Leadership Artifact 1
EXSC 9150
Evidence-Based Doctoral Portfolio
Fall 2024
Keep Moving: The Daily Program-
Meditation
Abstract
My leadership purpose centers on cultivating meaningful connections and embracing life's opportunities with curiosity, empathy, and authenticity. In my capstone project, Keep Moving: The Daily Program -Meditation, I designed an event with my team to introduce a daily practice of mindfulness and meditation to people with Parkinson’s disease (PWP). This event highlighted the importance of non-pharmaceutical therapies for PWP, emphasizing meditation as a beneficial practice for their daily lives. Utilizing different leadership styles, including visionary leadership, Laissez-faire leadership, and Democratic leadership, the project came together and delivered a successful seminar providing participants with knowledge about mindfulness and access to guided meditation resources. This project directly aligns with my portfolio, including my vision, mission, guiding principles, and research foci. Keep Moving: The Daily Program -Meditation taught me the importance of collaboration and open communication as I built relationships. This project taught me I have the leadership skills and the ability to build relationships, allowing me to confidently take leadership roles. I was able to see my work make a difference in the lives of PWP. Moving forward, I aim to continue developing similar initiatives under "Keep Moving: The Daily Program," creating accessible well-being programs for the Parkinson's community and expanding the role of fitness professionals in their care. Keywords: Parkinson’s disease, mindfulness, meditation, leadership
Leadership Artifact 2
EXSC 9250
Evidence-Based Doctoral Portfolio II
Spring 2025
Keep Moving for PD: Exercise Week
Abstract
“Keep Moving for PD: Exercise Week”, a leadership artifact, is a seven-day program designed to improve the quality of life for people with Parkinson's disease (PD). This evidence-based exercise program incorporated the key fitness domains of strength, flexibility, aerobic capacity, balance, agility, and multitasking to provide participants with an accessible, diverse, and structured opportunity to meet the current exercise recommendations for people with Parkinson's (PWP). Throughout the week, attendees participated in exercise sessions that included boxing, PD specific exercises, strength training, yoga, and Pilates. Aligned with my portfolio, this program challenged my leadership abilities as I conceptualized, coordinated, and executed the program. This would not have been possible without recruiting a talented multidisciplinary team of exercise professionals to deliver specialized sessions. Through strategic planning, collaboration, and adaptability, I ensured participants experienced a variety of engaging workouts tailored to their needs. The project feedback confirmed the success of the event and will ensure future events provide accessibility, variety, and instructor collaboration. This leadership artifact demonstrates my ability to bridge the gap between research and practice. This program is a continuation of my commitment to improving the well-being of the PD community through education, advocacy, and innovative exercise programming. Keywords: Parkinson’s disease, exercise, wellness intervention, leadership
Leadership Artifact 3
EXSC 9500
Evidence- Based Doctoral Portfolio
III
Summer 2025
Training Clients with Parkinson's Disease: Foundations for Fitness Professionals
Abstract
This leadership summary describes the development and launch of Training Clients with Parkinson’s Disease: Foundations for Fitness Professionals, the final artifact in the leadership pillar of the academic portfolio, Improving the Quality of Life for People with Parkinson’s Disease. This artifact was created for exercise professionals and involved creating a zero cost, blended learning course. The program included a self-paced online component and a live, interactive Zoom workshop. The curriculum was evidence-based, and the objectives focused on foundational PD knowledge, screening, program development, leadership, and interprofessional collaboration. The workshop allowed students to apply the knowledge in real-world scenarios and engage in discussions to increase retention. This leadership artifact reflected the foundational elements of my portfolio and served to expand my skills on my leadership journey. Utilizing my CliftonStrengths, I was able to collaborate with my team as we developed a thorough, comprehensive course with a social media campaign. When I faced challenges, I was able to lean on my skills to navigate circumstances, to show grit and resilience, and rely on my guiding principles to push the project forward. Ultimately, the success of this project is a starting point for sustainable, continuing education opportunities for exercise professionals. Recruiting and training more exercise professionals to work with this population will increase access to wellbeing programs and improve the quality of life for people with Parkinson’s Keywords: Parkinson’s Disease, Exercise, exercise professional, leadership in exercise