Community • Well-Being

A Recipe for Wellness: Ellen Sexton’s Whole-Person Approach to a Life Well Lived

How embracing creativity, community, leadership, and joy helps us find balance and purpose.

Ellen Sexton

3 Min Read

Just like no single ingredient makes a perfect meal, no single habit or activity can guarantee a healthy life. For me, wellness is a sweet medley — of nourishing elements that, together, create something meaningful. True wellness comes from engaging in every corner of life — not just nutrition, fitness, and mental health, but also leadership, connection, community, and joy. 

This belief mirrors the spirit of the free Thrive Global Cookbook from Thrive Global and Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan – highlighting how wellness calls for balance, creativity, and attention to the ingredients that feed our bodies, minds, and spirits.

As Blue Shield of California’s Chief Growth Officer, my work demands vision and heart, not just strategy. Leadership, for me, is about balancing business decisions with humanity, and inspiring my team to approach our shared goals with passion. At the heart of what we do is guiding members through life’s defining moments — not just the celebrations but also the challenges. From the elation of welcoming a new baby to the heartbreak of chronic illness or end-of-life care, we strive to meet people exactly where they are. Part of my role is translating the complex language of healthcare into something that feels clear and human, then pushing us to reimagine those systems so they deliver care that is truly high quality and affordable for all.

Life isn’t just about work, though. At home, I’m a proud hockey mom to a teenage son, and the lessons I’ve learned rink-side shape how I show up as a parent. There’s grit, hustle, humor, and plenty of reminders not to take life too seriously. Being a parent today isn’t always easy, but it keeps me grounded and reminds me that showing up every day, rain or shine, is one of the best ways to love.

Wellness isn’t all internal either. That’s why I make time to give back — serving as President of the Milwaukee Public Library Foundation, sitting on the University of Wisconsin School of Business External Advisory Board, and establishing a scholarship at the high school I attended. These connections remind me that when we strengthen our communities, we strengthen ourselves.

And then there’s fun. I see joy as the not-so-secret ingredient that brings life’s recipe to – well, to life. Whether it’s laughing with my family, celebrating a team win, listening to a podcast or heading  to a music festival with friends,  enjoying activities I love keeps everything in perspective for me.

In the end, wellness can’t be compartmentalized. It’s the integration of health, career, family, rest, joy, community, and purpose, all working together like the ingredients of a shared meal. That same whole-person view shapes how I and others at Blue Shield of California think about health care: not just treating illness after it happens, but nurturing mental, emotional, and community well-being before it does.

As we approach the end of the year, now is the time to review your health insurance benefits and make sure they reflect your own personal recipes for a healthy life.   

I often return to one of my favorite quotes: “Excellence is the result of caring more than others think is wise, risking more than others think is safe, dreaming more than others think is practical, and expecting more than others think is possible.” For me, that’s the recipe not only for a life well-lived, but for reimagining health care itself.

Author(s)

  • Executive Vice President, Chief Growth Officer

    Ellen Sexton is executive vice president, chief growth officer at Blue Shield of California, a nonprofit health plan with more than $27 billion in annual revenue, serving 6 million members in the state’s commercial, individual and government markets. In this role, Sexton oversees growth and performance of all lines of business for Blue Shield — including employer-sponsored plans, individual and family plans, Medicare and Medi-Cal — with a goal to provide more people with access to quality care that is sustainably affordable. Sexton is an accomplished leader with extensive experience in health care and a proven track record of delivering growth, driving organizational transformation and developing high performing businesses. She is highly collaborative and forward-thinking, with a passion for tackling challenges across the healthcare system. Prior to joining Blue Shield, Sexton served as chief operating officer at Curative where she helped to launch a first-of-its-kind employer-based health insurance plan. As chief operating officer of Humana’s Group business, Sexton also led the growth platform for 15 million medical, dental, vision and life members. Previously, as CEO for the UnitedHealthcare Wisconsin Medicaid Health Plan, Sexton helped to gain recognition for clinical innovation. Within UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare business, she successfully transitioned state and employer group retiree healthcare programs, and launched a Part D prescription drug program, enrolling 5 million members. Sexton holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh. She was appointed to the Wisconsin Governor’s Health Equity Council in 2020 and is the President of the Milwaukee Public Library Foundation board of directors. She is a proud hockey mom, enjoys playing golf and is a dedicated Fantasy Football player. She enjoys travel and music of all genres.