Carol Michaels W'78

Email: Feel free to contact Caroline at caroljmichaels@gmail.com.

What did you study at Penn and when did you graduate?

I graduated from Wharton in 1978. I studied management and marketing.  

What was your favorite part or memory of Penn? 

My favorite part of Penn were the students I met and the friendships I developed. I also enjoyed being in Philadelphia. The restaurants are fabulous. There are so many museums to visit, great art to see, and theaters to attend.  

What led you to the recovery fitness industry?

I initially started in investment banking, but it was impossible to work part-time in the industry after I had children. I then decided to stop working as I felt that I couldn’t give it my all. I also wanted to prioritize my family, so I reevaluated what I wanted to do next.  

Cancer had been a part of my life for a while as I had seen my mother, father, and many other family members battle the disease. Having cared for and watched my  loved ones suffer and oftentimes die from this disease, one of my goals was to do whatever I could to help the healing process. From my experience, it became clear that exercise is essential to the recovery process. After treatment or surgeries, cancer patients have a difficult time with stiffness and numbness. This is only exacerbated when patients are told to go home and rest. Because a lot of these side effects can be mitigated through exercises, I created stretches and strengthening exercises to help eliminate or minimize side effects. 

Can you tell me a little bit about your current role?

Once I decided I wanted to help with rehabilitation exercises, I began to lay the groundwork for the program. I worked alongside physicians to help develop and design exercise plans. I then called many hospitals to see if I could start the program in their facilities. Once the programs were in place at different hospitals, the results showed how beneficial it was for cancer survivors. The Recovery Fitness program is extraordinary because the exercises are unique and effective. The participants enjoy it and research has proven that the exercises decrease the risk of the cancer coming back. Now, my role is continuing to run and grow the business to reach as many people as possible. I also help fitness professionals receive training to be a Recovery Fitness cancer exercise specialist, so they too can help those following a cancer diagnosis and treatment. In the future, I would love to see it as standard care, as it is so beneficial for both cancer patients' physical and mental health.  

What is your proudest accomplishment?

Besides being married for 40 years and a mom of two kids, my biggest accomplishment is helping to improve the quality of life for thousands of cancer patients. I enjoy making a difference in people’s lives. 

What advice do you wish you had known when you were an undergraduate?

At the time, things were so limited for women when it came to part-time jobs. I think that it is important for women to know that it is hard to have a big job while raising a family, especially when you have no family in the area. It is difficult to have two parents with full time jobs while trying to raise kids. I don’t necessarily know how to solve this problem. I will say, in hindsight, it all worked out. I have now gotten to do something that I truly love and am passionate about, while getting to be there for all my kids’ big events and accomplishments. 

What is one problem, issue, or idea that you think more people should know about?

From a healthcare standpoint, I am concerned about the amount of mental illness there is around the world. In terms of living healthy lives, I am worried about the amount of obesity in this country, as there are many health issues that can come along with it, whether that's diabetes, mental illness, or physical illness. Overall, I am concerned about people’s unhealthy lifestyles. 

What’s your favorite thing to do for fun?

My favorite thing to do is travel. 

What’s your favorite place you have ever been to?

I have loved everywhere I have been to. If I had to pick one, it would be an area in western Europe. I especially enjoyed the small towns in the south of France or Italy.