KENNESAW, Ga. | Sep 23, 2025

Discover how self-awareness, community connection, and intentional reflection at KSU can power a leadership journey that’s both impactful and balanced.

In this episode, Wellbeing@KSU sits down with Josh Burns from Kennesaw State University’s Department of Student Leadership to uncover how nurturing leadership skills goes hand in hand with maintaining holistic wellbeing. They dive into the signature Leap into Leadership program, along with one-on-one coaching, which helps students clarify their values, strengths, and impact goals. Josh shares how civic engagement and the Owl Creed foster a sense of belonging, and he offers practical pathways from using the Owl Life platform to serving as an orientation leader, for students to step into leadership roles. Finally, he reveals strategies for monitoring energy, reflecting on successes, and preventing burnout so that rising leaders can stay balanced on and off campus.

Additional Insights You’ll Hear

• The three stages of leadership development: self-discovery, team engagement, and community impact
• How effective leaders cultivate connection and purpose to boost their own wellbeing
• Actionable reflection techniques to celebrate wins and learn from challenges
  
  

Episode Transcript:

Jianna Anderson  
Hooty Hoo Owls. Welcome to the Kennesaw State University Wellbeing@KSU Podcast. I'm one of your hosts, Jianna Anderson, a marketing and communications assistant with the Division of Student Affairs. Today, we're diving into an essential topic for student leaders at KSU, the intersection of leadership and wellbeing. In this episode, we'll explore how student leadership plays a vital role in shaping your personal and academic journey.  

Joining us today is Josh Burns, the Program Coordinator within the Student Leadership Department. Thank you so much for joining us today and agreeing to join this podcast to provide students and the KSU community with insights into how we advocate for them openly and behind the scenes.  
To start, Josh, can you briefly describe the Student Leadership Department, what it is and some of the programs and services that you all offer?   
  
Josh Burns  
Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much. And first and foremost, in the Department of Student Leadership, we believe that all students at KSU are leaders, they have the potential to lead and have an impact on their peers, and that - in the communities that they belong to as well. And really, everything we do ties back to that belief in that mission. And first and foremost, our signature program “Leap into Leadership”, is really a program that we have designed so that students, no matter where they're at in their leadership journey, can join in and get involved. We have intentional sessions and workshops that really guide students to explore who they are as a leader, their values, their strengths, their talents. And we really set them up to understand how then they can lead in groups and teams, and then we really want students to think about intentionally, where do they want to have their impact. So we then focus on what that leadership in action part looks like. Really, from there, we really want to engage students, where they're at in their leadership journey by also doing coaching sessions. So either individually or in groups. Students can meet with one of our leadership educators in our department to really craft a leadership development plan so that they're developing skills that make the most sense for them, because we know that after you graduate, employers are going to look for certain skills and candidates, and especially leadership skills. So, how well do you know yourself, how adaptable are you in solving problems, and especially interpersonal communication? We got to know how to talk with other people. So, we really support students in that way. Beyond leadership development, we do a lot of work around civic engagement as well. So informing students about how to register to vote, what does it look like to participate in elections and other civic issues? And then lastly, we engage students through the Owl Creed. So how do students exemplify and stand by those core characteristics and values that we hope to see in all KSU students?   
  
Jianna Anderson  
Okay, nice. And how do you see being engaged with leadership development as a part of maintaining wellbeing?  
  
Josh Burns  
Yeah, absolutely. To start off, wellbeing in my mind is just having a, just a positive state of being holistically right. And that encompasses a lot of different areas. And I think about it. And what are our needs. What do we need on a day-to-day basis just to be able to function as a human being? So on a foundational level, we have to make sure, those things are being met.  
Our physical and our environmental needs. But leadership development provides an opportunity to go beyond some of those more basic needs and to really start to think about what are those other areas that are going to help me, make me feel belong, like, how am I going to feel, connected to others? And then how can I self-actualize the things that I want to accomplish, here on campus, but also beyond our time on campus?  
So I think about leadership development and a few different ways I think about it on the individual level and the group level and then and, the community level. So, first and foremost, on an individual level, leadership development helps us, pursue that positive state of well-being by intentionally thinking about who am I am as a person and what are those things that I need to be successful and to be happy.  
And the leaders, the first stage of leadership development and thinking about who am I as a person helps you explore what are those values that are the most important to you. What are those, areas that are going to help me fulfill my purpose in life? And that first stage is all about me as a person, because you really need to know who you are before you can engage in the leadership process that involves others  
Jianna Anderson  
Right. 
   
 
Josh Burns  
But the other, the other part of leadership that involves others is, in my opinion, the most important, because you can't be a leader without engaging with others. And it's sometimes the most challenging as well for anyone, not just students, because then you really have to know who you're working with. And the great part about leadership is that you then get to contribute to the well-being of others, right?  
And then that allows you to pour back into yourself because you can’t engage in leadership from a selfish standpoint, right? So you have to do the hard work of understanding what others need so that they can feel connected and they can belong as well. And then lastly, leadership is all about, pouring back into community as well.  
And what is that positive impact that you're having on your community? And, we know through research and just firsthand examples that when student leaders are involved in leadership, that is tying them into parts of themselves and the communities that they belong to and that they're passionate about, and then that their well-being is being poured into and they're, just feeling affirmed and that the work that they're doing is having an impact, but it's having an impact in the way that they can personally connect to and see themselves in.  
   
Jianna Anderson  
What are some resources or opportunities to become involved with leadership at KSU?  
   
Josh Burns  
Yeah, absolutely. So one strategy that I think is a really cool way to go about getting involved with, positional leadership or just finding, you know, roles on campus that you can practice your leadership is to first use Owl Life. I think Owl Life is a great platform just to explore what student organizations, groups there are to be involved with.  
You know that there's a great database to be able to do that. And then from there, just coming up with a list of organizations that just seem of interest to you. Just going to social media like Instagram, because I think a lot of student groups are the most active on social media platforms. And then really seeing what events and programs are coming up that they're holding so that you can start then just seeing if those groups are the right communities for you. Just to get a feel for, you know, is this the place where I belong, where I'm going to be able to show up as my most authentic self, as a leader. And then through social media, you can then see when, elected officer roles are coming up, and then you can then, you know, put your best self out there to see if you can get elected into a student leader position.  
But the great thing is, student organizations are not the only places where you can show up as a leader. There’s student assistant positions there are like roles like orientation leaders. There's really a lot of different spaces where you can practice leadership. And this - just to see where you can show up as a leader at the end of the day.  
   
Jianna Anderson  
I love that you brought up orientation because I was orientation leader, too, and that was where I got my start. So, yes.   
  
So, thank you so much for sharing your experience. You've given us a lot of great insights. If a student is interested in getting involved with the Student Leadership Department at KSU or has any questions about it, how can they connect with you or someone else in your office?  
   
Josh Burns  
Yeah, for sure. Just the most direct connection and to get a response as soon as possible, you can email us at dsl@kennesaw.edu. That's an email that all of our staff uses and we can get a response to your email or your question, very quickly. But if you really want to stay up to date as to what we have going on throughout the year, Instagram is the place to go to. So make sure you follow us @_ksudsl. We have great opportunities that are posted on there, more like educational posts so that you can learn a little bit more about leadership, maybe some, leadership examples from historical leaders. And we also do a really good job about reposting opportunities from other organizations and departments, that are really going to help you get connected to leadership.  
   
Jianna Anderson  
Perfect. Can you talk to us a little bit about monitoring your own behavior as a leader to prioritize well-being?   
 
Josh Burns  
Yeah, absolutely. So leadership, is, you know, oftentimes about action, like, how can we have the most impact on others? How can we do those really awesome, positive things. Not just for ourselves, but, you know, those around us. But I think the really critical aspect of being engaged as a leader is just to be mindful of how much time and energy can you pour into leadership. Because, you know, I do see a lot of student leaders or just leaders in general, like just going, going, going, engaging and, you know, just working with others and doing a lot of great things.  
But then that can lead to burnout. And that can also lead to a just a lack of opportunity to reflect and to learn. Because, you know, you can't continue to develop as a leader unless you're just taking a step back and just, you know, observing of like, what have you already done or those things that went really well, what are the things that maybe you would like to learn a little bit more about so you can do it better in the future? So reflection does take a little bit more intentionality and time. So time management and balance is really critical there.  
   
Jianna Anderson  
That concludes our conversation for today. I'd like to thank Josh within the Student Leadership Department for joining me for an insightful conversation about the intersection of leadership and well-being at KSU.  
  
Josh Burns   
Thank you so much.   
  
Jianna Anderson  
You're so welcome. And for those listening, please do not hesitate to reach out to Wellbeing@KSU for any support needs and to give suggestions on topic you'd like to learn more about. If you are ever interested in learning more about how to build awareness, knowledge and skills about mental health and suicide prevention, please register for our free mental health trainings. For more information, please visit the Wellbeing@KSU website at kennesaw.edu/wellbeing or send an email to wellctr@kennesaw.edu