It’s not every day you meet someone who’s been with a company for 20 years; let alone someone who built an entire department from the ground up. But that’s exactly what Shannon Radford did when she joined Presbyterian Village North (PVN) two decades ago and helped launch the Wellness Department.
As Director of Wellness, Shannon has poured her heart into creating meaningful programs that support the physical, emotional and social health of residents. But ask anyone who knows her, and they’ll tell you it’s her relationships—with residents, their families and her fellow teammates that make her work truly special.
We sat down with Shannon to reflect on the last 20 years, what wellness means to her and what she hopes for the future.
You helped launch the Wellness Department 20 years ago—what inspired you to take on that challenge?
Ha! If you ask some of the residents that were here when I started, they’ll tell you I was terrified of my own shadow. I’m not sure I was inspired, more so thrown to the wolves and I could either sink or swim. I was 21 (a baby) and my only experience was working in cardiac rehab for three months. I had never taught a fitness class, let alone to seniors! My first class was a disaster, and the residents had no problem telling me how horrible it was. What in the world was I supposed to do for 45 minutes with 30 faces staring at me?! I laugh just thinking about it! It’s fun to think back to those days. We love to joke about how our old fitness space is now the men’s locker room, we’ve come so far!
How has your view of wellness evolved over the years?
It’s evolved in the sense that I truly believe that wellness is for everyone. A healthy and active lifestyle is crucial for optimal function and it’s never too late to start. Getting started really is the hardest part, but once you get going you have the potential to be unstoppable! Nothing makes my heart happier than seeing our 98-year-old resident breaking a sweat in line dancing or our 94-year resident who I’ll see running on the walking trail!
What are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of the amazing leaders that started their careers in Wellness at PVN and are now working in the health care industry as PTs, Ots, PAs, nurses and health care administrators. Lynea, Bea, Deana, Joe, Teresa, Jessie, Sylvester, Sarah, Chelsea, Madi, Kailey, Kayla, Richy, Rachel, Maxi, Charlie, Zane, Blake, Kendyll, Lauren and Alex thank you for making Wellness what it is today, each of you contributed so much love, passion, work ethic, professionalism, creativity and fun to our team and the residents. It’s been a pleasure getting to learn from each of you and I’m so thankful for all you taught me over these past 20 years! Cheering you on from afar and always proud of your accomplishments and the work you do. And to Deana, our wellness program would not be what it is today without you. I am forever grateful for your 10 plus years of creativity, energy, love for fitness and willingness to do ALL the crazy things, like ride through the night to attempt to win a national CyberCycle challenge. 😊
What’s a moment that stands out to you?
Standing backstage at the Grey Follies bawling my eyes out while watching a resident sing a solo. Six months prior, he moved to PVN after the death of his wife. He was heartbroken and had given up on life. He had completely isolated himself and was refusing all care and services. With a lot of patience, love and connection we were able to show him that there was so much life to still live! His five kids were in the audience that afternoon, and it was a life changing moment for me. It was right then that I realized the impact of what we do. He lived at PVN for another seven years and I cherished every moment with him. I can still hear him singing McNamara’s Band with his jolly voice. That’s my maiden name and he loved singing it to me!
How has PVN shaped your career and your life?
In my time at PVN, I’ve learned that I’m most passionate about connecting with residents who have lost their light. Finding ways to build longstanding relationships and integrate them into the community is what keeps me going. Life can be so very tough sometimes and seeing the glimmer and passion come back is 100% my WHY. Getting to do something I love every day is such a blessing. I can only hope and pray that my kids can find a career that doesn’t feel like work. My son is so funny, he said, “Mom, I want your job, all you do is go around and make old people happy.”
What makes PVN’s wellness culture unique?
The fun thing about fitness is it can be super trendy, and I love getting to be creative. We take a lot of pride in making sure our program is not cookie cutter. Our residents are all unique and have different interests, so it’s important to offer a variety of different styles. Some of my absolute favorite “out of the box” classes that we’ve offered over the past 20 years include Hip Hop, Ballet, Aqua Spin, Taekwondo, Tap Dancing, Belly Dancing and Floating Sound Bath. A few residents have requested Pole Dancing, but I told them I’d really like to be here another 20 years. 😊
It’s a blast getting to collaborate and work alongside our very talented Community Life and Therapy Team. I may be biased, but there is no other community that has the talent that we have here a PVN. And there is definitely not a community that has the amazing residents that we have. Our residents are the reason why we do what we do. Making them happy fills our buckets!
What advice would you give to someone starting in wellness or senior living?
Don’t be afraid to try new things and fail. It’s what you learn when you fail that’s important, I always say, fail forward. The things I enjoy the most today are the things I was most terrified to try. I have a ton of energy, and I never thought I’d be good at teaching meditative style classes. I’m currently on this huge yoga journey right now and am completing my 200-hour training. It all started after we hosted a floating sound bath event. I became obsessed with the way I felt and the power of quieting the mind and slowing down. 20 years ago, I don’t think I would have ever told you that I would be doing Goat Yoga, yep, you read that correctly. 😊
What do you hope the next 20 years look like for wellness at PVN?
My goal is to continue to elevate our wellness program and remain on the cutting edge of industry standards by offering safe, effective, fun and holistic opportunities for our residents. My hope is that one day EVERY resident will participate in one of our wellness programs!
Ohhhh and I’d also like for the 10 acres of land up on the hill to be turned into an outdoor Wellness Oasis with walking trails, a swim up bar and mediative and farm to table gardens! One can dream, right? 😊
Please share anything else you’d like to.
Everyone needs a squad. It’s not every day that you get to surround yourself with colleagues who become some of your best friends. I’ve had the honor of working alongside and collaborating with some of the most brilliant and inspiring senior living boss babes who push me (out of my comfort zone) to the best the best version of myself. They say, you become most like the people you surround yourself with. To my squad, Lisa, Heather P. and Estee, thank you for being my rocks, I aspire to be more like you three every day. I also wouldn’t be where I am today without the mentorship and guidance of two very special leaders, Heather Ashby and Kat, thank you for always believing in me.
