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Finding Your Balance Between What You Want to Eat and What You Should Eat

Macronutrients, Blood Sugar, and Energy Levels: Navigating Health and Breaking Free from Sugar “Addiction”

Have you ever experienced “hangry” mood swings or felt sluggish after a meal? Or wondered why you crave chocolate, ice cream, or potato chips at night? We’ll delve into the science behind these moments. Join Jodie for a dynamic exploration of how your food choices impact your energy levels, mood, and relationship with sugar. Experience a revelation as you discover practical strategies for maintaining steady moods and feeling confident in your dietary decisions. Break free from what feels like sugar addiction. Jodie strikes the perfect balance between education and enjoyment, helping you feel your best and confident while living your healthiest life.

Balancing What You Want and Should Eat: Dieting Versus Intuitive Eating
Explore how shortcuts and crash dieting can ruin your relationship with food. Learn where to begin with a few behavioral tweaks that will help sustain long-term results. Discover another way to eat that is sustainable and intuitive.

Let’s Talk Smoothies: And Other Natural Foods and How They Enhance Our Gut and Overall Health…Q/A
Bring your questions and thoughts, or simply join in the conversation as Jodie shares insights into understanding what a healthy gut microbiome means for you.
Did someone say bloat? Discover the benefits of incorporating more plants into your diet and learn practical tips for finding balance and promoting health with a plant-centric approach.

 

Jodie BlockJodie Goodman Block, MS, RDN, CDN, is the Golden Door Spa’s evidence-based Dietitian/Nutritionist with answers you can trust to optimize your health and promote longevity. She is the founder of The Health Institute of Nutrition — a private practice, an active member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and on staff at Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute in La Jolla, California. Jodie is recognized for her work in Women’s Health and Sustainable Weight Loss Nutrition. She has served as a weekly guest expert at various Wall Street Corporations and NYC Health Clubs and as a college adjunct professor. She has been featured on television and radio broadcasts including CBS News and Fox 5 Good Day New York.

The New Matriarchy + Writing Workshop

The New Matriarchy
There’s a new generation of powerful older women who are becoming a major force in our society. You don’t need to be a mother to be a matriarch, with female entrepreneurs, teachers, and community leaders shaping not just families but the society and the culture.  Who are the new matriarchs, how are they changing the world, and what does this mean for your own life? Pamela Redmond, bestselling author of the upcoming novel The Matriarch, talks about the social and personal power of the modern matriarch.

The Five-Minute Writer Workshop
The author of a novel that became a hit TV show talks about how she wrote her bestselling book and how you can use the same creative techniques to become the author of your own life. Using writing and other innovative creativity exercises, this acclaimed novelist will guide you to transforming your life into fiction as well as using fiction-writing skills to create the life you want.

Pamela Redmond is the author of the novel Younger, which became the hit television show by Sex & the City’s Darren Star, along with 20 other books of fiction and nonfiction. Her newest novel, The Matriarch, a feminist spin on Succession, will be published by Zibby Books in August 2024.

Photo Credit – Mark Hanauer

Mindfulness Meditation

Sylvia Boorstein has been teaching Dharma and mindfulness meditation since 1985. She is a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center, a psychotherapist, mother, and grandmother. She is particularly interested in emphasizing daily life as mindfulness practice and including informed citizenship and social activism as integral to spiritual maturation. Her books include: It’s Easier Than You Think: The Buddhist Way to Happiness (1997); Don’t Just Do Something, Sit There: A Mindfulness Retreat (1996); That’s Funny, You Don’t Look Buddhist: On Being a Faithful Jew and a Passionate Buddhist (1998); Pay Attention for Goodness’s Sake: The Buddhist Path of Kindness (2003), and Happiness is an Inside Job: Practicing for a Joyful Life (2008).  She has visited and taught at Rancho La Puerta since 1972.

More About Wisdom Keeper Week

Secrets to a Healthy Life

Boosting Brain Health
Uncover the secrets to a healthy, sharp and focused brain throughout all stages of life.  Emerging research shows how what you eat and your lifestyle can affect your risk of Alzheimer’s disease and age-related cognitive decline.  Learn the simple, scientific truths that can boost your brain and total body health.

Living with a Healthy Heart
Heart disease can begin in humans as young as two years old. Cardiovascular diseases and stroke cause 1 in 3 women’s deaths each year, killing approximately one woman every 80 seconds.  80% of heart disease and stroke events may be prevented by lifestyle changes. In this entertaining presentation learn what you need to do to keep your heart in great condition for a long and healthy life.

Secrets to a Healthy Life
In this talk you will learn the secrets to making long lasting lifestyle changes and the ingredients necessary for living a healthier life.

 

Samantha Heller, MS, RDN, is a registered dietitian, exercise physiologist, licensed massage therapist, and certified fitness instructor, with a dual Master of Science degree in nutrition and applied physiology from Teachers’ College, Columbia University. She is a senior clinical nutritionist at NYU Langone Health in New York City, where she works with patients and athletes to optimize health and performance. Samantha has been the host of the popular Samantha Heller’s Health & Nutrition Show on SIRIUSXM’s DOCTOR Radio since 2008, which airs live every Friday from 12-2 p.m. ET.  She is also a consultant, influencer, best-selling author, keynote presenter, and performance artist. Samantha’s clinical expertise includes cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, oncology, sports, weight management, and diabetes medical nutrition therapy, as well as stress, wellbeing, and lifestyle management.  She is a favored health expert on shows such as CBS Mornings, MSNBC, NY1 News, and more. She is the go-to expert for health and medical press such as HealthDay, U.S. News & World Report, Reuter’s Health, Everyday Health, Prevention, Health.com, Huffington Post, Livestrong, et al. Known for her evidence-based, energetic, and accessible style, Samantha is a popular key-note speaker and lecturer, in-person or via webinar, at venues such as Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, NYU Langone Health, Exos, IPG Health, and more.

Secrets to a Healthy Life

Boosting Brain Health
Uncover the secrets to a healthy, sharp and focused brain throughout all stages of life.  Emerging research shows how what you eat and your lifestyle can affect your risk of Alzheimer’s disease and age-related cognitive decline.  Learn the simple, scientific truths that can boost your brain and total body health.

Living with a Healthy Heart
Heart disease can begin in humans as young as two years old. Cardiovascular diseases and stroke cause 1 in 3 women’s deaths each year, killing approximately one woman every 80 seconds.  80% of heart disease and stroke events may be prevented by lifestyle changes. In this entertaining presentation learn what you need to do to keep your heart in great condition for a long and healthy life.

Secrets to a Healthy Life
In this talk you will learn the secrets to making long lasting lifestyle changes and the ingredients necessary for living a healthier life.

 

Samantha Heller, MS, RDN, is a registered dietitian, exercise physiologist, licensed massage therapist, and certified fitness instructor, with a dual Master of Science degree in nutrition and applied physiology from Teachers’ College, Columbia University. She is a senior clinical nutritionist at NYU Langone Health in New York City, where she works with patients and athletes to optimize health and performance. Samantha has been the host of the popular Samantha Heller’s Health & Nutrition Show on SIRIUSXM’s DOCTOR Radio since 2008, which airs live every Friday from 12-2 p.m. ET.  She is also a consultant, influencer, best-selling author, keynote presenter, and performance artist. Samantha’s clinical expertise includes cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, oncology, sports, weight management, and diabetes medical nutrition therapy, as well as stress, wellbeing, and lifestyle management.  She is a favored health expert on shows such as CBS Mornings, MSNBC, NY1 News, and more. She is the go-to expert for health and medical press such as HealthDay, U.S. News & World Report, Reuter’s Health, Everyday Health, Prevention, Health.com, Huffington Post, Livestrong, et al. Known for her evidence-based, energetic, and accessible style, Samantha is a popular key-note speaker and lecturer, in-person or via webinar, at venues such as Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, NYU Langone Health, Exos, IPG Health, and more.

The Great Microbiome and Other Topics

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.

Incorporating Fasting into Your Daily Routine to Improve Overall Health

Optimizing your Circadian Rhythm and Cardiovascular Health through Intermittent Fasting
Dr. Taub’s presentation will review the science behind intermittent fasting including some the research studies she has conducted. She will present practical tips on how to incorporate fasting into one’s daily routine.

 

Pam Taub, MD, is a board-certified cardiologist, professor of medicine and founding director of the Step Family Foundation Cardiac Rehabilitation and Wellness Center at UC San Diego. Dr. Taub was responsible for all aspects of creating the center. She is an internationally renowned physician/researcher and is considered one of the leading experts on intermittent fasting. Her research has demonstrated how time restricted eating (a type of intermittent fasting) can help decrease weight, blood pressure and bad cholesterol levels. Dr. Taub is widely published (with over 100 publications) and has authored high impact publications in top peer-reviewed journals. Her research highlighted by the prominent news organizations including NPR, and the Wall Street Journal.

Redefine Nutrition

Nutrition refers not only to the food that we eat, but also how we engage in movement and sleep, the words that we use to speak to ourselves and the company that we keep. Dr. Adrienne Youdim will share science based skills she teaches her patients every day to cultivate health and wellbeing and to be more intentional, productive and purposeful in their lives.

Nourishing the Body
In this workshop, we will redefine nutrition to discuss how food, sleep, and movement are critical to our physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing. Participants will learn the science behind these practices and actionable ways to incorporate them into their daily lives.

Nourishing the Mind
In this workshop, we will redefine nutrition to discuss how  nature, connection and contemplative practices are critical to our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Participants will learn the science behind these practices and actionable ways to incorporate them into their daily lives.

Saboteurs- Why Knowing Does Not Translate into Doing
So often we know what we should do to live healthier lives and yet knowing does not translate into doing. In this workshop, Dr. Adrienne shares the 10 most common saboteurs that interfere with the adoption of healthy habits.  And demonstrates how these very saboteurs  interfere with our work, our relationships and with showing up in our lives with intention, adaptability and resilience.

Self-Compassion: The (Surprising) Key to Transforming your Life
Self-compassion is not only kind, but is essential to our ability to lead our lives with clarity and purpose. In this workshop we will discuss why positive self acceptance and self compassion are necessary for successful habit change, and for any kind of success in life. We will learn the three elements of an effective self-compassion practice and how to incorporate them into your life.

 

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.

In Wellness, Progress Over Perfection

How Calories and Fat Work
What’s more important, calories, macros, or the nutrient profile of foods? Can you make any impact on where fat tissue is lost from? Is weight maintenance really a numbers game, or is there more to it? Are some people just unable to manage their weight? Find out in this session!

How to Eat Sugar
Should you avoid sugar like it’s the devil, or eat as much of it as you want, with plans to just “work it off?” How much is a reasonable amount to allow? What are the consequences if you have too much? Is it possible to eat it strategically, so that it doesn’t control you?

Abs are Made in the Kitchen
What can you do for 10 minutes a day (or an hour each weekend) that would impact what you end up putting in your mouth? Learn from an RD, Cookbook author, and mom of 3 that it doesn’t have to be so hard: streamline your meal prep, grocery time, and kitchen-set up!

Progress over Perfection
Do you ever find yourself waiting for the perfect time to move forward in your wellness? Perhaps you are letting perfect be the enemy of progress. Knowledge is not (enough) power to make an impact. Learn out-of-the-box approaches to making daily progress that leads to lasting change, vitality and wellness – both inside and out.

  

Sohailla Digsby is a registered dietitian, author, and international speaker. She has been a group exercise instructor since she was a teenager.

She is a voice of reason – bringing clarity amidst all the nutrition fads and confusing misinformation that abound in the health and fitness space.

She partners with fitness professionals to help them launch 8-week challenges that help their clients get the results that workouts alone won’t deliver.

Sohailla is the recipient of several awards, including the 2018 Outstanding Alumnus of the Year for Augusta University’s Dietetic Internship, 2016 SCW Presenter of the Year Award and the Georgia Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics Media Award in 2014.

She’s a mom of two boys, now 17 and 20, and a 14 year old diva she adopted from China. She married the fella that asked her to the Senior Prom: though she said no to Prom, they’ve been married for over 25 years.

To learn more about Sohailla Digsby: RDonyourteam.com

Plein Air Painting In The Golden Hour

Artists enjoy painting in the “golden hour” because everything becomes progressively more interesting and exciting as shadows lengthen. Daily demonstrations in acrylic, oil, pastel, and watercolor will be short to allow participants time to work. Bring your favorite traveling art medium. Since instruction is individual, artists of any level may participate.

This is a unique opportunity to study with two accomplished and warmhearted artist-educators at the same time. Ken and Stephanie are both well known for their ability to help each person find their own individual drawing and painting abilities

Daily classes Sunday through Thursday, tentatively 4 to 6 pm.

 

Ken Goldman is an internationally known artist, author, teacher and art juror. A recipient of numerous awards, Goldman has exhibited widely in various group shows and solo exhibitions in Holland, Paris, Italy, Greece, China, Colombia, Mexico, New York, Boston and Washington, D.C. In California Goldman has shown at the Oceanside Museum of Art, The Fischer Museum of Art, the Frederick R. Weisman Museum, and the Autry Museum. Recently, 2012 through 2024, Ken’s work has been exhibited throughout China: The Shanghai International Biennial, two Shenzhen International Biennials, five Universities: Jimei, Quanzhou, Tsingua, Qingdao and the Shanghai University.

Goldman’s work is included in the permanent collections of the San Diego Museum of Fine Art, the Hilbert Museum of California Art, the San Diego Museum of Natural History, North Carolina’s Hickory Museum of Fine Art, the San Diego Watercolor Society and the Zuo Wen Museum in Qingdao China.

The author of seventeen instructional books on Pastels, Acrylics, Charcoal and Artistic Human Anatomy, Goldman has also been featured in several magazines, including The Art of Watercolour, Southwest Art, International Artist, Watercolor Magic, Splash 12, 13 & 19 and The Artist’s Magazine, among others. Ken is Past-President of the National Watercolor Society.

Ken and his family have been a part of the ranch family since 1955. He has painted the RLP landscape since the early ’70’s.

For more information, please visit https://goldmanfineart.com/ken-goldman/

 

Stephanie Goldman is known for her richly colored figures, insightful portraits, boldly painted miniatures and dynamic charcoal, pencil and ink drawings. Some of her exhibitions include fifteen unique portraits of children entitled “I Am A Child” at The Riverside Art Museum, “Bearing Exquisite Witness” at the Joan Croc Institute for Peace and Justice USD, a special portrait unveiling of director Erika Torrey commissioned by the board of trustees for the Athenaeum in La Jolla and many group exhibitions including the San Diego Museum of Art, Gotthelf Gallery – La Jolla, San Diego Art Institute, San Diego Natural History Museum, Hyde Art been reproduced by Frontline Publishing and Ramprod and Eastmeetswestco. Stephanie teaches Figure Painting and Portraiture at the Athenaeum School of the Arts in La Jolla and has worked with artist Ken Goldman for over two decades collaborating on large and small Public and Private Art Projects. Visit: goldmanfineart.com

Festive Strings

Candlelight Sound Healing with Musicians, with violinist Monique Mead
Festive Strings: a Celebration of Dances and Romances, with TY Zhang, guitar and Monique Mead, violin

Monique Mead’s rich and varied career is a testament to her enduring belief that music has the power to connect, heal, and uplift humanity. Whether performing violin on stage, in nature, or in the community, Monique strives to create transformative musical experiences that connect people more deeply with themselves and others. Mentored by Leonard Bernstein at a young age, Monique chose a path that would open the world of classical music to new audiences of all ages. Since 1998 her youth and family programs with major orchestras and festivals in the United States and Europe have drawn international acclaim for their popular appeal and innovative approach. Her recordings with the Bavarian Radio Orchestra, Berlin Radio Orchestra, and West German Radio Orchestra have reached millions via radio and television broadcasts. In addition to performing as a soloist and chamber musician, Monique currently serves as Director of Music Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University, where she helps rising musicians find new pathways for music in the 21st century.  More at moniquemead.com

Hands-On Cooking Classes and Cali-Co Culinary Fiesta Dinner with Vaughn Vargus

Vaughn offers hands-on culinary experiences, 3.5 hours each, during which you will enjoy preparing your own meal along with fellow cooks. Classes take place at La Cocina Que Canta, our culinary center on Tuesday and Wednesday, at 4pm. In addition, Chef Vaughn will collaborate with La Cocina Que Canta’s Executive Chef Reyna Venegas and her team to create a special feast (with wine pairing!) on Thursday at 4:45pm.

Tuesday Hands-On Cooking Class 4:00 PM Sign Up
Each class $145 (tax included). Class subject to change, check your weekly planner and schedule for updates. The maximum number of guests per class is 14.

Wednesday Hands-On Cooking Class 4:00 PM Sign Up
Each class $145 (tax included). Class subject to change, check your weekly planner and schedule for updates. The maximum number of guests per class is 14.

Thursday Cali-Co Culinary Fiesta 4:45 PM Sign Up
Celebrate the abundance of our organic farm and the connection to community with a Farm-to-Table dining experience – a perfect blend of health, tradition, flavor, and fun! Cost is $150 per person, tax and wine pairing included. The maximum number of guests is 30. Sign Up at the Appointments Desk or through the link above.

 

Chef Vaughn Vargus is the Executive Chef at UC San Diego’s Dining • Hospitality Department, focusing on flavorful foods, ethnicity, sustainability, and modernization of the classics with a great love and respect for tradition. Throughout his extensive career, he has embarked on a variety of culinary travels to experience the foods of Southeast Asia, Bahrain, Europe, and Mexico, with many “South of the Border” trips. Plant forward, food and life style variations that enhance overall health are of great interest to him. Always fun and exciting, he loves to teach about food, flavors, skill and techniques where they are understood and applicable for the everyday cook!

Chef Vaughn has been a participating Chef for the San Diego Food Bank’s annual Gala for the past 9 years and SD’s Local Kitchens for Good program and finds this to be a very fulfilling experience, he is honored to support his home city of San Diego.

He is an avid ocean-goer who grew up cooking nights and spending days on the beach. He began his culinary journey at an early age and has been passionate about food ever since. He has been able to frequent the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley and New York, but is largely self-taught. “I have vivid memories as a child and being in the kitchen when my grandmother was cooking. She was a phenomenal cook; she grew up in the Dust Bowl era. For some reason, I was the only one she would let in the kitchen when she was cooking. It probably had some influence on my career choice.”

Chef is an active member of the ACF ( C.E.C., C.C.A. ) and NACUFS and has been immensely involved with culinary competitions, both as a competitor and administrator nationwide.

 

Traditional Mexican Posada & Performance

Enjoy a presentation of the Mexican Posada with the amazing performers of the Tuna of the University of Baja California, campus Tijuana. Hear about how the posadas came about with Professor José Guadalupe Flores and then watch a reenactment of this traditional nine-day celebration that occurs throughout Mexico in the month of December. The program finalizes with a performance by the Tuna of UABC.

Our Kitchen prepares a delicious hot chocolate and buñuelos to accompany this event.

Come to this fun celebration!

Happy Healthy Brain

Happy Healthy Brain
Want to keep your brain happy and healthy for a good long time? Cognitive decline doesn’t have to be inevitable. Come learn why it is important to make your brain a top priority. We’ll talk about what drains your brain, and what to do to support it.

Lifestyle Factors to Minimize the Risk of Cognitive Decline
We’ll discuss food and community – what we eat and how we live. Learn what foods to add in your daily diet, and which ones to take out.

Lifestyle Factors to Minimize the Risk of Cognitive Decline
We’ll discuss ways to maximize and optimize exercise, stress management, sleep, and continued brain and engagement and lifelong learning.

Workshop to Keep Your Brain Happy and Healthy
We’ll do a self-assessment to see where you are now, and create an action plan to incorporate what you have learned this week. Wellness is based on a system of small routines…what you do every day is more impactful than what you do once in a while. Let’s establish a pattern for wellness.

Jean Courtney is a researcher, writer, entrepreneur, and perpetual learner on a mission to make every day wellness easy and efficient. Jean was a legal investigator at a fast-paced law firm, which provided a front row seat to watching the detrimental effects of stress on health.  She made the conscious choice for time and health over a salary, retiring at an early age and using her research skills to study ways to optimize health. When her mom got dementia, it blew her family apart. Jean shifted her focus to learning everything possible to try and avoid the dementia that found her mom and kept her hostage for six long years. Jean was not only an advocate for her mother, she was immersed in researching what she herself could do to minimize risk of the same fate. She has travelled the world extensively (including some time in the Blue Zones) with much of the focus being on health and longevity through lifestyle. She often lectures and teaches cooking classes and shares easy, efficient and delicious ways to cook using neuroprotective ingredients, with an emphasis on minimizing inflammation and maximizing brain function. She will help you understand the why behind making healthy choices for your brain and body.   She is passionate about helping people understand how important brain health is and helping them experience life-long health, vitality and vibrance. She recently completed a Soil to Table certification program living at Tres Estrellas organic farm focused on learning and practicing regenerative farming techniques.  She is a firm believer that your DNA is not always your destiny – your dinner plate can be your destiny.

A Concert in Word and Song

Peter Yarrow (of Peter Paul and Mary) commitment and life’s work have been framed by his awareness that music of conscience can be extremely effective when used as a source for inspiring and uniting efforts to heal and create a better world. As a performer and social activist, Peter has used music in just that way, bringing people together to create a more just, peaceful, and compassionate society. Through such efforts, beginning in the early 1960’s, the music of Peter, Paul and Mary became, for literally millions of people, the genesis of their activism and commitment to advancing positive social change. Peter’s gift for songwriting has produced some of the most moving songs in the Peter, Paul & Mary repertoire including “Puff, the Magic Dragon,” “Day is Done,” “Light One Candle,” and “The Great Mandala.” Currently Yarrow’s efforts are mainly focused on the non-profit, Operation Respect (OR) with its classroom-based program called “Don’t Laugh At Me” (DLAM) that utilizes music and the arts combined with social/emotional learning curricula for elementary and middle school children, now utilized in over 20,000 schools worldwide. Peter believes that DLAM and other such programs that build community and catalyze positive attitudinal and behavioral change, can enable today’s children to break the cycle of hatred, bias, racism and bullying, helping them to envision and create a more just and peaceful world.

Create Your Reality: Strategies for Powerful Everyday Living

Where to Start? You Choose!
You craft your life using consistent building blocks. You’ll learn what they are, and how to apply them to your real life to create satisfaction and success on your terms. Return on 45-minute Investment: Self-awareness and fulfillment.

What Do You Believe? Get the Biggest Bang for Your Buck!
Much of what you believe to be “true” is actually beliefs. When you replace your limiting beliefs with expansive ones, you will change your choices and outcomes, often with little effort. Return on 45-minute investment: Forward momentum and clarity.

What to Do with Emotions (Inconvenient or Otherwise)
Emotions are complicated and not always convenient or controllable. I will teach you a simple framework to understand your emotions so you can leverage them for greater clarity and purpose. Return on 45-minute investment: Energetic clarity and feeling alive.

Healthy Inner Dialogue: Taming the Inner Critic
Your inner critic says you can’t or aren’t enough. We’ll use a powerful structure to discern which inner voices to trust (and not trust) to bring clarity and certainty to your relationships and decisions. Return on 45-minute investment: Self-compassion and freedom.

5 Steps to Create What You Want
Consciously or not, you create your reality. I will teach you 5 steps to intentionally craft your life so you can watch the reality you want unfold in magical and exciting ways. Return on 45-minute investment: Forward momentum, trust, and magic.

 

Christina Boyd-Smith, PhD Christina Boyd-Smith, PhD teaches you to craft your life with powerful strategies, grounded in day-to-day life. Christina is an accredited professional coach by the International Coach Federation. In addition to being the Corporate Rebel Coach, she works with clients 1:1 and in groups and is a speaker and author. With her no-nonsense and spirited style, she has helped leaders and teams in business, non-profit, and educational organizations around the world. Christina is a Returned Peace Corps volunteer from Pakistan and Nepal, a Moth storyteller, mom to two young adults, and makes a delicious pumpkin muffin.

Create Your Reality: Strategies for Powerful Everyday Living

Where to Start? You Choose!
You craft your life using consistent building blocks. You’ll learn what they are, and how to apply them to your real life to create satisfaction and success on your terms. Return on 45-minute Investment: Self-awareness and fulfillment.

What Do You Believe? Get the Biggest Bang for Your Buck!
Much of what you believe to be “true” is actually beliefs. When you replace your limiting beliefs with expansive ones, you will change your choices and outcomes, often with little effort. Return on 45-minute investment: Forward momentum and clarity.

What to Do with Emotions (Inconvenient or Otherwise)
Emotions are complicated and not always convenient or controllable. I will teach you a simple framework to understand your emotions so you can leverage them for greater clarity and purpose. Return on 45-minute investment: Energetic clarity and feeling alive.

Healthy Inner Dialogue: Taming the Inner Critic
Your inner critic says you can’t or aren’t enough. We’ll use a powerful structure to discern which inner voices to trust (and not trust) to bring clarity and certainty to your relationships and decisions. Return on 45-minute investment: Self-compassion and freedom.

5 Steps to Create What You Want
Consciously or not, you create your reality. I will teach you 5 steps to intentionally craft your life so you can watch the reality you want unfold in magical and exciting ways. Return on 45-minute investment: Forward momentum, trust, and magic.

 

Christina Boyd-Smith, PhD Christina Boyd-Smith, PhD teaches you to craft your life with powerful strategies, grounded in day-to-day life. Christina is an accredited professional coach by the International Coach Federation. In addition to being the Corporate Rebel Coach, she works with clients 1:1 and in groups and is a speaker and author. With her no-nonsense and spirited style, she has helped leaders and teams in business, non-profit, and educational organizations around the world. Christina is a Returned Peace Corps volunteer from Pakistan and Nepal, a Moth storyteller, mom to two young adults, and makes a delicious pumpkin muffin.

Create Your Reality: Strategies for Powerful Everyday Living

Where to Start? You Choose!
You craft your life using consistent building blocks. You’ll learn what they are, and how to apply them to your real life to create satisfaction and success on your terms. Return on 45-minute Investment: Self-awareness and fulfillment.

What Do You Believe? Get the Biggest Bang for Your Buck!
Much of what you believe to be “true” is actually beliefs. When you replace your limiting beliefs with expansive ones, you will change your choices and outcomes, often with little effort. Return on 45-minute investment: Forward momentum and clarity.

What to Do with Emotions (Inconvenient or Otherwise)
Emotions are complicated and not always convenient or controllable. I will teach you a simple framework to understand your emotions so you can leverage them for greater clarity and purpose. Return on 45-minute investment: Energetic clarity and feeling alive.

Healthy Inner Dialogue: Taming the Inner Critic
Your inner critic says you can’t or aren’t enough. We’ll use a powerful structure to discern which inner voices to trust (and not trust) to bring clarity and certainty to your relationships and decisions. Return on 45-minute investment: Self-compassion and freedom.

5 Steps to Create What You Want
Consciously or not, you create your reality. I will teach you 5 steps to intentionally craft your life so you can watch the reality you want unfold in magical and exciting ways. Return on 45-minute investment: Forward momentum, trust, and magic.

 

Christina Boyd-Smith, PhD Christina Boyd-Smith, PhD teaches you to craft your life with powerful strategies, grounded in day-to-day life. Christina is an accredited professional coach by the International Coach Federation. In addition to being the Corporate Rebel Coach, she works with clients 1:1 and in groups and is a speaker and author. With her no-nonsense and spirited style, she has helped leaders and teams in business, non-profit, and educational organizations around the world. Christina is a Returned Peace Corps volunteer from Pakistan and Nepal, a Moth storyteller, mom to two young adults, and makes a delicious pumpkin muffin.

Words, Movement and Thought

This playful workshop in freeing the body and the voice will include gentle movement, easy dancing, and guided practices in opening the voice and singing all conduced in a safe and supportive environment. Guaranteed to lift your spirits and ease your heart.

 

Nina Wise is a multifaceted writer, performance artist, and visionary known for her extraordinary ability to merge words, movement, and thought into a harmonious tapestry of creativity. Described by a New York Times columnist as “a metaphysical vaudevillian for the new millennium,” Nina Wise, founder of Motion Theater, is an artist who has invented a compelling form of physical autobiographical theater. Her unique performances thoroughly integrate movement and narrative in a seamless unfolding that brings one to tears, laughter and deep sighs of recognition about the human condition. Audience members and critics alike comment that they have not seen anything quite like Wise’s work before and are driven to blended comparisons—Martha Graham mixed with Robinson Jeffers; Lily Tomlin mixed with Jules Feiffer—and use words like “fresh,” “moving,” and “deeply human.”Ms Wise is the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the California Arts Council, the Marin Arts Council, and her performance works have been honored with seven Bay Area Theater Critics’ Circle Awards. She teaches around the world workshops in creative expression, writing and meditation. Her book, A Big New Free Happy Unusual Life, was published by Broadway Books and her stories and articles have been published in numerous anthologies and journals.

More About Wisdom Keeper Week

Wisdom Keeper Week – Healing Stories and Practices

Wisdom Keeper Week

Healing Stories and Practices

During Wisdom Keeper Week we celebrate my father’s birthday by exploring one of his core teachings. To enliven and enrich our week-long community, it is my honor to invite presenters who embody these teachings.

My father ‘s life was anchored in ancient wisdom traditions and he found ways to connect these teachings to everyday life.  He often taught through stories and believed that our connection to nature was essential to a healthy, happy life.  This week we flow from Apache to Ayurveda, a great circle of wisdom teachings to help us be discerning in what we harvest, how to care for the land and our bodies, how to embody a spiritual life that gives us purpose and peace.  Indigenous elders will share their traditions and stories with us.  We will forage together and learn how to take only what we need.  We will create beauty and thank the mountain for her protection.  We will sing our sorrow and our joy and live in the paradox of celebrating life in the midst of grief and uncertainty.

 

Sarah Livia Brightwood Szekely is President and CEO of Rancho La Puerta. For forty years she has designed the gardens and cared for the wildlands around Rancho La Puerta. As the keeper of the vision and long-range planner she has preserved the soul and culture of Rancho La Puerta while bringing new programs and reviving the earth honoring traditions that inspired the early years at Rancho La Puerta. She is also President of Fundación La Puerta through which she guides Rancho La Puerta’s non-profit work in the region. In 1984 Sarah established Agricola Tres Estrellas, a diverse organic farm that provides food to Ranch La Puerta’s guests year-round and in 2007 she designed and opened La Cocina Que Canta, a culinary center and cooking school to teach commitment to healthy eating and to embrace the joy of harvesting and cooking in community. She is the daughter of philosopher and visionary Edmond Bordeaux Szekely and community organizer and philanthropist Deborah Szekely, the founders of Rancho La Puerta.

Cultivating Courage, Commitment, and Love

During Wisdom Keeper Week we celebrate my father’s birthday by exploring one of his core teachings. To enliven and enrich our week -long community it is my honor to invite presenters who embody these teachings.

During this distressing time of conflict, healing is needed in every corner of our lives. The force that my father believed to be essential in bringing harmony and healing to our world, is the principle of “active love”. The presenters this week have been chosen because they have successfully wedded their purpose with their passion. They delightfully, innovatively, and effectively practice “active love”.

When I was a college student, I had a card taped to my wall that said, “Throw your heart over the fence and the rest will follow”. These words recall the idealism and naiveté of my youth, but as I approach my seventies, I have learned that when the heart leads with curiosity, vision, discipline and love, amazing things can happen. We will explore the ways that courage, commitment, and love are braided together. We will bake challah this week, made of these three strands and share this nourishment. In the spirit of Rumi, “Let the beauty we love, be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground”.

 

Sarah Livia Brightwood Szekely is President of Rancho La Puerta. For forty years she has designed the gardens and cared for the wildlands around Rancho La Puerta. As the keeper of the vision and long-range planner she has preserved the soul and culture of Rancho La Puerta while bringing new programs and reviving the earth honoring traditions that inspired the early years at Rancho La Puerta. She is also President of Fundación La Puerta through which she guides Rancho La Puerta’s non-profit work in the region. In 1984 Sarah established Agricola Tres Estrellas, a diverse organic farm that provides food to Ranch La Puerta’s guests year round and in 2007 she designed and opened La Cocina Que Canta, a culinary center and cooking school to teach commitment to healthy eating and to embrace the joy of harvesting and cooking in community. She is the daughter of philosopher and visionary Edmond Bordeaux Szekely and community organizer and philanthropist Deborah Szekely, the founders of Rancho La Puerta.

Pearls from the Practice of Life

A family physician’s guide to help you struggle less and thrive more.

The Building Blocks of a Life Well-Lived
A review of the ground rules for the game of life and a checklist of the essential items to pack for the journey. Topics include genetics, choice, the pursuit of happiness, friends, generous listening, strategy, overcoming self-consciousness and decision paralysis, balancing making money and doing good, showing up and following through, flexibility, creativity, calendars and checklists, and a description of everyone’s favorite teammate.

From Me to We: The Benefits of Shifting Your Focus from Yourself to Others
Will you use your days and years to languish in the ordinary and pedestrian, or work with others to change the arc of history? Topics include values inventories, mission statements, lofty goals, greatness redefined, finding your lane, flow, and a physician’s inside scoop on end-of-life satisfaction and regret.

Tips for Turning Your Struggles into Success
The bad news is that brokenness, isolation, and feelings of despair are widespread. The good news is that we are forged into our best selves through our struggles. Topics include multiple simultaneous conflicting imperatives (MSCI), kintsugi, foxhole mantras, the music of Dave Matthews, and the wisdom of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Richard Rohr, and John Gardner.

Becoming Your Best Self through Values-Congruent Living
A game plan for your metamorphosis into a new and improved version of you. Dr. Chuck reviews the six habits that promote resilience, joy, and meaning (values congruent living, imitating resilient others, nurturing social networks, mindfulness, movement, and eating for both health and pleasure) and the SMART model for behavior change that transforms good intentions into sustained changes in thoughts and behaviors.

John Chuck, M.D., draws on over thirty years of patient care, teaching, and leadership experience to help people find solutions to complex problems related to wellness, joy, and meaning.  He does this by being a generous listener, providing informed perspectives, and offering evidence-based hope and encouragement.  He was the Chief of Health Promotion for Kaiser Permanente and the Regional Chair of Physician Health and Wellness for The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG) and is currently a Professor of Family Medicine at California Northstate University.  John’s work has been recognized with the Sidney Garfield Exceptional Contribution Award from TPMG and the UC Davis Alumni Association’s Outstanding Alumnus Award.

Jazz and Love Songs & Ukulele Classes

Pamela Polland is an award-winning singer/songwriter, with three albums on Columbia and Epic as well as two more independently released albums to her credit. Over the course of literally 50 years in the music business, this seasoned professional has performed and recorded with such luminaries as Bonnie Raitt, Kenny Loggins, Jackson Browne, Van Morrison, Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal, John Denver, Manhattan Transfer and a host of others. In 1970, Pamela joined the famed Mad Dogs & Englishmen Tour with Joe Cocker and Leon Russell, appearing on the resulting album as well as in the movie. Her songs have been recorded by the likes of Linda Ronstadt, Helen Reddy, The Byrds, Anita Carter, Vicki Carr, Nancy Ames and Bobby Bare. Pamela has also won numerous awards, including two coveted gold records. She also appeared in the Academy Award and Grammy Award winning film, 20 Feet from Stardom. After achieving status as a well-established vocal coach and jazz singer, Pamela then devoted herself to Hawaiian culture for nearly twenty years studying language, dance, and music with the pre-eminent teachers in each field. Pamela’s love of Hawaiian music and language and her rich history in contemporary music inevitably coalesced, inspiring her CD, Hawaiianized.

 

ross gualcoRoss Gualco was born and raised in Oakland, California, where he studied piano with renowned bay area jazz pianist Don Burke. He studied music at Cal State Hayward before touring as musical director of the show band “Sounds of Joy”. He has played with jazz and rock luminaries such as Tom Scott, Steve Miller, Joe Satriani, Michael Bublé, Clark Terry, John Handy and Tommy Smothers. He has been musical director for many well-known Bay Area artists and shows including Val Diamond and Teatro ZinZanni, and more recently the San Francisco Circus Cabaret.

Love Songs for Our World with Cahill & Delene

Barry Cahill and Delene St. Clair are a husband & wife, singer-songwriter, vocal-instrumental team from the San Diego, California area. For the last 35 years, they have been inspiring audiences in the U.S., Costa Rica, Bhutan, Ireland, and England. As songwriters, one of their songs “Time to Go Home,” from their album “Songs for Humanity,” is aired on CBS. Two of their other songs won awards in the UNISONG International Song Contest and the International Songwriting Competition. They are members of the Positive Music Association and their music can be heard in regular rotation on many internet stations. As performers, they have a heart-to-heart connection and synergistic energy onstage with each other and their audiences. Delene’s guitar stylings and Cahill’s soulful sax and flute solos, coupled with their perfect vocal blend, provide a sonic beauty that moves, grooves, and inspires the listener. Besides their original music, Cahill & Delene perform jazz and folk-rock covers from the 60’s-80’s, so be ready to sing and clap along!