00:00] Introduction to Wellness In Every Season

[00:00:00] Autumn Carter: This is episode 1 49.

[00:00:05] Welcome to Wellness In Every Season, the podcast where we explore the rich tapestry of wellness in all of its forms. I'm your host, autumn Carter, a certified life coach, turn wellness coach, as well as a certified parenting coach dedicated to empowering others to rediscover their identity in their current season of life.

[00:00:25] My goal is to help you thrive, both as an individual and as a parent.

[00:00:28] Autumn's Personal Journey with Parks and Rec

[00:00:28] Autumn Carter: I have with me two amazing people that I know from the Frederick County Parks and Rec Department, and I have my own story. I did not grow up in Maryland, not Frederick County. I grew up in Arizona. And my grandmother signed me up for so many different classes through Parks and Rec that I already had a love of it.

[00:00:53] So when I moved to Maryland and then had our surprise number three and moved [00:01:00] switch counties to Frederick County. We started looking into what's available, parks and rec wise, and this Frederick County has a lot of great offerings. Sarah, if you can see if you're watching the video, she's in the teaching kitchen.

[00:01:15] My husband and I have done several classes there, and then I think Jen is in. The main office, which I've been to, one of the two, and we've done a lot of different things here. We've done preschool programs, lots of other things. If you're not in Frederick County, I promise we'll still relate to you because like I said, I started in Arizona.

[00:01:38] I'm now partaking here. This is a government program. I will let them. Continue explaining what it is, how it relates to people, no matter where you live in the United States. So if you're not in the United States, I'm sure there's programs that are for you, but this is going to relate more to the United States.

[00:01:58] So tell us about Parks and Rec and [00:02:00] then after that tell us about your journeys. 'cause I know you both have quite a journey that has led you here to where you are. And I love how service oriented you are. So thanks for being on. 

[00:02:11] Sarah Delise: Thank you. 

[00:02:12] Meet Sarah and Jen from Frederick County Parks and Rec

[00:02:12] Sarah Delise: We're really honored to be able to be here with you today and we're passionate about what we do with Parks and Recreation.

[00:02:19] If you're someone who has not had the chance to connect with your local parks and recreation organization, you might not realize how much that we do. For us here, we're in Frederick County. We have wonderful parks that are just a space for you to be able to come and connect whether you're connecting with nature, you're connecting with friends, with family.

[00:02:43] You're just connecting with a place just to relax, just to be, or you're connecting with a program. That we might offer in one of our parks, and that's something we'll share. I'm sure as we go along a little bit, just how much we do. And that's something that my coworker Jen and I like to talk about and is wow, I can't [00:03:00] believe that we have as much as we do and we get to have as much fun in our jobs that we do.

[00:03:08] Jen Shell: Yes, totally agree. We each so Sarah oversees one portion. I oversee another portion. And what you'll learn to find out as we continue is that we both have the same job title, but our jobs are very different. And that's what's really fun about Parks and Rec as well. I oversee our preschool and youth enrichment programs, so that is a really fun part of, Sarah said.

[00:03:33] The every day is different. And so sometimes I just question, wow, I get to do this for a living. So it's great. 

[00:03:42] Sarah's Journey in Parks and Recreation

[00:03:42] Autumn Carter: Sarah, tell us about your journey. 

[00:03:45] Sarah Delise: Yeah. How I got into parks and recreation. Sure. So actually what is fun to share is that I grew up in Frederick County here and my grandmother worked for Roseville Manor.

[00:03:58] She was a docent, so that [00:04:00] meant that she was a guide. So school groups, any group that would come in to view the museum she would lead them through, tell 'em about the history of the museum, tell them a little bit about that time period. And so that was my first introduction to Frederick County Parks and Recreation was from her.

[00:04:16] And at the time, we had beautiful parks that we enjoyed. I actually remember when I came to interview for this position here. I showed pictures of myself probably at five or six years of age where I'm on roller blades at Middletown Park, and it was just really cool to be able to come full circle. But when I first started in Parks and Recreation, I actually went to school for outdoor recreation.

[00:04:38] So I love nature, I love the outdoors. Anything that I can do while being outside, I'm happy with. So I've worked for two other parks and recreation divisions prior. To being with Frederick County, and I originally started off in outdoor recreation, so that was planning different, whether it was kayaking, caving, rock climbing, [00:05:00] anything that you could have fun with and wear a helmet with.

[00:05:02] That was usually what I was planning. And I had the opportunity to be able to go to another organization that was a little bit closer to home and still do things with more of an outdoor nature's focus. And since I've been here with Frederick County Parks and Recreation, again, just to come full circle with as much as we do, I feel like I've truly been able to do everything.

[00:05:22] I've done sports, I've done archery programs for teens, programs for preschoolers, cooking, swim, fitness, dance martial arts, and. I've been with our organization now here, Frederick County, for eight years, and I can truly say that every day is something different. And being able to provide and serve our community in ways that I didn't even know were activities that people wanted to do.

[00:05:50] Things to always share about different ideas instructors come to us with and say do you think we could offer a class on this? And our answer is always, [00:06:00] yes. We'd love to offer that. So that's my journey altogether, is just being able to have a passion growing up for being able to connect in the outdoors being able just to enjoy different things that our community had to offer, and now I get to be that person to do that, which is super awesome.

[00:06:19] Jen's Story and the Connection to Wellness

[00:06:19] Autumn Carter: Jen, tell us your story and then afterwards let's talk about how it relates to wellness, because I feel like people might be starting to listening. They're like, okay, how does this relate to wellness? You have a wellness podcast, I promise. Hold on after Jen's story, and we will totally plug that in. 

[00:06:33] Jen Shell: Sure.

[00:06:34] Absolutely. Excited to share my story. I'm actually a little bit of a background. I participated as a parent a lot with Frederick County Parks and Rec. I remember taking my kids to Fountain Rock, little messy masterpieces. Some photos popped up the other day on my, facebook memories about taking the kids when they were younger to the trick or treating that they used to do it, I believe, at Old [00:07:00] National.

[00:07:01] And always had a love for Frederick County Parks and Rec as a mom. I. Was a classroom teacher in a public school system and was just really having a hard time finding my work life balance, which definitely ties into wellness. And as you can imagine, I was looking for something a little closer to home and as a Frederick County resident for

[00:07:27] 22 years. This was a great place and luckily the job opened up and so I am a career changer and joined Parks and Rec later in life after teaching for a while. So I'm just so excited 'cause I'm still able to be in the classroom. But then I also have the flexibility to attend my child's graduation and things like that a little bit more on a whim than writing sub plans.

[00:07:53] And God bless all the teachers. I have so much respect for everyone or for all of you in your [00:08:00] position. But that was how parks and rec fit into my wellness. But what I think is really good about is finding that balance. I'm able to provide that for my part-time staff and helping them with flexible careers.

[00:08:14] As Sarah said, people bring to us ideas of, Hey, I'd to teach this while my daughter is in eighth grade, and so I have time from eight to two, what could I offer? And I'm able to help them develop a program that helps fit the community needs. We also have a lot of drop off parents

[00:08:33] but as I said, our jobs can be pretty different. I provide drop off programs for preschoolers that actually allow parents to run out to Starbucks get a cup of coffee possibly go to the grocery store, maybe a doctor's appointment. And so we found a lot of parents have really taken advantage of that and really love that their child is in an enriching place and getting [00:09:00] a little bit of social time while they're able to.

[00:09:02] Recharge their battery. We even have an area where people can work and get some stuff done while their kids are in class. Sarah and I have worked also to create some programs that happen simultaneously. So maybe you can get in some yoga while your kiddos at preschool.

[00:09:21] Autumn Carter: I love that. I was actually talking to a mom. I don't know how many weeks ago now when my daughter was in gymnastics class, the gymnastics class when she originally opened was through Parks and Rec, but now it's no longer affiliated. And I was saying this would be so great if like we had yoga or something else going on while the kids were in class and she just looked at me.

[00:09:41] That'd be great. So yeah, I love that. And when my third kid was in the enrichment program. It was so great. I got so much work done while my toddler at the time, number four for me was playing with toys because of the way you set everything up. I made some mom friends while I was [00:10:00] there. It was great.

[00:10:00] I really loved it. That's when I got to know Sarah and she got to know my kids. 

[00:10:06] Jen Shell: Yeah, so that's how the position was born that our preschool department became a little more than Sarah could handle with all her other amazing programs that were going on. So I was able to take over the preschool and help it grow.

[00:10:22] But I love what you touched on about making mom friends too. Because we do have some toddler in me classes and it has been really fun to watch. The moms connect because it can be a very isolating time, when you're home with a toddler or home with three kids under five and all you want is a space to just feel heard and the conversations that kind of happen in the, lobby.

[00:10:49] It just warms my heart knowing as I was there, I have older kids, so I remember that chapter and knowing that I'm providing a space for the parents to just be [00:11:00] like, oh, we couldn't even put on shoes today. And then just feeling that relief of being like, oh, me too.

[00:11:07] Like something so little that I think it really helps our mental health a lot. 

[00:11:14] Autumn Carter: Just that being seen. Absolutely. That it totally goes into wellness. As you can tell, if you're looking at the video, Sarah is well known. People say neither in the background, making me laugh every time. Sorry, I should not be putting so much of the spotlight on you, but it's so great that both of you are well known enough that the parents know you gravitate towards both you.

[00:11:39] The Impact of Parks and Rec on Community Wellness

[00:11:39] Autumn Carter: You're well known in the community outside of this as well, which I think just shows how much you are service oriented, and I like that part of wellness and it's that opportunity when we are helping out ourselves, taking care of our wellness, we can then help out other people and then they're able to do the exact same thing and it creates that [00:12:00] ripple effect, which is really what I wanted to hit on right now is.

[00:12:04] Sometimes we think of wellness as this thing that's gonna be expensive. Take time away from the things that I feel guilty about, if we're gonna talk about parenting about children. I was actually talking to somebody about that yesterday, about making sure you're not feeding your guilt monster. Make sure you're starving it instead, and what would that look like?

[00:12:25] But what I love about Parks and Rec is that it is funded by the government, and I assume by donations as well. Yes. 

[00:12:34] Sarah Delise: You're right when we say that, yeah. We are funded by taxpayers and 

[00:12:40] Autumn Carter: yeah. So that makes it so that it's more affordable to people who can't afford some of these things. And there's so many programs that are I found this gymnastics class and it was extremely reasonable.

[00:12:53] And the reason why it was reasonable is because it was. Through Parks and Rec, and it was a brand new [00:13:00] business that was trying to build up a clientele. So it's not just government funds when you think about it that way. It's people offering things at a discount to Parks and Rec or maybe for free.

[00:13:14] And there are so many free offerings, low cost. We've done swim lessons through you guys. We've done soccer, we've done. Soccer for another kid. We've done, what else have we done? The enrichment we've done, oh, summer camps. When you think of summer camp. Does everybody else cry thinking about their budget?

[00:13:39] Summer camps are a really great option through Parks and Rec. When I was a child, my grandmother did a lot of programs and because my parents were divorced at that point, I was with her a lot over the summer. So I did a lot of programs alongside her 'cause thankfully. Parks and rec seems to be really understanding of you might have children under feet.

[00:13:59] Foot. [00:14:00] So I did Clay with her. I still have the piggy bank that she made. I did a bunch of other things like seeing concerts and stuff like that. I don't even know if it was through Parks and Rec at that time because she was a docent as well at different things. I did ballet, gymnastics tap dance, swimming.

[00:14:25] I think I did like she started putting me and my half-brother through every program she could find just to make us well-rounded. And like I said, my husband and I have done the teaching kitchen, which is so much fun. So if you need date night on the cheap and you want food included, there you go. There are so many different options.

[00:14:45] And when I think about wellness, it's not a one size fits all. It's what are you noticing that you're needing right now? Maybe things will pop up for you when you're looking at in [00:15:00] here, for some reason it's called the Recreator, but if you Google Parks and Rec and then the county that you live in, it'll pop up.

[00:15:09] Sometimes you need to search a little bit, but they have their own guide, usually online. Maybe you need to stop by there, but in this day and age, it'll be online, let's be honest. And in there you can find the different programs and. Many of them are free. Some of them are cheap. Depending on where you live, they might even have a sliding scale based on your income to help you out.

[00:15:32] But there are so many ways that you can enrich your children's life, your life, your significant other people around you. 

[00:15:40] Programs for All Ages and Stages

[00:15:40] Autumn Carter: What else do you wanna add?

[00:15:41] Sarah Delise: That. No, I love that, and I think you did such a wonderful job of just.

[00:15:45] Encompassing the fact that there is truly so much that we offer and that kind of really does tie into the fact of we, as you were hitting on to, there's so many different dimensions of wellness. And it's really easy to gravitate with parks and [00:16:00] recreation just immediately go to the physical wellness aspect of it, thinking like, okay, it's movement related, but really there's so much.

[00:16:06] And it was interesting to be able to go through the experience several years ago in 2020. Of course, we all know what happened in our world. Where we all learned that there are so many other dimensions of wellness that maybe we hadn't really given as much thought to before, prior to this.

[00:16:22] And so now just to see so many folks who are seeking out that wellness for social connection whether it's emotional, intellectual, those different types of wellness that we're able to meet their needs with. And it's really interesting just to have folks who come to us seeking to be an instructor 'cause they want to share their passion with the community.

[00:16:51] And that's really cool to see folks in our community who are inspired with lifelong learning to be able to connect and at any age to say, you know what? I [00:17:00] think I wanna start learning how to do TaeKwonDo now. And it's a really great way. I like that you said too about it being an affordable option.

[00:17:05] With it maybe not having as much of a commitment. Right now there's a lot of opportunities for you maybe to commit to somewhere where you say, Hey, we're trying dance for six months because I had to pay six months to the studio. And you don't know, maybe you know, your child's five, six years old, you don't know what they love yet.

[00:17:22] Or maybe they just wanna try a little bit of everything. So it's a really great way for you to be able to say, Hey, we've got six weeks, we can figure out. Is it that you like gymnastics? Is it that you like tap dance? Is it that you like painting or do you wanna try a little bit of everything here and see what you enjoy?

[00:17:39] And all those components build together to help us as we go on in life to be a really well-rounded individual that we've had these experiences in different areas and we're able to really like you said, focus on these different dimensions of wellness and how they holistically make us feel good and happy.[00:18:00] 

[00:18:00] Autumn Carter: And then Jen, let me have you talk, because I know that how many mothers feel that way? They've done all of this for their kids and now their kids are finally at school or wherever, maybe a little bit further away than they've been before. How many mothers have you talked to that need those same kind of different programs for themselves?

[00:18:22] Jen Shell: Absolutely. And we have a lot of our mothers are like, what can I do for this? What can I do for this? And they come so it's great to be able to have the inside of and know what I can suggest from another coworker if I don't offer it, it's somewhere else in the county.

[00:18:40] It could be at a nature center, or as you said, the cooking kitchen or Sarah's amazing fitness flex where you don't even have to sign up for six weeks, you can sign up for just one class. And try it out. And as an adult and as a mom, that's great for me because I don't have to make the commitment to a workout class.

[00:18:58] I can just [00:19:00] pick and choose and go as I need to. So it's really neat to be on the inside of that and help with the parents when they come to us and like you said, build that relationship with us. They trust us with our kids. So they start asking us for other aspects of while he's here, what can I do?

[00:19:19] Or, my husband and I were thinking of this and just to listen which I think leads us to another part of our job as well as providing wellness is listening to the community and what they bring to us. We may be like, for example, a couple of sessions ago, we were getting the feeling that some parents wanted some time to themselves on Saturday mornings, and so we developed a Saturday morning class for preschoolers.

[00:19:49] A lot of parents are going to the grocery store or taking one of Sarah's classes and things like that. Just seeing what we need and knowing that, as you said, wellness is such an [00:20:00] evolving thing and we all are in different chapters. And so just listening to, okay, what do we need next?

[00:20:08] What can we do? And having the flexibility in parks and recreation to say how can we bring this to, it's a need. How can we bring this to the community? 

[00:20:20] Autumn Carter: I know that's happened when I've talked to you, Sarah, before a couple years ago. Have you considered this? And she's actually yes, and we're already doing this.

[00:20:28] Sarah, can you talk about, I know with our location in particular that there is a, what is the age limit for the, older crowd?

[00:20:40] You have like it's attached to the building and I know that not everywhere do they have a senior center attached, but they have senior programs. So even talk about that because I know so many people and eventually I'll have a podcast episode that is all about retirement and what to do after that. They are just so ready to retire.

[00:20:58] They look forward to that, [00:21:00] but they don't plan out afterwards. And I feel like you guys are a really good stop gap for. Memory loss for losing social connections for all the things that can happen that lead to further aging mentally, emotionally, and then physically. 

[00:21:19] Sarah Delise: It's so interesting you say that.

[00:21:20] So we're referring to our group of what we call active adults. And the three of us here, we could probably sit and wow I can't wait to be retired. All of what I would do with my time, and it's something we all dream about, right? And it's so interesting because a lot of times I do talk with individuals who will tell me I'm retiring in two weeks, or I just recently retired within the past month and a half, and they find themselves staying.

[00:21:45] Wow. I didn't realize how much my life was going to change. A lot of things that we don't realize are tied up to our wellness in work. Our positive things we don't give a lot of credit to that social connection there, I. Guess you call that [00:22:00] occupational wellness to be able to have a good balance between your work and life and the things you enjoy there.

[00:22:08] And I guess what I've heard feedback from is there are folks who find some of those positive aspects missing after they. Leave employment that maybe a lot of their social connection was during the workday. A lot of the things that they really maybe enjoyed and had looked forward to were worked into their daily work schedule.

[00:22:30] And so I have folks that'll call me and say I don't know what to do. I'm really looking for something, I'm finding myself with a lot more time than I anticipated. And we have, I'm thinking specifically of a couple classes that we have right now where it is the highlight of their week to be able to come together and be in a group of folks that they know their children's names, their grandchildren's names.

[00:22:56] They know what they had mentioned that they were going to do over the weekend, [00:23:00] and it is more of an opportunity for them to have connection with each other. Than it is for them to necessarily participate in the program. They love that piece too, but it ties all those things together. I love when I get to go into a class and be with the group that's there, and I hear them saying, oh, were we still planning to meet all for lunch next week?

[00:23:22] On this day? Were we going to do this? And so really finding that sense of community and belonging. When maybe you maybe had that attached previously into your work life? I think about it. I'm so lucky I get to go to work every day with Jen, who I enjoy so much. And I think about that. If I did not get to work with Jen every day, then I would really be craving that connection in that belonging here too.

[00:23:48] So I love that you tie that piece in there too, that autumn as an active adult and when you're seeking out different things of connection and wellbeing, that we can be a really great opportunity for that. 

[00:23:59] Autumn Carter: I think [00:24:00] it goes with what Jen was saying. The idea that you don't have to sign up for a whole bunch of classes.

[00:24:04] You can do individual ones and you can be that kid again where you're trying out different things and deciding what do I want my next hobbies to be? 'cause it can be several at this point in life. And what am I now interested in? Now that I've explored all these other things throughout my life journey, what's next for me?

[00:24:25] Jen Shell: Yes. And to that community feel. I think I, it's so fun. Like I think I have in mind, Sarah and I have somewhat of a hive mind, so I think I have in mind the exact class she's speaking of. It's our cherry yoga class, which is amazing. What I think is so special about our facility, obviously, and hopefully you can find one near you if you're not local to Frederick, is that I think the, ladies really enjoy the fact that they're right next to a preschool room and they may go through a sports program.

[00:24:55] There's all walks of life in the building, which I think is really [00:25:00] exciting for them. I just know that they love seeing those babies in the lobby with their moms. The preschoolers are playing in the gym and that they're going to chair yoga. We're hustling and bustling in the building, and that energy is definitely something that I can hear them taking out into the parking lot as well as they're, as Sarah said, making plans for later that week.

[00:25:20] Autumn Carter: The only problem is that parking lot is way too small for how busy and how well loved it's, you have to really time out your arrival. 

[00:25:29] Jen Shell: Yeah. So transit that we are near a transit route. 

[00:25:33] Autumn Carter: I thought that aren't, there isn't, aren't blah there, there's some buses that, or vans that park there.

[00:25:42] Do they not transport people there? 

[00:25:45] Jen Shell: They're affiliated with our neighbor, which is Scott Key Center. So we're Scott Key Community Center, which is a little different 'cause we're through Parks and Rec. 

[00:25:55] Autumn Carter: I've just seen the buses parked or the vans parked there, so I got confused. 

[00:25:59] Jen Shell: [00:26:00] Yes, no worries.

[00:26:00] Autumn Carter: Yes, I knew. I do know that there's a bus stop there because I have to pull around sometimes. Sarah, there was something you were gonna say. I could tell. 

[00:26:10] Sarah Delise: Oh, I always have something to say. 

[00:26:12] Encouraging Community Involvement and Feedback

[00:26:12] Sarah Delise: I think that's how we started off our conversation with saying if there's anything that you're gonna take away from today, it's just how passionate that we are.

[00:26:20] And I love that you had mentioned earlier, how you had shared ideas with. Both Jen and I and said, Hey have you ever thought about this as a suggestion? So I encourage anybody, whether you're in Frederick here or you're listening from another place, is to be able to connect with your local parks and recreation and share with them.

[00:26:38] Maybe if you have a question like, first of all, do you offer this kind of class? And then if not, I would love to see this. That is probably one of the most enjoyable parts about our job, is being able to make these suggestions become a reality. 

[00:26:53] Autumn Carter: And what about those who have something to offer? 

[00:26:57] Sarah Delise: Yes. I love that.

[00:26:57] Thank you for tying that in. So Jen and I we [00:27:00] get to be a really fun part. We should have maybe started off with this kind of how our division has these informal teams. Jen and I are part of our community-based teams, so usually our focus is on a lot of enrichment activities and anywhere from toddler age up to active adults.

[00:27:18] So right now we don't particularly touch on some of the areas that a lot of people. Normally associated with parks and recreation, such as sports, like that's usually what is the first thought that might come to somebody's mind when they think of recreation. That's not, something we touch, we usually think of anything that does not involve a ball is something that we get to do.

[00:27:38] That's the way we maybe define it a little bit. So if you have a passion or a hobby, it's something that you really enjoy doing. Usually that's something you're like, I want to share this with somebody. So maybe you have a friend or a group that you do this with, or maybe your idea is I really like being a leader in this.

[00:27:59] [00:28:00] We suggest you reach out to us. We have folks all the time that will reach out. I just got connected with somebody through Jen who said. I really love swing dancing. This is something that I learned many years ago when I was in college. I was part of classes, I was teaching classes when I lived in another part of the country in swing dancing.

[00:28:16] I want to be able to do that again. And so we talked about how can you lead a class in swing dancing? And Jen has a lot of great other opportunities. And she had an opportunity to, connect with some folks that are sharing their passion and turning that.

[00:28:34] Jen Shell: Yes. So I think that's one of the fun things is like on the other side of it is watching staff grow and seeing how parks and rec works and getting their feet wet and then being like, wait a minute, I'd like to share this with the community. With my enrichment programs, we often have a lead teacher and an assistant, and it's really fun watching the assistants go, wait a second.

[00:28:56] One of my assistants. Has now become a lead teacher in [00:29:00] doing some social emotional learning, and the kids absolutely adore it and eat her up. They just love her and seeing her confidence and how she's grown in teaching these classes, she came from somebody who was like, oh, no, I can't lead a class.

[00:29:16] No, I can't. I only wanna work two days a week. I only wanna work two hours a week. And now she's I would like to teach four classes in the fall. With parents, a parent in me classes, bringing a SL into the social emotional learning and just her confidence has been, it's so exciting.

[00:29:33] So it's really true that watching the staff grow is as fun as watching participants. 

[00:29:41] Autumn Carter: Then I know here we did not have this in Arizona and this is I'm not moving. I love this is this opportunity for kids when they are in high school that they are able to also take concurrent college classes.

[00:29:56] I did that part and Woo Whoopty do some of my [00:30:00] classes. I got college credit for it. None of it really applied when I actually went to college, so that's why it was whoop to do, but I know. For several students, they were able to, so one friend in particular, she was graduating high school and also was becoming a hairdresser dresser, and it was paid for.

[00:30:24] That is amazing that you can do technical training along with college or along with high school. That is so cool. And I know that there are several, high school students who work for you guys and there are college students.

[00:30:41] Is that part of their program that they're working for you or just to have job and experience? 

[00:30:49] Jen Shell: Yeah. To have job and experience is a big part of it. But we're always exploring partnerships and that actually is a meeting that we. My [00:31:00] supervisor and I just spoke about. So we're always looking to connect to different agencies and things like that so that we can provide those opportunities.

[00:31:09] But as you said, we have a large employment of teens and young college students that we work with, especially during camp season. 

[00:31:19] Autumn Carter: And you seem to find ones that enjoy kids and smile around them like I think those are the ones that know to apply. I don't think you even have to weed them out like they are just automatically good with kids happy and they will work with any personality, which is good with some of the personalities in my family, let alone others that I've seen.

[00:31:40] So it's just been such an amazing blessing for our family and seeing others have that as well. It's been so fun seeing the active seniors that they technically have another door, but they will still come through just to see the kids. It's so fun. And [00:32:00] just seeing them light up, seeing the ones that are going there for the first time and are being lost.

[00:32:05] And I know I'm not always the first person when I've been there to be like, hold on, let me show you where to go. If there are other people who are willing to do that, I just love that community feeling and I know that it starts with you guys and then it spreads from there. And having been in your office, I love seeing how, you hire.

[00:32:26] And the way you guys work in your department. You guys get along so well that you guys automatically have that social connection. But like you were saying, you do have that hive mind. It was so fun to see. I think that is the ideal of what it should be like in every workplace.

[00:32:44] And for those who are craving that, do you have any tips? 

[00:32:50] Sarah Delise: Yeah, I love that. That's such a great way to be able to kind of add this other component of wellness into it as well too. So for [00:33:00] us, we take so much pride in being able to not only form a team that works really well and enjoys working well together, but we put a lot of work into it.

[00:33:09] That's like any other relationship, right? Relationships that you continue to have, you're constantly investing in. And so we form all different types of relationships, whether it's just our relationships with our coworkers here, relationships with our participants and our customers that get to get it.

[00:33:24] And I think that's one thing that we really embody, especially, at our Scott Key Community Center is just a place of welcoming and positivity and everything else falls into place after that. Because we truly come with joy and positivity and we look forward to seeing people that we know are coming to our classes today or the next day that creates that joy.

[00:33:49] And I've always said that too. Positivity is contagious. And Jen and I are, I think ones that would lead by example of just giving a smile and just seeing that [00:34:00] ripple effect of how it just continues to go along. So the infectious positivity. 

[00:34:06] Jen Shell: Yes, and I, think. Talking about a trickle down effect, like our supervisor, her supervisor those things.

[00:34:15] We actually just celebrated our superintendent this week and just being able to one of the things that kind of came out at the celebration of his birthday was just how the autonomy that he gives us. Is what kind of leads to that positive attitude and knowing that we are in charge of bringing those community programs and things like that.

[00:34:41] So the autonomy that he gives us helps us spread that like we are a part of this and the teamwork. So definitely I think it's a trickle down from that, 

[00:34:57] Autumn Carter: Any last thoughts? 

[00:34:59] Final Thoughts and Encouragement

[00:34:59] Autumn Carter: Any last thoughts or [00:35:00] golden nuggets that you want people to really hone in on that we talked about?

[00:35:03] Sarah Delise: The last thing I'll say is to have excitement about maybe stepping outside of your comfort zone. I think I can speak for myself and maybe some of us can relate to this too, is that you find yourself maybe getting into a certain routine and a routine can be a very positive and wonderful thing for you.

[00:35:23] But sometimes I found myself that if I get myself too much, into a routine I might be missing out on moments of joy that I could have created for myself by maybe stepping outside of my comfort zone. And I hear a lot of folks will maybe say that when they're interested in the class, they maybe have an underlying fear of I haven't done this before.

[00:35:44] I'm afraid I might look silly. I'm not sure about this. And I'd say just try something new. Put yourself out there. Don't be afraid to maybe just see. Where it could lead, what [00:36:00] it could inspire within you and what you can enjoy. And this doesn't even have to mean being in a program.

[00:36:04] It can just mean Hey, I was just maybe planning on just hanging out today. But you look out the window, it's a gorgeous day. Say you know what? I'm gonna go out and maybe I'm just gonna go bring a blanket, sit at the park, and just enjoy being in a beautiful space. If that's stepping outside of your comfort zone, just to change that routine a little bit, you might find something there that you could have missed and you really enjoy from that experience.

[00:36:27] Jen Shell: Love that. Hive mind, right? How can I top that? One thing that I was thinking is I know we've been very Frederick County Central because very heavy with that. We do attend Maryland Conference with Parks and Rec. We also there's national. Parks and rec organizations and things like that.

[00:36:49] It's one of those things where I think a lot of parks and rec organizations try and really not recreate the wheel. So definitely as Sarah said, take a look at your [00:37:00] Frederick or at your local Parks and Rec website and just see. What it is that you might want to commit to because we aren't the only ones with six week programs or drop in programs.

[00:37:12] I know for example, last year Sarah and I attended a really fun concert in a different county that wasn't even ours. It was a free event. So there's just so much out there that I think a lot of people think that it's just a thing you put your kids in for soccer, but check it out.

[00:37:30] Autumn Carter: Ooh, you gave me a thought. So for those who are traveling, you could even check out the parks and Rec for the place you're traveling because you might find free or on the cheap things to do. And that's one of my favorite things. Or if you're looking to move there, you'll get an idea for the pulse of the community that you're gonna be in.

[00:37:49] Jen Shell: Yeah, for sure. And their social media presence. Because a lot of our website may show the catalog, but our Facebook and [00:38:00] Instagram, which I'm sure most as you follow other states, parks and Rec and things like that, showing pictures of actual participants doing things or things that are coming up, that's where you get a real good feel for what their program's all about.

[00:38:14] Autumn Carter: And if you feel like you have a hard time getting in, once you sign up for one thing, you'll get the email so you don't have to watch for when their program comes out as much because it should show up in your email.

[00:38:26] So just put yourself out there a little bit. 

[00:38:29] Jen Shell: To plug, here's the shameless plug. You can go on our website and join our mailing list. Autumn? 

[00:38:34] Autumn Carter: Yes. I need to redo that. I'll do that as soon as we log off. 

[00:38:36] Sarah Delise: But Sarah, you had 

[00:38:37] Jen Shell: something to 

[00:38:38] Sarah Delise: Yeah, this has maybe repositioned at a different point or just completely dropped off.

[00:38:38] 'cause it's a total humorous how many times are you like when you're looking to go to an area, like you said, maybe autumn on a vacation or a travel and you just. Type in whatever the name of the town or the city is, things to do. It's usually TripAdvisor or Yelp.

[00:38:50] That's usually how I gauge how I may enjoy my time I spend there because if you see pretty commonly in the first 10 listings, you get [00:39:00] an idea of what this place might be. If you see a lot of parks or museums, you think that's really great. There's been a number of times I've Googled it and the top 10 things are like Wendy's, McDonald's.

[00:39:12] Those are the top 10 things to do. So it's a really great way to look and see what exists in a town or a city that you're visiting and some really cool resources. That's one of my favorite things to do when I travel is pick up their activity brochure that they have, visit their parks, visit their community centers, rec centers.

[00:39:31] A lot of times there's amazing nature centers trails. Paths, some awesome things and places that you visit. 

[00:39:39] Autumn Carter: You are my type of person. I'm gonna have to talk to you later and be like, okay, where are these places? What are these things that you did under a helmet? Because this sounds fun.

[00:39:47] Sarah Delise: Oh yeah. 

[00:39:47] Autumn Carter: With me, my husband, and not the littles that we get babysitter timeframe. That is amazing, and that is one thing that I liked when we were originally looking at Maryland because of my husband's job offer. [00:40:00] Most government sites popped up first, and what I mean by government sites is like Harper's Ferry, the government site for there, for river rafting and doing that type of stuff, that there are government programs to be able to go out and enjoy things.

[00:40:15] I just finished watching, I don't know if you guys have seen it. The series that Barack Obama narrated about national parks. So good. Anyway, there's my extra plug. Go listen to that. It's on Netflix. We have these resources to enjoy nature and to go and do programs and stuff like that.

[00:40:35] So I love that idea and I love that about that those are the first things that pop up, like the free arboretums that you can see and just, yes, I'm a nature person too. Thank you for being on and I will let you go and enjoy the rest of your day and I will go sign up for the newsletter.

[00:40:50] Sarah Delise: Thank you. This was such a joy. This was so much fun. So thank you for sharing so many aspects of wellness with our community and our world here. It's a lot of fun. Yes. Thank [00:41:00] you so much for having us.

[00:41:02] Conclusion and Resources

[00:41:02] Autumn Carter: Thanks for tuning into this week's episode. I am your host, autumn Carter, a certified life coach dedicated to empowering individuals to rediscover their identity, find balance, miss chaos, strengthen relationships, and pursue their dreams. My goal is to help people thrive in every aspect of their lives. I hope today's discussion inspired you and offered valuable insights.

[00:41:24] Stay engaged with our wellness community by signing up for my newsletter at wellness and every season.com/free resources. When you join, you'll have the option to receive a five day guide called Awaken and Unwind, five Days to Mastering Your Mornings and Evenings, along with Free Guides, special offers on my programs, practical tips, personal stories.

[00:41:46] Much more all related to wellness by setting up for both offers on the page. Don't miss out on these valuable resources designed to help you thrive in every area of wellness. Join today and start your [00:42:00] journey to wellness in every season. Your share subscriptions and reviews help us reach more people seeking empowerment.

[00:42:07] So please spread the word about our podcast and about our newsletter. Thank you for being a part of our podcast community. I look forward to continuing our conversation, sharing stories and exploring wellness in all of this aspects. Take care until our next episode. You can also work with me one-on-one or on demand through one of my programs by visiting wellness in every season.com/programs.

[00:42:34] One last thing to cover the show legally, I'm a certified life coach giving general advice, so think of this, this more as a self-help book. This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. I am not a licensed therapist, so this podcast shouldn't be taken as a replacement for professional guidance from a doctor or therapist.

[00:42:54] If you want personal one-on-one coaching from a certified life and parenting coach, go to my [00:43:00] website, wellness and every season.com. That's where you can get personalized coaching from me for you. See you in next week's episode.