Archives: Events

Sleep: Secrets and Strategies
Sleep is a key factor in our cognitive, emotional, and physical wellbeing.  Demystify the science of sleep, why we need it, and what happens if we don’t get it. Learn the essentials of sleep disorders, how to recognize them, and what to do if you might have one.

Chasing Sleep: A Do-it-Yourself Guide to Overcoming Insomnia
Trouble sleeping can interfere with life, both night and day, and is almost always treatable – without medication. Learn how to decode sleep struggles identify your own opportunities for better sleep. Build your own do-it-yourself toolkit for insomnia and begin to craft your own approach to effective sleep.

Sleep and Performance: Strategize Your Sleep to Maximize Physical and Mental Potential
We’ll delve into the science behind the power of sleep and strategize ways to survive and thrive when sleep is hard to come by.  Each participant will leave with a plan for optimizing sleep for their own resilience and performance.

Lifestyle for Life
Evidence-based lifestyle changes can prevent, treat, and even reverse chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. Learn the key elements of the pillars of lifestyle medicine, including plant-based dietary pattern, exercise, restorative sleep, stress management, and positive social relationships. Decode food labels, food industry jargon, and dietary guidelines, build an exercise plan to meet your own goals, explore joy and meaning through positive psychology.

Sarah Zallek, MD is a sleep neurologist who has been practicing sleep medicine with a mindfulness approach – and teaching sleep with relevance and humor to a wide range of audiences – for more than two decades. She is a professor of neurology at University of Illinois College of Medicine, is board certified in Neurology, Sleep Medicine, and Lifestyle Medicine. She is Medical Director of OSF HealthCare Sleep and Vice President, Chief Medical Officer of OSF Saint Joseph Medical Center. She has developed and led conferences that integrate mindfulness, art, and science to foster individual wellness and reduce burnout. In addition, she has led the development of a compassion-based communication course that connects individuals to work together toward shared goals. Dr. Zallek is a frequent keynote speaker and industry consultant on communication and leadership.

This program explores walking for fitness, recreation, inspiration and transportation, how walking can boost your brain power and creativity, how to incorporate walking into your life and what it takes to make your neighborhood a more interesting and engaging place to walk.

Walking for Fun and Fitness
Walking is one of the easiest ways to stay fit and active, lead a healthy lifestyle, and avoid obesity. Do you really need 10,000 steps per day?  We’ll answer that while exploring how to get more bang for your walking buck and how to incorporate walking into your daily routine.

Creating Walkable Places
What does it take to make your neighborhood a more interesting place to walk?  Learn how design can motivate you to walk more often, what you need to know about transportation planning to advocate for creating walkable places where you live, and the details that matter to make it easier and more fun for you to get out and walk.

Walking to Boost Your Brain Power
Throughout the ages, poets, philosophers and pilgrims have found inspiration in walking. From Aristotle and Beethoven to Muir and Thoreau, great minds have one thing in common:  walking.  We’ll take a stroll through walking history to learn why your best thoughts and creative ideas come while walking and how you can tap into the power of daily walks to clear your mind, boost your brainpower and energize your creative juices.

Walking Workshop:  Walk Your Way to Fitness
Learn some basic techniques for fitness and recreational walking to help you bring health and energy to your life!  This workshop will cover walking technique, including stride, posture, shoes, and stretches for warm up and cool down with on-the-track instruction and evaluation.

Lynn Weigand, Ph.D., has “walked her talk”  for recreation, transportation and fitness for most of her life and brings a unique perspective to the topic with experience as both an urban design and transportation planner, and as a fitness coach. As an urban planner, she has managed transportation planning projects focusing on pedestrian and bicycle access and was the founding director of the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation at Portland State University.  She holds a PhD in Urban Studies with a focus on designing healthy communities.  Lynn also is a Certified Personal Trainer and the owner of Portland, Oregon-based Encore Fitness, focusing on fitness walking and health coaching.

Exploring the Complexities of the Mother-Daughter Dynamic
The bond we share with our mother shapes our lives. While this connection can be nurturing and supportive, it can also be challenging and even detrimental. Join us in this transformative workshop led by author, Diane Danvers Simmons of My Mother Next Door, Diane Danvers Simmons and her daughter Natalie Simmons, hosts of the enlightening podcast, Mothers & Daughters Unfiltered. Together, we will navigate the intricacies of motherhood and the complexities of our identities as mothers and daughters, the conflicting emotions of loss and longing, embracing forgiveness and acceptance of our mothers’ imperfections, breaking free from harmful patterns to forge stronger relationships with the next generation, and discovering effective ways to foster open and honest communication with our mothers and daughters as we move forward.

Disclaimer: Please note that this workshop is designed to be an experiential journey and discussion. As such, it should not be considered as medical advice or a substitute for professional help. 

Uncovering Our Story:
We all have a story – a story which begins with our mothers. In the first of this four-part workshop, you will unpack your own story guided by memoir author, Diane Danvers Simmons, and discover how this narrative has shaped you.

Empathizing with Our Mother: What would you learn if you were cast as your mother in a movie? Step into your her shoes in the second workshop of this four-part series. Together we will uncover our mother’s deeper motivations working to understand their perceived imperfections with newfound empathy.

Breaking Generational Patterns:
Each of has the opportunity to set a new path forward for the next generation. During this session we will revisit both stories – yours and your mothers – and examine how they differ and where they overlap. We will ask ourselves what we can learn from, versus what we can thoughtfully leave behind? We will then transition to exploring how this exercise can support us in managing expectations and nurturing the next generation.

Intergenerational Conversations:
In our final workshop together we move from self-reflection to action. Our goal is to share ways we can bridge the intergenerational gaps through conversation. Our intention is to coach each other through how to honor, respect, and support each other’s dreams; and accept our own needs, boundaries, and evolution to maintain a strong loving bond as we grow individually and together.

Diane Danvers Simmons is the author of My Mother Next Door, her debut novel, which explores her relationship with her mother and her abandonment. Diane identifies with many titles from world traveler to speaker, reiki master, brand builder, women’s activist, and advocate. Ultimately, her role as mother rises above the others; she prides herself on her relationships with her children, including co-host and founding an inter-generational podcast with her daughter entitled “Mothers & Daughters Unfiltered” which explores topics facing women of all ages today from the lens of their relationship. A British native and American transplant, she strives to lead a mission-driven life with the goal of sharing stories that shine a light, inspire the humanity in each of us, and encouraging empathy and unity in our fractured, mad, world.

Connect at www.mothersanddaughtersunfiltered.com

Checking most of the boxes you’d expect from a millennial: achievement-oriented, entrepreneurial, social impact driven, and restless *audible sigh*, Natalie Danvers Simmons is outspoken and honest-to-a-fault (she keeps Diane honest too)! A digital nomad since 2022, Natalie is chasing stamps on her passport and the finish line of her next triathlon all while managing her operations team in NYC hosting team-building-focused corporate events. Her heart is in furthering women’s rights and opportunities as she serves on the board of Nevada’s first abortion fund and volunteers her extra hours as a Hotline Advocate for the DC Rape Crisis Center.

Website link, social media link, Media selection/Praise for
www.mothersanddaughtersunfiltered.com
Instagram: @motherdaughterunfiltered
https://www.mothersanddaughtersunfiltered.com/media

Some examples from media section
International Press:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10372431/My-narcissist-mother-left-new-life-door.html

Live TV:
https://www.mothersanddaughtersunfiltered.com/press/daily-blast-live-author-diane-danvers-simmons-on-being-abandoned-by-her-mother-at-age-16

Natalie interviews Diane – Pre Book-Launch:
https://www.mothersanddaughtersunfiltered.com/podcast/the-story-behind-my-mother-next-door

On- Line Magazine – Elephant Journal:
https://www.mothersanddaughtersunfiltered.com/press/5-ways-to-break-the-complexity-of-the-mother-daughter-relationship

Mothers Perspective – Articles /Blogs Published in Parenting  /Lifestyle mags:
https://www.mothersanddaughtersunfiltered.com/blog-categories/mothers-perspective

The Essence of “Creative Tai Ji” practice for optimum vitality and well-being in Body-Mind-Spirit, through the “Watercourse Way” of TAO in joyful daily living.

Chungliang Al Huang, was immersed in the classics and Chinese scholarly arts from a young age in China. He came to the United States in 1955 to study architecture, cultural anthropology and dance. His intuitive knowledge of the ancient wisdom and rich traditions of his native China led to early collaborations with philosophers and scholars such as Joseph Needham, Alan Watts, Joseph Campbell and Huston Smith.  In demand as a keynote speaker at conferences and workshops around the world, Huang returned to China in 1982 as a consultant to prominent American business groups. He is the founder-president of Living Tao Foundation and the director of the International Lan Ting Institute with its Chinese base in the sacred Wu Yi Mountain and its United States base on the Oregon coast.

From the renowned Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, to the world’s major capitals, he shares the stage with luminaries such as the HH Dalai Lama and primatologist Jane Goodall. He is the recipient of the prestigious Gold Metal from the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China, a fellow at the World Academy of Arts and Science, and an assembly member of A Parliament of the World’s Religions. Architect, performing artist, brush calligrapher, Huang is also a celebrated author, with a number of best-selling books including: Embrace Tiger, Return to Mountain: The Essence of Tai Ji, which has been translated into 17 languages and is now in its 5th decade of publication. www.livingtao.org
info@livingtao.org

In the age of social media, the way we document our lives can feel frantic and overwrought. What if we slowed this process down and gave ourselves time to reflect on how we share our stories? During these interactive workshops, we will practice oral history’s time-honored and reflective process. Active listening, empathy, and curiosity will guide us as we share our own stories while we acquire new tools for collecting and sharing the stories of our loved ones. This rejuvenating storytelling practice offers an embodied approach to celebrating the personal history all of us make every day.

Interactive and informative classes that use the practice of oral history to gather and celebrate family and community stories.

Celebrating the Power of the Story
An hour-long, interactive presentation about oral history and the power of personal narrative. The presentation will include a discussion of the many applications for oral history–family stories, community history, personal memoirs, and more. Audience members will experience various oral history excerpts as both storytellers and listeners. The presentation will also include a discussion of the art of interviewing, the ethics of storytelling, creating safe and brave spaces, and exploring the intersection of curiosity and empathy. The presentation also includes a brief storytelling activity and a Q&A.

Session 1: Taking History Personally
Session 2: The Artifact Interview
Session 3: Introduction to Oral History Editing

In 2010, Cliff Mayotte created the education program for Voice of Witness, an award-winning non-profit that advances social justice through oral history. The program currently serves over 400 educators and 15,000 students from around the world. Cliff has designed and facilitated storytelling workshops for numerous. universities and nonprofits, including The Bronx Documentary Center, Columbia University, the New Americans Museum, the University of Chicago, True/False Film Festival, The Nelson Mandela Foundation, and Trinity College Dublin. Cliff is the co-author of Say It Forward: A Guide to Social Justice Storytelling, published by Haymarket Books. His writing has also appeared in Edutopia and Salon.com. He is a recipient of the Beverly Kees Educator Award from The Society of Professional Journalists.

Forest bathing, or Shinrin-yoku, is the practice of immersing oneself in a natural environment, mindfully engaging with all senses. With no specific agenda, it’s a serene journey fostering a deep connection with nature. This experience promotes stress reduction, tranquility, and an interconnected sense of well-being by appreciating the sights, sounds, and scents of the forest.

Not a hike, environmental education, or a typical nature walk, instead, it is a 90-minute stroll through the oak-filled areas of Rancho La Puerta. Guided by Paula Pijoan, your experienced guide, this immersive experience involves gentle invitations to open up and explore nature through all your senses. This allows you to fully embrace and enjoy the therapeutic benefits that Nature has to offer.

Paula Pijoan has been a long-time naturalist and advocate of the native plants of Baja California, having co-authored the book “Edible native plants of Baja California”.

Originally trained as an Oceanographer, the plant world stole her attention fully in 2007 and, aside from studying them and teaching others about them, she felt a strong inner healing by spending time with them, outdoors. This coincided with a newfound interest in meditation which led her to become a meditation teacher in 2012. However, she felt she could unite both worlds -teach about plants and the environment AND meditation- in one same format and that´s when she found the practice of Shinrin-Yoku, or Forest Bathing. In 2017 she became a certified guide by ANFT (Association of Nature and Forest Therapy), making her the first certified guide in Mexico and one of the first in Latin America. She has been leading dozens of walks since and is always astounded by the profound experiences many of the participants have.

www.respirabosque.com
www.facebook.com/respirabosque
www.instagram.com/respirabosque

DNA is only responsible for approximately 15% of our life expectancy. The emerging field of Epigenetics explains how our choices of health-related behaviors control proteins that can modify the expression of our genetic code. Learn how to optimize your immune system, enhance brain function, delay aging and maximize the joy in your daily life – not only by making smart decisions involving exercise, nutrition, stress management and life-balance, but also by choosing to engage in a meaningful, purpose-driven life.

The Power of Meaning and Purpose
Learn how to harness the incredible power of the epigenome to enhance both life quantity and, more importantly, quality.

Sedentary Lifestyle is the New Smoking
Our bodies were made to move. Regular motion is the key to healthy circulation, optimizing cardiac risk factors, maintaining muscle mass, functional capacity, and joint flexibility – not to mention prevention of early dementia and some forms of cancer!  After age 35, most people every year lose significant lean mass and strength and gain fat mass, leading to a myriad of self-inflicted health issues. Dr. Rice will explore the latest clinical insights regarding the benefits of an active lifestyle and will explain the necessary ingredients for minimizing associated health risks.

With more than thirty years as a family practice and sports medicine physician, Dr. Lee Rice has become one of the premier medical experts on wellness in the United States and abroad. He has been head-team physician for professional and Olympic teams including the San Diego Chargers, Los Angeles Clippers, San Diego Gulls, San Diego Soccer’s, USA Olympic Volleyball and America’s Cup Sailing syndicates including Oracle Racing. Drawing on these experiences, Dr. Rice founded Life Wellness Institute, a revolutionary healthcare facility focusing on health promotion and individualized wellness programs for families and corporations.  Dr. Rice is a clinical professor at Western University of Health Sciences and a Voluntary Clinical Instructor in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego. He was honored to be the initial Dr. Jerry Lee Chair of Wellness and Integrative Health at the National University System. He is an internationally known speaker for executive organizations including Young Presidents Organization (YPO and YPO Gold), Chief Executives Organization (CEO), and Vistage International. Dr. Rice is a founder and past president of both the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine, as well as a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Sports Medicine. Dr. Rice is an active board member with the San Diego Epilepsy Foundation and McAlister Institute, and is past president of the San Diego chapter of the American Heart Association; he is also a trustee and currently Vice Chair for the non-profit National University. Dr. Rice’s vision for comprehensive health is incorporated into all his activities and is the guiding principle of the Life Wellness Institute.

DNA is only responsible for approximately 15% of our life expectancy. The emerging field of Epigenetics explains how our choices of health-related behaviors control proteins that can modify the expression of our genetic code. Learn how to optimize your immune system, enhance brain function, delay aging and maximize the joy in your daily life – not only by making smart decisions involving exercise, nutrition, stress management and life-balance, but also by choosing to engage in a meaningful, purpose-driven life.

The Power of Meaning and Purpose
Learn how to harness the incredible power of the epigenome to enhance both life quantity and, more importantly, quality.

Sedentary Lifestyle is the New Smoking
Our bodies were made to move. Regular motion is the key to healthy circulation, optimizing cardiac risk factors, maintaining muscle mass, functional capacity, and joint flexibility – not to mention prevention of early dementia and some forms of cancer!  After age 35, most people every year lose significant lean mass and strength and gain fat mass, leading to a myriad of self-inflicted health issues. Dr. Rice will explore the latest clinical insights regarding the benefits of an active lifestyle and will explain the necessary ingredients for minimizing associated health risks.

With more than thirty years as a family practice and sports medicine physician, Dr. Lee Rice has become one of the premier medical experts on wellness in the United States and abroad. He has been head-team physician for professional and Olympic teams including the San Diego Chargers, Los Angeles Clippers, San Diego Gulls, San Diego Soccer’s, USA Olympic Volleyball and America’s Cup Sailing syndicates including Oracle Racing. Drawing on these experiences, Dr. Rice founded Life Wellness Institute, a revolutionary healthcare facility focusing on health promotion and individualized wellness programs for families and corporations.  Dr. Rice is a clinical professor at Western University of Health Sciences and a Voluntary Clinical Instructor in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego. He was honored to be the initial Dr. Jerry Lee Chair of Wellness and Integrative Health at the National University System. He is an internationally known speaker for executive organizations including Young Presidents Organization (YPO and YPO Gold), Chief Executives Organization (CEO), and Vistage International. Dr. Rice is a founder and past president of both the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine, as well as a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Sports Medicine. Dr. Rice is an active board member with the San Diego Epilepsy Foundation and McAlister Institute, and is past president of the San Diego chapter of the American Heart Association; he is also a trustee and currently Vice Chair for the non-profit National University. Dr. Rice’s vision for comprehensive health is incorporated into all his activities and is the guiding principle of the Life Wellness Institute.

Learn how to harness the incredible power of the epigenome to enhance both life quantity and, more importantly, quality.

With more than thirty years as a family practice and sports medicine physician, Dr. Lee Rice has become one of the premier medical experts on wellness in the United States and abroad. He has been head team physician for professional and Olympic teams including the San Diego Chargers, Los Angeles Clippers, San Diego Gulls, San Diego Soccer’s, USA Olympic Volleyball and America’s Cup Sailing syndicates including Oracle Racing. Drawing on these experiences, Dr. Rice founded Life Wellness Institute, a revolutionary healthcare facility focusing on health promotion and individualized wellness programs for families and corporations.  Dr. Rice is a clinical professor at Western University of Health Sciences and a Voluntary Clinical Instructor in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego. He was honored to be the initial Dr. Jerry Lee Chair of Wellness and Integrative Health at the National University System. He is an internationally known speaker for executive organizations including Young Presidents Organization (YPO and YPO Gold), Chief Executives Organization (CEO), and Vistage International. Dr. Rice is a founder and past president of both the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine, as well as a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Sports Medicine. Dr. Rice is an active board member with the San Diego Epilepsy Foundation and McAlister Institute, and is past president of the San Diego chapter of the American Heart Association; he is also a trustee and currently Vice Chair for the non-profit National University. Dr. Rice’s vision for comprehensive health is incorporated into all his activities and is the guiding principle of the Life wellness Institute.

DNA is only responsible for approximately 15% of our life expectancy. The emerging field of Epigenetics explains how our choices of health-related behaviors control proteins that can modify the expression of our genetic code. Learn how to optimize your immune system, enhance brain function, delay aging and maximize the joy in your daily life – not only by making smart decisions involving exercise, nutrition, stress management and life-balance, but also by choosing to engage in a meaningful, purpose-driven life.

With more than thirty years as a family practice and sports medicine physician, Dr. Lee Rice has become one of the premier medical experts on wellness in the United States and abroad. He has been head team physician for professional and Olympic teams including the San Diego Chargers, Los Angeles Clippers, San Diego Gulls, San Diego Soccer’s, USA Olympic Volleyball and America’s Cup Sailing syndicates including Oracle Racing. Drawing on these experiences, Dr. Rice founded Life Wellness Institute, a revolutionary healthcare facility focusing on health promotion and individualized wellness programs for families and corporations.  Dr. Rice is a clinical professor at Western University of Health Sciences and a Voluntary Clinical Instructor in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego. He was honored to be the initial Dr. Jerry Lee Chair of Wellness and Integrative Health at the National University System. He is an internationally known speaker for executive organizations including Young Presidents Organization (YPO and YPO Gold), Chief Executives Organization (CEO), and Vistage International. Dr. Rice is a founder and past president of both the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine, as well as a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Sports Medicine. Dr. Rice is an active board member with the San Diego Epilepsy Foundation and McAlister Institute, and is past president of the San Diego chapter of the American Heart Association; he is also a trustee and currently Vice Chair for the non-profit National University. Dr. Rice’s vision for comprehensive health is incorporated into all his activities and is the guiding principle of the Life wellness Institute.

Choosing Growth
Are you at a crossroads, contemplating the next chapter of your life, or simply seeking to enrich your life journey with purpose and joy? This workshop helps you engage in the art of personal transformation and tap sources of enduring well-being. Engage in reflection and reframing exercises, thought-provoking discussions, and practical growth hacks to spark curiosity, creativity, and connection in your life!

1. Introducing the Personal Growth Posture
Expand your understanding of adult maturity and longevity and learn how to use the personal growth posture to enable continuous learning adult transformation.

2. Practicing Everyday Presence
Success in any journey depends on a sound understanding of your starting position. Due to many psycho-social dynamics this is a surprisingly difficult to establish in personal growth efforts. Leverage what you already know about breath and mindfulness to improve your perception and notice your behavior.

3. Radical Self Awareness
Noticing and labeling your feelings and behaviors enables you to explore why they exist. Discover new lenses that help you evaluate patterns and enable you to choose behaviors that best serve you.

4. Overcoming Immunity to Change
Understanding your behavior isn’t the same as choosing your behavior. Reframe your definition of wellbeing and learn how to uncover unconscious competing commitments that hold you back and prevent you from living your ideal life.

5. Reframing Your Story
The stories we tell about who we are and where we are going have a powerful impact on the shape of our lives. Start from your foundation and reframe your self talk to support your ideal life and communicate the true you.

John Foster is a leadership coach who helps people and organizations perform at their best. He has served many of the world’s most innovative companies helping them through transformation and scaling challenges. He has deep expertise in psychology, organization behavior, leadership, and communication; and has spent thousands of hours facilitating workshops and coaching leaders.

John earned a Master’s degree in experiential learning from Colorado State University and a dual BA in Psychology and Communication from Miami University. He lives in California and enjoys family, travel, playing guitar, and woodworking.

The Great Microbiome: Our Greatest Ally for Optimal Health
It is becoming common knowledge that gut bacteria are connected to aspects of health, including inflammation, body weight, cancer, immunity, brain function, and so much more. Norma will discuss the benefits of gut bacteria and its impact on our health when out of balance, including how it prepares us for novel viruses that continue to evolve in our world today.

The Top 10 Ways to Heal Your Gut & Maximize Your Microbiota
Considering the amazing benefits of our gut bacteria and its implications on our health, how can we be sure we are eating to maximize our microbiota? Our gut bacteria are influenced by our diet, environment, age, activity, hygiene and stress level. Norma will discuss better foods, lifestyle choices, and updates on supplements that heal and support a healthier gut.

Epigenetics: Your DNA is NOT Your Destiny!
Our DNA was originally thought to be pre-programmed and could not be changed. We were stuck with what we got! That has all changed with the new understanding of Epigenetics, which is the ability of nutrition and other environmental factors to turn human genes on or off. In other words, our food intake and lifestyle behaviors have an effect on how our genes are expressed!  How about those “bad” genes that run in your family? There is new hope!  Learn how your family history, current symptoms, and/or genetic testing can point out deficiencies that can be supported with nutrition, supplements and changes in your environment.

BONE DEEP: Everything that Matters for Better Bone Health!
Did you know that the prevalence of osteoporosis increased for women from 2007-2008 to 2017-2018?  Is it true that calcium supplementation can be harmful?  Are there other nutrients that are more important for bone health?  What other factors matter for bone health?  Join Norma to learn a comprehensive approach to improve bone health.  It’s important for everyone, considering low bone density is prevalent in over 50% of women and over 30% of men aged 50 and over. We have a lot to talk about!

Norma Flood, MS, RDN, delves deeper to treat problems where they start.  Motivated by her own health challenges and those of her clients, she applies functional nutrition therapy to effectively treat or support digestive health, mental health, and eating disorders.  Life coaching is also central in her practice. With a background in Pharmacology & Toxicology, Norma’s journey started in research at Viagene-Center for Gene Therapy.  Personal health issues then moved her to get a master’s degree in nutrition and then complete her clinical training in a highly competitive dietetic internship at the UCSD Medical Center.   Norma was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Student for her major, and the Outstanding Dietetic Intern for the state of California.  Her 20+ years of experience as a dietitian include UCSD Cancer Center, UCSD Medical Center, Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine, SDSU Student Health Services and Athletics, and finally Private Practice as an Integrative and Functional Nutritionist. Norma also has a passion for reaching out to youth, which inspired her to start a school garden program at Painted Rock Elementary School, as well as establish Poway Unplugged, which included a tween/teen day camp to teach positive coping tools and balanced health to young girls. Norma is a mother to a 17-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old son in Poway, California.  During her free time, she loves hiking, yoga, gardening and time with family and friends.

The Great Microbiome: Our Greatest Ally for Optimal Health
It is becoming common knowledge that gut bacteria are connected to aspects of health, including inflammation, body weight, cancer, immunity, brain function, and so much more. Norma will discuss the benefits of gut bacteria and its impact on our health when out of balance, including how it prepares us for novel viruses that continue to evolve in our world today.

The Top 10 Ways to Heal Your Gut & Maximize Your Microbiota
Considering the amazing benefits of our gut bacteria and its implications on our health, how can we be sure we are eating to maximize our microbiota? Our gut bacteria are influenced by our diet, environment, age, activity, hygiene and stress level. Norma will discuss better foods, lifestyle choices, and updates on supplements that heal and support a healthier gut.

Epigenetics: Your DNA is NOT Your Destiny!
Our DNA was originally thought to be pre-programmed and could not be changed. We were stuck with what we got! That has all changed with the new understanding of Epigenetics, which is the ability of nutrition and other environmental factors to turn human genes on or off. In other words, our food intake and lifestyle behaviors have an effect on how our genes are expressed!  How about those “bad” genes that run in your family? There is new hope!  Learn how your family history, current symptoms, and/or genetic testing can point out deficiencies that can be supported with nutrition, supplements and changes in your environment.

BONE DEEP: Everything that Matters for Better Bone Health!
Did you know that the prevalence of osteoporosis increased for women from 2007-2008 to 2017-2018?  Is it true that calcium supplementation can be harmful?  Are there other nutrients that are more important for bone health?  What other factors matter for bone health?  Join Norma to learn a comprehensive approach to improve bone health.  It’s important for everyone, considering low bone density is prevalent in over 50% of women and over 30% of men aged 50 and over. We have a lot to talk about!

Norma Flood, MS, RDN, delves deeper to treat problems where they start.  Motivated by her own health challenges and those of her clients, she applies functional nutrition therapy to effectively treat or support digestive health, mental health, and eating disorders.  Life coaching is also central in her practice. With a background in Pharmacology & Toxicology, Norma’s journey started in research at Viagene-Center for Gene Therapy.  Personal health issues then moved her to get a master’s degree in nutrition and then complete her clinical training in a highly competitive dietetic internship at the UCSD Medical Center.   Norma was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Student for her major, and the Outstanding Dietetic Intern for the state of California.  Her 20+ years of experience as a dietitian include UCSD Cancer Center, UCSD Medical Center, Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine, SDSU Student Health Services and Athletics, and finally Private Practice as an Integrative and Functional Nutritionist. Norma also has a passion for reaching out to youth, which inspired her to start a school garden program at Painted Rock Elementary School, as well as establish Poway Unplugged, which included a tween/teen day camp to teach positive coping tools and balanced health to young girls. Norma is a mother to a 17-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old son in Poway, California.  During her free time, she loves hiking, yoga, gardening and time with family and friends.

Mah Jongg  • The Beauty and Soul of Mah Jongg
Come hear Toby Salk’s lively lecture about the history of how Mah Jongg became so popular in the United States, how Mah Jongg has seeped into popular culture, and so much more. Toby’s mother and aunts played Mah Jongg before she was born. So, you might say she first heard the clicking and clacking of Mah Jongg tiles in the womb! Don’t miss this wonderful and wacky Toby Salk talk! You do not need to be a player to attend!

Beginners Mah Jongg–American Style (60 mins) – 4 sessions
This class will teach you the basics of playing American Mah Jongg according to the National Mah Jongg League Guidelines. The focus will be on tile recognition, rules, strategy and lots of fun! This is also a great class to take if you are rusty and want to go back to the basics. You must be present for the first class if you really want to learn.

After the end of a long-term corporate job, Toby Salk knew it was time for reinvention. She tried on all of the hats she’d worn throughout her life, seeing if one might fit again. One night, she was sitting at a dinner party with a successful bakery owner. She looked at her squarely in the eye and said, “You should be teaching Mah Jongg.” Before Toby could protest, she offered her bakery in the evenings for her first class. Experimenting on friends first, she then organized her first class at Sweet Adeline Bakery and had to turn people away. It was a huge success. Now she is teaching all over the Bay Area, including two exclusive women’s clubs on Union Square, Berkeley Adult School, Orinda Park and Rec, and private homes.

Our physical, mental and emotional health are interconnected as the very same things that are good for the body are also good for the mind. So too our spiritual health, our relational and financial health and societal health are all interconnected and intertwined. Through stories and science, we will explore the interconnectedness of these values and how aligning the many facets of our experience allows us to harness their power to lead more productive and successful lives.

Identify your Hunger- How to Tell Physical and Emotional Hunger Apart
Hunger is not only a physical cue for food but also signals our emotional and spiritual needs. This connection between food and emotion is not only cultural but is hardwired in our neurobiology. In this workshop, we will explore the science of hunger and understand why our emotions physiologically drive our desire for food. Participants will learn to distinguish emotional hunger from physical hunger and engage in an evidence-based practice to manage cravings mindfully without reactivity.

Redefine Nutrition- 5 Nutrients to Nourish You Mind and Body Day
Nutrition refers not only to the food that we eat but also the company that we keep, how we move our bodies and engage in sleep, rest and play, the content we consume and the words that we use to speak to ourselves. In this workshop we will broaden our definition of nutrition to include food, sleep, movement, nature, rest, play and the mind’s diet. Participants will learn actionable guidance on how to incorporate these nutrients into their daily lives in order to enhance their physical health and mental and emotional wellbeing.

Overcoming Saboteurs and Self-Limiting Beliefs to Achieve Health and Wellbeing
Our relationship with food is a mirror to our relationship to ourselves. In this workshop, we will identify the 10 most common saboteurs including perfectionism, self-limiting beliefs, lack of healthy boundaries that not only impact our relationship with food but also our work, our relationships with ourselves, co-workers, family and friends. Participants will engage in an experiential writing practice to uncover unique saboteurs that show up in our daily lives.

Self-Compassion: The (Surprising) Key to Transforming your Life
Self-compassion is not only kind, but is essential to our growth. In this workshop we will discuss why positive self-acceptance and self-compassion are necessary to forming positive habits and creating durable, lasting change. We will learn the three elements of an effective self-compassion practice: awareness, mindfulness and embracing our common humanity and together set the groundwork to implementing this essential practice on your own.

Adrienne Youdim, MD, is a physician, author, TEDx speaker specializing in medical weight loss and nutrition. Her mission is to empower people to adopt scientifically backed mind-body techniques to enhance greater mental, emotional and physical health and wellbeing. She holds multiple board certifications awarded by the American Board of Internal Medicine, the National Board of Physician Nutrition Specialists, the American Board of Obesity Medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians.   Her book Hungry for More: Stories and Science to Inspire Weight Loss from the Inside Out explores the emotional and spiritual hungers that present as a hunger for food. Dr. Youdim currently sees patients in her private practice in Beverly Hills. She also hosts the Health Bite podcast, ranked amongst the top 5% most listened to globally. Dr Youdim is a national speaker sought after by the media and has been featured on The Doctors, Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, ABC news, Inside Edition, National Public Radio among other news outlets. Dr. Youdim lives in Los Angeles with her high school sweetheart, three kids and labradoodle. In her spare time, she can be found running, reading and gathered around a home-cooked meal with family and friends.

Session 1: Intermittent Fasting for Optimal Health
Discover the transformative benefits of intermittent fasting and learn how adjusting your eating patterns can foster healing and overall well-being.

Session 2: Embracing an Eating Lifestyle for Longevity
Unlocking Your Vitality: Mastering Intermittent Fasting for Personalized Health and Lifestyle Success.

Session 3: The Fork’s Influence: Eating For Longevity and Vitality
Uncover the secrets of a nutritionally rich diet that fuels longevity. Identify foods that promote health, master strategies for sustained energy, and gain insights into making mindful choices, whether at the grocery store or dining out.

Session 4: Cultivating a Longevity-Focused Lifestyle
Learn practical, powerful habits designed to enrich sleep, diminish stress, boost energy and enhance self-awareness. Take home a personalized blueprint for long vibrant living.

Lucy Buckner is a certified expert in Health and Wellness Coaching, High-Performance Coaching, Life Coaching, and various yoga disciplines. With over 35 years of experience in the health and wellness industry, she has thrived as a corporate executive, educator, trainer, and sought-after speaker. Throughout her career, Lucy has inspired countless individuals and teams to achieve their highest potential, both professionally and personally, through sustainable lifestyle practices.

Passionate about empowering others to create lasting transformations, Lucy combines her deep expertise with a warm, motivating approach. Her background as a 15-year All World Athlete Ironman competitor brings a unique perspective on perseverance, mindset, and peak performance. Whether leading workshops or offering one-on-one coaching, Lucy is dedicated to helping people achieve optimal health and live vibrantly at any age.

Develop your visual fitness by exercising and building your creative muscles while enhancing your discernment skills. Enjoy unique interactive conversations and fun hands-on experiences that will engage you in SEEING MORE in art and life while at Rancho La Puerta.

Discover Deeper Meanings in Mexican Culture: Day of the Dead and Frida Kahlo’s Art
Use a Balanced Way of Seeing^® more as you experience an interactive, new way of understanding Mexican culture and artist Frida Kahlo (1907-1954). You will gain insight as you develop essential discernment skills noting the Form+Theme+Context (FTC)^® of symbols and traditions of Day of the Dead as well as Frida’s art to understand deeper meanings of Mexican life and art.

Conversing with Mexican Art: Up Close and Personal (60 min)
Engage in a hands-on, multi-sensory workshop to experience a guided, in-depth personal “conversation” with a postcard-sized reproduction to meanings in a Mexican work of art.  Using a packet of playful materials and creative strategies, each participant explores an artwork to reveals its layers of meaning.  This fun workshop concludes with an opportunity for lively group sharing of observations and discoveries.

Visual Fitness: Creativity Exercises with LINE + COLOR (120 min)
Develop your innate creative skills in this hands-on “workout” that uses Marking & Mapping^® to discover your “visual voice” and “inner artist” as you engage in visual meditation and warm-up exercises.  Have fun making playful marks using unique art tools that help you create a life map that reflects meaningful virtues, words, images, and events.  This eye-opening experience requires absolutely no previous art experience and results in a special souvenir to take home. Join us and surprise yourself!

Inspired by her profound experiences creating art and presenting at the Ranch for over 20 years, Renee Sandell’s Visual Fitness 4 All^® programs is the result of her over 45 years of art teaching experience in classrooms and museums. Believing in the power of art to facilitate human interaction, transformation, and healing, Renee’s art, teaching, and research focus on Visual Fitness 4 All.  A retired university professor, Sandell is the author of three books and multiple publications.  She was founder/director of SummerVision DC—a 4-day, museum-based, intensive bootcamp program she led for a decade until the Pandemic. Sandell has received awards for her Form+Theme+Context (FTC)® methodology as a Balanced Way of Seeing^®.  Sandell’s Visual Fitness courses and “workouts” are dedicated to engaging Creativity and Insight^®in everyone, everywhere.  She currently teaches for Smithsonian Associates Studio Arts, Yellow Barn Studio, and other arts organizations and venues. Renee is an actively exhibiting artist; learn more on her website and YouTube interview.

Mackenzie Feldman and Kathy Feldman will host a discussion about their book Groundbakers, including aspects of a sustainable food system such as soil health, land access, and food justice. Mackenzie, founder and director of Re:wild Your Campus, will also teach a two part workshop on becoming a rewilding advocate in your community and offer a demo of favorite recipes.

Groundbakers: 60+ plant-based comfort food recipes + 16 leaders changing our food system.
Join Mackenzie and Kathy as they discuss their new book, Groundbakers. The two will discuss the inspiration behind the book, the 16 leaders featured who are changing the food system, and all of the aspects of a sustainable food system including soil health, land access, and food justice.

How to Rewild Your Campus, 2 part workshop: Workshop #1: Our Deep-Rooted Dependence on Toxic Pesticides:
Mackenzie Feldman, founder of Re:wild Your Campus will lead us through a brief history of modern pesticides, including the development of glyphosate, as well as the various intersections of pesticides with environmental and social justice, including pesticides as a workers’ rights issue, a women’s health issue, and a system of chemical use that supports existing systems of injustice.

Workshop #2: How to Become a Rewilding Advocate
Mackenzie will discuss how to start an organic, rewilding effort in your community, including how to make institutional policy change, build strong, working relationships with groundskeepers, educate and activate their communities, and recruit a base of passionate people. She will also offer information on the growing network and how to connect with community members and students working on rewilding initiatives across the U.S.

Demo of Favorite Recipes.
Mackenzie and Kathy will also offer a demo of some of their favorite recipes found in Groundbakers.

Mackenzie Feldman is an environmental activist from Honolulu, Hawai’i. She is the founder and director of Re:wild Your Campus, an organization that works with students and groundskeepers across the country to eliminate herbicides from school grounds and transition campuses into organic, climate resilient spaces. Her campaign resulted in the entire University of California system going glyphosate-free, and Mackenzie worked with a coalition to get herbicides banned from every public school in the state of Hawai’i. Mackenzie is also the co-author with her mother Kathy of Groundbakers: 60+ Plant-Based Comfort Food Recipes and 16 Leaders Changing the Food System. Their book features well-known food system activists including José Andrés, Alice Waters, and Sean Sherman.

Kathy Feldman’s quest for plant-based eating began early on in life. As an animal lover, she stopped eating meat in the 11th grade, and started cooking all of her own food. One book, Diet for a New America, made her even more aware of the problem with our food industry, and how eating a plant-based diet makes a positive impact on our environment. When genetically modified papayas reached the market in Hawaii, Kathy set out to research GMOs, and was shocked to learn that corn and soy seeds are engineered to withstand the spraying of herbicides. In 2016, Kathy and Mackenzie set out to learn more about the food system, visiting 10 farms in Cuba and 20 organic farms in California and Oregon, keeping a blog about their experiences along the way. Since then, the two decided to write this book to share plant-based recipes and highlight some of the inspiring farms and food system leaders they met.

IG: @rewildyourcampus
FB: https://www.facebook.com/rewildyourcampus/
tiktok: @rewildyourcampus
website: https://www.rewildyourcampus.org/

Groundbakers:
IG: @groundbakersbook
website: https://www.groundbakers.com/

Retain / Reclaim a Clear Creative Mind: Cognitive Health Map
The body and mind are two sides of a coin. Identify the constellation of issues that diminish a mind that has the potential to sparkle.

 A Body and Mind Unburdened and The Activity of Sleep
Unburden the body and mind: The vital role of drainage and detoxification for a sparkling mind. Sleep is the “Good Medicine”. Re-establish a body/mind that nourishes your clarity and vitality.

Energy and Mental Clarity: They Have Their Roots in Food
Foods and nutrients are powerful tools to strengthen the body and clarify the mind.

The Gut-Brain Connection & Bio-Compatible Living
The “gut ecology” has profound impact on brain health, depression and mental coherence.

 Just Move!  Body and Brain Training

Leni Felton is a Board-Certified Clinical Nutritionist in the San Francisco Bay Area. She specializes in individualized programs to reclaim physical and cognitive health. She is trained in the Bredesen Protocol for reversing cognitive decline. Leni has a private clientele and collaborates with doctors in an integrative approach. For six years Leni worked with Richard Gracer, MD, at the Gracer Medical Group, San Ramon, an early Orthomolecular Doctor. She has designed and developed spa-friendly cleansing programs for her specialty of drainage and detoxification. A core principle of her work, for 20 years: the body and mind are inextricably linked.

Retain / Reclaim a Clear Creative Mind: Cognitive Health Map
The body and mind are two sides of a coin. Identify the constellation of issues that diminish a mind that has the potential to sparkle.

 A Body and Mind Unburdened and The Activity of Sleep
Unburden the body and mind: The vital role of drainage and detoxification for a sparkling mind. Sleep is the “Good Medicine”. Re-establish a body/mind that nourishes your clarity and vitality.

Energy and Mental Clarity: They Have Their Roots in Food
Foods and nutrients are powerful tools to strengthen the body and clarify the mind.

The Gut-Brain Connection & Bio-Compatible Living
The “gut ecology” has profound impact on brain health, depression and mental coherence.

 Just Move!  Body and Brain Training

Leni Felton is a Board-Certified Clinical Nutritionist in the San Francisco Bay Area. She specializes in individualized programs to reclaim physical and cognitive health. She is trained in the Bredesen Protocol for reversing cognitive decline. Leni has a private clientele and collaborates with doctors in an integrative approach. For six years Leni worked with Richard Gracer, MD, at the Gracer Medical Group, San Ramon, an early Orthomolecular Doctor. She has designed and developed spa-friendly cleansing programs for her specialty of drainage and detoxification. A core principle of her work, for 20 years: the body and mind are inextricably linked.