Leora Hornstein: Promoting holistic health and well-being

As a passionate health and wellness professional and a certified Occupational Health Nurse, Leora Hornstein is focused on cultivating individual and organizational health and well-being at Cenovus Energy.

“I think I have the best job in the world because I get to protect, promote and support the holistic health and well-being of our people,” says Leora Hornstein, Specialist, Well-being, Engagement & Experience. “And because Cenovus strongly endorses these principles, I’m able to contribute my skills and experience in a way that positively impacts others.”

In her third year of a nursing degree, Leora learned about the specialization of Occupational Health Nursing, which completely changed the trajectory of her career.

“My passion and purpose has always centered around health promotion and protection, so it immediately made sense to focus on creating and growing healthy and safe workplaces,” says Leora. “Fast-forward to today and I’m just as passionate now as when I first started out.”

A typical day for Leora can involve a range of different activities including working on well-being initiatives, empowering leaders to support their people and facilitating education sessions to encourage positive behaviour change across the organization. Of course, COVID-19 has changed her day-to-day priorities, but she continues to focus on seeing the positives coming out of the pandemic and how people have come together in the face of a crisis.

“This pandemic has brought to the forefront the need for companies to focus on health and well-being as a business essential, and no longer as a ‘nice to have’ benefit,” says Leora. “Continuing to work with my industry peers has ensured that we’re putting our workers’ health, well-being and safety first as we continue to adapt best practices and guidance in this highly dynamic environment.”

Outside of work, Leora strives to inspire others to prioritize their well-being so they can be at their best every day, in all aspects of life. As we continue to navigate through the challenges of COVID-19, she knows that we’ll get through this season by being intentional about our self-care practices and taking care of each other.

“I’m constantly inspired by our collective resiliency and ability to adapt to change; we are definitely stronger and better together,” reflects Leora. “I’ve learnt more about myself and the courage and determination of the human spirit than I ever could have imagined.”