Tag: Wellness

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365 Coaching Tip: 364th & 365th – A FULL YEAR!

December 30th Coaching Tip: Eat Slow. Eat Less.

Not only do I need to go slow, but now I’m coaching myself on my overall wellness, with a supreme amount of focus and discipline to eat slowly and eat less. No more whoofing down some food quickly. It’s not worth it! Now it’s about eating slowly, taking a break, walking around the home, doing a quick chore, then having another bite of food, then a few steps, etc. There is no need to risk eating fast, nor eating more than a helping. Zero reason; it’s not worth it.

When I say eat less, many of the books on longevity indicate that these seniors stop eating when they get full, or right before they get full. They walk after eating, intentionally. Some even indicate that they eat just 80% of a full meal. I’m implementing eating less; for example, today I had two spoonfuls of tuna salad, with no bread or crackers. Eat slow and eat less.

December 31st Coaching Tip: Celebrate, I Did It!

At the beginning of 2025, I set a goal to blog about a coaching tip every single day of the year. It’s one thing to set a goal, but it’s another thing to be committed to the goal, implement a new habit of thinking about and then writing about a daily coaching tip. I did it, yes, I did it. Did I fall behind a few times throughout the year? Of course I did, of course. But the key is that I was disciplined and committed to the goal and was intentional about taking time to catch up. In fact, today is January 15, 2026, and you’ll notice, I am finishing my last coaching tip of 2025: Celebrate, I did it! Am I a lil late in getting it done? Yes, I am.

It’s my hope that you have enjoyed reading these 365 Coaching Tips as much as I have enjoyed capturing them, writing them down, editing them a lil bit (they definitely need to be edited by a professional editor), and sharing them on this JenWilfong.com blog. How am I celebrating this significant achievement? I ordered myself a gift, that will arrive today via Fed Ex; it’s a gift that I buy myself during key times in my life, times and moments that I truly want to memorialize. For example, one of the gifts was bought when I started received stock options as a leader at Caterpillar back in 1997; another time was when I started my second real estate LLC; and another was when we were returning from an amazing trip and concert in Portugal. Celebrate when YOU accomplish a significant goal. Celebrate that you DID IT!

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365 Coaching Tips: 358th, 359th & 360th

December 24th Coaching Tip: Be Determined.

Here I was, on Christmas Eve, facing a health crisis with little to zero sleep for five days, while having IV’s and tubes connected to me, and a body filled with meds to handle the intense pain, but I had to remain determined to get better. Digging deep, I was determined to be nice and grateful to the nurses/CNA’s/cleaning crew, determined to take notes of everything that was happening to my body so that I could be more prepared during the doctor visits, and also determined to keep walking to maintain my strength.

The Lord gives us challenges, and every single time he has done that, I have trusted him. Yes, my determination sure helps me, but His presence and my trust in Him gives me a determination that comes from the depths of His word. Be determined. Honor Him.

December 25th Coaching Tip: Be Peaceful.

As I laid in my hospital bed, all by myself in this room, I was spending time praying this special morning. Sweetly and suddenly, I noticed light, grateful, resilient, and peaceful tears gently rolling down by face. It was Christmas and the Lord and I were having a conversation about peacefulness, in this state that I’m in. Being content, right now, was important. If I was supposed to be in the hospital, by myself on Christmas morning, then let it be with a peacefulness. Embrace where you are, be content, and be peaceful.

What a peaceful and meaningful Christmas morning, all by myself, that I will never forget.

December 26th Coaching Tip: Be Grateful.

My partner arranged for me not to be alone very much. Although it is Christmastime, she researched on Care.com for registered nurses who would be willing to be with me in my hospital room while she flew to be with her father for Christmas. This nurse was so lovely; she actually came by to meet us both on Dec. 24th. We all agreed that it could work, and bring me a sense of stability and allow some freedom for my partner.

I was so grateful that we could make this happen for everyone. No one was alone on Christmas very long at all, in our lil world. Be grateful for those who are willing to help. Look for the helpers.

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365 Coaching Tips: 355th, 356th & 357th

December 21st Coaching Tip: Uneasy? Get Checked Out.

Early Sunday morning and I just didn’t feel right; I actually felt uneasy. I haven’t felt uneasy more than five days in my life. Listen to your body; listen to your gut; follow your instincts; don’t delay. Go get checked out.

I drove myself to a quiet ER and was checked in immediately. Couple hours later I was admitted and had a very serious situation happening. If you’re uneasy, get checked out.

December 22nd Coaching Tip: Have A Health Advocate.

When you are about to undergo some killer testing, make sure you have a health advocate that can speak on your behalf. And when I say killer testing, I do kind of mean it. Today had me facing and enduring lots of x-rays and some contrast/dye injected in me to see where the problems were in my body. As the day progressed from 11:40am to 11:40pm with numerous x-rays, hours upon hours of intense pain and loosing my cookies, there were times when me and my health advocate couldn’t even speak in full sentences. For example, when I needed to throw up, I said, “blue” (the blue barf bag). When I said, “pink”, I indicated that I needed some relief, a quick swipe of a pink sponge on my lips. We made it thru it together, and I’m so grateful that my health advocate and partner was with me in the hospital, hated that she saw me in such strife and horrid conditions. However, she became the best ER nurse during these killer tests.

Who is your go to person when you’re in dire straits, heading to the ER, or in the hospital or going thru some killer pain/testing? If you don’t have a person, get yourself a health advocate. Get it in writing too, as a “Health Care Power of Attorney.”

December 23rd Coaching Tip: Embrace Sisu.

As I was in the hospital, I was beyond exhausted due to excessive vomiting and intense pain, and I was lacking five nights without sleep. However, I was facing a very significant decision for my current and long term health. Thank the Lord that I have been in outstanding physical and mental shape, especially these last 2-3 years as I have focused on being a senior athlete. However, as I faced a big decision with meds in me, lack of sleep, and pain, I knew that I had to dig deeper that I had ever dug recently.

My bestie in Holland, Maleena, reached out to me once she heard from my mother that I was ill and in the hospital. She sent me a couple paragraphs on the word: Sisu. It’s a Finnish concept meaning extraordinary determination, resilience, guts, and perseverance in the face of extreme adversity. It embodies a mindset to keep going when ALL odds are against you, often described as stoic grit, inner strength, action-oriented, tenacity, willpower and overcoming obstacles, and then bouncing back with unyielding resolve.

I embraced Sisu (pronounced “see-soo”) during the evening of Dec. 23, and the early morning hours of Dec. 24th. Although I hadn’t eaten anything and slept very little since Dec. 18, faced extreme exhaustion due to this and the horrid vomiting, I dug deep and embraced Sisu. What did I do? I got out of my hospital bed, still tethered to two separate lines, and walked in place, danced, did squats, moved! This was purposeful, intentional, and wellness coaching of myself. I was all alone, just me and God. It worked; my doctors noticed an improvement in my health situation before noon on Dec. 24th. Sisu! The greatest gift from God on Christmas Eve.

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365 Coaching Tips: 352nd, 353rd & 354th

December 18th Coaching Tip: Yearend Review.

Today was my day to dedicate time to finish my yearend performance review. I compile and track results throughout the year, and also save key feedback and wins in a separate folder. As I pull the draft together, it’s actually a good reminder of how many people that I was able to coach and help improve their business, team, etc. My goals that were set at the beginning of the year were achieved, and due to numerous reasons, I accomplished more than originally intended. I kept close track of the changes and accomplishments.

How do you prep for your yearend review? My tip is to stay on top of it throughout the year, so that it is actually easy to pull together. Don’t wait.

December 19th Coaching Tip: STOP.

Sometimes when you don’t feel well, it stops you. That happened to me late yesterday and today. The feeling was stop. Stop everything; sometimes your body is sending signals due to stress. Today was that day, so I stopped.

December 20th Coaching Tip: REST.

Yesterday was the stop sign. Today was continued resting. Stop. Rest. Do nothing. That’s my tips. Stop. Rest. There’s a phrase out there: IYKYK. If you know, you know.

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365 Coaching Tips: 349th, 350th & 351st

December 15th Coaching Tip: SWOT.

Over the last couple weeks, we asked our teammates on our medium sized team of 20 to provide input for a SWOT analysis. We were pleasantly surprised that we had 15 of the 20 who took the time to give us feedback on our team’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. As a coach, I really value this exercise because it’s simple (4 questions) but highly effective in share the good, the bad, the ugly, and the future…potentially, if the team takes it seriously.

As we debriefed with our team today, we were pleased to have a number of our teammates share more insights into their comments. Because of that, we were able to identify some common threads which will help us function more consistently and with clarity in 2026.

Note: the SWOT analysis can be utilized for nearly everything in your life. What’s going well with your relationships, and when needs improvement. What’s going poorly with your finances, and what threats does that pose. What’s stagnant with your health, nutrition or wellness journey. Leverage a SWOT to help you get off your butt and get to work.

December 16th Coaching Tip: Stop.

Stop to get a change that you need and also want. Yes, stop. In my coaching work today, I had a couple of my coaching clients who were “busy, exhausted, and unable to articulate their plan.” As we worked thru their current situations, they realized and came up with a plan to stop after the end of the year, inspect what they are doing, what they don’t want to be doing, and then make changes to get different results.

STOP when you are not getting the results you want. Stop, intentionally ask questions, look deep inside yourself, reflect on what is happening and also what’s not happening. Then, draft up what you do want to happen, commit to it, and go make it happen. But many times, we must STOP first.

December 17th Coaching Tip: Good Intent.

Christmas cards, stamps, address labels and lists of names are all set out on my dining room table. Although I haven’t gotten to getting them hand-written and mailed, my intent is good. I had numerous photos printed so that I can include them to further personalize my holiday greetings.

Hoping to get these done by yearend, but if not, early January will do. It’s the thought that counts, and the meaning that I put in to them makes me feeling good about spreading joy to my peeps. It’s all with good intent, even if a bit late.

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365 Coaching Tips: 343rd, 344th & 345th

December 9th Coaching Tip: Talk It Out, Talk It Out.

As I was in my office today, someone knocked on my door and needed to “talk.” Thank goodness I had a free slot in my calendar for about 45 minutes. Talk she did, and talk, and talk. All I did was listen for the entire time, and then at the end, I asked her: what are your options. She believed that she had two options and then settled on one on the options. Sometimes, people just need someone to talk to; know when you need to just listen. Know when to not even ask questions. Know when not to provide advice. Just let them talk it out.

December 10th Coaching Tip: Don’t Blow It All.

For centuries, people have spent decades building their own personal brand, based upon the daily decisions that they make. It takes discipline to stay on the ‘straight and narrow’. It’s so easy to deviate and slip.

Today, a story was released in Michigan about the head football coach having an extra marital affair; both parties are at fault. Many know that. With the holidays approaching, I can’t imagine on this head coach’s wife and three kids feel about being betrayed.

This lack of discipline causes so much harm; those impacted are too many to mention. With your daily and weekly decisions, take 10-15 seconds and pause, think about your consequences, before you take a significant action. Don’t blow it all.

December 11th Coaching Tip: Empower Someone.

Earlier this week I was asked to travel from FL to TX for a couple days of meetings in mid-January. The leader really wanted me to be there, however I was hesitant to commit, since I’m already traveling in three of the four weeks in January. What do I do here?

I reached out to my colleague in TX, and asked him if he was going to already be in that area during mid-January. Good news, he was. Empowering him, I asked him if he would like to go to the team’s offsite (instead of me). He said yeah, for sure. Then he asked for time to get him up to speed on the work ahead. I will gladly help prep him, and he’ll deliver with excellence. Empower people!

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365 Coaching Tips: 334th, 335th & 336th

November 30th Coaching Tip: Step Up, and Say YES.

The Indiana women’s basketball team was 7-0, and now facing 10th ranked Iowa State today. Bad news hit the IU team, as our 2nd leading scorer and rebounder had a lower leg injury and unable to play in this important game. Another player stepped up (let’s call her #8) and started the game. She was up against one of the top five players in the country, Iowa State’s Audi Crooks. IU’s #8 was asked to step up, and she said YES.

Did IU win? No. Did #8 stop the Crooks? No, in fact Crooks scored 47 points, setting an ISU school record. Did IU compete closely til the last few minutes of the game? Yes. Did #8 make us all proud? Yes. When you are ever asked to step up, have the courage to give one answer: YES!

December 1st Coaching Tip: My 2025 Word is REDUCE.

I’m pleased with my selection of my word of the year: Reduce. Back in late 2024, I wanted to reduce plastic usage, my weight, any work drama, and my times in my training. It worked. My kitchens now have much less plastic in them; I eat on non-plastic plates and bowls, I have zero non-stick pans now, and I have new kitchen cooking utensils. My weight reached my lowest level since 10 years ago (my college playing weight). Although we have had eight work colleagues retire/resign from our team, I keep working away and providing value to my coaching clients. And with my training, I see three personal bests in my 100m, 200m, and 400m runs, but reducing my times in all three events. Reduce worked.

So how do I keep it going for the remainder of 2025? I decided to reduce my social media usage in December. How did I do this? I moved all of my regularly used social media apps (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok) to my last page of all of my apps. I had zero desire today in my first day to look at these apps, which formally consumed way too many minutes per day. The 2nd thing that I did was start listening to an Audible book on AI, plus I put two print books by my evening chair. Third, I put in a reminder in my iPhone calendar at 7am every single morning in December that reminds me: reduce to zero social media app usage.

December 2nd Coaching Tip: Bring In The Experts.

One of the best and fastest growing teams that I coach brought in the expert today. They needed to spend a full day together reviewing processes, which ones need attention, which ones are running smoothly. They also asked the expert to show them all some shortcuts on how to implement all the digital tools already in their hands to gain capacity.

Because the expert was brought in, everyone on the team showed up, paid attention, asked questions, and learned so much about what is now capable for the team to execute. When there is doubt and a team is pushing back on changing, recommend that you bring in the experts to calmly show what is available and can be done, and how others are utilizing it.

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365 Coaching Tips: 328th, 329th & 330th

November 24th Coaching Tip: Time With The Younger Generation.

These three posts will bounce and weave around each other. Ask yourself the questions: are you spending time with the younger generation(s)? Are you staying in-touch and relevant? Are you listening to their concerns, hopes, and dreams? Are you willing to assist them? Or, are you out of touch and complaining about them and their desires?

Today, my uncle and I spent the entire day together. We left my mother’s home, and decided to drive a couple hours to our newly remodeled home since he wanted to see it. By the way, he absolutely loved it. We ended up staying overnight there, after we drove around the campus at IU, and had some dinner and ice cream. He enjoyed spending time with me and seeing how I did the remodel. I enjoyed hearing more stories about his times at IU and what he’s working on currently.

November 25th Coaching Tip: Time With The Older Generation.

My uncle and I took it easy today, before we headed to the airport for his trip back to Colorado. We drank some coffee, talked, and then walked down to my basketball barn and got some shots up for about half an hour. As we were shooting, he reminded me to make sure that I’m out there shooting at 80+ years old…like he was doing today. It was a good reminder to me, from him, to keep going, keep moving, keep shooting baskets. I learn so much from hanging out with the older generation. Spend time with them.

November 26th Coaching Tip: Mentoring Goes Both Ways.

Kids can teach you alot, if you just ask them questions and remain curious. I got to talk to two of my great nieces and nephews over the weekend. I can tell that my great niece is a leader of others, and her style and way with communication helps her be effective. I can tell that my great nephew loves being competitive and around top talent in sports. He loves sports, his PE class, and his buddies.

Mentoring can and should go both ways; older generations have alot to learn from the younger generations (from technology to style to new trends) and the younger generations have alot of wisdom that they can gain from the older generations. Both generations have to be willing to care, listen, ask questions, and be grateful for the insights that are being shared. Mentoring should go both ways, not just one way, from older to younger.

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365 Coaching Tips: 322nd, 323rd and 324th

November 18th Coaching Tip: Ask For A Favor.

Today and tomorrow are filled with important back-to-back meetings for me. I needed a slight adjustment in a meeting tomorrow morning at 9am that impacted four different people; I really needed to move it forward to today at 430pm. How do you ask for a last-minute favor, when it is uncomfortable to ask across four different parties? Tell the truth and ask the favor, as most of us are forgiving especially if you’ve been and are authentic. Once I explained that I couldn’t make it tomorrow morning (for a couple reasons) and asked to do it at the end of the business day today, we all realized quickly that it was about the same “business” time. The end of one business day is just one hour different that doing it first thing the next morning. It worked; I asked for the favor and we all adjusted. Favors are granted more freely when you’re kind, you’ve developed a relationship and give people a bit of a heads up. No one like surprises, but if you need a favor, be wise and truthful.

November 19th Coaching Tip: Dig Thru Those 50% OFF Clearance Boxes.

After work today, I decided to take a few minutes and go shopping at a few stores that carry some pretty cool Indiana University gear. The first couple stores had great gear, but the prices seemed a bit high, i.e. a hoodie with the IU Bison on it was $78-$90. I’m a HUGE Indiana fan, but that was out of reach for me.

As I walked down the street, I looked across the street and saw another smaller store with IU gear. As I neared my car, I stepped in to that small store (the 4th of four stores) with little to no nope. And boom, as I walked in, I saw boxes on the floor with 50% off marked on them. I quickly started going thru one of the boxes and found a $15 soft and thick “Indiana Football” black sweatshirt. Perfect, just perfect. The price was very friendly and the fit and feel were yummy. Dig in those clearance boxes, you’ll be surprised at what you find.

November 20th Coaching Tip: Ask For Help.

For some reason, my identify needed to be verified at work. I had been trying to “confirm” my digital and personal identify since late September, with zero success. As the clock wound down this week before my access was going to be eliminated, I went over to the local leaders in the office and told them my problem. At first they didn’t really understand; then after I kept trying on my own, I went back to them. And sure enough, one of them was experiencing the same “error” that I was receiving on my work laptop. Once I found the right person who had experienced the same painful process that I was going thru, she gave me not one but two names to help me. It worked! I was granted access immediately and was easily able to verify that I was a real person and working in a real Merrill office. Yes, AI is here to stay, however know when to leverage your connections and the power of a caring human. Ask for help, and be resilient, until you find the right person who can help. This was something that AI nor a robot could resolve 🙂

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365 Coaching Tips: 316th, 317th & 318th

November 12th Coaching Tip: Catch Those Northern Lights.

My iPhone was all of the sudden starting to “blow up.” I was getting photos from my godson, his daughter, her mother, etc. Multiple photos. They were almost in tears, realizing that they were witnessing the Northern Lights. They were driving to their farm, the skies were dark, the stars were bright, and then they noticed the Northern Lights. Out popped their phones, and they just started taking photos.

I felt honored that they wanted to share their excitement with me; they felt pure joy. Only God can create those views, only God. The next evening, I was able to go outside and see the Northern Lights thru a photo, but I couldn’t witness them with the naked eye. Being in Indiana, this is not a normal thing to see the Northern Lights. If you can intentional, catch them.

November 13th Coaching Tip: Prepping for Appropriate Sleep.

We have a big weekend planned, with seven of us staying over in our newly remodeled home all weekend and a total of 16 of us pre-gaming for IU football versus Wisconsin. Sleep and steady pace at work were crucial this week. In fact, this evening I ordered some groceries, picked them up, drove to our “party” home for the weekend a whole evening early. I want to sleep well tonight, and also sleep in a bit on Friday morning.

Guess what? It worked. I slept great and was ready for our fun weekend ahead. Now that I’m in my 60’s, it’s in my best interest to get the appropriate amount of sleep. That means talk it over with your friends/spouse/family, and then get your sleep.

November 14th Coaching Tip: Show Up for Others.

Two years ago, Indiana University awarded me the Leanne Grotke award. The I-Association selects two female, former athletes who are still alive and making a difference in life and for IU. This evening, another one of my teammates was a winner of this prestigious award. Cindy was all-Big Ten all four years she played at IU, then she moved to California and soared with her career in the Cal State system teaching and inspiring other young adults. I was so glad that I showed up for her evening; Cindy’s parents and brother was there, and it was super to catch up with them, because we used to see them nearly every weekend during the season. And one other teammate showed up, Diane. Kindness showed up.

Was I busy? tired? Heck yeah I was. Do I have company coming over for the weekend? Yes I do. But it was the right thing to do to show up for Cindy. She appreciated it and we shared a moment about how we both have been deeply impacted by the horrors of dementia with those we love. Show up for others! We were basketball teammates, and now we’re teammates in life.