After several years working as the manager of fitness at two fitness clubs in New York City – first at the Downtown Athletic Club, famed for being the place where the Heisman Trophy was awarded, and then at Equinox Fitness Club on the upper West Side – Julie Gaul was interested in returning to western Pennsylvania when she heard about a position opening at Carlow.
“I flew in for an interview for Thanksgiving weekend, and I just loved it,” Julie said. “I was very excited to become the first director of Wellness and Fitness Services at Carlow.”
That was 30 years ago, and since then she has built Wellness and Fitness Services to be a comprehensive program that involves exercise, nutrition, stress relief, and more.
“I’m especially proud of the tradition we’ve built of our Annual Wellness Fair,” Julie said. “It has become a collaboration of internal providers, external providers from the local healthcare community, and the past few years has been combined with the annual Employee Benefits Fair.”
Recently, services have been added to Wellness and Fitness Services surrounding mindfulness, massage therapy, pet therapy, and Project Safe, Carlow’s project to raise awareness about sexual assault, dating violence, and domestic violence, and offer resources to provide help to victims. Julie takes pride in the fact that many of the fitness services her department provides are open to faculty, staff, and all students. She has also served with faculty, staff, and students on the Healthy Carlow Committee for the past ten years.
“Some of my favorite memories come from going on nine Alternative Spring Breaks with our students and providing service,” she said. “Those were life-changing experiences.”
In addition to being director of Wellness and Fitness Services, Julie is also the Head Coach for Women’s Volleyball. Her teams have qualified for nine United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) National Championship Tournaments, reaching the final four in the past four seasons. Their best finish was third in 2021.
“When I started at Carlow, there were six sports – all women’s sports – and the addition of men’s sports was a really big change,” she said. “It’s exciting to see and be part of the growth and development of Carlow Athletics. We have nearly 200 student athletes now, which is a big increase in numbers from those early years.”
As a coach, she really enjoys recruiting and working with her student-athletes, and she looks for improvement on and off the volleyball court, too.
“I think my proudest moment is when they receive academic honors,” she said. “They come here so eager to learn and leave as graduates ready to make their mark. Being part of their development and surrounding them with support while they are here motivates me.”
One of the most impactful parts of her tenure at Carlow has been the opportunity to work closely with many Sisters of Mercy.
“Especially in the first few years I was here, I really had the honor of being colleagues with so many Sisters of Mercy,” said Julie, who visited Ireland and saw where they originated as part of Alternative Spring Break. “I got to work with them closely, share in their values, and receive guidance from them.”
“The Mercy values have never changed. That has helped me and kept me grounded,” Julie says. “There’s a quote from Catherine McAuley that I try to practice in my personal life: ‘Try to meet all with peace and ease.’”