Health Athlete program helping Buckeyes and others align their priorities, maximize their energy
You could say Julia Casbarro was skeptical.
That’s a pretty charitable way to describe how the events coordinator felt when she was approached about participating in the Health Athlete program. It was late summer 2025, and she was heading into what’s always her busiest season at work.
So, when her supervisor at The Ohio State University Alumni Association came to her raving about the self-help seminar she had just completed, Casbarro was pretty lukewarm about the idea.
“I just didn't know what to expect,” she says. “I think it was the fear of the unknown, and then wondering if this will ultimately be worth my time.”
She even brought that frankness to Josh Winn, the head of the program, when she walked in to take the self-help seminar.
“I literally walked in and said to Josh Winn: ‘Good luck trying to win me over on this, because I am in a mood and I'm very sorry.’”
The skepticism didn’t stick for long.
The program, which takes place over a single day, encourages participants to identify their top priorities – personal or professional. Through a series of presentations, small-group discussions and personal writing assignments, participants receive guidance on how best to use those priorities to inform their actions.
Casbarro warmed to the personal approach of the presenters right away. As she reflected on where she wanted to make changes in her life, she realized she had been neglecting her own physical health while caring for her two young children. The rest of the room had various other areas they decided to work on – another participant in her group committed to improving his mental health, while a third pledged to try and reconnect with an estranged son.
Casbarro outlined a plan to modify her diet and exercise and lost about 30 pounds over the next four months.
“I just felt like I was in survival mode for so long after having kids that it would be like there was just no room for anything else,” she says. “It was like work and kids and that is it. And so it just really helped me think about myself and my own well-being in every scenario.”
What is Health Athlete?
If the name of the program conjures images of marathon training programs or burpees, you’re not necessarily wrong, but think broader. The day includes presentations and activities to connect on the importance of daily habits, including diet and exercise, as a foundation for an improved life.
The philosophy of the course is based on the notion that athletes thrive because of their elite understanding for how their training aligns with their own story and purpose. Similarly, our ability to have a high quality of life is based on our understanding between what we do throughout the day and how it connects to what we strive for.
While the program has been mainly attended by faculty and staff at the university, community members are able to attend the offerings as well.
“We want all of our Buckeyes to embrace the transformative power of full engagement through their lives,” Winn says.
“Doing so can help those attending live more full and meaningful lives,” Winn says.
The program helps participants tell their “personal story” – the narrative folks tell themselves about where they are and what is holding them back from achieving their goals. By re-examining that story, participants chart a course toward achieving those ideals.
It’s inspired by the Corporate Athlete program from the International Coaches Institute, which has existed internationally for more than 17 years. That program is geared toward helping executives maximize their energy to keep up with demanding personal and professional lives.
The same philosophy applies to Health Athlete, which is administered as part of the Buckeye Wellness program at The Ohio State University. It’s offered in-person about once a quarter, with groups averaging around 12 participants. Anyone at Ohio State can participate, but it’s also available to the community as a whole.
Josh Winn, MS, NBC-HWC, a clinical instructor of practice at The Ohio State University, serves as executive director of Health Athlete.
“What we learn here at Health Athlete is that when you have a foundational understanding for what is your personal mission, it can give you guidance on your daily choices and habits that allow you to properly navigate life’s character-building moments,” says Winn, who leads a team of five facilitators for the program.
An emphasis on accountability
Participants say that one thing that sets Health Athlete apart from similar programs is a focus on accountability. The curriculum includes writing out what changes you’ll make as a result of what you’ve learned, and it asks that you identify someone who will hold you accountable to do so.
You’ll write a letter to yourself that will arrive a few weeks after the seminar, and there are weekly emails to assess your progress.
“They do a really good job of what we call the ‘booster,’ which is when we get the things that remind us about what we were doing and why we are doing it.”Molly Ranz Calhoun, president and CEO of The Ohio State University Alumni Association
Geoffrey Box, MD, emerged from the program with a renewed commitment to being more present for his two children, ages 3 and 6. That means the phone and the laptop are turned off from the time he gets home until both of them are in bed.
“I think you leave extremely energized and you feel like you’re empowered,” says Dr. Box, a urologist at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.
“I think a lot of times we end up on autopilot or feel like we don’t have a choice, when the truth is we do. We always do.”
If you are interested in learning more about the Health Athlete program and want to connect, please email healthathlete@osu.edu.
Find your purpose
Learn more about the Health Athlete program at Ohio State.
Health Athlete program schedule
