She’s showing others how to recharge

In 2015, Lynn Anne Hogan stood before a large crowd and television cameras and pledged to find more work-life balance.

She did it by wearing a bright yellow t-shirt with the words emblazoned across the front of it. Back then, the new mom was feeling frayed from balancing home life with her day job as a philanthropy officer with the IWK Foundation.

She agreed to serve as one of five Prince Edward Island wellness ambassadors tasked with raising awareness of healthy behaviors.

“I looked around me and realized that some of the women in my life seem to be living in fast-forward mode, and I totally got it,” Hogan said. “One day it's Monday; the next day it's Friday and we have no idea where the week went, but we know we didn't stop to enjoy it.”

Since making her promise - to strive for a better work-life balance - she has taken some big steps to follow through, both personally and professionally.

Hogan started her own company, Recharge Atlantic, to help women live a more balanced life. She was inspired by something a friend -- who had a successful career, great husband, and amazing children – said: that her goal is to just “get through” every day.  

“That conversation made me sad and it made me mad because I wanted to do something about it,” she said.

“I want to encourage, empower, and inspire the women around me to figure out what needs to change in their life –  so they're always doing more than just ‘getting through’ the day. Most importantly, I want each of us to make time to recharge.”

Working to practice what she preaches, Hogan makes time for her own wellness with yoga, massage, and running every Sunday, in between planning her family’s week. She's also signed up for a triathlon to mix up her training schedule.

“It’s not easy all the time but you need to do it,” she said. ”I’m a better person for it, a better wife, a better mother.”

Hogan and her fellow wellness ambassadors are spreading the word about the province’s three-year wellness strategy, which was launched in January 2015. It is based on input from Islanders who agreed on five priority areas: mental health, physical activity, healthy eating, living tobacco-free, and consuming alcohol responsibly.

The five goals of the strategy are to:

• To increase healthy eating behaviours of Islanders
• To increase the physical activity levels and reduce sedentary time of Islanders
• To reduce tobacco use and the harms it causes Islanders
• To reduce heavy and unhealthy drinking behaviours among Islanders
• To build the resiliency and coping skills of Islanders to help them in dealing with everyday challenges and situations.