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Women In Wellness: Sara Woodward Of Memory Care On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Know that it’s okay to be silly. I promise it’s okay to have fun. Yes, even at work. I think many of us get into this mindset in adulthood where we convince ourselves that if we’re silly or having fun at work, we aren’t going to be taken seriously or viewed as professional. I just don’t believe that’s true. I’ve recently started to begin all my team meetings with a fun song that everyone can dance to around the conference room. This has changed the tone of our meetings completely, with everyone being more relaxed and energetic during our conversations. I think having space to have fun at work is really important.

As a part of my series about women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sara Woodward, Director of Memory Care at The Seneca in Rockville, Maryland.

Sara Woodward is the Director of Memory Care at The Seneca in Rockville, Maryland. In her role, Sara manages the day-to-day operations of the memory care program including the department budget, supplies requisition, scheduling, admissions and administrative support. Sara is a certified dementia practitioner and a board-certified music therapist. She holds Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Music Therapy from Shenandoah University.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?

Some of the coolest interactions I’ve seen are between young children and the residents of the community I work in, The Seneca in Rockville, Maryland. In one particular instance, we were all working on a musical together for about six months. There was this four-year-old boy who was really shy and wasn’t really into it for a while. However, about halfway through preparing for the production, we started to see him come out of his shell and, by the end of everything, he’d done a complete 180 and made friends with all of the residents in the community who were a part of this show. At the time, I thought to myself, “Wow, what a wonderful, yet unexpected, transformation.”

About three months after we had put on the production, I got an email from the little boy’s mom who thanked us for the experience and explained the impact that it had on her son’s life. It turns out the reason he was so quiet at first was because he was scared of the community, to the point where he would refuse to see his grandmother who lived there at the time. But after going through the musical experience and getting to know the residents who participated, he began to initiate visits with his grandmother. I never would have known the impact the musical had on the little boy if his mother had never sent me that email.

The main lesson I learned through that experience is, you never know the impact that you’re going to have on somebody’s life down the road. You should make the most of every moment and interaction you have with others, in a positive manner. The second lesson I learned is to always thank people who have motivated, inspired or positively impacted me in any way.

Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

At the beginning of my career, I worked in hospice as an intern — my first real supervised job in a medical setting — and I was learning a lot of new terminology. One day, I was in an interdisciplinary team meeting with doctors and nurses who were talking about patients and their cases. I can’t remember exactly what word one of the doctors used to describe a particular patient’s diagnosis, but I recall that I wasn’t exactly sure what it meant. However, I thought that it sounded like another word I knew so I never asked for clarification. Well, that same afternoon I had a music therapy session with that exact patient. I used the similar word I assumed the doctor had meant, only to find out I was completely out of context by the confused look the patient immediately gave me. She explained her diagnosis and I was so embarrassed to find out that it was a completely different medical condition from what I thought it was.

Though we ended up laughing about it, I knew that if I had just asked for clarification from the doctor in the first place, the situation would never have happened. I learned it’s okay to ask questions, no matter how dumb you might think your questions are. It’s better to be uncomfortable seeking knowledge than to be content in ignorance. I also learned to never assume that everybody sitting at my table knows the exact language or words I use. I make sure to always ask the people I’m working with if they understand what I’m saying.

Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?

There’s definitely a stigma surrounding aging in our society and I think it’s so important to positively shift that perspective. We’re all going to grow old one day and we should make it a respected experience, rather than a feared one. At The Seneca, I work with aging individuals, particularly those with dementia. Through my work, I help these individuals stay active and continue thriving. I want everyone to know that, though you may need to change up your daily processes a bit when you get older, you can still lead a very meaningful and whole life.

Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.

  • Know when to set and hold boundaries. This tweak encompasses everything from knowing when to say no, to verbalizing that you need to take a break or vacation. Doing so can be difficult in a professional setting, where there’s a lot of pressure to constantly produce, but it’s still very much possible. Recently, I was set to present at a conference, but my grandmother fell ill that same week. I had to be honest with myself and admit I wasn’t in the best mental space to handle the conference, so I canceled. I got to spend time with my family and the conference was still a success.
  • Turn off notifications. I bought an Apple watch a few years ago and at first everything was great. I could recieve all my text messages and emails right on my wrist. It even gave me notifications on when to stand up and move around. However, after the first week I began to notice how distracting the constant notification buzzings and vibrations were. It felt like every 30 seconds there was a new email, phone call or text message. I then decided to shut off my notifications and, voila, it became so much easier to focus. As a result, I became so much more productive.
  • Always say what you mean. Growing up in a family that always placed a strong emphasis on politeness and modesty in women, I sometimes felt a hesitancy to share my honest thoughts on certain topics, even when I knew I was correct or could help somebody. Through a leadership training I undertook a while ago, I learned the importance of speaking my mind and I encourage everyone on my team to do so as well. It’s so uplifting to have your thoughts and ideas be heard and considered (plus, you never know the innovation your words could spark).
  • Set a fitness routine. During the pandemic, I believe people experienced a decline in physical activity — I know I certainly did. Not being as active took a toll on my mental, emotional and physical health, and I noticed I was consistently drained at work and in my personal life. When things started opening back up, I began incorporating more physical activity into my everyday life — whether it was going to the gym, a 5-minute walk or even just 10 jumping jacks — and I noticed a huge difference. Moving your body everyday really helps your overall well-being.
  • Know that it’s okay to be silly. I promise it’s okay to have fun. Yes, even at work. I think many of us get into this mindset in adulthood where we convince ourselves that if we’re silly or having fun at work, we aren’t going to be taken seriously or viewed as professional. I just don’t believe that’s true. I’ve recently started to begin all my team meetings with a fun song that everyone can dance to around the conference room. This has changed the tone of our meetings completely, with everyone being more relaxed and energetic during our conversations. I think having space to have fun at work is really important

If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?

I would want my movement to be focused on helping people become their authentic selves. Though I think we’re starting to see this a lot more, especially with the younger generations, I believe more can be done. My movement would also push people to get out of the stiff box society calls “professionalism.” Everyone should be able to do things like dying their hair funky colors and showcasing tattoos, while still being perceived as professional. Being forced into a tiny, homogeneous box in the name of professionalism just isn’t healthy for people.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?

  • Conflict isn’t inherently bad. If handled well, it can result in innovation and other positive changes.
  • How to handle conflict. Learning how to acknowledge what you feel while also leaving space to actively listen to and understand somebody else’s opposite viewpoint is very important. Don’t shy away from conflict, but step into it. You can learn so much from having those tough conversations.
  • It’s okay to take your vacation. When I began my career, I thought that if I asked for time off too often, then people weren’t going to view me as someone who wasn’t as committed to their job as other people. I now know that that’s just not true. I believe that if you don’t take the time to refill your cup and have experiences outside of work, then you’re not going to be able to function as well as you could professionally.
  • Take a break during the workday. If something is not going well or working the way you imagined, don’t be afraid to take a step back from it. Take a lunch or snack break, a 10-minute walk, just something to get some distance from it. Sometimes your best work comes after you’ve had a chance to step away from stress and allow your subconscious mind to process it while consciously thinking about other things.
  • Prioritizing your mental health is important. I want to reiterate that you cannot pour from an empty cup. If you don’t first take care of yourself, then you’re not going to be able to take care of other people.

Sustainability, veganism, mental health, and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?

Definitely mental health, because I’ve always really connected to the field. That’s why I decided to study music therapy. Mental health is so important for our professional lives, but it tends to get overlooked and put on the backburner at some companies. I believe if employers made it a priority to care for the mental health of their employees, they’d have healthier companies with better employee retention.

What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?

Please connect with me on LinkedIn using this URL: www.linkedin.com/in/sarajwoodward.

Thank you for these really excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success.

Women In Wellness: Sara Woodward Of Memory Care On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.