Faculty Wellness and Well-being Week: A Conversation with Dr. Mollie Stambler

Welcome back to the CFI Faculty Lounge Podcast, where we explore the ideas, experiences, and challenges shaping academic life. In this Faculty Wellness and Well-being Week (FWWW) episode, host Dr. Eric Magrum speaks with Dr. Mollie Stambler, assistant professor at James Madison University, about health and wellness rhetorics, institutional wellness programs, and why community-focused approaches matter.

In this episode, Dr. Stambler shares:

-Her personal journey with wellness, weight, and chronic illness
- Concerns about employee wellness programs focused more on cost reduction than care
- Why terms like “wellness” need to be redefined through more inclusive, human and community-centered lenses
- JMU’s Okanagan Charter
- Ideas for shifting institutional priorities to reduce faculty burnout and support holistic well-being
-Faculty workloads and balance

Tune in for a thoughtful and critical reflection on how universities can move beyond check-the-box wellness and work toward true, community-centered health.

CFI Faculty Lounge Podcast would love hearing from you! Do you have a question for our guests, a teaching tip to share, or a story about faculty life? Send us a message by clicking on this text. Your message might make it into a future episode.