Serious Leisure

Finding a New Leisure Pursuit and Optimal Leisure Lifestyles with Prof Robert Stebbins

The third and final part of An Audience with the Founder of Serious Leisure.
What are the factors that affect our leisure choices? How can we discover new activities for ourselves? In this episode the founder of the Serious Leisure Perspective Professor Robert Stebbins talks through the impact of geography, culture, finance and personal affinity on how we engage with leisure and how we can make it easier to try new things and expand our leisure worlds.
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Reflecting on ways to balance work and wellbeing via leisure and hobbies.
Produced at UWE Bristol.

Serious Leisure Podcast trailer

A 60 second taster of the Serious Leisure podcast to give you a flavour of what we discuss with our fascinating guests.
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Reflecting on ways to balance work and wellbeing via leisure and hobbies.
Produced at UWE Bristol.

Why We Keep Going When the Fun Stops with Prof R Stebbins

This is the second part of An Audience with the Founder of Serious Leisure.
Ever hit a wall with your favourite leisure activity? We can be surprisingly resilient and persistent with our favourite leisure activities. In this episode the founder of the Serious Leisure Perspective Professor Robert Stebbins talks us through the blurry lines between work and leisure, barriers to our leisure and the challenging periods where we might give up. We examine why we keep going and how can we use that resilience to help us balance work and leisure time in our everyday lives. 
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Reflecting on ways to balance work and wellbeing via leisure and hobbies.
Produced at UWE Bristol.

The History of Serious Leisure with Prof Robert Stebbins

Part 1 of 'An Audience with the Founder of Serious Leisure'.
Wondering where the term ‘Serious Leisure’ comes from? What do we mean by amateur or hobbyist and how might these labels help us understand leisure better? In this fascinating episode with the founder of the serious leisure perspective, Professor Robert Stebbins, we explore the origins of his serious leisure perspective concepts starting with elusive concept of amateurism. 
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Reflecting on ways to balance work and wellbeing via leisure and hobbies.
Produced at UWE Bristol.

What is Serious Leisure and Why it Matters...

Get to know the hosts of the Serious Leisure podcast in this entertaining reflection on our past episodes, highlighting the funniest and most touching moments so far, whilst explaining a bit more about what Serious Leisure means and why it matters for all of us. 
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Reflecting on ways to balance work and wellbeing via leisure and hobbies.
Produced at UWE Bristol.

FROM THE ARCHIVE: What is Serious Leisure?

This episode features the three podcast hosts: Dr Petia Petrova (Associate Director of Academic Practice at UWE Bristol), Kat Branch (Leader of UWE Bristol’s Centre for Music) and Dr Sam Elkington (the co-author of ‘The Serious Leisure Perspective’, Teesside University). We introduce our live audience to the origins of the podcast and the concept of Serious Leisure. We discuss the importance of community and how making time for leisure significantly affects our sense of identity and ability to recharge. We explore in particular the significance of separation between private and work spaces. Finally, we reflect on how our leisure pursuits have been impacted by the Covid pandemic, how we have managed to sustain and grow some but reluctantly given up others.
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Reflecting on ways to balance work and wellbeing via leisure and hobbies.
Produced at UWE Bristol.

FROM THE ARCHIVE: The Power of Playfulness

In this episode two people with very serious jobs explain the importance of playfulness and a space to be silly in maintaining personal and professional wellbeing.  Judith Ritchie, Faculty Director for Quality Enhancement and Standards, and Dr Petia Petrova, Associate Director of Academic Practice are both based at UWE Bristol. They discuss the joy and freedom of being allowed to be funny and mischievous as part of their leisure activities! This episode is recorded with a live audience.
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Reflecting on ways to balance work and wellbeing via leisure and hobbies.
Produced at UWE Bristol.

FROM THE ARCHIVE: What Can Social Prescribing Teach Us About Leisure?

Social Prescribing projects are now being used across the UK to respond innovatively and holistically to our mental health needs through activities typically associated with leisure. We speak to the social prescribing programme co-ordinator at UWE Bristol, Marie Pring, along with Senior Lecturers in Psychology Dr Liz Jenkinson and Dr Nicola Holt who also run a crafting group as part of the UWE social prescribing programme 'Living Well'. They share their personal and professional stories of how leisure activities can directly impact mental health.
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Reflecting on ways to balance work and wellbeing via leisure and hobbies.
Produced at UWE Bristol.

FROM THE ARCHIVE: Fly Fishing Professors

In this episode we hear from Dr Richard Waller, Associate Professor of the Sociology of Education, and Jon Dovey, Professor of Screen Media at UWE Bristol. They talk to us about their mutual love of fly fishing. Through our guests' intriguing, lyrical stories we enter the hidden world of a fascinating, niche leisure activity whilst hearing familiar tales of the restoration gained from escaping to nature and the joy of losing yourself in the moment.
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Reflecting on ways to balance work and wellbeing via leisure and hobbies.
Produced at UWE Bristol.

FROM THE ARCHIVE: Hold Your Horses

What happens when your leisure time involves stubborn personalities (horses!), stormy weather and midnight births (sheep!)? In this episode we hear from UWE Bristol Student Caseworker Amanda Headley-White and Senior Lecturer Dr Alison Miles who share moving stories about the challenges and triumphs of spending time away from work with those with four legs.
Don't miss the next episode! Subscribe now!
Reflecting on ways to balance work and wellbeing via leisure and hobbies.
Produced at UWE Bristol.