Events Archive - Page 21 of 117 - Rancho La Puerta
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The Leader Within You

Workshops will focus on Leadership and how each of us has the ability to be a leader within each of ourselves.  Lessons from women world leaders will be seen through the presenter’s PBS documentary, along with discussion of the myths we hold about who is entitled to lead.  The power of diversity, opportunity, inclusion and belonging is the theme of a session and why society, individuals, non-profits, governments and business are better off if these powers are embraced.  Practical tools and guides will be provided.

Women World Leaders – Lessons of Leadership Stories of Women Presidents and Prime Ministers
30-minute PBS documentary and discussion

Lessons and Myths of Leadership
What are the myths of leadership that some women (and men) believe, and how do these myths pose challenges for women in their leadership roles? What arethe best practices of excellent leaders, and what additional lessons can we learnfrom women who have led their country? Offering a unique perspective onenhancing opportunities to successfully lead an organization and shape a career, Laura Liswood, former Senior Advisor to Goldman Sachs and Secretary General ofthe Council of Women World Leaders, shares insights based on her work which became a book and video documentary entitled Women World Leaders-15 Great Leaders Tell Their Story (Harper/Pandora).

Finding the Leader Within You
The session looks at great leaders and how to see yourself in them and their actions and traits. We all potentially have traits of leadership-courage, energy, emotional intelligence, communication styles, ability to listen, be curious, create trust and hope in others. This session allows the participants to look at their own life experiences and find the leadership behaviors in themselves.

Women and men display their ambitions differently. Public recognition for performance is more likely to go to men, and women don’t get, or they give away, that recognition to their detriment. We will discuss how each of them deals with ambition and the challenges they face.

Men and women are rated equally successfully when measured as effective leaders but women don’t make it to the top in equal numbers. What is happening? The pipeline is full but the number of men leaders still far exceeds the number of women. How can women claim their authority to lead and feel entitled to lead?

The Power of Diversity, Opportunity and Inclusion in Society
What is the case for diversity in organizations and society, why society, individuals, non-profits and business must embrace this power but why it isso hard to do in reality. A discussion of Liswood’s books, The Loudest Duck and The Elephant and the Mouse™.

 

Laura Liswood, JD/MBA is a passionate advocate for leadership, diversity and inclusion and is a sought-after speaker, author, and global thought leader on these topics.  She particularly enjoys highly interactive sessions with her audiences and uses humor and research to convey her message. She created a PBS documentary and book on her interviews with women presidents and prime ministers and was appointed Managing Director for Global Leadership and Diversity at Goldman Sachs.  After 9/11 Laura decided to become a first responder, and became a police officer in the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department, retiring as a sergeant. She is the author of four books, including The Loudest Duck: Moving Beyond Diversity, and The Elephant and the Mouse: Moving Beyond the Illusion of Inclusion.

 

Amazing Oceans of Life

Amazing Oceans of Life
Explore the beautiful and bizarre creatures that inhabit our seas, from tropical coral reefs to the deep abyss, with a leading expert. Dr. Mark Hixon uses stunning photographs, vivid video clips, and entertaining dialog to bring the undersea world indoors.

Coral Reefs: Rainforests and Canaries of the Seas
Explore the greatest concentration of life on the Earth including the life of corals, the amazing biodiversity of reefs, how coral reefs benefit humans, and how humans are threatening the very existence of reefs.

Abyss: Bizarre Creatures of the Deep Sea
Explore the dark recesses of the oceans, inhabited by creatures that look like characters from science fiction movies. Much of this presentation will be accompanied by video taken from deep sea submersibles.

Mother Ocean and Humanity: A Fragile Bond
The seas have provided people with numerous goods and services over millennia, yet Mother Ocean is now suffering. Dr. Mark Hixon will discuss how the invisibility of what lies below the sea surface and the myth of ocean inexhaustibility have led to environmental challenges that require each of us to become better ocean stewards.

Mark Hixon, Ph.D., is an endowed professor of marine biology at the University of Hawai‘i. For the past 40 years, he has studied sea life underwater using SCUBA and small research submarines, exploring kelp forests off California, the deep sea off Oregon, and coral reefs from the Caribbean to the Great Barrier Reef. An internationally recognized expert in coral reef ecology and conservation, Mark serves as an associate editor of multiple scientific journals, and is past chair of both the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee (for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), and the Ocean Sciences Advisory Committee (for the National Science Foundation). His on-line TED talks and TV appearances about sea life are both informative and entertaining.

Stories, Songs, and the Creative Process

Concert
Grammy Nominated singer songwriter Mary Gauthier will perform (with Jaimee Harris) songs from her extensive catalogue.

Monday, December 4 • Saved By A Song (Library Lounge)
In this session Mary Gauthier will discuss her book Saved by a Song, a study of the redemptive power of music and song to aid in recovery, connection, and personal growth. Mary will discuss her work with wounded veterans, frontline workers, and addicts and alcoholics, using music and song to help them (and her) to find agency, empathy, understanding and healing around trauma. Mary will also read from her book Saved by a Song, play songs, take questions, and tell road stories from her travels. The focus of the session will be the power of story to generate empathy. Mary believes that song and story can go beyond mere entertainment; they can bridge gaps between us, remind us of our common struggles and our collective aspirations, building a more compassionate, empathetic, and interconnected world. This will be the main point of this discussion.

Tuesday, December 5 • Saved By A Song: Let’s Write! (Library Lounge)
Have you wanted to write a song with a GRAMMY-Nominated songwriter? Join singer-songwriters, Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris for a co-writing session. We will write a group song with your help! This will be a fun, invigorating, illuminating opportunity to pull the curtain back on the creative process of songwriting.

 

Mary Gauthier is a Grammy-nominated and much acclaimed troubadour and author whose songs have been covered by Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Kathy Mattea, Boy George, Jimmy Buffett, Bettye Lavette, Bobby Bare Sr. and many others. Her songs have been heard on HBO’s “Yellowstone” and NBC’s “Nashville”. The Associated Press proclaimed Mary “one of the best songwriters of her generation”, and her book “Saved by a Song” (2021 St Martin’s Press) has gathered praise from everyone from Brandi Carlile to Robert Plant. Rolling Stone promptly proclaimed it “a must read.”

To this date, Mary has released eleven critically acclaimed albums and won awards from the Americana Music Association, International Folk Music Awards, the Independent Music Awards, the GLAMA Awards, and the UK Americana Association. Her latest record, “Dark Enough to See the Stars”, returns Gauthier to the storytelling mode similar to her 2001 breakthrough release, “Mercy Now”, and 1997’s “Drag Queens in Limousines.” Gauthier has never shied away from difficult self-exploration, and her song writing brilliance offers beauty in sorrow, healing in loss, and a perspective only an artist of uncommon generosity can give.

On the heels of her debut album Red Rescue, hailed by many as one of the top Americana albums of 2018, Jaimee Harris does not disappoint with the release of The Congress House Sessions, a thoughtful, intimate EP with stripped-down recordings of some of her most requested songs. These new recordings, recorded at the storied Congress House Studio by Mark Hallman (Carole King, Ani DiFranco, Eliza Gilkyson) and Andre Moran (Sarah Borges, Rickie Lee Jones), feature some of Austin’s favorite players, including Jane Ellen Bryant andKris Nelson on backing vocals, Ray Bonneville on harmonica, Brian Patterson on electric guitar, and Sammy Powell on piano. Don’t let the healthy list of players mislead you; this is no large, speaker-rattling production. Longtime friends add color and texture, but what you’ll hear is Harris and her guitar, delivering her songs in a setting closer both to what they were at their inception, alone in her room with a guitar, and how they have developed after a few years acclimating to performing without a band. Jaimee Harris loves fronting a band, and it shows. During the years she built a devoted critical and popular following in Austin, Texas, she fronted a slate of seasoned musicians with admirable swagger. When she alighted upon the scene, this jaded music city, replete with (and weary of) singer-songwriters, woke up and took notice. Here, finally, was a new voice—yes, her singing voice is noteworthy: rich, sonorous, full, delivering a uniquely stylized, throaty tone—but equally important, here was the new voice of a noteworthy writer and performer. When you watch her sing, she’ll break your heart, cradle your heart, win your heart, then break it all over again. www.JaimeeHarris.com

Wandering in Cuba

Wandering in Cuba is a collection of photographs that John Rosenmiller compiled during his numerous journeys throughout Cuba since 2015. His compelling images reveal a raw and gritty side of Cuba that starkly contrasts with the island’s image of 50s cars, cigars and rum. Meet unseen Cubanos who struggle with dignity and perseverance in Havana’s overflowing barrios, make charcoal at night in the hidden countryside, live in church operated homes for the elderly, train in run down boxing clubs, cut sugar cane and compete in local rodeos.  

 

John Rosenmiller is a native New Yorker whose recent documentary film, City of Covid, unmasked the empty New York streets during the March 2020 covid quarantine when New York was the epicenter of the virus. His Covid photograph of Spike Lee bicycling in NYC garnered a widespread Instagram following and was featured by Anderson Cooper on CNN. Other photos can be seen on Instagram @facesofcovidnyc as well as @quentin.quarantino.

 

Wandering in Cuba

Wandering in Cuba is a collection of photographs that John Rosenmiller compiled during his numerous journeys throughout Cuba since 2015. His compelling images reveal a raw and gritty side of Cuba that starkly contrasts with the island’s image of 50s cars, cigars and rum. Meet unseen Cubanos who struggle with dignity and perseverance in Havana’s overflowing barrios, make charcoal at night in the hidden countryside, live in church operated homes for the elderly, train in run down boxing clubs, cut sugar cane and compete in local rodeos.

 

John Rosenmiller is a native New Yorker whose recent documentary film, City of Covid, unmasked the empty New York streets during the March 2020 covid quarantine when New York was the epicenter of the virus. His Covid photograph of Spike Lee bicycling in NYC garnered a widespread Instagram following and was featured by Anderson Cooper on CNN. Other photos can be seen on Instagram @facesofcovidnyc as well as @quentin.quarantino.

 

Happy New Year at The Ranch!

New Year’s Eve Celebration
Dinner by Executive Chef Donaciano Pacheco, Concert with WindSync, Dance to Rancho La Puerta’s Fiesta Band and a heartfelt Toast!! End the year with a Candlelit Walk to the Labyrinth – welcome the New!

 

Wake up to a New Year!
Make Your New Year’s Day Prayer Arrow with Tim Hinchliff and enjoy our traditional Mexican hot chocolate & tamales.

 

New Year’s Special Program
Sound Healing, word-boarding, intention setting, and letter writing for a kind New Year’s gift to yourself, with Jill Thiry

 

Vitality in the New Year

Vitality in the New Year
Everybody wants a little more energy, a bit more verve.  Dr. Victoria Maizes, Executive Director of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona explores energy boosters and zappers.  Drawing from the integrative medicine approach to health, she presents cutting edge nutritional advances, proven mind-body tools, ancient energetic practices, and neuroscience. You will learn practical strategies to make you feel healthier and more vital than ever before.

Nourishing Your Health by Living Green
Modern life exposes us to chemicals that may be subtly or profoundly impacting our health.  We absorb toxins in the food we eat, the beverages we drink, the products we put on our skin, and the sprays we use in and around our homes. Mounting evidence links environmental toxins to developmental disorders, obesity, heart disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative changes. Dr. Maizes addresses the evidence for harm, the steps we can take to reduce exposures, and the multitude of resources that can help nourish our own health and that of future generations.

Vibrantly Healthy Women
Questions about women’s health and well-being frequently arise in an integrative health practice. Whether it is concern about changes coinciding with menopause, hormones, sexuality, or a healthy weight, Dr. Victoria Maizes, an internationally recognized women’s health expert will address the science that supports women in their efforts to live vibrantly healthy lives.

 

Dr. Victoria Maizes serves as the Executive Director of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine and is a Professor of Medicine, Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of Arizona Internationally recognized as a leader in integrative medicine, Dr. Maizes is committed to helping individuals live healthier lives and pioneering change efforts that solve US health care system problems. Together with her team at the Center for Integrative Medicine, she created and implemented educational programs that have trained thousands of physicians, nurses, and other health professionals and impacted the care of millions of patients. A highly sought-after speaker, she is the editor of the Oxford University textbook Integrative Women’s Health and the author of Be Fruitful: The Essential Guide to Maximizing Fertility and Giving Birth to a Healthy Child. She co-hosts (with Dr Andrew Weil) the popular podcast Body of Wonder and was named one of the world’s 25 intelligent optimists by ODE magazine.

As We Stand at The Trailhead of a New Year…

At The Trailhead: An Invitation to Transformation
As we stand at the trailhead of a new year, we are at a threshold of sorts. That space between what has been and what could be is nothing less than an invitation to transformation.

Transformation is what happens when we allow ourselves to learn from and be changed by our experiences. The Ranch offers the kinds of spirit, space, and grace that make the magic of transformation possible. Embark on an inspiring and insightful week of reflection, curiosity, and imagination, as we take stock of where we’ve been, where we are now, and where life might be calling us.

Evening Program: Threshold Moments
There are such things as threshold moments”. Those times when we are invited to step over our fear and uncertainty and venture out into the unknown. Such moments call upon our courage, and whenever we accept the invitation being offered, we find our way to an even more authentic and full-hearted life. Come listen, reflect, and consider your own threshold moments, past, present, and future.

Workshop #1: At The Trailhead
If transformation is what happens when we are changed by our experience, then taking the next right step begins with a right understanding of where weve been and where we are now. Our lives dont happen by accident. We create them every day and one step at a time. This time will be a safe space for you to engage in some courageous thinking and thoughtful action planning.

Workshop #2: A Way with Words
Words can shine a light on the trail. A well-chosen word to illuminate the way forward is both practical and powerful. It can becomes a lens through which to more clearly see our next right steps.  Come play with words to see which one(s) might guide you in this new year ahead. As T.S. Elliot said, “…last year’s words belong to last year’s language, and next years words await another voice.”

Workshop #3 Discernment: The Practice of Choosing Wisely
Regardless of life chapter or circumstance, we are inundated with choices. Our lives are filled with responsibilities, challenges, opportunities and possibilities. Where to invest our time, energy, money, skills, and gifts? Where, how, and to whom do we offer what we have to give? This workshop will introduce you to a practical discernment framework that will help you choose wisely.

 

Molly Davis is a writer, speaker, and coach. The founder of Trailhead Coaching &Consulting, she helps people courageously connect who they are with how they live.

Author of the award winning BLUSH: Women & Wine, a book in which she explores why she often used wine as a classy looking coping mechanism, and why others might do the same. And yes, she still loves good wine.

“There is a trail leading deeper into our own lives; the trailhead lies squarely beneath our feet. Taking the next right step begins with a right understanding of where we stand now. Our lives don’t happen by accident; we participate in creating them every day, and one step at a time.”

The Perfect Lifestyle: Food, Wine, Sex, & Chocolate

A Perfect Lifestyle:  Food, Wine, Sex and Chocolate
An overview talk covering a wide range of lifestyle issues, including dietary patterns, obesity and its management, exercise, marriage, childbearing, pets, television, sleep, candy including chocolate, and success in life. The most extensive and important part of the talk deals with diets, ranging from veganism to ketogenic, and drink. All these areas are approached from a rigorous scientific viewpoint, with an emphasis on how each factor affects disease and longevity. The talk concludes with a table of exactly how much life is gained or lost by simple lifestyle choices we make every day.

Shopping for Food: Label Lies and Nutritional Information
It would be best if we bought only foods in their original form, but the time constraints of current life often force people to buy packaged foods.  Unfortunately, packaged food labels frequently contain lies and misleading information. Even nutritional labels can be misleading. A can of spray cooking oil may say that it contains no fat, when in fact the product is 100% fat. This talk covers the most common labeling misinformation and teaches exactly how to pick healthy packaged foods using simple approaches to the interpretation of nutritional listings.

Exercise, How to Get the Most out of Your Work-out
After a healthy diet, physical activity is the easiest and least expensive way to increase longevity and prevent heart disease and dementia.  Beneficial physical activity ranges from walking stairs to running marathons. This talk discusses the myriad physical and emotional benefits of all levels of physical activity, as well as the occasional adverse effects of excessive activities, such as marathon running. Our national guidelines on physical activity including aerobic, resistive, and balance exercises is discussed with an emphasis on just how to receive the greatest benefit.

Food for Thought: How to Stave Off Alzheimer’s and other Neurodegenerative Diseases
Dementia, most commonly Alzheimer’s Disease, affects one in 14 people over 65 years of age and one in six over 80. It is the most feared illness in older individuals. It is also at least partly preventable. The basic medical rule is that what is good for the heart is also good for the head. This talk describes the most frequent types of dementia and other neurocognitive diseases and discusses how they are likely to present. The value of a healthy diet and physical and cognitive exercise in preventing these diseases, amounting to at least a 50% reduction, is summarized in this talk.

 

Robert Vogel, M.D., is a preventive cardiologist and Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado Denver.  He received his B.A. from Columbia University (physics) and M.D. from Yale University. He served on the faculties of the Universities of Colorado, Michigan, and Maryland, the latter as Director of Cardiology. Dr. Vogel has investigated how to prevent coronary heart disease for more than 40 years.  He has authored two books and more than 250 scientific publications.  Dr. Vogel lectures frequently to physicians on lifestyle and heart disease prevention. He has received a Good Housekeeping Magazine’s “Best Doctors in America” designation, a Federal Scientist of the Year Award, and has been President of the Association of University Cardiologists.  Dr. Vogel currently serves on the NFL Medical Committee and as a consultant to the Pritikin Longevity Institute.

The Perfect Lifestyle: Food, Wine, Sex, & Chocolate

A Perfect Lifestyle:  Food, Wine, Sex and Chocolate
An overview talk covering a wide range of lifestyle issues, including dietary patterns, obesity and its management, exercise, marriage, childbearing, pets, television, sleep, candy including chocolate, and success in life. The most extensive and important part of the talk deals with diets, ranging from veganism to ketogenic, and drink. All these areas are approached from a rigorous scientific viewpoint, with an emphasis on how each factor affects disease and longevity. The talk concludes with a table of exactly how much life is gained or lost by simple lifestyle choices we make every day.

Shopping for Food: Label Lies and Nutritional Information
It would be best if we bought only foods in their original form, but the time constraints of current life often force people to buy packaged foods.  Unfortunately, packaged food labels frequently contain lies and misleading information. Even nutritional labels can be misleading. A can of spray cooking oil may say that it contains no fat, when in fact the product is 100% fat. This talk covers the most common labeling misinformation and teaches exactly how to pick healthy packaged foods using simple approaches to the interpretation of nutritional listings.

Exercise, How to Get the Most out of Your Work-out
After a healthy diet, physical activity is the easiest and least expensive way to increase longevity and prevent heart disease and dementia.  Beneficial physical activity ranges from walking stairs to running marathons. This talk discusses the myriad physical and emotional benefits of all levels of physical activity, as well as the occasional adverse effects of excessive activities, such as marathon running. Our national guidelines on physical activity including aerobic, resistive, and balance exercises is discussed with an emphasis on just how to receive the greatest benefit.

Food for Thought: How to Stave Off Alzheimer’s and other Neurodegenerative Diseases
Dementia, most commonly Alzheimer’s Disease, affects one in 14 people over 65 years of age and one in six over 80. It is the most feared illness in older individuals. It is also at least partly preventable. The basic medical rule is that what is good for the heart is also good for the head. This talk describes the most frequent types of dementia and other neurocognitive diseases and discusses how they are likely to present. The value of a healthy diet and physical and cognitive exercise in preventing these diseases, amounting to at least a 50% reduction, is summarized in this talk.

 

Robert Vogel, M.D., is a preventive cardiologist and Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado Denver.  He received his B.A. from Columbia University (physics) and M.D. from Yale University. He served on the faculties of the Universities of Colorado, Michigan, and Maryland, the latter as Director of Cardiology. Dr. Vogel has investigated how to prevent coronary heart disease for more than 40 years.  He has authored two books and more than 250 scientific publications.  Dr. Vogel lectures frequently to physicians on lifestyle and heart disease prevention. He has received a Good Housekeeping Magazine’s “Best Doctors in America” designation, a Federal Scientist of the Year Award, and has been President of the Association of University Cardiologists.  Dr. Vogel currently serves on the NFL Medical Committee and as a consultant to the Pritikin Longevity Institute.

New Year’s with WindSync!

Versatile and vibrant, the musicians of WindSync “play many idioms authoritatively, elegantly, with adroit technique, and with great fun” (All About the Arts), showing off the uniquely wide-ranging sonorities of the wind quintet. The group’s personal performance style, combined with a three-pronged mission of artistry, education, and community-building, lends WindSync its reputation as ”a group of virtuosos who are also wonderful people, too” (Alison Young, Classical MPR).

WindSync launched an international touring career after winning the 2012 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition and the 2016 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. WindSync has appeared in concert at Ravinia, the Met Museum, Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, the Library of Congress, and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Building a new repertoire driven by purpose and growing from close collaboration, WindSync’s recent premieres include works by Marc Mellits, Ivan Trevino, Mason Bynes, Nathalie Joachim, and Pulitzer finalist Michael Gilbertson.

In demand for their ability to embed in communities, WindSync has served in residencies with the Grand Teton Music Festival, Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, and the Lied Center. Winner of the 2022 Fischoff Ann Divine Educator Award, the ensemble regularly coaches at training programs nationwide, collaborates with youth orchestras, and performs for thousands of young people each year.

On the heels of “All Worlds, All Times,” WindSync’s Billboard chart-topping 2022 release that “will make you want to get up and dance” (The Whole Note), the quintet’s second commercial album, recorded with composer Miguel del Aguila at Abbey Road Studios, releases in 2024.

Rancho La Puerta Folk Festival

Folk Festival
June 15-22, 2024

Embrace the power of music in an unforgettable week featuring top folk artists from across the nation at The Ranch for our second annual Folk Fest! This week is curated for you to experience the healing power of music through daily concerts, artist talks and workshops, live recording sessions, and random acts of music. The serenity of The Ranch provides a perfect stage for some of today’s top folk touring artists to fully transform you. Join us and delight in a retreat for all the senses.

Featured Musicians: 
Amber Rubarth (RLP Folk Festival Co-producer, Co-Host and Artist), Jaimee Harris, Kai Welch, Mary Gauthier, Steve Poltz, Valerie June, Devon Gilfillian, Fiona Prine, Jason Cupp (sound engineer), and Carissa Stolting (Co-Producer, Co-Host and Commentator)

Artists Bios and Events

7th Annual Chamber Music Festival

Our 7th Annual Chamber Music Festival features eight of the world’s finest musicians who will inspire you with extraordinary performances set in the relaxed atmosphere of The Ranch. In addition to daily concerts, you can enjoy talks by the musicians, watch rehearsals, and perhaps even encounter “random acts of music” in unexpected places throughout your day.

Learn More

Volleyball with Suzanne Hebert

Water Volleyball
New or seasoned, water volleyball offers an exciting opportunity to enjoy the sunshine while honing your skills. Join us to master setting, passing, and serving techniques and participate in fun games alongside other guests.

Sand Volleyball
Experience beach-style volleyball right here on the sand court at the Ranch. Improve your skills by practicing various moves, engaging in friendly competition with other guests, and enjoying a fantastic workout.

 

Suzanne Hebert fell head over heels for sports from the moment she got her hands on that first basketball in Bellingham, MA, at five years of age. While training and playing hard on the varsity volleyball team in high school in her small town, she caught the eye of Junior Olympics recruiters who couldn’t resist her incredible talent. They whisked her away to play on not one but two Junior Olympic teams!

When it came time for college, Division 1 teams lined up to recruit her, but Suzanne kept it close to home and joined the fierce University of Rhode Island team. There, she and her teammates pulled off some jaw-dropping victories, leaving USC, UCLA, and Pepperdine in the dust on their way to the Final Four. And as if that wasn’t enough, Suzanne dominated the court with her killer blocking skills, snagging first place in the entire country!

These days, you’ll find Suzanne juggling balls of a different kind as she passes a few with high school students between classes. Professionally, Suzanne is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, lending her clinical expertise to schools throughout Los Angeles. She also has a thriving private therapy practice, both in-person and virtual, where she helps people conquer life’s challenges like a true champion.

Whether she’s teaching volleyball or guiding people through the ups and downs of life, Suzanne is all about helping others learn and grow. And fear not, volleyball newbies! Suzanne loves teaching the basics, and has endless patience and a sense of humor to make every step of the journey a blast. With Suzanne by your side, you’ll surely ace the game and have a few laughs along the way!

“One of our greatest assets is our ability to persevere, despite overwhelming evidence that we won’t find our way.”
– Suzanne Hebert

Volleyball with Suzanne Hebert

Water Volleyball
New or seasoned, water volleyball offers an exciting opportunity to enjoy the sunshine while honing your skills. Join us to master setting, passing, and serving techniques and participate in fun games alongside other guests.

Sand Volleyball
Experience beach-style volleyball right here on the sand court at the Ranch. Improve your skills by practicing various moves, engaging in friendly competition with other guests, and enjoying a fantastic workout.

 

Suzanne Hebert fell head over heels for sports from the moment she got her hands on that first basketball in Bellingham, MA, at five years of age. While training and playing hard on the varsity volleyball team in high school in her small town, she caught the eye of Junior Olympics recruiters who couldn’t resist her incredible talent. They whisked her away to play on not one but two Junior Olympic teams!

When it came time for college, Division 1 teams lined up to recruit her, but Suzanne kept it close to home and joined the fierce University of Rhode Island team. There, she and her teammates pulled off some jaw-dropping victories, leaving USC, UCLA, and Pepperdine in the dust on their way to the Final Four. And as if that wasn’t enough, Suzanne dominated the court with her killer blocking skills, snagging first place in the entire country!

These days, you’ll find Suzanne juggling balls of a different kind as she passes a few with high school students between classes. Professionally, Suzanne is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, lending her clinical expertise to schools throughout Los Angeles. She also has a thriving private therapy practice, both in-person and virtual, where she helps people conquer life’s challenges like a true champion.

Whether she’s teaching volleyball or guiding people through the ups and downs of life, Suzanne is all about helping others learn and grow. And fear not, volleyball newbies! Suzanne loves teaching the basics, and has endless patience and a sense of humor to make every step of the journey a blast. With Suzanne by your side, you’ll surely ace the game and have a few laughs along the way!

“One of our greatest assets is our ability to persevere, despite overwhelming evidence that we won’t find our way.”
– Suzanne Hebert

Yoga with Stacy McCarthy 

Build a strong, safe and healthy yoga practice with detailed alignment, use of props and proper breathing. An important class for newcomers and experienced students who want to deepen their practice but may have injuries, muscular imbalances, or structural irregularities. You’ll create strength, flexibility, and balance by starting with a solid foundation.

 

Stacy McCarthy is an award-winning health & fitness leader, accomplished businesswomen, captivating speaker, and respected educator. Through decades of experience, she’s developed trainings that are physically balanced, energetically empowering, mentally focusing and spiritually up-lifting. They are designed to transform lives. Stacy is known for intelligent sequencing that meets her students where they are in their own practice in a system that inspires beginners and experienced students alike. Her teaching is holistic and embraces the fluctuations of life, including age, seasons, and transitions. She lives and teaches the keys to unlock a powerful body and peaceful mind without dieting or excessive exercise.

“Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; hate less, love more; and all good things are yours.” Swedish Proverb

Yoga with Stacy McCarthy 

Build a strong, safe and healthy yoga practice with detailed alignment, use of props and proper breathing. An important class for newcomers and experienced students who want to deepen their practice but may have injuries, muscular imbalances, or structural irregularities. You’ll create strength, flexibility, and balance by starting with a solid foundation.

 

Stacy McCarthy is an award-winning health & fitness leader, accomplished businesswomen, captivating speaker, and respected educator. Through decades of experience, she’s developed trainings that are physically balanced, energetically empowering, mentally focusing and spiritually up-lifting. They are designed to transform lives. Stacy is known for intelligent sequencing that meets her students where they are in their own practice in a system that inspires beginners and experienced students alike. Her teaching is holistic and embraces the fluctuations of life, including age, seasons, and transitions. She lives and teaches the keys to unlock a powerful body and peaceful mind without dieting or excessive exercise.

“Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; hate less, love more; and all good things are yours.” Swedish Proverb

Fitness for Bone Health

Introduction to Bone Health Week Lecture:
Achieving and maintaining healthy bones throughout one’s life is an important component to optimizing one’s health span. Osteoporosis is an all too common condition that both men and women face (especially in the post menopausal year). However, when it comes to addressing one’s bone health, the sooner really is the better.

In this lecture we will outline the differences between osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and osteopenia. Also to be discussed are current concepts around exercise for men and women with osteopenia, osteoporosis; do’s and don’ts; safety and empowerment. We will also introduce and explain our practical exercise offerings for the rest of the week at the lecture.

Posture and Balance Class:
Learn how to self assess your posture and balance and exercises to improve them.

Strength Training for Bone Health:
Learn the differences between strength training and weight bearing exercises and how to incorporate them into your exercise routine safely.

Pilates for Bone Health:
Pilates is excellent for strength, posture and balance, come learn modifications for the Pilates mat series.

Healthy Feet & Ankles:
A class focusing on foot and ankle mobility and stability: learn how to stretch and strengthen to provide a good base of support for life (A great class for the Ranch’s hiking and pickleball audience, too!)

Dance for Bone Health: Broadway Style!
Dance is one of the best things for balance as well as being an excellent weight bearing activity (not to mention very fun!).

 

With an extensive background in the health industry and over 30 years of physical therapy experience, Lizz Smith specializes in orthopedics, treating individuals with musculoskeletal pain, postural imbalances, post-surgical rehabilitation, and prevention needs. Prior to starting a private practice in 2004, Lizz held several positions over a decade at the renowned Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. Lizz is certified in Active Release Technique, cupping and aromatherapy. She received a BS in Health Science and a MS in Physical Therapy from Simmons College. Lizz’s private practice is in Manhattan, living in Brooklyn with her husband and 2 teenage sons.

“I finally experienced the magic of The Ranch last year as a guest of Cynthia’s and am excited to be back to share my knowledge with you this week. I love the format of each day here as designed by the founders, to include all aspects of wellness.”

 

Cynthia Bahmani is a Certified Pilates Instructor with over twenty years of teaching and professional dance experience. After graduating Tisch Dance at NYU, she studied Pilates at St. Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco, where she worked in the Sports Medicine Department from 2000-2002.

Cynthia worked as the Pilates Instructor for the Cirque du Soleil Bay Area cast of “AMALUNA” in 2019. She is a specialist on the CoreAlign, a physical therapy tool that helps people optimize their gait, posture and alignment. She developed a six hour course for teachers to learn to use this apparatus. She runs her own studio in San Anselmo, California. Cynthia grew up in San Diego, and is honored to be a frequent Guest Instructor at Rancho La Puerta.

“I’ve been coming with my family to The Ranch for years, and I love it here because it feels like home. Never have you met more interesting people than those who work and visit here at Rancho La Puerta!” – Cynthia Bahmani

 

Fitness for Bone Health

Introduction to Bone Health Week Lecture:
Achieving and maintaining healthy bones throughout one’s life is an important component to optimizing one’s health span. Osteoporosis is an all too common condition that both men and women face (especially in the post menopausal year). However, when it comes to addressing one’s bone health, the sooner really is the better.

In this lecture we will outline the differences between osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and osteopenia. Also to be discussed are current concepts around exercise for men and women with osteopenia, osteoporosis; do’s and don’ts; safety and empowerment. We will also introduce and explain our practical exercise offerings for the rest of the week at the lecture.

Posture and Balance Class:
Learn how to self assess your posture and balance and exercises to improve them.

Strength Training for Bone Health:
Learn the differences between strength training and weight bearing exercises and how to incorporate them into your exercise routine safely.

Pilates for Bone Health:
Pilates is excellent for strength, posture and balance, come learn modifications for the Pilates mat series.

Healthy Feet & Ankles:
A class focusing on foot and ankle mobility and stability: learn how to stretch and strengthen to provide a good base of support for life (A great class for the Ranch’s hiking and pickleball audience, too!)

Dance for Bone Health: Broadway Style!
Dance is one of the best things for balance as well as being an excellent weight bearing activity (not to mention very fun!).

 

With an extensive background in the health industry and over 30 years of physical therapy experience, Lizz Smith specializes in orthopedics, treating individuals with musculoskeletal pain, postural imbalances, post-surgical rehabilitation, and prevention needs. Prior to starting a private practice in 2004, Lizz held several positions over a decade at the renowned Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. Lizz is certified in Active Release Technique, cupping and aromatherapy. She received a BS in Health Science and a MS in Physical Therapy from Simmons College. Lizz’s private practice is in Manhattan, living in Brooklyn with her husband and 2 teenage sons.

“I finally experienced the magic of The Ranch last year as a guest of Cynthia’s and am excited to be back to share my knowledge with you this week. I love the format of each day here as designed by the founders, to include all aspects of wellness.”

 

Cynthia Bahmani is a Certified Pilates Instructor with over twenty years of teaching and professional dance experience. After graduating Tisch Dance at NYU, she studied Pilates at St. Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco, where she worked in the Sports Medicine Department from 2000-2002.

Cynthia worked as the Pilates Instructor for the Cirque du Soleil Bay Area cast of “AMALUNA” in 2019. She is a specialist on the CoreAlign, a physical therapy tool that helps people optimize their gait, posture and alignment. She developed a six hour course for teachers to learn to use this apparatus. She runs her own studio in San Anselmo, California. Cynthia grew up in San Diego, and is honored to be a frequent Guest Instructor at Rancho La Puerta.

“I’ve been coming with my family to The Ranch for years, and I love it here because it feels like home. Never have you met more interesting people than those who work and visit here at Rancho La Puerta!” – Cynthia Bahmani

 

Myofascial Release, Centering Alignment & Corrective Exercise Connection

For decades there has been an epidemic rise in the number of people suffering from common musculoskeletal imbalances that are not caused by an injury. These imbalances are caused by other factors, such as movement dysfunction, activity choices, prolonged static postures, footwear choices, surgeries and sedentary lifestyles. Many with common musculoskeletal imbalances do not need physical therapy, whereby corrective exercise is evolving to fill the gap in care. The use of musculoskeletal assessments, self-myofascial release, restorative stretching, and corrective strengthening exercises in health and fitness settings is fast becoming commonplace to help remedy and relieve muscle & joint discomfort and pain.

As a Corrective Exercise Specialist Laura’s skill set is focused on addressing the body as a whole and identifying underlying causes of chronic pain not just the symptoms and help prevent the body from breaking down in the future. A sequenced method of structural assessments, myofascial release techniques, stretching, body centering and corrective exercises are applied. The benefits of this training can result in not only the elimination of pain, but lead to a reduction in stress and improvement in active performance and functional daily living.

Beginning on Sunday and throughout the week each class will incorporate movement and usable information. We will focus on different zones of the body using several of the techniques mentioned above in order to give participants more structural awareness, pain alleviating “hacks”, and corrective exercises to be able to easily replicate at home. Friday’s class will wrap everything up, ending your week with an energized feeling, full of vitality – moving more functionally and feeling GREAT!

Laura Gideon June Handout

 

Laura Gideon M.S. CPT, CES is an Exercise Physiologist, Certified Corrective Exercise Specialist, Pilates Practitioner, and Workshop Presenter. She has been involved in the fitness/wellness industry since 1981 and is a Two Time Corrective Exercise Specialist of the Year Top Finalist from The Biomechanics Method certifying organization. Her signature “Roll, Release & Mobilize classes” are geared toward “Hands-off self-treatment” helping clients eliminate pain, and discomfort, creating postural alignment awareness and body sense to help correct compensatory movement patterns. A great “adjunct” therapy to any exercise regime and functional daily movement activity. Laura enjoys educating her clients “beyond training” by teaching “self-care” methods to advance performance in an injury-free setting.

REACH Ballet Inspired! with Kari Anderson

REACH
This flowing mix of ballet-inspired movement and fitness training is a deep-felt energetic method of improving balance, stability, total body strength, flexibility and posture. REACH™ combines a mix of training techniques for a unique challenge and an ultimate release of energy all it’s own.

REACH THE BARRE™
This is the popular REACH class utilizing the Barre for added support, ROM, confidence and use of small equipment.  The secret to achieving a dancers strength is in how the exercise sequencing targets specific muscle groups, isometrically and dynamically, with a philosophy of learning paths to “pure technique”. 

CARDIO DANCE
When exercise feels like a dance party. This all-cardio workout still lives on from the BOOM days of aerobics. Choreography builds throughout the workout with full body movement combined with the performance influences of dance. Bring your personal style to the floor!

 

Kari Anderson is the co-owner of The Seattle Gym (formerly Pro-Robics Conditoning Clubs) in Seattle, Washington for over 40 years. Kari has produced dozens of award-winning workout DVDs/videos. She is an internationally recognized conference presenter—leading fitness workshops for instructors worldwide and is an honored recipient of IDEA Business Person of the Year 1993, IDEA Instructor of the Year 1994 and ACE Fitness Director of the Year 2003.

Kari has lifetime experience in sports, dance and athletics including being a Jr.National Gold Medalist in Synchronized Swimming and a scholarship with the Joffrey Ballet in NY. Currently she competes on multiple USTA tennis teams. Her perspective and talent for fitness training and choreography development are highly acclaimed in the fitness industry.

“Stand with presence. Move with purpose. Dance for life”  – Kari Anderson

REACH Ballet Inspired! with Kari Anderson

REACH
This flowing mix of ballet-inspired movement and fitness training is a deep-felt energetic method of improving balance, stability, total body strength, flexibility and posture. REACH™ combines a mix of training techniques for a unique challenge and an ultimate release of energy all it’s own.

REACH THE BARRE™
This is the popular REACH class utilizing the Barre for added support, ROM, confidence and use of small equipment.  The secret to achieving a dancers strength is in how the exercise sequencing targets specific muscle groups, isometrically and dynamically, with a philosophy of learning paths to “pure technique”. 

CARDIO DANCE
When exercise feels like a dance party. This all-cardio workout still lives on from the BOOM days of aerobics. Choreography builds throughout the workout with full body movement combined with the performance influences of dance. Bring your personal style to the floor!

 

Kari Anderson is the co-owner of The Seattle Gym (formerly Pro-Robics Conditoning Clubs) in Seattle, Washington for over 40 years. Kari has produced dozens of award-winning workout DVDs/videos. She is an internationally recognized conference presenter—leading fitness workshops for instructors worldwide and is an honored recipient of IDEA Business Person of the Year 1993, IDEA Instructor of the Year 1994 and ACE Fitness Director of the Year 2003.

Kari has lifetime experience in sports, dance and athletics including being a Jr.National Gold Medalist in Synchronized Swimming and a scholarship with the Joffrey Ballet in NY. Currently she competes on multiple USTA tennis teams. Her perspective and talent for fitness training and choreography development are highly acclaimed in the fitness industry.

“Stand with presence. Move with purpose. Dance for life”  – Kari Anderson

Fusion Workouts with Helen Vanderburg

Fusion A’Line
Fusion A’Line is a Pilates, fitness, and dance-based workout that focuses on body balance and alignment to lengthen and strengthen your body through dynamic movements. With deep muscle engagement and mindful training method, Fusion A’Line will increase balance, stability, and mobility for a stronger healthier you. This core-centric workout challenges the entire body like never before while releasing undue stress through a unique dynamic flexibility method.

 Fusion Refine
A fusion of fitness, yoga, and Pilates, the Fusion Refine workout focuses on balancing high-energy exercises for strength and endurance with calming exercises to destress and unwind. This evolved workout takes the best of each training technique to truly give you a balanced workout. Experience unique standing and floor exercises based on the principles of dynamic integrated core conditioning and mobility to give you grace and power.

Fusion D’Fine
This bodyweight workout combines core conditioning and muscle defining exercises from Pilates, flexibility, and mobility from yoga, the fluidity of movement from fitness, and Barre techniques to define, align, and sculpt the body. Choreographed to inspiring music, experience a new, innovative, and challenging bodyweight group class.

 

Founder of Fusion Fitness Training, Helen Vanderburg is co-owner of The ACADEMY fitness, yoga, spin studio and author of Fusion Workouts. With over 35 years of experience in club ownership, consulting and program development, Helen is one of the most celebrated fitness personalities in the global fitness community today. She has been recognized numerous times as Canada’s top fitness professional by CanFitPro, the largest Canadian fitness association and is the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. She has been awarded the IDEA Program Director, Fitness Presenter of the Year and the 2018 Global Top Industry Contributor. Helen is the Commercial Fitness Education Manager for Balanced Body and has consulted for international fitness companies such as NIKE, Total Gym, BOSU, Hedstrom Fitness, Schwinn Cycling and Core Health and Fitness, to name a few. She has educated fitness leaders globally for the past 25 years in over 25 countries.

Fusion Workouts with Helen Vanderburg

Fusion A’Line
Fusion A’Line is a Pilates, fitness, and dance-based workout that focuses on body balance and alignment to lengthen and strengthen your body through dynamic movements. With deep muscle engagement and mindful training method, Fusion A’Line will increase balance, stability, and mobility for a stronger healthier you. This core-centric workout challenges the entire body like never before while releasing undue stress through a unique dynamic flexibility method.

 Fusion Refine
A fusion of fitness, yoga, and Pilates, the Fusion Refine workout focuses on balancing high-energy exercises for strength and endurance with calming exercises to destress and unwind. This evolved workout takes the best of each training technique to truly give you a balanced workout. Experience unique standing and floor exercises based on the principles of dynamic integrated core conditioning and mobility to give you grace and power.

Fusion D’Fine
This bodyweight workout combines core conditioning and muscle defining exercises from Pilates, flexibility, and mobility from yoga, the fluidity of movement from fitness, and Barre techniques to define, align, and sculpt the body. Choreographed to inspiring music, experience a new, innovative, and challenging bodyweight group class.

 

Founder of Fusion Fitness Training, Helen Vanderburg is co-owner of The ACADEMY fitness, yoga, spin studio and author of Fusion Workouts. With over 35 years of experience in club ownership, consulting and program development, Helen is one of the most celebrated fitness personalities in the global fitness community today. She has been recognized numerous times as Canada’s top fitness professional by CanFitPro, the largest Canadian fitness association and is the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. She has been awarded the IDEA Program Director, Fitness Presenter of the Year and the 2018 Global Top Industry Contributor. Helen is the Commercial Fitness Education Manager for Balanced Body and has consulted for international fitness companies such as NIKE, Total Gym, BOSU, Hedstrom Fitness, Schwinn Cycling and Core Health and Fitness, to name a few. She has educated fitness leaders globally for the past 25 years in over 25 countries.