NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Ochsner Health, the leading nonprofit health system in Louisiana, Mississippi and across the Gulf South, has announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with Joy 101, the well-being platform founded and curated by Emmy Award-winning journalist and bestselling author Hoda Kotb. As the first employer in the nation and the first health system to partner with Joy 101, Ochsner is providing nearly 40,000 team members access at no cost to the personalized platform.
A platform that inspires
Joy 101 introduces a simple, daily approach to building habits that support calm, connection and overall well-being. Designed for real life, the platform offers short, flexible experiences that team members can access anytime, making it well-suited to the demands of a multi-generational workforce. The platform complements Ochsner's existing benefit resources by supporting everyday engagement and helping team members build sustainable habits that strengthen overall wellness.
"At Ochsner, we say that every moment matters in our pursuit of the best culture for our patients and our team members," said Tracey Schiro, executive vice president and chief people and culture officer, Ochsner Health. "Joy 101 gives our team members practical tools to build more joy, calm and connection into their everyday lives. Small moments like these can have a meaningful impact over time."
By encouraging small, purposeful daily actions rooted in mindfulness and personal growth, Joy 101 aligns with Ochsner's commitment to supporting the people behind its mission.
"We know that caring for patients begins with caring for the people who serve them," said Pete November, president and chief executive officer, Ochsner Health. "Our team members show up every day with expertise, compassion and purpose, often during life's most important moments. Through Joy 101, we're investing in a simple, practical resource to help our team members feel supported, valued and able to thrive."
Joy 101 was founded by Kotb, best known as the former co-anchor of NBC's "TODAY Show," following her own journey of intentionally building habits that support a more joyful life. The platform features expert-led content spanning meditation, breathwork, sleep, movement, personal growth and purpose, with most experiences lasting under 10 minutes. Content is curated by Kotb and led by world-class experts, including Harvard happiness professor Arthur Brooks, NYU Stern professor Suzy Welch and many others.
"I created Joy 101 because I believe joy is something we can practice every day, even in the middle of busy, meaningful lives," said Kotb, founder of Joy 101. "The people at Ochsner spend their days caring for others, and we're honored to support them with tools that help create moments of calm, connection and joy. I love Louisiana deeply, and I couldn't imagine a better organization to help introduce this vision to healthcare and the communities it serves."
Ochsner's partnership with Joy 101 was developed in response to team member feedback, reflecting a commitment to supporting individual well-being while strengthening workplace culture. The platform is designed to provide accessible content relevant to team members across roles, generations and lived experiences.
Gayle Benson, owner of the New Orleans Saints and governor of the New Orleans Pelicans, was introduced to Joy 101 and became an early investor in the platform. As a longtime partner of Ochsner, she believed the platform's focus on well-being and personal growth aligned with the organization's commitment to supporting team members and helped bring the opportunity forward for consideration.
"Joy 101 is a wonderful complement to the resources Ochsner already provides because it meets people where they are and gives them practical tools they can use every day," said Mrs. Benson. "To me, this partnership is about something very simple: when you take care of the people who take care of everyone else, you ultimately take better care of our entire community."
What team members are already saying about Joy 101
"The daily content serves as a reminder to be compassionate toward ourselves and others, and I appreciate that different lessons resonate with different people based on where they are in their personal or professional journey. It is a valuable tool that helps all of us grow, reflect and find joy in different ways."
"Throughout your life, you hear sayings like 'You can't pour from an empty cup' or 'Put on your own oxygen mask before helping others.' Joy 101 is a tangible way to do exactly that. Whether you need a daily mental health practice, a weekly reset or simply a quick pick-me-up, the app offers something meaningful for every moment. The variety of content is incredible, and I find that I can always discover something that meets me where I am emotionally."
Ochsner is consistently honored for its workplace culture and has received numerous workplace and culture awards, including the 2026 Newsweek's America's Greatest Workplaces award, 2026 Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award, Fortune's Best Workplaces in Health Care, the USA TODAY Top Workplaces award, Top Workplaces for Nursing 2026 honor by Nurse.com, and has Gold-level recognition for Joy in Medicine® by the American Medical Association. Â
Find out more about how our team discovers their purpose each day through a career at Ochsner by visiting careers.ochsner.org. Â
To learn more about Joy 101, including its expert-led content, experiences and community, visit Joy101.com.
About Ochsner HealthÂ
Ochsner Health is the leading nonprofit healthcare provider in Louisiana, Mississippi and across the Gulf South, delivering expert care at its 47 hospitals and more than 370 health and urgent care centers. Ochsner is nationally recognized for inspiring healthier lives and stronger communities through expertise, quality and digital connectivity. In 2025, more than 40,000 dedicated team members and 5,000 employed and affiliated physicians at Ochsner cared for more than 1.6 million people from every state in the nation and 65 countries. To learn more about how Ochsner empowers people to get well and stay well, visit www.ochsner.org.Â
About Joy 101Â
Joy 101 is Hoda Kotb's content, community and experiences company, on a mission to help people lead a more vibrant, more joyful life. It started when Hoda looked around at a life that had everything, the career, the family, all of it, and felt meh. So she stopped asking what should make life feel good and started paying attention to what actually does. She built practices, found her people and chose joy deliberately, every day, until it became who she was. Joy 101 is what she built so anyone can do the same: daily practices in the app, retreats and festivals that bring joy to life, and a community that keeps it going. A home for joy.
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SOURCE Ochsner Health
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