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October 2025
Welcome to the Level Up Newsletter, a resource for all state employees to take advantage of wellness and professional development opportunities.
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Ryan’s Rx: How to monitor your progress: The way to track your fitness
Tracking progress is an essential step in achieving and sustaining your fitness goals. Incorporating regular weigh-ins, body measurements and progress photos into your fitness routine can provide a clearer picture of changes than you get from just looking at numbers on a scale. Monitoring body fat percentage and maintaining a food journal can help you identify trends and ensure balanced nutrition.
Here are a few other tracking methods that can help you monitor your goals and decide when to adjust your routine:
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Tracking energy levels.
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Logging exercise routines.
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Journaling about your mood before and after exercise.
With these monitoring methods, the key to prolonged motivation and long-term success is consistency, along with celebrating small wins and seeking expert guidance when necessary. By incorporating even a few of these strategies into your health routine, you can make more informed decisions that will optimize your health, performance and overall well-being.
 Written by Ryan Hulcy, Thrive health and wellness assistant, and personal training and nutrition expert.
Hearty Solutions: Charities, Small Contributions and Big Impacts
This video spotlights the ripple effect of charity – how a few hours of volunteering or a modest donation can transform lives.
Through the lens of Infant Crisis Services in Oklahoma City, we see how every diaper, bottle and blanket becomes a lifeline for families in crisis. From newborns in emergency care to toddlers facing food insecurity, the nonprofit offers hope and tangible support to thousands across the state.
As the State Charitable Campaign (SCC) continues, this is your invitation to be part of something bigger. Your contribution matters, whether you're stocking shelves, donating or simply sharing the mission. The SCC makes it easy to give back, connecting you with trusted organizations like Infant Crisis Services that are making a real difference. In a community where no child is left behind, even the smallest acts can leave the biggest impact.
Thrive hosts guest speaker to honor veterans and families of veterans
In honor of Veterans Day, Thrive will host Alfonso Garza, programs administrator for Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs, in a special virtual presentation on Wednesday, Nov. 12, from 11 a.m. to noon.
Garza's role with ODVA is to strengthen veterans' mental health and expand suicide prevention efforts across Oklahoma by ensuring veterans and their families know about and can access the wide range of services available through ODVA and many other programs.
His goal is to raise awareness, foster stronger connections, and ensure no service member, veteran or family member is left behind when it comes to accessing resources.
All veterans and/or family members of veterans are invited to this informative session.
Games Night series continues
Games Night lives on! Thanks to all the great energy and participation, we’re keeping the fun rolling at Kamp’s 1910 Café through Nov. 18. Same cozy vibes, same flexible hours (Tuesdays from 4-8:30 p.m.), and always a mix of classic games and surprise favorites.
Whether you’re a regular or just curious, there’s still plenty of time to jump in, play a few rounds and help shape what Games Night can become.
Recreational leagues see record participation
Recreational leagues have experienced significant growth this year with the introduction of two new activities: axe throwing and Games Night. Participation in existing leagues has also surged.
- There's been an influx of new beginners eager to learn tennis.
- Bowling welcomed three new teams.
- Pickleball participation in OKC has doubled, prompting an additional night for the Norman league.
- Axe throwing is expanding with a new location in Yukon alongside the existing Moore location.
- Games Night extended its season following a successful four-week pilot.
Plans for the spring season are underway! For more information or to join, please visit Thrive’s website.
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Read to Recharge: How Books Boost Brain, Body and Belonging
This October, we’re turning the page on wellness with a celebration of National Book Month. Whether you’re a lifelong reader or just rediscovering the joy of books, this toolkit explores how reading supports mental clarity, emotional resilience and even physical health. You’ll find tips for building a reading habit, ways to support local bookstores and libraries, and research-backed benefits that prove reading is more than a hobby – it’s a wellness strategy.
Grab a blanket, light the fire and dive into a story that restores you. Your brain, body and sense of belonging will thank you.
Thank you for attending the expo
Thrive extends sincere gratitude to the attendees of the 2025 Health and VPD Expo. This year, we welcomed approximately 450 participants, nearly tripling last year’s attendance. We are already planning to make next year’s event even more impactful and can't wait to see you there!
Walking Club
Sign up to join the fun and stay tuned for news about group walks and events.
Break Time
Break Time is a 15-minute desk stretching and relaxation session offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Participants are welcome to join whenever they are available. To register and select your preferred time, submit a service request.
New Year’s Day hikes
As the new year approaches, it's the perfect time to consider your resolutions with a focus on health.
On Jan. 1 each year, TravelOK hosts walks in various state parks. Stay tuned for upcoming details on locations and times.
Select the button below to request additional information.
Shape Your Future offers tasty new recipes
As temperatures drop, it's the perfect time to enjoy a warm bowl of soup. Shape Your Future introduces a delicious new option: Healthy Lasagna Soup. Select the button below to access the recipe and explore this flavorful choice.
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 Course schedule
SLS offers both free and low-cost continuous learning opportunities to all state employees.
Upcoming webinars:
Speaking of upcoming couses, please let us know which skills and competencies we can help you develop or enhance, as well as any topics you are interested in learning about. Complete this form to share your ideas.
Complete your SEAT in honor of Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October!
Not applicable to DHS, OMD, COL, GRDA, ODVA or Courts.
Security Education Awareness Training (SEAT) increases employee awareness of their information security responsibilities for protecting the confidentiality, integrity and availability of state data and resources.
SEAT is an annual requirement for most state employees and contractors. Managing it in Workday@OK provides easy access and assists agencies in reporting and compliance. Contractors will continue to complete SEAT in the KnowBe4 system.
To locate your assigned training in Workday@OK:
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Log in to myworkday.com.
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Select Menu in the top left corner.
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Navigate to your Learning app.
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The course OMES | SEAT | Cybersecurity Training 2025 should be listed under your required learning with a deadline assigned.
The deadline for completing the annual SEAT is Dec. 19. Employees must complete this course each calendar year.
Once you have completed all modules, your training will be marked as complete in Workday@OK. You will not receive a certificate, but you can find proof of your completion by navigating to Learning Transcript – Worker.
If you need further guidance or are an agency representative needing assistance with reporting, submit a service request and an OMES Statewide Learning Services team member will respond.
What is a hotkey? It’s a special key or key combo on your keyboard that lets you do things quickly – like copy, paste or open apps in a snap. Hotkeys help you skip the mouse and save time.
Select the button below to view or download a quick reference guide for file management.
Highlighted courses
To register for the highlighted courses and more Statewide Learning Services offerings, visit the Upcoming Offerings schedule in the Workday@OK Learning app.
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Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Ignite Everyone's Intelligence
Are you a multiplier or a diminisher? Do you ignite the intelligence of those around you, or do you dim the spark of others, even if accidentally?
Attend Statewide Learning Service's three-part webinar series on Liz Wiseman's Multipliers book to discern the differences between diminishing and multiplying leaders and learn to become a genius-maker on your own team.
Dates: Tuesdays, beginning Oct. 21.
Time: 10-11:30 a.m.
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Course feedback
The Customer Rules webinar series – new to the SLS calendar!
“I was surprised by the impact this training had on me... and I have actually taught this subject before (many years before, but some things really don't change much). Great refresher that reinforces prior knowledge and plants a few new ideas.”
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 Currently reading
Strong Ground: The Lessons of Daring Leadership, the Tenacity of Paradox, and the Wisdom of the Human Spirit (A Dare to Lead Book) by Brené Brown.
Over six years, Brené Brown, alongside a global community of coaches, has guided over 150,000 leaders across 45 countries through her Dare to Lead program.
Her new work, Strong Ground, compiles insights from these experiences and other thought leaders, offering a crucial guide for leaders and newcomers in today's dynamic work environment. Brown addresses the misconception that performance and wholeheartedness cannot coexist and stresses the importance of fostering connection, deep thinking and collaboration amid technological changes. She highlights the need for skills like strategic risk-taking, paradoxical thinking and the ability to unlearn and relearn.
Brown emphasizes that building strong ground involves developing stability and adaptability to meet the demands of a rapidly changing world.
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LinkedIn Learning highlight: Increase Your Cybersecurity Awareness
Explore new cybersecurity videos every day this Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Don’t worry if you miss a day – you can always catch up tomorrow.
Certified public manager certificates in Workday@OK
Are you a graduate of a certified public manager (CPM) program? If so, does your Workday@OK profile boast this badge of honor?
If the answer is no, select the button below for instructions on how to show off your certification. Graduating from the nationally accredited CPM program is a huge accomplishment that should be proudly displayed.
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Employee benefits: Did you know?
Open Enrollment for Plan Year 2026 continues through Oct. 31
Overview:
- Open Enrollment is scheduled from Oct. 1-31. During this period, employees can modify their benefits for themselves and their family members. If no changes are made, current selections will remain in place, except for the flexible spending account, dependent care spending account and health savings account. Employees must enroll in these accounts for the 2026 plan year to maintain or initiate participation.
Deadlines and reminders:
- HealthChoice High and Basic plan members: Tobacco-Free Attestation deadline is Dec. 31.
- Life insurance application: Email completed form to EGIDMail@ohca.ok.gov by Oct.31.
- Opting out of coverage: Upload the opt-out form and proof of group insurance coverage to Workday@OK by Oct. 31.
- Adding new dependents to coverage: Upload the proper documentation to Workday@OK by Oct. 31 to complete enrollment for the 2026 plan year.
- Review beneficiary information for last wages, life insurance and retirement plans.
- Print a copy of your benefits statement for your records.
- Refer to the Benefits Enrollment Guide for detailed information about all benefits and changes for the 2026 plan year.
- A demonstration video is available in Workday@OK and on the Employee Benefits webpage: How to Enroll in Benefits During Open Enrollment Video.
- Recordings of the September and October virtual vendor sessions are located in Workday@OK. They are available for review at your convenience:
State of Oklahoma job opportunities
Explore current open positions across state agencies that align with your professional interests and goals, or share job opportunities with qualified individuals in your network to help strengthen the state's overall talent pipeline and build a skilled and effective public workforce.
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