UVA alumna finds calm in the pool and on the page

University News

UVA alumna finds calm in the pool and on the page

When Ellen Goldlust graduated from the University of Virginia in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in history, she never dreamed she’d return more than 30 years later to teach, let alone teach aquatic fitness.

When Goldlust hit 50, she said she felt the familiar midlife urge to do something big and spontaneous, “like sell everything and move to Italy. But one of the kids was still home.”

Instead, she leaned into her love of yoga and decided becoming a certified instructor was more sensible than fleeing to Europe.

“I don’t have a naturally soothing, safe voice, and when I mentioned that to my kids, one of them said, ‘Use the voice you use when you’re talking to the cats,’” she said. “It’s been really fun. I feel like I’m doing my little bit to make the world calmer and better.”

A return to Grounds

Ellen Goldlust leading an aqua yoga class at UVA Recreation.

Goldlust demonstrates a pose for her Thursday night paddleboard yoga class. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)

In 2023, while living in Durham, North Carolina, and feeling a need for a change, she came across a UVA job listing that matched her skill set. Today, she is a senior editor of the Papers of James Madison, a project launched in the late 1950s to publish all of the former president’s writing and correspondence. The work is estimated to be finished by 2033, according to Goldlust.

Beyond her editorial role, Goldlust also teaches two classes through UVA Recreation. In aqua yoga, she and her students practice movement in the water, while paddleboard yoga challenges participants to balance on inflatable paddleboards in the pool as they pursue their practice.

“It’s more of a challenge because you have to stabilize yourself on the water, but also forgiving because, if you fall, you just get a little wet,” she said. “It’s a good way of working on balance and proprioception, which is the perception of your body in space.”

Making wellness fun

She said she aims for her classes to focus on enjoyment. “Life is full of things we have to do that we don’t have a whole lot of choice about,” she said. “I don’t want this to feel like another chore.

“Yoga was a haven for me during a difficult time in my life, and I try to make it a haven for other people if they need a little space from things.”

Margeret Halinski, an assistant professor of education at UVA, has been taking classes with Goldlust for a year and says it’s one of the favorite parts of her week.

“I like to say I’m a Hoos Well ambassador,” she jokes, referring to the program that offers UVA Recreation classes to University faculty and staff.

Halinski is enrolled in three classes and regularly drops into two others, spending three to five evenings a week in Hoos Well programs.

Hoos on ‘Jeopardy!’

Beyond her work at UVA, Goldlust represented the University on “Jeopardy!” this May, becoming the second person in her family to appear on the show after her younger sister’s win in 2023.

Goldlust as a contestant on the gameshow Jeopardy

Goldlust says fellow contestants on “Jeopardy!” were friendly and supportive, making the experience feel less like a competition. (Contributed photo)

“I thought, if my little sister could do anything, I could do it,” she said. “It was a fabulous experience, and I came in second.”

Goldlust said contestants are told not to tell people they’re on the show until right before their episode airs, so she didn’t mention it to her students. Many excitedly approached her after it aired.

She said everyone on the show, including other contestants, was friendly, and that it didn’t feel like a competition. “You really bond with other people and everybody’s rooting for each other,” she said. “My only regret is that it was over too quickly, and I’m crossing my fingers that they’ll invite me back for the Second Chance Tournament.”

In addition to her own accomplishments, she is also a proud UVA parent. Her son, Jared Gingrich, graduated from UVA in 2019.