Creating Joy at Work: How American University Builds Community Through Wellness

Since 2022, American University (AU) has partnered with HES to bring wellness challenges to faculty and staff, creating opportunities to move more, connect with colleagues, and build healthy habits throughout the year.

In just 4 years, the university has implemented 10 challenges, establishing traditions employees look forward to—including Walktober each fall and a rotating spring challenge that keeps the experience fresh.

For Natasha “Coco” Benitez, Wellness Program Manager for AhealthyU, those challenges are about far more than physical activity.

“We spend so much of our time in the workplace,” Benitez said. “There needs to be joy brought to it.”

That simple philosophy shapes wellness programming across American University’s diverse workforce of more than 4000 faculty and staff. While movement and healthy habits are important outcomes, the bigger goal is creating moments of connection.

Why Relationships Increase Wellness Program Participation

Benitez stepped into her full-time wellness role just over a year ago, bringing experience as a wellness coach, speaker, and adjunct professor. Her work spans population health strategy, vendor partnerships, and employee programming, but she believes the most important part of the job is building relationships.

“I’m really focusing on building those relationships on campus,” she said. “Once I’m locked in with them, then I can get them more involved in things like Bloom and Walktober, because the relationship is there.”

That relationship-first mindset influences everything from challenge promotion to meditation sessions and educational workshops. Rather than treating wellness as another HR initiative, AU has built a culture where participation feels personal.

“The beautiful visuals, the competitive aspect, the teamwork, and the joyful messaging all made this a great experience!”

AU Participant

Turning Healthy Competition into Community

Like many large universities, American University is made up of distinct departments, schools, and teams that often operate independently. Wellness challenges provide an opportunity to bring those groups together.

“We are overachievers,” Benitez laughed. “Good old healthy competition. My people are on board and they’re hype.”

She regularly sees colleagues organizing lunchtime walks, encouraging one another, and creating their own traditions around the challenges.

“I’ve literally witnessed groups of three or four people say, ‘Hey, we’re taking our lunchtime walk.’ They’ve created this tribal feeling within their department around this healthy competition.”

Some participants even take the experience home. One faculty member involved her entire family in the challenge, complete with team photos and spreadsheets tracking everyone’s progress.

The enthusiasm extends to team competition as well. One perennial top-performing group even requires prospective members to “apply” for a spot—a playful tradition that perfectly captures the spirit of AU’s wellness culture.

How Wellness Champions Increase Employee Engagement

A key ingredient in AU’s success is its Wellness Council—a group of more than 20 employee volunteers who help spread the word across campus.

For Benitez, these champions are more than promoters. They are trusted advisors who provide feedback, share institutional knowledge, and help tailor programming to different parts of the university.

“A lot of them have been at AU for many years, so I really rely on their institutional knowledge,” she said.

The network also helps ensure that communication reaches employees wherever they work. Alongside AU’s biweekly wellness newsletter, champions reinforce messaging within their own departments, helping create consistent visibility around upcoming programs and events.

“I like having a flower to motivate me. It’s a great reminder to get up, gather friends, and go for a quick walk.”

AU Participant

Making Wellness Easy to Join

Benitez credits HES with helping remove barriers to participation.

“Y’all make it so easy,” she said. “I really love that app. It’s really quite lovely.”

She points to the combination of simple activity logging, badges, visual progress tracking, and social features as key ingredients that keep participants engaged.

“If it was cumbersome or a pain to use, and I didn’t see my little blossom or my badge, I don’t think it would be the same. It’s literally a blend of the two.”

The support extends beyond the participant experience.

“The marketing information—that nice little packet that I get—you guys give me just everything I need. It’s literally just print, QR code, boom.”

Listening, Learning, and Looking Ahead

One lesson Benitez has embraced is the importance of meeting people where they are.

She recalls receiving feedback from a participant who thought the challenge should be longer. Rather than dismissing the comment, she considered the different experiences people bring to wellness programming.

That curiosity—and willingness to listen—has become one of her greatest strengths as a wellness leader.

Looking ahead, Benitez hopes to capture more of the stories behind the numbers: the friendships formed, the habits built, and the ripple effects that extend well beyond a single challenge.

“I know there’s a ripple effect,” she said.

For American University, wellness challenges may begin with a step goal, a blossom, or a little friendly competition. But their lasting impact comes from something deeper: creating opportunities for people to connect, encourage one another, and bring a little more joy to the workday.

“People are building friendships,” Benitez said. “They’re building habits that truly last.”

“I earned a flower every day of the Bloom Challenge and my team has also been in the top 7 teams the whole time. Go Spring Chickens!”

Kaitlyn K.