Events Archive - Page 17 of 115 - Rancho La Puerta
Events Calendar
Types of Events:
Spa Services

Karl Anthony in Concert – Music, Color & Light

Experience a mesmerizing evening with singer/songwriter Karl Anthony in concert. As you enter, you will notice stunning laser visuals and colorful starlight filling the room.

Karl Anthony is a word-man with hundreds of poetically and passionately inspired songs. He draws his inspiration from a career of philanthropic international touring in Asia, being on staff as a Healing Arts Artist at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, and being a long-time guest musician at Rancho La Puerta for over thirty years.

In addition to playing guitar, he will also perform on the hypnotic and soothing Handpan Singing Drum. This unique instrument was originally invented in Switzerland and blends rhythm and harmonics to create a universal sound sculpture that balances the heart and calms the mind.

This is a potent, heart-felt evening of music, color, and light you are sure to enjoy.

Learn more about Karl Anthony at karlanthony.com

Amp Up Your Interpersonal Effectiveness!

It All Starts with YOU—and How You Come Across to Others
How do you look and sound? We’ll examine the seven essential communication components that create your unique “you-ness,” and you’ll learn some easy (and instant) tweaks to project yourself with accuracy and self-assurance.

Personal Response Styles: Passive, Aggressive and Assertive
Are you passive, aggressive or assertive—or perhaps all three? We’ll take a look at the response styles of ourselves and others, discuss how your style affects your life (and your relationships), and how you can make simple changes that create big results!

 

Denise M. Dudley, PhD, is a psychologist, communication and relationship coach, professional trainer and keynote speaker, author, business consultant, and founder and former CEO of Skill Path Seminars, the world’s largest public training company, which has trained over 12 million people worldwide. Denise holds a Ph.D. in behavioral psychology, a hospital administrator’s license, a preceptor for administrators-in-training license, and is licensed to provide continuing education training to medical professionals in the U.S. and Canada. She’s also a certified AIDS educator, a licensed field therapist for individuals with agoraphobia, a regularly featured speaker on the campuses of many universities across the U.S., and the author of Simon and Schuster’s best-selling audio series, “Making Relationships Last.” Denise speaks all over the world on a variety of topics, including management and supervision skills, leadership, assertiveness, communication, personal relationships, interviewing skills, and career readiness. Denise’s latest book, Work it! Get in, Get Noticed, Get Promoted, currently in its third printing, is available on Amazon.com, and is used as a career-search textbook on numerous college campuses.

Amp Up Your Interpersonal Effectiveness!

It All Starts with YOU—and How You Come Across to Others
How do you look and sound? We’ll examine the seven essential communication components that create your unique “you-ness,” and you’ll learn some easy (and instant) tweaks to project yourself with accuracy and self-assurance.

Personal Response Styles: Passive, Aggressive and Assertive
Are you passive, aggressive or assertive—or perhaps all three? We’ll take a look at the response styles of ourselves and others, discuss how your style affects your life (and your relationships), and how you can make simple changes that create big results!

 

Denise M. Dudley, PhD, is a psychologist, communication and relationship coach, professional trainer and keynote speaker, author, business consultant, and founder and former CEO of Skill Path Seminars, the world’s largest public training company, which has trained over 12 million people worldwide. Denise holds a Ph.D. in behavioral psychology, a hospital administrator’s license, a preceptor for administrators-in-training license, and is licensed to provide continuing education training to medical professionals in the U.S. and Canada. She’s also a certified AIDS educator, a licensed field therapist for individuals with agoraphobia, a regularly featured speaker on the campuses of many universities across the U.S., and the author of Simon and Schuster’s best-selling audio series, “Making Relationships Last.” Denise speaks all over the world on a variety of topics, including management and supervision skills, leadership, assertiveness, communication, personal relationships, interviewing skills, and career readiness. Denise’s latest book, Work it! Get in, Get Noticed, Get Promoted, currently in its third printing, is available on Amazon.com, and is used as a career-search textbook on numerous college campuses.

Amp Up Your Interpersonal Effectiveness!

It All Starts with YOU—and How You Come Across to Others
How do you look and sound? We’ll examine the seven essential communication components that create your unique “you-ness,” and you’ll learn some easy (and instant) tweaks to project yourself with accuracy and self-assurance.

Personal Response Styles: Passive, Aggressive and Assertive
Are you passive, aggressive or assertive—or perhaps all three? We’ll take a look at the response styles of ourselves and others, discuss how your style affects your life (and your relationships), and how you can make simple changes that create big results!

 

Denise M. Dudley, PhD, is a psychologist, communication and relationship coach, professional trainer and keynote speaker, author, business consultant, and founder and former CEO of Skill Path Seminars, the world’s largest public training company, which has trained over 12 million people worldwide. Denise holds a Ph.D. in behavioral psychology, a hospital administrator’s license, a preceptor for administrators-in-training license, and is licensed to provide continuing education training to medical professionals in the U.S. and Canada. She’s also a certified AIDS educator, a licensed field therapist for individuals with agoraphobia, a regularly featured speaker on the campuses of many universities across the U.S., and the author of Simon and Schuster’s best-selling audio series, “Making Relationships Last.” Denise speaks all over the world on a variety of topics, including management and supervision skills, leadership, assertiveness, communication, personal relationships, interviewing skills, and career readiness. Denise’s latest book, Work it! Get in, Get Noticed, Get Promoted, currently in its third printing, is available on Amazon.com, and is used as a career-search textbook on numerous college campuses.

Amp Up Your Interpersonal Effectiveness!

It All Starts with YOU—and How You Come Across to Others
How do you look and sound? We’ll examine the seven essential communication components that create your unique “you-ness,” and you’ll learn some easy (and instant) tweaks to project yourself with accuracy and self-assurance.

Personal Response Styles: Passive, Aggressive and Assertive
Are you passive, aggressive or assertive—or perhaps all three? We’ll take a look at the response styles of ourselves and others, discuss how your style affects your life (and your relationships), and how you can make simple changes that create big results!

 

Denise M. Dudley, PhD, is a psychologist, communication and relationship coach, professional trainer and keynote speaker, author, business consultant, and founder and former CEO of Skill Path Seminars, the world’s largest public training company, which has trained over 12 million people worldwide. Denise holds a Ph.D. in behavioral psychology, a hospital administrator’s license, a preceptor for administrators-in-training license, and is licensed to provide continuing education training to medical professionals in the U.S. and Canada. She’s also a certified AIDS educator, a licensed field therapist for individuals with agoraphobia, a regularly featured speaker on the campuses of many universities across the U.S., and the author of Simon and Schuster’s best-selling audio series, “Making Relationships Last.” Denise speaks all over the world on a variety of topics, including management and supervision skills, leadership, assertiveness, communication, personal relationships, interviewing skills, and career readiness. Denise’s latest book, Work it! Get in, Get Noticed, Get Promoted, currently in its third printing, is available on Amazon.com, and is used as a career-search textbook on numerous college campuses.

The Functionality of Your Eye-Brain Connection

The Functionality of Your Eye-Brain Connection Integrating Periphery and Affecting Balance and Movement
Vision is learned, and 75% of all sensory input is vision. Based on these two facts, learning how to use your eyes and brain together in a different conscious way will allow you to elevate and expand your learning potential and maintain your aging visual process. Come and experience hands on  how you can  expand the way you see, think and  move, all inspired by enhancing your new found  vision, and learn to  integrate your eye brain and conscious connection.

How to Expand Visual Memory for the Aging Brain:  A Hands-on Experiential Class
As we become aware that vision is learned, our visual memory is what will support us during our aging years but only if we know what it is and how we can access it. We are surviving on rote learning which is not serving us.  Come and learn how you can truly expand your visual memory capabilities that will serve you outside the Ranch and show you that as you tap more into the awareness of vision, your memory can expand and can support you more than you realized. Don’t wait to train your eyes and brain to have an enhanced visual memory.

Computer Vision & the Effects of Blue Light and Sleep
Come and learn how to enhance the comfort of your eyes in the ever-increasing world of computer exposure, the artificial light from screens, and the effects on our sleep. Enjoy an experiential lecture on learning how to increase comfort for your tired burning eyes, and how you can optimize good sleep during these times.

Dana Dean, OD, is a behavioral optometrist who specializes in holistic optometry and vision intelligence. Dr. Dean has had a private optometric practice in San Diego for the past 15 years. Originally from South Africa, she completed her studies in San Diego as well as attending the New England College of Optometry in Boston. She treats her patients holistically performing vision therapy on both children and adults. Her patients also include brain injuries, stroke victims and adults who want to achieve maximum success in life and reach their true potential.  Not only does she see patients performing eye-brain-body connection and building visual efficiency, she also lectures on the topics of vision and brain integration, vision and the aging eyes, vision and spirituality, vision with balance and coordination, as well as vision intelligence. Dr. Dana Dean is also a passionate advocate for educating teachers on the importance of vision and learning in a school setting.

Learning to Live with Less

Learning to Live with Less and Why it Matters
What are the financial and psychological costs that clutter can have on your personal and professional life? Leave this session with solutions to help you declutter and be motivated to discard unneeded ‘stuff.’ Presentation will include group discussion related to struggles with letting go of items in your home.

Identifying the Obstacles on your Path to an Organized Life
Are you stuck?  Don’t know where to start? What are the internal and external impediments to organizing? Learn about the technical errors/mistakes that people face when trying to get or stay organized. Learn strategies to avoid these mistakes in the future.

Too Much Clutter?  How Do I “Let It Go?”
Feeling overwhelmed, too many clothes, piles of paper, photos, bags, spices, magazines, craft projects, China, and antique furniture? Have you inherited boxes of family heirlooms and have let them sit?  Participants will learn the 5-step method of organizing items in your home and office. You will also learn about Brain Organizing to help you declutter your brain so you can declutter your life.

Tips for Downsizing
Do you or a family member need to downsize or right size their life?  Are you ready to move to a smaller place or just live with less?    We will discuss what to do with all those mementos, kids school work, sports equipment,   photos, DVDs, and videos? Participants will leave with a new outlook on your items and be inspired to start downsizing now!

 

Amy Carstensen, a San Diego based Professional Organizer, started her business “Organizing  with Amy” in 2013. Amy holds a Master’s degree from UCSD in International Relations. She’s taught high school Spanish, worked for the International Community Foundation and was the Founder and Executive Director of Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center.  When she’s not out putting labels on bins, she’s home annoying her husband and two teenage boys reminding them “to never leave a room empty handed.”

Be Quiet, Be Heard

Hidden Communication: Why People Hear What We Don’t Say
A world of communication lurks below the surface of our awareness. When we are in conflict, this hidden dimension often catapults us into confusion and mind-bending emotion, thwarting creative resolution and conscious action. Drs. Glaser are former actors as well as award-winning researchers and university professors. They dramatize compelling conflict scenarios to demonstrate what happens when conflict invades our world and how to master seemingly deadlocked moments in challenging business, family, and personal situations.

Power Listening
When interpersonal pressure is on, listening is too often the first casualty. When dialogue turns to criticism, we often revert to unconscious auto-pilot reactions with defensive responses that may damage the relationship and make problems worse. This session provides a five-step model for transforming defensiveness and blame into insight and agreement. Speakers dramatize how trust increases when each person feels heard and understood.

Navigating Challenging Conversations
Why it is that people we care about too often feel defensive when we try to convey suggestions for improving their behavior and our relationship? How can we stop torpedoing our efforts and instead transform conflict into cooperation, discord into harmony, and make good relationships even better? This presentation provides a four-step model for raising issues that renders remarkable results: solving the problem, strengthening the relationship, and deepening trust – without creating a negative reaction.

 

Peter A. Glaser, Ph.D. and Susan R. Glaser, Ph.D. received their doctorates in Communication from the Pennsylvania State University. Their BreakThrough Communication series won the Gold Award for best hybrid learning of 2022 from the International E-Learning Association. Authors of the internationally acclaimed book, Be Quiet, Be Heard: The Paradox of Persuasion, they have been married business partners and co-presenters for their entire career. Drs. Glaser have published three books and more than 40 research articles. Their research on transforming organizational culture has received the International Association of Business Communication Research Foundation Award for bridging communication theory with practical application. They also received the Pennsylvania State University Outstanding Alumni Award. Feature stories have been written about their work in Business Week, Fast Company, Psychology Today, Newsday, Nation’s Business, National Business Review, Working Woman, Success Magazine, and the Washington Post. The Glasers have served as members of the University of Oregon faculty as well as global consultants working with leaders from Fortune 100 companies such as Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Facebook, Tektronix, Hyundai, and Sony Corporation. They have worked with leaders and companies throughout the UK, Canada, India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong, Australia, and New Zealand. They also have worked with federal, state, and local government leaders – including their ongoing work with the US Congress.

Be Quiet, Be Heard

Hidden Communication: Why People Hear What We Don’t Say
A world of communication lurks below the surface of our awareness. When we are in conflict, this hidden dimension often catapults us into confusion and mind-bending emotion, thwarting creative resolution and conscious action. Drs. Glaser are former actors as well as award-winning researchers and university professors. They dramatize compelling conflict scenarios to demonstrate what happens when conflict invades our world and how to master seemingly deadlocked moments in challenging business, family, and personal situations.

Power Listening
When interpersonal pressure is on, listening is too often the first casualty. When dialogue turns to criticism, we often revert to unconscious auto-pilot reactions with defensive responses that may damage the relationship and make problems worse. This session provides a five-step model for transforming defensiveness and blame into insight and agreement. Speakers dramatize how trust increases when each person feels heard and understood.

Navigating Challenging Conversations
Why it is that people we care about too often feel defensive when we try to convey suggestions for improving their behavior and our relationship? How can we stop torpedoing our efforts and instead transform conflict into cooperation, discord into harmony, and make good relationships even better? This presentation provides a four-step model for raising issues that renders remarkable results: solving the problem, strengthening the relationship, and deepening trust – without creating a negative reaction.

 

Peter A. Glaser, Ph.D. and Susan R. Glaser, Ph.D. received their doctorates in Communication from the Pennsylvania State University. Their BreakThrough Communication series won the Gold Award for best hybrid learning of 2022 from the International E-Learning Association. Authors of the internationally acclaimed book, Be Quiet, Be Heard: The Paradox of Persuasion, they have been married business partners and co-presenters for their entire career. Drs. Glaser have published three books and more than 40 research articles. Their research on transforming organizational culture has received the International Association of Business Communication Research Foundation Award for bridging communication theory with practical application. They also received the Pennsylvania State University Outstanding Alumni Award. Feature stories have been written about their work in Business Week, Fast Company, Psychology Today, Newsday, Nation’s Business, National Business Review, Working Woman, Success Magazine, and the Washington Post. The Glasers have served as members of the University of Oregon faculty as well as global consultants working with leaders from Fortune 100 companies such as Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Facebook, Tektronix, Hyundai, and Sony Corporation. They have worked with leaders and companies throughout the UK, Canada, India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong, Australia, and New Zealand. They also have worked with federal, state, and local government leaders – including their ongoing work with the US Congress.

Improv(e) Your Life

Intro to Improv…The Power of Agreement
The joy of improvisational comedy lies in its spontaneous creativity and seemingly effortless collaboration. The secret to both aspects is simple:  listen and agree. In this workshop we’ll learn the power of saying “Yes, and…” and “Yes, because….” We’ll sharpen listening skills (useful in all areas of life!) and, before you know it, we’ll be improvising hilarious scenes.

Follow the Fun
Improv can take you anywhere and let you do anything. You can set an improv scene anywhere in the universe and give yourself and your scene partners any traits or powers. BUT you have to clue the audience in, so they can follow the fun. This workshop will focus on quickly conveying the “who, what, where” of a scene, so you can move on to exploring your unique world. We’ll also tackle “character work” and “object work” – i.e., working with imaginary props.

Group Games, Group Mind
There are no wallflowers in improv. Everyone can get in on the fun. Not in a scene? We’ll learn how to tag in and out and provide back line support (like sound effects). We’ll also learn group games where everyone participates in scenes. If your real life includes working with any kind of teams, you will see how improv principles apply.

We’ve Got Your Back!
We’ll review all the techniques we’ve learned and put them together in what is known as a “montage” set. And for those who want to perform Thursday night, we’ll use this workshop as show practice. (You don’t have to be in the show but, hey, what better place to try something new?)

Thursday Night Live!
Move over Kenan Thompson and Kate McKinnon. We are going to give this our best shot! Come one, come all as the RLP Improv Troupe creates a unique and original show based solely on audience suggestions. We’ll also talk about applying the principles of improv to your everyday world…because life today requires lots of improvising!

 

Arlene Matthews is an improv comedian and humor writer who studied with Groundlings in LA and with Upright Citizens Brigade in New York, where she completed the highly selective Academy graduate conservatory. As part of the improv team, Dad’s New Girlfriend, she performed frequently in NYC. Since moving to San Diego, she’s joined forces with Finest City Improv, where she performs regularly on two teams.

Skincare with Amy Brodsky

  • Understanding Skin Cancer and Sun Protection
  • How to Build a Skincare Routine
  • Top Ten Anti-Aging Skincare Tips
  • What to Look for in a Sunscreen

 

Dr. Amy Brodsky has earned a reputation as one of the country’s foremost rising stars in the dermatological field. Dr. Brodsky is widely recognized as an artist when it comes to understanding facial anatomy and the nuances of treating aging faces. Her cosmetic acumen and early adoption of skincare innovations quickly gained the attention of top media outlets in Chicago, which resulted in ongoing guest appearances on television networks like ABC, NBC, WGN, Fox and The U. Dr. Brodsky has dedicated her career to the research and practice of innovative dermatologic treatments and the clinical implications of cosmetics. After graduating from the University of Illinois with a degree in bioengineering, Dr. Brodsky attended medical school at The University of Chicago. She distinguished herself early on by winning the Women’s Dermatologic Society Fellowship to study clinical trials on Cosmeceuticals before graduating at the top of her class with the highest honors. Dr. Brodsky earned her certification from the American Board of Dermatology in 2002 and opened her own practice in 2007. She is currently affiliated with Advocate Lutheran General Hospital and has been invited onto several pharmaceutical advisory boards. In 2012, Dr. Brodsky founded Pediatric Sun Protection Foundation, Inc. (PSPF), a philanthropic endeavor born out of her passion for skin cancer prevention and desire to educate others about effective sun protection for children. Most recently, Dr. Brodsky founded The Sun Hero Program, and has partnered with Cerave and LaRoche Posay with a mission to raise awareness of the importance of sun safety in childhood, increase adoption of sun safety habits, and to motivate change that will reduce the amount of skin cancer. You can learn more at https://beasunhero.com/ Dr. Brodsky, a mother of two, is based in Chicago.

Inspired Portrait Painting: My Approach for a Traditional Art Form

Portrait artist, Juan Bastos, takes us on a tour of 21st century portrait painting with stories from his 40-year career, sharing how studying the great masters has helped him to perfect his skill immortalizing his many sitters. Over the four past decades, Los Angeles-based portrait artist, Juan Bastos, has executed several hundred portrait commissions on four continents. Bastos will also share some highlights of these trips.  These oil paintings and pastel drawings hang in private homes, corporate offices, government buildings, embassies, libraries, churches, and universities. Born in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1958, Bastos and his family returned to Bolivia, their homeland, eleven years later. Surrounded by relatives who were painters and his teachers, Bastos grew up in an artistic environment. He enrolled at Georgetown University in 1979, and later obtained a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art, Cum Laude, and an MFA from Towson University. Bastos has had one-man shows in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Lima, La Paz, and a Los Angeles retrospective of his California portraits. In addition, he has been included in group shows in New York, Paris, Madrid, Los Angeles, Essex, England, and a biennial in Cairo, Egypt. His works have been widely reviewed by the press. Bastos is often invited to give lectures and demonstrations at universities, private clubs, colleges, and art institutions. In private collections, Juan is represented with commissioned portraits of high-profile art collectors Philip Niarchos, Eugenio Lopez, and Pamela Joyner.

 

In addition, artist Juan Bastos will offer Acrylic Painting Classes Sunday through Wednesday and a Portrait Demonstration.

Painting the Rich and Famous & Other Memorable Characters

Portrait artist, Juan Bastos, takes us on a tour of 21st century portrait painting with stories from his 40-year career of immortalizing fascinating personalities from four continents.

 

Over the four past decades, Los Angeles-based portrait artist, Juan Bastos, has executed several hundred portrait commissions in North and South America, Europe, and Asia. These oil paintings and pastel drawings hang in private homes, corporate offices, government buildings, embassies, libraries, churches, and universities.

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1958, Bastos and his family returned to Bolivia, their homeland, eleven years later. Surrounded by relatives who were painters, Bastos grew up in an artistic environment. After studying fine arts and architecture at the University of San Andres in La Paz, he came to the United States where he enrolled at Georgetown University in 1979. He later obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art, Cum Laude, and a Master of Fine Arts from Towson University.

Bastos has had one-man shows in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Lima, La Paz, and a Los Angeles retrospective of his California portraits. In addition, he has been included in group shows in New York, Paris, Madrid, Los Angeles, Essex, England, and a biennial in Cairo, Egypt. His works have been widely reviewed by the press. Bastos is often invited to give lectures and demonstrations at universities, colleges, and art institutions. Bastos has lived in Los Angeles since 1996.

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.

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

Macronutrients, Blood Sugar & Their Effects on Your Health, Mood, and Energy Level
Ever hit “hangry” or reach a food coma? Ever wonder why and how this happens?

Learn:
– How macronutrients affect your blood sugar levels and how they can be used to manipulate your weight.
– How to eat to maintain an even keel.
– How to feel great and confident in your food choices.
– How to feel your best and live a long healthy life.

Find Your Balance Between What You Want to Eat and What You 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. Learn another way to eat that is sustainable and intuitive. 

Weight Gain in Midlife and Menopause
Discussion focuses on the relationship between menopause and weight gain and how to support yourself or your partner during this hormonal storm.  Jodie will discuss dos and don’ts of what we have control over. She will provide strategies for maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding bone loss. She will share evidence-based best practices to help women and their partners make informed decisions about their health in midlife and during menopause.

 

Jodie 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.

Artists in Love

Artists In Love
Romantic influences flourished among famous artist couples throughout the 20th century and played a fascinating role in furthering new modes of expression. Whether partnering briefly or for extended periods of time, these lovers exchanged ideas and imagery that triggered some of the most important avant-garde art of the modern era. Join us as we examine the connections between such artist pairs as Pablo Picasso and Fernande Olivier, Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O’Keeffe, Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock, and Christo and Jeanne-Claude who drew inspiration from one another, and whose art took paths unimaginable without the impact of their companions.

Giants of 20th Century Mexican Mural Art
Mexico has long been a magnet for an international community of avant-garde intellectuals, writers, poets, and artists, but it is Rivera, Orozco, and Siqueiros who would shape an artistic revolution and an imaginative new vision, bringing both fame and notoriety as they went on to influence generations of Mexican artists, while also profoundly impacting American art at mid-century. Join Diane Arkin to explore, discover, and discuss this extraordinary cultural and artistic legacy of Mexico.

Spanish and Mexican Surrealism: The Magic of Miro, Dilemma of Dali, and Fantasies of Frida
The dream imagery, personal sign languages, auras of fantasy, and subconscious feelings that surrealist artists explored are all evidenced in the paintings of Miro and Dali, two of the best-known 20th-century Spanish surrealist painters. But we also find these elements in the extraordinary art of Frida Kahlo, a truly iconic Mexican surrealist painter who forged a unique and original type of art filled with personal symbolism. These artists took separate paths to express their shared interests, with Miro creating child-like, carefree, abstract, and poetic images, with flamboyant Dali pursuing painting with hallucinatory impact and power to shock, and with Kahlo virtually re-inventing self-portraiture as autobiography. Join Diane Arkin as we unravel the mysteries in the surrealist art of these three giants of modernism.

Enjoying Modern Art
Modern art can baffle, challenge, irritate, and delight us. By throwing away past traditions, artists like Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cezanne, Picasso, Miro, Rauschenberg, Warhol, Wiley, and Kim experimented with new ideas and materials to revolutionize the art experience. With an emphasis on 19th, 20th, and 21st century art, we will track the hand of the artist, the growing emphasis on the psychological, and the movement toward abstraction. Join Diane Arkin for a session of careful looking and lively discussion aimed at discovering, exploring, and enjoying modern art.

 

Diane ArkinFor VIP’s, dignitaries, superstars, and celebrities, Diane Arkin, retired Senior Lecturer at the National Gallery of Art, was the scholar routinely called on to provide engaging, entertaining, and thought-provoking presentations on subjects spanning treasures from the medieval period through the most challenging art of today. She also lectured nationally on museum education, trends in theory and practice, active learning strategies, and museums as unique learning environments. Prior to coming to the National Gallery of Art, Diane served as Curator of Education at the Corcoran Gallery of Art and College of Art and Design in Washington, DC, and as Director of Education at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. Diane’s work as a Program Coordinator in both the Resident Associate Program and the International Study Tours Division of the Smithsonian Institution included years of lecturing both domestically and internationally on a broad range of art historical subjects.

Developing Your Posture for 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 develop the art of personal transformation and tap the source of enduring well-being. Discover how ancient teachings and modern science converge to illuminate the path of lifelong learning and adaptability. Engage in reflection and reframing exercises, thought-provoking discussions, and practical growth hacks to spark curiosity, creativity, and connection in your life!  You can attend all of the sessions for a complete guide to sustainable lifetime learning or attend any single session for a self-contained sample of insights and actions you can take to support your personal growth.

The Foundations of a Personal Growth Posture
In this session, you’ll expand your understanding of adult maturity and longevity with a tour of modern adult development frameworks that are anchored with insights from ancient religions. Assess if you are both ready and able. Explore how adopting a posture of insatiable curiosity, a desire for excellence, and an appetite for experimentation puts you in the best position to navigate the path of personal growth.

Radical Self Awareness is Fuel for Growth
When you embrace the power of deep self-knowledge you can break out of common patterns in roles and relationships that hold you back. This session offers introspective exercises based on Transactional Analysis and the Drama Triangle and helps you uncover and understand various aspects of your personality. Success in any journey depends on a sound understanding of where you are in the first place, but due to many psycho-social dynamics, this is a surprisingly difficult location to establish.

Update Your Story and Clarify Your Vision
Self-talk and historical events have a strong grip on our ability to engage and act in almost any life situation. Here we will focus on personal storytelling, core values, and priorities. Drawing from the principles of several leading psychology frameworks we’ll explore the idea of competing commitments and the interaction of your three selves. The activities in this session provide a transformative step toward living a life of purpose, intention, and fulfillment.

Accelerate Your Evolution
This session offers “growth hacks” to spark your growth and move you forward. We’ll experiment with practical and powerful exercises from resilience training, cognitive behavioral approaches, and habit design to give you a toolkit of quick, effective strategies to overcome obstacles, embrace challenges, and make significant strides in your personal growth.

Regenerative Practices for Sustainable Growth
Nurturing long-term well-being and growth is not a one-time treatment. It’s about cultivating practices that ensure ongoing development that expands your heart, mind, and soul to encounter the full potential of humankind. Learn how to establish routines and practices that nourish and renew you, physically, mentally, and emotionally… in concert as a whole person.

 

John Foster is a leadership coach and organization designer 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’s held Chief People Officer roles at IDEO, Hulu, Thrive Market, and TrueCar and significant HR leadership roles at Fidelity Investments, Levi Strauss, and Citibank, John founded Gamut HCD (Human Centered Design) as a platform to advise companies and build tools that help people learn and grow. He maintains a variety of relationships from short-term projects to long-term advisory and full-time leadership roles. He has deep expertise in psychology, organization behavior, leadership, and communication; and has spent thousands of hours facilitating workshops and coaching leaders.  John started his career leading outdoor education and team-building programs for schools and community organizations and 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 with his wife and four children and enjoys travel, playing guitar, and adventure sports.

An Eclectic Night of Blues, Jazz, Folk, and Funk

Internationally renowned guitarist/composer/recording artist Mimi Fox has been recognized in numerous Downbeat MagazineInternational Critics Polls and has been hailed by writers and colleagues alike as one of the most eloquent guitarists on today’s scene. In one of many feature stories, Jazz Times hailed Mimi as “a blazing fret master who combines be-bop infused lines with an abundance of soul…spinning solos that unfurl with surprise twists like expertly tailored short stories. ” In a further nod to Mimi’s guitar artistry, and in conjunction with Heritage Guitars’ 30th anniversary, the historic Kalamazoo guitar company has rolled out the Mimi Fox Artist Signature model.

Fox has performed and recorded with many jazz greats, including fellow guitarists Charlie Byrd and Charlie Hunter; Grammy-nominated saxophonists Branford Marsalis and Houston Person; vocalists Abbey Lincoln and Diana Krall; and powerhouse drummer Terri Lyne Carrington. She has also shared the stage with music legend Stevie Wonder. Mimi has toured the world, playing such major festivals as the Montreal, Guinness Cork, Perth International, and Jamaica Spice Jazz Festivals. Stateside, she has headlined at elite venues such as Monterey/Newport Festivals, The Blue Note, The Kennedy Center, Yoshi’s and the Great American Music Hall among countless others.

“Beyond her passion and technical virtuosity, Fox plays with a profundity that only results from a lifetime of commitment and total immersion in one’s art”. – Guitar Player Magazine

 

Alice Di Micele is an Americana/Folk Singer-Songwriter based in Southern Oregon. Her voice is rangy, sometimes soft and intimate, other times bold and brassy, evoking a distinct mood in every song she sings. Alice built a dedicated fan base as an independent musician with stirring live performances spanning a three-decade career. Her new album, Every Seed We Plant, is her sixteenth release, a snapshot of life in these times – gut-wrenching, hopeful, vulnerable, intense.

As an accomplished songwriter, Alice draws on folk, jazz, blues, R & B, and rock & roll influences, landing her music consistently on AAA, Folk, Americana, and Community radio stations around the country and internationally, including syndicated shows. Her deep acoustic groove, unique vocal style, and heartfelt lyrics create an unmistakable sound that is all her own. She is a delightful performer and has shared stages with Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez, JJ Cale, David Grisman Quartet, Steve Winwood, Ferron, Peter Rowan, Richie Havens, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, and so many others.

“Alice’s music has that great combination of earthiness and groove that keeps it funky from the inside out. She’s for real.” – Bonnie Raitt

Open Your Heart and Sing

The Spirit of Yes:  A Concert to Open the Heart and Awaken Delight
Barbara will offer a concert of smart, soul-stirring music to celebrate the gifts of being alive. Her songs encompass the full human experience – from the sublime to the hilarious. Oh – and we might sing a few songs together as well….

Opening Your Full Voice in Everyday Life
“The voice is the muscle of the soul.”  Alfred Wolfsohn
What gifts reside deep inside you that are yearning for expression? How would your life be different if you were “unsilenced?” If your voice was alive, expressive, powerful, and clear? Playful, pragmatic, transformational, and enlivening — the Five Elements Framework is at the heart of Barbara’s work with voice. Through playful exercises, this work will stretch your voice in the same way yoga stretches your body. You’ll learn how to shift your voice to express authority, passion, empathy, and inspiration – and how to listen more keenly to what people are saying underneath their words.

A Circle of Song – Community Singing for Everyone
When was the last time you sang with other human beings? How hungry are you for the experience of harmony? What essential food does singing together bring to our souls? Barbara will prepare a feast of simple, oral tradition songs from around the world. Then we’ll devour them, astonished at the beauty that we can create together. No talent, training, or singing experience needed. None. Zero. Zilch. All are warmly welcomed!

 

Barbara McAfee uses voice to awaken and nourish the human spirit. Her book, Full Voice: The Art and Practice of Vocal Presence, is based on her 30+ years as a voice coach guiding people to find their voice, whatever that means to them.  A prolific singer/songwriter, Barbara has released eight CDs of smart, soulful acoustic music.  She is founder of the Morning Star Singers, a volunteer choir that sings for people facing health challenges.  She lives in the St. Croix River Valley an hour outside of the Twin Cities where she enjoys morning hikes and plunges in the cool – or freezing cold! — river.  www.barbaramcafee.com

What Will Financial Wellness Have to do with My Mind, Body and Spirit in 2024?

Main Program: Financial Wellness as a Healing Modality
We will have a robust conversation about:

  • Using money to create the life you want vs. using your life to create money.
  • Using your wealth to create more freedom and flexibility
  • How financial wellness means less stress and more resilience.
  • How financial empowerment can be life changing and life switching.
  • And finally, similar to everything at The Ranch, go home from these courses practicing contentment, balance, staying on track, and with the wisdom you seek to know yourself more deeply.

Follow-up Workshops:

  1. The wisdom of preparing correctly for life-changing events: Life is ever full of unexpected zigs and zags. During a crisis, we often get taken down emotionally, but how do you create balance in your financial decision making, so that you are under less stress about financial issues at important moments? And during planned events, like retirement or jobs changes, moving or relationship changes, how do you make wise decisions that allow you the freedom to do what you want to with your life?
  2. What is the meaning of the word legacy in your life and your estate? You’ve spent your life accumulating your estate. In this class, we discuss making wise, balanced decisions to pass on your legacy while you’re alive or gone so you can “live and leave” in step with your values. Legacy includes not only money, but how we role model what is important- for example, values, philanthropy, and how we treat family and others.
  3. How do you plan philanthropy wisely? Come discuss ways to give with intention- the intention to create joy, peace and healing within yourself and your family. How do we teach children philanthropic values? How do we balance our time, treasure and talent? Special bonus-teaching children and grandchildren about money and values.

Geri Eisenman Pell, CFPTM, MBA, CDFATM, Private Wealth Advisor, Chief Executive Officer, Pell Wealth Partners A Barron’s Top 100 Woman Financial Advisor for the past 15 years, Geri believes that financial planning should be a healing modality, reestablishing and finding peace in one’s relationship with wealth. She believes that when done right, working with money should be a stress reducing process that allows people to feel the sense of peace and calm that comes with knowing that their finances are in order, and they are making well-informed decisions.

Geri believes in the power of Social Impact and Environmental, Social, Governance Investing and the profound effect investing with your values can have on your finances and the world.  Geri has been a financial advisor for over 36 years and has been recognized as a top advisor in the U.S. by Barron’s, Fortune, and Forbes.  She has appeared on CNBC, NBC, and in the Wall Street Journal and NY Times among others.

Begin Your Year Right Journaling for Well-Being

Writing Workshop – three sessions
Whether you are working on a short story or novel, crave healing through writing, or would simply like to structure your thoughts, these workshops will use time-tested strategies to get your creative juices flowing. Translating thoughts and feelings into written words can provide wide-ranging benefits that support emotional, physical, and mental health … plus, the process can be fun! With no judgment and no pressure to share or read aloud, we will discuss different perspectives and styles and use prompts to help tap into your inner writer. Classes will be tailored to the specific group.

How to Make Your Publishing Dream a Reality: The Power of Journaling and Writing Prompts
Award-winning author Holly Hodder Eger will share how she managed to turn a short story into a novel and, at the age of 55, realized her dream of publishing her first book. She will discuss how she was able to complete her first draft thanks to the invaluable help of writing workshops, a supportive book group, and a deadline-imposing coach, and explain how she learned to harness the power of journaling and her sub-conscious to write chapters and set boundaries with her family and friends to carve out sacred writing time.

 

Award-winning author Holly Hodder Eger published her first book, Split Rock: A Martha’s Vineyard Novel, at the age of 55. She is currently at work on a historical fiction based on secret letters passed down from her family, while also teaching and leading writing workshops. Her travel articles and personal commentaries have been featured in national and local newspapers as well as on NPR. Holly graduated with honors from Harvard College and received an M.A. in English from the University of Virginia. She and her husband, having moved their three children and dogs internationally seven times, now live in Portola Valley, California.

Begin Your Year Right Journaling for Well-Being

Writing Workshop – three sessions
Whether you are working on a short story or novel, crave healing through writing, or would simply like to structure your thoughts, these workshops will use time-tested strategies to get your creative juices flowing. Translating thoughts and feelings into written words can provide wide-ranging benefits that support emotional, physical, and mental health … plus, the process can be fun! With no judgment and no pressure to share or read aloud, we will discuss different perspectives and styles and use prompts to help tap into your inner writer. Classes will be tailored to the specific group.

How to Make Your Publishing Dream a Reality: The Power of Journaling and Writing Prompts
Award-winning author Holly Hodder Eger will share how she managed to turn a short story into a novel and, at the age of 55, realized her dream of publishing her first book. She will discuss how she was able to complete her first draft thanks to the invaluable help of writing workshops, a supportive book group, and a deadline-imposing coach, and explain how she learned to harness the power of journaling and her sub-conscious to write chapters and set boundaries with her family and friends to carve out sacred writing time.

 

Award-winning author Holly Hodder Eger published her first book, Split Rock: A Martha’s Vineyard Novel, at the age of 55. She is currently at work on a historical fiction based on secret letters passed down from her family, while also teaching and leading writing workshops. Her travel articles and personal commentaries have been featured in national and local newspapers as well as on NPR. Holly graduated with honors from Harvard College and received an M.A. in English from the University of Virginia. She and her husband, having moved their three children and dogs internationally seven times, now live in Portola Valley, California.

Heart Opening Journey: Begin the New Year Living from Your Radiant Essence

Heart Opening Journey: Begin the New Year Living from Your Radiant Essence, with Baruch Roter MD & Veronica Fernmoss
Experience and embody the profound, transformative power of presence and love.  Actively engage in a variety of uplifting and growthful practices. Peel away layers of limiting stories and habits to connect more deeply, authentically, and lovingly with yourself, others and the Universe that connects us all. Learn and cultivate essential tools for living a fulfilling, vibrant joyful life.

Heart Opening Journey: Begin the New Year Living from Your Radiant Essence
Join us for a joyous interactive healing journey of opening our hearts to ourselves, each other, and life.

Radiant Presence & Embodiment
Learn how to cultivate and maintain inner peace and joyful presence through embodied interactive experiences. 

Radiant Relationships
Uplevel all your relationships with skills for conscious communication, deeper connection and sustaining positive loving energy.

Create the Life You Love in 2024
Clarify your vision and develop a road map for transforming your life to be a life you love.  

 

Heart Opening Musical Offerings, with Baruch Roter, MD
Heart Opening Song Circle
Please join me to sing short, easy-to-sing songs of healing, gratitude, light and love. This circle is great for singers, those who want to open their voice, and especially those who don’t think they can sing! Together we will raise our spirits and create a nurturing space.

Songs of Love & Light Concert
Relax and immerse yourself in a flow of sweet songs that will open your heart and nurture your spirit.

 

Baruch Roter MD & Veronica Fernmoss have been leading programs empowering people to lead a joyful life since 2007. Baruch is a holistic family physician, yogi, musician, and personal growth teacher who helps people cultivate a healthy lifestyle, present mind, activated body, and heart-centered spirit. He teaches Mind Body Medicine as an Emeritus professor at the University of Washington Medical School. Veronica Fernmoss is a Life Coach who combines her deep connection with nature with her background in psychology, tantra, yoga, and dance to empower people to live a juicy life connected with their higher self and Spirit.

Visit them at OneLoveAwakening.com

Music for the New Year with Miles Graber, Martha Aarons, and Lev Polyakin

The program will comprise music by several composers of different periods, nationalities and styles, including a tribute to new beginnings in the form of “Spring” from Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons.”

  

Miles Graber received his musical training at the Juilliard School, where he studied with Anne Hull, Phyllis Kreuter, and Hugh Aitken. He has lived in the Bay Area since 1971, where he has developed a wide reputation as an accompanist and collaborative pianist for instrumentalists and singers. He has been associated with numerous solo artists, as well as with such ensembles as the San Francisco Chamber Soloists, Midsummer Mozart, the Oakland-East Bay Symphony, Oakland Lyric Opera, and the San Francisco Camerata. He is a member of the chamber groups MusicAEterna, GGR Trio, Alcyone Ensemble, the Sor Ensemble, Mira Trio, and the new music group Sounds New.  He has accompanied master classes of Midori, Joseph Silverstein, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Pamela Frank, Alexander Barantchik, James Galway, Lynn Harrell, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Lipsett, Ronald Leonard, Leon Fleisher, Alisa Weilerstein, Jeanne Baxtresser, Paula Robison, and Kim Kashkashian. He has been a frequent performer with members of San Francisco Symphony, San Jose Symphony, Berkeley Symphony, California Symphony, Santa Rosa Symphony, San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra, Oakland Symphony, Oakland Symphony Youth Orchestra, UC Berkeley Symphony, and members of the faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.   Mr. Graber is a staff accompanist at the San Domenico Conservatory in San Anselmo, California, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and Northern California Flute Camp in Carmel Valley. Other accompanying posts include the Mondavi Center for the Arts Young Artist Competition, the Irving M. Klein International String Competition, and the Summer Brass Institute.

 

Martha Aarons’ professional career began with her appointment as principal flute of the North Carolina Symphony. Subsequently she played with the Cleveland Orchestra for 25 years.  After becoming a freelancer, she performed often with the Philadelphia Orchestra. During this time, she appeared as guest principal flute with the Metropolitan Opera, Minnesota Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, and Mostly Mozart Festival. Ms. Aarons served as Artist Faculty with the Aspen Music Festival for 19 years. Her teaching credits include the Cleveland Institute of Music, Duke University, University of North Carolina/Chapel Hill, Oberlin College, Skidmore College, Shanghai Conservatory and Eastman School of Music. She has been soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony, Ohio Chamber Orchestra, and with the Aspen Festival Chamber and Festival orchestras. Her first solo CD, The History of the Tango, is recorded on the Azica label and additionally features pianist Frances Renzi and Grammy-winning guitarist Jason Vieaux.  Her newest release is the CD Last Silence with violinist Lev Polyakin and pianist Frances Renzi.  Martha is also an avid runner and has qualified for her fourth consecutive Boston Marathon in April 2024!

 

Lev Polyakin was appointed co-concertmaster of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra at age 21. In that position he was regularly featured as soloist. In the U.S. he served as assistant concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra, as well as concertmaster of the American Academy of Conducting in Aspen Music Festival. Lev has won several prizes in international violin competitions, including the Beethoven Prize in Carl Flesch in London, and Gold Medal and Special Prize in Brescia, Italy. In addition to solo performances with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, he has appeared as soloist with the London Mozart Players, Royal Philharmonic, and Cleveland Orchestra. Recording credits include Melodia, BBC, National Public Radio, and Decca. He is prominently featured on an album entitled Cafe Music comprising chamber music by Paul Schoenfield, which was nominated for a Grammy.  Lev has a special interest in jazz and has recorded three CDs, entitled Russian Blue, The Other Side of the Road, and Christmas Kaleidoscope.  He is also featured in the release by Azica Records entitled Last Silence, with flutist Martha Aarons and pianist Frances Renzi.