January Thaw
Join WHAM for January Thaw!
January 6 to January 10, 2025
The start of a brand-new year often inspires many of us to refocus on what’s most important. For many of us, we choose to refocus on our health and well-being. January Thaw offers more than personal development, it provides an opportunity for you to take part in events that foster human connection, create a sense of belonging, and a shared experience. All things that contribute to our community well-being and help us create the culture we want to feel.
Below are a list of offerings that WHAM designed with you in mind. View all session descriptions or register using the January Thaw Registration Form.
Monday, January 6
Befriending Ourselves: Learning to Trust Who We Are and The Good Qualities We Have
10:00 to 11:00, Leonard Center Hall of Fame Room, Jane Rauenhorst, Mindfulness Instructor
Join us for a fun exploration of letting go of that nagging feeling of needing to improve ourselves. Instead, we will investigate how much better, supportive and motivating it feels to focus on our innate goodness and positive qualities. We will learn simple mindfulness practices to encourage this more appreciative relationship to ourselves. You will be amazed how much better it works!
Pickleball Drop In
12:00 to 1:00, Leonard Center Field House, Ellen Muschenheim & Jan Beebe
Join us for a fun-filled day of pickleball! All skill levels are welcome. Jan and Ellen will be on hand in the LC to welcome people who want to try out pickleball. They’ll have extra paddles and balls available so people only need to wear proper shoes.
Tuesday, January 7
Loneliness: Fostering Social Connection to Promote Health and Wellbeing
10:00 to 11:00, Leonard Center Hall of Fame Room, Stephanie Hooker, PhD, MPH, HealthPartners Institute
Social isolation and loneliness can have significant detrimental effects on both physical and mental health, and they are indeed becoming more prevalent among young adults. Research has consistently shown that prolonged social isolation and loneliness can increase health risks. Join WHAM as we review the research, provide evidence-based interventions, and overview practical strategies to enhance social connection within workplace settings.
Dr. Stephanie Hooker is Research Investigator at HealthPartners Institute with a background in clinical health psychology and public health. She also holds an academic appointment as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health.
Dr. Hooker’s research interests are in behavioral and psychosocial influences on health and disease. The long-term goal of her research program is to develop interventions for health behavior change and well-being that can be delivered in healthcare and community settings. Specifically, her research has focused on understanding theory-based psychosocial determinants of health behaviors (e.g., physical activity, sleep). Then, her work uses these observational findings to develop behavioral interventions for health behavior change and behavioral health concerns to prevent and treat a variety of health conditions, including obesity, type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and opioid use disorder.
Cross Country Skiing with the Nordic Ski Club
11:00 to 12:00, Highland Park Golf Course, Lauren Milne, WHAM Committee
Interested in learning to cross-country ski or just want to ski with Macalester colleagues? Join WHAM and the Macalester Nordic Ski Club for a ski on the Highland Park Golf Course. We will have extra skis and boots in various sizes if you don’t own skis, otherwise you can bring your own. If you need a pair of skis, email Lauren Milne at [email protected] ahead of time, then meet in the Leonard Center parking lot at 10:30am to grab a pair in your size. Otherwise, we will meet at the Highland Park ski chalet (located inside the golf course clubhouse) at 10:45. Note that a $6 pass is required for skiing on the golf course, which can be purchased online ahead of time at https://www.ramseycounty.us/residents/parks-recreation/programs-activities/self-guided-activities/cross-country-skiing. There are food, drinks and board games available for afterwards in the Chalet.
Wednesday, January 8
Pickleball Drop In
12:00 to 1:00, Leonard Center Field House, Ellen Muschenheim & Jan Beebe
Join us for a fun-filled day of pickleball! All skill levels are welcome. Jan and Ellen will be on hand in the LC to welcome people who want to try out pickleball. They’ll have extra paddles and balls available so people only need to wear proper shoes.
Easy Ethiopian
1:00 to 2:00, Leonard Center Hall of Fame Room, Chef Mimi Selam
WHAM invites you to learn how to make restaurant-quality Ethiopian food at home. Ethiopian/Eritrean food has become a favorite among foodies worldwide. The food is light, healthy, and flavorful, ranging from very spicy to very mild. Experience the thrilling discovery of exotic spices paired with daily ingredients such as vegetables, beans, and lentils. For non-vegetarians, we can use different types of meat sautéed with various kinds of flavored butter and healthy oils. Every step is educational, informative, and a dream-like trip into the food culture of these historic countries. This interactive session will offer the audience a chance to get involved in the preparation, and all attendees will get to sample the dishes. This event is limited to 25 participants.
Chef Mimi Selam is an energetic cooking instructor who is passionate about cooking in general and Ethiopian/Eritrean cuisine in particular. She finds cooking very relaxing and curative beyond its advantages. She enjoys sharing her cooking skills which includes years of teaching through Community Ed programs, The Good Acre, Mississippi Market, Mall of America Cooking Classes as well as leading cooking classes around the Midwest and Southwest. Mimi’s culinary expertise spans cultures and includes everything from Mediterranean to Asian to southern food.