Peter Yarrow’s commitment and life’s work have been framed by his awareness that music of conscience can be extremely effective when used as a source for inspiring and uniting efforts to heal and create a better world. As a performer and social activist, Peter has used music in just that way, bringing people together to create a more just, peaceful, and compassionate society. Through such efforts, beginning in the early 1960’s, the music of Peter, Paul and Mary became, for literally millions of people, the genesis of their activism and commitment to advancing positive social change. Peter’s gift for songwriting has produced some of the most moving songs in the Peter, Paul & Mary repertoire including “Puff, the Magic Dragon,” “Day is Done,” “Light One Candle,” and “The Great Mandala.” One of Yarrow’s efforts is focused on the non-profit, Operation Respect (OR) with its classroom-based program called “Don’t Laugh at Me” (DLAM) that utilizes music and the arts combined with social/emotional learning curricula for elementary and middle school children, now utilized in over 20,000 schools worldwide. Peter believes that DLAM and other such programs that build community and catalyze positive attitudinal and behavioral change, can enable today’s children to break the cycle of hatred, bias, racism and bullying, helping them to envision and create a more just and peaceful world.
Archives: Events
A Concert in Word and Song with Peter Yarrow
Peter Yarrow’s commitment and life’s work have been framed by his awareness that music of conscience can be extremely effective when used as a source for inspiring and uniting efforts to heal and create a better world. As a performer and social activist, Peter has used music in just that way, bringing people together to create a more just, peaceful, and compassionate society. Through such efforts, beginning in the early 1960’s, the music of Peter, Paul and Mary became, for literally millions of people, the genesis of their activism and commitment to advancing positive social change. Peter’s gift for songwriting has produced some of the most moving songs in the Peter, Paul & Mary repertoire including “Puff, the Magic Dragon,” “Day is Done,” “Light One Candle,” and “The Great Mandala.” Currently Yarrow’s efforts are mainly focused on the non-profit, Operation Respect (OR) with its classroom-based program called “Don’t Laugh At Me” (DLAM) that utilizes music and the arts combined with social/emotional learning curricula for elementary and middle school children, now utilized in over 20,000 schools worldwide. Peter believes that DLAM and other such programs that build community and catalyze positive attitudinal and behavioral change, can enable today’s children to break the cycle of hatred, bias, racism and bullying, helping them to envision and create a more just and peaceful world.
A Concert in Word and Song with Peter Yarrow
Peter Yarrow’s commitment and life’s work have been framed by his awareness that music of conscience can be extremely effective when used as a source for inspiring and uniting efforts to heal and create a better world. As a performer and social activist, Peter has used music in just that way, bringing people together to create a more just, peaceful, and compassionate society. Through such efforts, beginning in the early 1960’s, the music of Peter, Paul and Mary became, for literally millions of people, the genesis of their activism and commitment to advancing positive social change. Peter’s gift for songwriting has produced some of the most moving songs in the Peter, Paul & Mary repertoire including “Puff, the Magic Dragon,” “Day is Done,” “Light One Candle,” and “The Great Mandala.” Currently Yarrow’s efforts are mainly focused on the non-profit, Operation Respect (OR) with its classroom-based program called “Don’t Laugh At Me” (DLAM) that utilizes music and the arts combined with social/emotional learning curricula for elementary and middle school children, now utilized in over 20,000 schools worldwide. Peter believes that DLAM and other such programs that build community and catalyze positive attitudinal and behavioral change, can enable today’s children to break the cycle of hatred, bias, racism and bullying, helping them to envision and create a more just and peaceful world.
“Un-Mute” Your Heart, Your Soul: Your Voice
Many of us were discouraged from telling our stories along the way. Whether it was being dissuaded from taking on that fine arts degree in college, or being told not to “ruin” the music on the radio by singing along at the top of our lungs when we were “tweens.” For the voice inside of you that was quieted against its will, we set the stage for you to “Un-Mute” Your Heart, Your Soul: Your Voice.
We’ve come up with five ways to make your “un-mute” a blissful and peace-steeped experience:
- Prepare physically and mentally with daily Breathing and Relaxing Exercises.
- Overcome the pressure of yesterday’s results and tomorrow’s expectations with The Art of Warming Up: Being Here, Now, vocally.
- Find the words and sounds that best enable you to tell your story with Repertoire Selection*.
- Craft your story, in sound, with Vocal Style**.
- Tell your story with an End of the Week Vocal Performance!***
*If it sounds fancy, don’t worry: it isn’t! Repertoire Selection is about picking that song that notoriously sets you free … and yes, we mean strongly considering your favorite karaoke, shower, and/or highway cruising jam as a study piece. We offer to brainstorm ideas with you one-on-one, to learn your selection with you, and to help you to better understand and express yourself through that selection.
**Some folks are soft-spoken but wish they were more outgoing; others long to be more intimate, sensitive, dynamic. Any virtue you’d want to assume in your life, we can help you assume vocally with the full belief that if you can conquer it in your voice, you can conquer it in your life.
Un-Muted! Our Hearts…Our Souls…Our Voices…in Concert!
Thursday PM
*** Don’t worry!! The performance is not by any means “mandatory,” rather, it’s a special treat and a supportive stage to be able to share your personal findings with your fellow seekers should you choose to do so.
Soprano Sharon Spinetti sang the leading roles with major opera houses both in the U.S. and Internationally in a career that spanned over 25 years.
Upon her return to New York, she started a voice and piano studio and created the Song-Girls brand (www.song-girls.com). Sharon has written and produced two musicals and is currently putting the finishing touches on her pilot for “That Song-Girls Show!” which combines animation, live action and original music in a weekly streaming series. Sharon looks forward to returning to RLP and celebrating 2023 together “Un-Muting.”
Designing the Difference You Want to Make in the World
Explore the Power of Your Uniqueness
The first step in designing your impact is to explore who you are and what makes you unique. Learn to evaluate your story for indicators of unique ways that you can have an impact. Receive a list of thought-provoking questions to guide your gifts, strengths, and passion exploration process.
Explore Your Purpose; Assess Your Current Season
Purpose is defined as the reason for which you exist. Some know the answer to the question, but many struggle to define their purpose. How you understand your purpose is often shaped by your season of life. Discover ways to explore your purpose and live with a sense of purpose whatever season you are in.
Examine Simple Ways to Make a Meaningful Difference
The previous year clearly demonstrated that there is a lot of work to be done in the world. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the magnitude of problems facing our society. But, what if you take a different approach: instead of focusing on scale, begin with a focus on simplicity and meaning. Discover the essential elements for making a difference, including giving your authentic self and being present for everyday moments.
Design Your Impact
Complete your difference-making design process by turning your insights into a plan that includes: an impact summary statement; immediate next steps; and short-term and long-term goals. Learn how to turn your plan into an Impact Board, a visual & inspirational representation of your legacy and the impact you desire to make on the world.
Candace Gray’s mission is to help people pursue purpose, fulfill their God-given potential, and maximize their impact. To that end, she has provided leadership in the nonprofit sector for over 25 years. After beginning her profession as a CPA in the corporate sector, she craved a career with greater meaning and fulfillment. She transitioned to the nonprofit field by working alongside a prominent CEO in the real estate industry to launch a nonprofit organization targeting an inner-city neighborhood in Dallas. Currently, she serves as a senior leader for a Dallas-based social services agency, serving nine cities in Texas and six international locations. She has traveled on assignment to Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Ghana, Kenya and Ethiopia.
Dance with Galit
One year after graduating from the ‘FAME’ school (LaGuardia) as a theatre major, Galit moved to Los Angeles to pursue a degree from the University of Southern California.
Shortly after graduating college, Galit found that her drive gained her the opportunity to work as an assistant choreographer for Prince in the Los Angeles leg of his Welcome 2 America Tour. She has worked on projects for Pharrell and MC Lyte. She has toured China and the U.S. with groundbreaking artists, choreographed for short film, works for the WNBA’S LA Sparks as a head choreographer, and has been the SparKids head choreographer since 2017.
Within her 18+ years of experience teaching dancers, Galit discovered that one of her greatest joys and life purpose is to keep expanding dancers’ knowledge through her work as a choreographer and teacher. She is also the host and creator of the DanceSpeak podcast since 2016 which shares unfiltered and authentic interviews from dancers all around the globe.
Cutting Edge Nutrition
Nutritional Resilience & Performance
Our food choices also impact anxiety levels and stress, both of which can impair the inner shield of our resilience. Saliva is really the first defense to elevate our level of digestion, immune strength and overall resilience. Learn some of the silent and hidden foods that damage our resilience and alter our saliva production. Discover the importance that saliva is for recovering from illness and bringing about homeostasis. Learn tips and tools for helping you detect if you have a saliva output that is beneficial to you and how to correct if it is not optimal. Have an opportunity to be on the cutting edge of what emerging research is saying for its impact with immune system and digestion.
Unlocking the Keys to EAT this WAY and FEEL That! Part I & II
We know nutrition and what we eat can affect us greatly. However many of us haven’t made a good awareness link to Eat THIS, Feel THAT and Perform like THIS. Can you eat for better sleep? Can you choose foods to maximize your energy midafternoon and minimize the fatigue dip? How about eat to calm nerves, alleviate jet lag and even build immune system resilience. In two sessions, explore all the links of great high performance eating to create the state you want for your day. Forty percent of the way you FEEL right now is due to your last meal. What IF we could think ahead — what do you have to do in the next two hours — you could design your eating!!
https://www.amazon.com/Why-Shirley-Unusual-Story-Nutritionist/dp/1533554714
https://www.linkedin.com/in/patti-tveit-milligan-phd-rd-cns-a844329/
Cutting Edge Nutrition
Nutritional Resilience & Performance
Our food choices also impact anxiety levels and stress, both of which can impair the inner shield of our resilience. Saliva is really the first defense to elevate our level of digestion, immune strength and overall resilience. Learn some of the silent and hidden foods that damage our resilience and alter our saliva production. Discover the importance that saliva is for recovering from illness and bringing about homeostasis. Learn tips and tools for helping you detect if you have a saliva output that is beneficial to you and how to correct if it is not optimal. Have an opportunity to be on the cutting edge of what emerging research is saying for its impact with immune system and digestion.
Unlocking the Keys to EAT this WAY and FEEL That! Part I & II
We know nutrition and what we eat can affect us greatly. However many of us haven’t made a good awareness link to Eat THIS, Feel THAT and Perform like THIS. Can you eat for better sleep? Can you choose foods to maximize your energy midafternoon and minimize the fatigue dip? How about eat to calm nerves, alleviate jet lag and even build immune system resilience. In two sessions, explore all the links of great high performance eating to create the state you want for your day. Forty percent of the way you FEEL right now is due to your last meal. What IF we could think ahead — what do you have to do in the next two hours — you could design your eating!!
https://www.amazon.com/Why-Shirley-Unusual-Story-Nutritionist/dp/1533554714
https://www.linkedin.com/in/patti-tveit-milligan-phd-rd-cns-a844329/
Healing and Meditation with Breath
Jerome Gross is the founder of the 5 Week Enlightened Way of Being Energetics and Meditation training program. He has been in business as a hypnotherapist, meditation & yoga instructor, intuitive reader and energy healer and personal and group fitness trainer for over 28 years. During that time he has shared his insight and experience in private 1 on 1 sessions, presentations, workshops and trainings to middle schools, high schools, colleges, corporate settings, gyms and athletes.
This is a Life long passion, lifestyle and profession, dedicated to mind body & spiritual healing, health, fitness, wellness and performance. His dedication to healing transformation and empowerment continues to this day.
Bone Up!
Session 1: Discover 7 Surefire Ways to Power Up Your Bones
Let’s get personal…I’m sharing a nutritionist’s perspective on lessons learned over the last decade, and you will go home with recipes and tools for you to assess your bone-supportive nutrition and personalize your plan.
- Be strategic with a 2-pronged approach
- Make it an integrated plan
- Know your numbers
- Keep your eye on the prize, preventing a fracture
- When it comes to nutrition, bones don’t rely on one nutrient or food alone!
- Your unique gene blueprint can deeply impact your bone structure
- You need a healthy gut to absorb nutrients
Session 2: The Calcium Conundrum
Where do cows get their calcium, and other conundrums about calcium, minerals and our bone health!
- Overview of the biology calcium in the body
- How to optimize calcium intake and absorption
- Best sources of calcium
- Directing calcium into the bone and away from soft tissue/arteries
- Beyond calcium; other key minerals
Session 3: The Protein Paradox
Optimal protein status improves bone health but how much is optimal? Discover how to create a delicate metabolic balance!
- Eating patterns and bone health
- Populations studies and osteoporosis risk
- Sarcopenia and relationship with protein intake, bone health and fracture risk
- How to assess and optimize intake
- Protein requirement and dietary sources
- Alkalinity, protein, and bone health
Session 4: The Gut-Bone Connection
You are not what you eat, but what you absorb! The connection may seem surprising, but ultimately optimal bone health is dependent on a good healthy gut.
- How the gut microbiome affects bone health
- Assessing your gut health – What’s normal?
- What to add and what to remove: Key nutrients
- Consider healing foods and favorite herbals to stimulate digestion and nourish the gut
Susan McCandless, RDN, CLT, IFNCP, a Functional Dietitian Nutritionist, is a sought-after speaker known for her expertise in delivering engaging educational workshops. She is an effective health coach with a distinct ability to translate the science right to the plate and inspire powerful diet and lifestyle habits. Board Certified in Integrative and Functional Nutrition, Susan understands how body systems work together. She focuses on improving client function by treating the root cause of disease and dis-ease. In her private practice with MINT Nutrition, Susan is delivers clients proven results through in-depth assessment, food-first solutions and a personalize nutrition toolbox. Susan holds advanced certifications in integrative and functional nutrition, lifestyle medicine, nutrigenetics, food sensitivities and intuitive eating.mintnutrition.org
Bone Up!
Session 1: Discover 7 Surefire Ways to Power Up Your Bones
Let’s get personal…I’m sharing a nutritionist’s perspective on lessons learned over the last decade, and you will go home with recipes and tools for you to assess your bone-supportive nutrition and personalize your plan.
- Be strategic with a 2-pronged approach
- Make it an integrated plan
- Know your numbers
- Keep your eye on the prize, preventing a fracture
- When it comes to nutrition, bones don’t rely on one nutrient or food alone!
- Your unique gene blueprint can deeply impact your bone structure
- You need a healthy gut to absorb nutrients
Session 2: The Calcium Conundrum
Where do cows get their calcium, and other conundrums about calcium, minerals and our bone health!
- Overview of the biology calcium in the body
- How to optimize calcium intake and absorption
- Best sources of calcium
- Directing calcium into the bone and away from soft tissue/arteries
- Beyond calcium; other key minerals
Session 3: The Protein Paradox
Optimal protein status improves bone health but how much is optimal? Discover how to create a delicate metabolic balance!
- Eating patterns and bone health
- Populations studies and osteoporosis risk
- Sarcopenia and relationship with protein intake, bone health and fracture risk
- How to assess and optimize intake
- Protein requirement and dietary sources
- Alkalinity, protein, and bone health
Session 4: The Gut-Bone Connection
You are not what you eat, but what you absorb! The connection may seem surprising, but ultimately optimal bone health is dependent on a good healthy gut.
- How the gut microbiome affects bone health
- Assessing your gut health – What’s normal?
- What to add and what to remove: Key nutrients
- Consider healing foods and favorite herbals to stimulate digestion and nourish the gut
Susan McCandless, RDN, CLT, IFNCP, a Functional Dietitian Nutritionist, is a sought-after speaker known for her expertise in delivering engaging educational workshops. She is an effective health coach with a distinct ability to translate the science right to the plate and inspire powerful diet and lifestyle habits. Board Certified in Integrative and Functional Nutrition, Susan understands how body systems work together. She focuses on improving client function by treating the root cause of disease and dis-ease. In her private practice with MINT Nutrition, Susan is delivers clients proven results through in-depth assessment, food-first solutions and a personalize nutrition toolbox. Susan holds advanced certifications in integrative and functional nutrition, lifestyle medicine, nutrigenetics, food sensitivities and intuitive eating.mintnutrition.org
Musical Americas: ¡Celebramos!
Presenting a diverse musical heritage of the Americas with an exploration of sounds and traditions in two concerts and two musical lectures
Concerts
- Echoes of the Americas! A concert of sparking light classics
Light favorites of the Americas and beyond! Music of Jacob Gade, Aaron Copland, Simon Tapia-Coleman, Robert Russell-Bennett, Manuel de Falla and more.
- Rhythms of the Americas: A song and dance journey
Music of Arturo Marquez, Paul Schoenfeld, Maurice Ravel, Arthur Foote, Manuel Ponce, Aaron Copland, Joaquin Nin, Manuel de Falla, Alexandre Levy and more
Lectures with musical examples:
- From Huehuetl to Acordión: Mexican Musical Treasures
- Son, Santería, Salsa y Mucho Más: Powers of Cuban Music
Lauded by the New York Times as “dramatic, emotional and evocative,” and by ABC of Madrid as “a musician of extraordinary emotive power” violinist/violist Laura Klugherz appears nationally and internationally as a soloist, concertmaster and chamber artist. Laura has been the recipient of many awards and prizes, including a student Fulbright Award (Germany), and a Fulbright Post-Doctoral Research Award (Spain), and the Premio Juan Morales (Madrid) for Spanish music interpretation. After earning an Artists Diploma from the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Munich and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from University of Texas (Austin), she was appointed concertmaster of the Munich Chamber Orchestra and the Munich Bach Soloists. As specialist in music of Spain and the Americas and sponsored by the USIS and the Fundación Andes, she has regularly concertized and with concerts and workshops throughout Central and South America. Laura is the author of A Performer’s Guide to Spanish Music (Greenwood Press) and has recorded regularly on Centaur and Capstone Records. Her recording The Violin/Viola Music of Amy Beach was selected as soundtrack for Ken Burns’ PBS series The War. Her recording Echoes of the Americas features premieres from throughout the continent for viola and piano. From 2010-2016, Laura was acting violist with the Cuarteto Carlos Chávez of Mexico. Trained in yoga and Feldenkrais, Laura is also a specialist in somatic education for musicians.
Hailed by The New York Times as “a pianist who plays with startling power, clarity and variety,” Christine Diwyk enjoys a diversified career as a solo artist, chamber musician and teacher. As Artistic Ambassador for the United States Information Agency (USIA), Ms. Diwyk has given recitals and master classes in Spain, Israel, Algeria and Jordan. She has also performed at the Kennedy Center, under the aegis of the La Gesse Foundation, and at festivals in France and Switzerland. Ms. Diwyk made her former New York debut in Carnegie Recital Hall as winner of Artist International’s Young Musician Auditions. Christine received her B.M. and M.M. from the Indiana University School of Music, and has studied with Marion Hall, Claude Frank and Nadia Boulanger. She is co-founder of Musicians for Peace, an organization dedicated to raising funds for humanitarian causes. Christine teaches privately and at the Spence School. She has also served on the faculty of the Music Advancement Program at The Juilliard School and as a visiting Artist-in-Residence at Colgate University.
Laura and Chris have collaborated extensively since 1996 in festivals and concerts, showcasing repertoire from the traditional to the novel, including light classics to music from regions less known. They are delighted to share the richness of Spanish, US and Latin American traditions with guests of the Ranch.
Change Your Genes, Change Your Life: Living to 100 and Beyond
We are not victims of our genetics. We now know that only 5% of our health and life expectancy is governed by our genes. According to Dr. Kenneth R. Pelletier, there is a new science of “Epigenetics” which demonstrates that our day-to-day, year-by-year choices govern which of our genes will be expressed and which will be suppressed. Influences include stress management, meditation/visualization, diet and nutrition, environmental toxins, social connections, and a sense of purpose to determine optimal health and extended longevity.
Dr. Kenneth R. Pelletier, PhD, MD, is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California School of Medicine in San Francisco.. He is the author of 15 books, including the international bestseller Mind as Healer, Mind as Slayer as well as the current Change Your Genes – Change Your Life.
Kenneth R. Pelletier, PhD, MD, is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California School of Medicine. He is also Chairman of the American Health Association and is a vice president with American Specialty Health. At the UCSF School of Medicine, he is the Director of the Corporate Health Improvement Program (CHIP), a research program between CHIP and 15 Fortune 500 corporations, including Ford, Oracle, IBM, Apple, and NASA.
Dr. Pelletier has served as a member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the California Wellness Foundation, Foundation Health Systems (FHS), Health Systems International (HSI), the Social Venture Network, and the NOVA Institute. He was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow, studied at the CG Jung Institute in Zurich, Switzerland, and has published over 300 professional journal articles in behavioral medicine, disease management, worksite interventions, alternative/integrative medicine, and epigenetics.
His research, clinical practice, and publications have been the subject of numerous national television programs, including numerous appearances on ABC World News, Today, Good Morning America, CBS Evening News, Dr Oz, 48 Hours, McNeil-Lehrer Newshour, the award-winning BBC series The Long Search, and the 5-part PBS series Healthy People, Healthy Business.
Dr. Pelletier is a peer reviewer for several medical journals, including the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, and serves on a number of corporate boards. He has published over 300 professional articles and has appeared on ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, and the BBC to discuss his research.
He is the author of 15 books, including the international bestseller Mind as Healer, Mind as Slayer, Holistic Medicine, Healthy People in Unhealthy Places, Sound Mind, Sound Body, The Best Alternative Medicine, Stress Free for Good, New Medicine, and Change Your Genes, Change Your Life.
Full Body Muscle Sculpt
With the popularity of HIIT, Tabata, CrossFit, and other aggressive workout formats, the general population is getting the message that you have to go hard all the time to see results. As a result, chronic injuries to the knees, back and shoulders are surfacing. This session will review techniques for helping clients achieve life changing results without beating them up and breaking them down. Working smarter and not always harder can provide a workout that is gentler on the body, yet effective and powerful.
Sherri McMillan holds a Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology and was awarded the 2010 International CanFitPro Fitness Presenter of the Year, 2006 IDEA Program Director of the Year, Inaugural IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year, & 1998 CanFitPro Canadian Fitness Presenter of the Year. She has been in the fitness industry for over 33 years and has presented hundreds of workshops to thousands of fitness leaders throughout Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, England, Mexico, Spain, South America, Asia and the U.S.A. She is a fitness columnists for various newspapers and magazines and the author of 5 Fitness Books and Manuals (Go For Fit – The Winning Way to Fat Loss, Fit over Forty – The Winning Way to Lifetime Fitness, The Successful Trainer’s Guide to Marketing, Hiring and Training Master Trainers, and The Business of Personal Training). She is the owner of Northwest Personal Training in Vancouver, Washington which was awarded the Better Business Bureau’s Business of the Year and the Chamber of Commerce Community Builder award.
Food as Medicine
Food as Medicine
If food is medicine, can it truly replace pharmaceutical medications? Jill will take you on a tour of current dietary trends, discussing what works and what doesn’t work, and why a plan needs to be individualized. She will review label reading, choosing the “best for you” foods, behavior change and more, in this lively lighthearted look at a serious subject. You will learn tips and tricks on how to fuel your body in the most positive way.
Superfoods and Supplements: What Do You Really Need?
Which are truly “superfoods” and why? We seem to have become a nation of people who take many supplements. Which ones might be good for you? How to tell? And why take them? In this session Jill Nussinow will discuss what you need to know to give your food a boost.
Nutrition for Best Brain Health and Good Sleep
Do you know that more people are concerned about their brain health, than any other part of their body? With real life and anecdotal reports on the increasing incidence of Alzheimer’s and other dementia, this makes sense as around 6 million people in the US have the disease. According to the Alzheimer’s Association: “The number of people living with the disease doubles every 5 years beyond age 65.” Come learn the role of nutrition on brain health. Good sleep is part of the equation and Jill will discuss some ways to help you get good nightly sleep and what that looks like. These are important topics for our time. Both brain and body will appreciate it.
Your Gut, Your Health: Probiotics and Beyond
Come learn about the role that a “healthy and happy” gut plays in your overall health from head to toe, and everywhere in between. Jill will discuss prebiotics, probiotics and steps you can take to maintain good gut health, immunity and more.
Jill Nussinow is a culinary educator, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and the author of four cookbooks. Her award-winning cookbooks feature plant-based recipes and include The Veggie Queen: Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment, The New Fast Food, Nutrition CHAMPS and her most recent, and most loved by the public book: Vegan Under Pressure. Jill is a pressure cooking (think Instant Pot), vegetable, fermentation and mushroom expert. She has been helping people achieve better health through teaching them about improved nutrition through food. Jill has been teaching people about plants and how to cook with them for the past 30 years. She is an adjunct culinary instructor at Santa Rosa Junior College, teaches for the McDougall program and is a frequent cooking teacher and guest nutrition lecturer at Rancho La Puerta. Nothing makes Jill happier than teaching people how to cook and eat well and sharing her thoughts and health philosophy. She believes that her success stems from her passion and love of good health and how she infuses love into everything that she does. Her website is http://www.theveggiequeen.com
Nutrition Topics
The Great Microbiome: Our Greatest Ally for Optimal Health
It is becoming common knowledge that gut bacteria are connected to aspects of health, including inflammation, body weight, cancer, immunity, brain function, and so much more. Norma will discuss the benefits of gut bacteria and its impact on our health when out of balance, including how it prepares us for novel viruses that continue to evolve in our world today. Whether you are new to this topic, or want to know the latest, there are gold nuggets to take away for everyone!
The Top 10 Ways to Heal Your Gut & Maximize Your Microbiota!
Considering the amazing benefits of our gut bacteria and its implications on our health, how can we be sure we are eating to maximize our microbiota? Our gut bacteria is influenced by our diet, environment, age, activity, hygiene and stress level. Norma will discuss better foods, lifestyle choices, and updates on supplements that heal and support a healthier gut.
Epigenetics: Your DNA is NOT Your Destiny!
Our DNA was originally thought to be pre-programmed and could not be changed. We were stuck with what we got! That has all changed with the new understanding of Epigenetics, which is the ability of nutrition and other environmental factors to turn human genes on or off. In other words, our food intake and lifestyle behaviors have an effect on how our genes are expressed!
How about those “bad” genes that run in your family? There is new hope! Learn how your family history, current symptoms, and/or genetic testing can point out deficiencies that can be supported with nutrition, supplements and changes in your environment.
BONE DEEP: Everything that matters for better bone health!
Did you know that the prevalence of osteoporosis increased for women from 2007-2008 to 2017-2018? Is it true that calcium supplementation can be harmful? Are there other nutrients that are more important for bone health? What other factors matter for bone health?
Join Norma to learn a comprehensive approach to improve bone health. It’s important for everyone, considering low bone density is prevalent in over 50% of women and over 30% of men aged 50 and over. We have a lot to talk about!
Norma Flood delves deeper to treat problems where they start. Motivated by her own health challenges and those of her clients, she applies functional nutrition therapy to effectively treat or support digestive health, mental health, and eating disorders. Life coaching is also central in her practice.
With a background in Pharmacology & Toxicology, Norma’s journey started in research at Viagene-Center for Gene Therapy. Personal health issues then moved her to get a master’s degree in nutrition and then complete her clinical training in a highly competitive dietetic internship at the UCSD Medical Center. Norma was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Student for her major, and the Outstanding Dietetic Intern for the state of California. Her 20+ years of experience as a dietitian include UCSD Cancer Center, UCSD Medical Center, Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine, SDSU Student Health Services and Athletics, and finally Private Practice as an Integrative and Functional Nutritionist.
Norma also has a passion for reaching out to youth, which inspired her to start a school garden program at Painted Rock Elementary School, as well as establish Poway Unplugged, which included a tween/teen day camp to teach positive coping tools and balanced health to young girls.
Norma is a mother to a 17-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old son in Poway, California. During her free time, she loves hiking, yoga, gardening and time with family and friends.
Nutrition Topics
The Great Microbiome: Our Greatest Ally for Optimal Health
It is becoming common knowledge that gut bacteria are connected to aspects of health, including inflammation, body weight, cancer, immunity, brain function, and so much more. Norma will discuss the benefits of gut bacteria and its impact on our health when out of balance, including how it prepares us for novel viruses that continue to evolve in our world today. Whether you are new to this topic, or want to know the latest, there are gold nuggets to take away for everyone!
RLP#1-GreatMicrobiomeKeyHealthHO
The Top 10 Ways to Heal Your Gut & Maximize Your Microbiota!
Considering the amazing benefits of our gut bacteria and its implications on our health, how can we be sure we are eating to maximize our microbiota? Our gut bacteria is influenced by our diet, environment, age, activity, hygiene and stress level. Norma will discuss better foods, lifestyle choices, and updates on supplements that heal and support a healthier gut.
RLP#2-Top 10 to Heal Your Gut HO
Epigenetics: Your DNA is NOT Your Destiny!
Our DNA was originally thought to be pre-programmed and could not be changed. We were stuck with what we got! That has all changed with the new understanding of Epigenetics, which is the ability of nutrition and other environmental factors to turn human genes on or off. In other words, our food intake and lifestyle behaviors have an effect on how our genes are expressed!
How about those “bad” genes that run in your family? There is new hope! Learn how your family history, current symptoms, and/or genetic testing can point out deficiencies that can be supported with nutrition, supplements and changes in your environment.
RLP#3-EpigeneticsHO
BONE DEEP: Everything that matters for better bone health!
Did you know that the prevalence of osteoporosis increased for women from 2007-2008 to 2017-2018? Is it true that calcium supplementation can be harmful? Are there other nutrients that are more important for bone health? What other factors matter for bone health?
Join Norma to learn a comprehensive approach to improve bone health. It’s important for everyone, considering low bone density is prevalent in over 50% of women and over 30% of men aged 50 and over. We have a lot to talk about!
RLP#4-BONE DEEP HO
Norma Flood delves deeper to treat problems where they start. Motivated by her own health challenges and those of her clients, she applies functional nutrition therapy to effectively treat or support digestive health, mental health, and eating disorders. Life coaching is also central in her practice.
With a background in Pharmacology & Toxicology, Norma’s journey started in research at Viagene-Center for Gene Therapy. Personal health issues then moved her to get a master’s degree in nutrition and then complete her clinical training in a highly competitive dietetic internship at the UCSD Medical Center. Norma was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Student for her major, and the Outstanding Dietetic Intern for the state of California. Her 20+ years of experience as a dietitian include UCSD Cancer Center, UCSD Medical Center, Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine, SDSU Student Health Services and Athletics, and finally Private Practice as an Integrative and Functional Nutritionist.
Norma also has a passion for reaching out to youth, which inspired her to start a school garden program at Painted Rock Elementary School, as well as establish Poway Unplugged, which included a tween/teen day camp to teach positive coping tools and balanced health to young girls.
Norma is a mother to a 17-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old son in Poway, California. During her free time, she loves hiking, yoga, gardening and time with family and friends.
The Perfect Lifestyle: Food, Wine, Sex, and 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, and 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.
Bone Up!
Session 1: Discover 7 Surefire Ways to Power Up Your Bones
Let’s get personal…I’m sharing a nutritionist’s perspective on lessons learned over the last decade, and you will go home with recipes and tools for you to assess your bone-supportive nutrition and personalize your plan.
- Be strategic with a 2-pronged approach
- Make it an integrated plan
- Know your numbers
- Keep your eye on the prize, preventing a fracture
- When it comes to nutrition, bones don’t rely on one nutrient or food alone!
- Your unique gene blueprint can deeply impact your bone structure
- You need a healthy gut to absorb nutrients
Session 2: The Calcium Conundrum
Where do cows get their calcium, and other conundrums about calcium, minerals and our bone health!
- Overview of the biology calcium in the body
- How to optimize calcium intake and absorption
- Best sources of calcium
- Directing calcium into the bone and away from soft tissue/arteries
- Beyond calcium; other key minerals
Session 3: The Protein Paradox
Optimal protein status improves bone health but how much is optimal? Discover how to create a delicate metabolic balance!
- Eating patterns and bone health
- Populations studies and osteoporosis risk
- Sarcopenia and relationship with protein intake, bone health and fracture risk
- How to assess and optimize intake
- Protein requirement and dietary sources
- Alkalinity, protein, and bone health
Session 4: The Gut-Bone Connection
You are not what you eat, but what you absorb! The connection may seem surprising, but ultimately optimal bone health is dependent on a good healthy gut.
- How the gut microbiome affects bone health
- Assessing your gut health – What’s normal?
- What to add and what to remove: Key nutrients
- Consider healing foods and favorite herbals to stimulate digestion and nourish the gut
Susan McCandless, RDN, CLT, IFNCP, a Functional Dietitian Nutritionist, is a sought-after speaker known for her expertise in delivering engaging educational workshops. She is an effective health coach with a distinct ability to translate the science right to the plate and inspire powerful diet and lifestyle habits. Board Certified in Integrative and Functional Nutrition, Susan understands how body systems work together. She focuses on improving client function by treating the root cause of disease and dis-ease. In her private practice with MINT Nutrition, Susan is delivers clients proven results through in-depth assessment, food-first solutions and a personalize nutrition toolbox. Susan holds advanced certifications in integrative and functional nutrition, lifestyle medicine, nutrigenetics, food sensitivities and intuitive eating.mintnutrition.org
Bone Up!
Session 1: Discover 7 Surefire Ways to Power Up Your Bones
Let’s get personal…I’m sharing a nutritionist’s perspective on lessons learned over the last decade, and you will go home with recipes and tools for you to assess your bone-supportive nutrition and personalize your plan.
- Be strategic with a 2-pronged approach
- Make it an integrated plan
- Know your numbers
- Keep your eye on the prize, preventing a fracture
- When it comes to nutrition, bones don’t rely on one nutrient or food alone!
- Your unique gene blueprint can deeply impact your bone structure
- You need a healthy gut to absorb nutrients
Session 2: The Calcium Conundrum
Where do cows get their calcium, and other conundrums about calcium, minerals and our bone health!
- Overview of the biology calcium in the body
- How to optimize calcium intake and absorption
- Best sources of calcium
- Directing calcium into the bone and away from soft tissue/arteries
- Beyond calcium; other key minerals
Session 3: The Protein Paradox
Optimal protein status improves bone health but how much is optimal? Discover how to create a delicate metabolic balance!
- Eating patterns and bone health
- Populations studies and osteoporosis risk
- Sarcopenia and relationship with protein intake, bone health and fracture risk
- How to assess and optimize intake
- Protein requirement and dietary sources
- Alkalinity, protein, and bone health
Session 4: The Gut-Bone Connection
You are not what you eat, but what you absorb! The connection may seem surprising, but ultimately optimal bone health is dependent on a good healthy gut.
- How the gut microbiome affects bone health
- Assessing your gut health – What’s normal?
- What to add and what to remove: Key nutrients
- Consider healing foods and favorite herbals to stimulate digestion and nourish the gut
Susan McCandless, RDN, CLT, IFNCP, a Functional Dietitian Nutritionist, is a sought-after speaker known for her expertise in delivering engaging educational workshops. She is an effective health coach with a distinct ability to translate the science right to the plate and inspire powerful diet and lifestyle habits. Board Certified in Integrative and Functional Nutrition, Susan understands how body systems work together. She focuses on improving client function by treating the root cause of disease and dis-ease. In her private practice with MINT Nutrition, Susan is delivers clients proven results through in-depth assessment, food-first solutions and a personalize nutrition toolbox. Susan holds advanced certifications in integrative and functional nutrition, lifestyle medicine, nutrigenetics, food sensitivities and intuitive eating.mintnutrition.org
Hands-on Cooking Classes for Tweens (10 to 12)
Debbie Kornberg offers hands-on cooking classes, 3.5 hours each, during which you will enjoy preparing your own lunch along with your fellow cooks. Classes take place at La Cocina Que Canta, our culinary center.
Tuesday Hands-On Cooking Class for Tweens (ages 10 to 12) 9 am – 12:30 pm Sign Up
Complimentary – 14 per class
Thursday Hands-On Cooking Class for Tweens (ages 10 to 12) 9 am – 12:30 pm Sign Up
Complimentary – 14 per class
Debbie Kornberg is an educator at heart. Holding a master’s degree in education from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, she spent the first 20 plus years of her career working as an administrator in schools in both New Jersey and San Diego. In 2014, Debbie made a career change, moving into the world of exotic spices and launched her own spice company, SPICE + LEAF. Still passionate about education, Debbie teaches all ages and levels of experience how to cook with spices in easy-to-follow recipes creating more flavorful food through her Spice It Up with Deb workshops. For the last five years, Debbie has been a monthly contributor on Fox 5 San Diego Morning News. She is also a regular cooking instructor at the Falcone Institute: a specialized learning center, the Lawrence Family JCC, and Jewish Federation of San Diego County. She has collaborated with Fortune 500 companies and has worked with non-profit organizations across the United States and around the world. Debbie is privileged to have been a guest chef Rancho La Puerta for adults and is excited to have the opportunity to work with young chefs during Family Week. Supporting her in this spice adventure is her husband, David Kornberg, and her adult children, Michael, and Rachel.
Debbie@spiceitupwithdeb.com
Info@spiceandleaf.com
www.spiceandleaf.com
www.spiceitupwithdeb.com
@spiceandleaf
@spiceitupwithdeb
Hands-on Cooking Classes with Lia Huber
Hands-on Cooking Classes for Teens (13 to 17)
Lia Huber offers hands-on culinary experiences, 3.5 hours each, during which you will enjoy preparing your own dinner along with your fellow cooks. Classes take place at La Cocina Que Canta, our culinary center.
Tuesday Teens Hands-On Cooking Class 4 to 7:30 pm Sign Up
Complimentary – 14 per class
Optional: Family can join for dinner: $45 for adults, no charge for children. 5:30 pm departure from Ranch. Space is limited to 6 people. Sign up with reservations.
Wednesday Teens Hands-On Cooking Class 4 to 7:30 pm Sign Up
Complimentary – 14 per class
Optional: Family can join for dinner: $45 for adults, no charge for children. 5:30 pm departure from Ranch. Space is limited to 6 people. Sign up with reservations.
Hands-on Cooking Classes for Adults (13 and up)
Thursday Hands-On Cooking Class 4 to 7:30 pm Sign Up
Class is $125+tax – 14 per class
Lia Huber’s first book NOURISHED: A Memoir of Food, Faith and Enduring Love (with recipes) recounts the world-roaming search for sustenance that healed her body, shaped her faith, and defined her life’s calling. It was named a Buzzfeed book of the year, and called “[A] charming foodie’s travel memoir…” by the New York Times.
Lia is also the founder and CEO of NOURISH Evolution (nourishevolution.com), for which she was named Entrepreneur of the Year in 2012 by the International Association of Culinary Professionals, and Cook the Seasons (cooktheseasons.com), a subscription-based real food community and online menu planner.
Over the last 20 years, Lia has been widely-published as a writer and recipe developer for Cooking Light, Better Homes & Gardens, Eating Well, Prevention, and more. She also teaches and speaks at spas, churches and corporations on real food, deliberate living and purposeful pursuit. Lia appears frequently on television, including ABC-TV in San Francisco and LiveWell Network.
Spirit, Sound, and Planet Medicine
Spirit Medicine
The Psychedelic Renaissance and “New” Tools for Transformation
Sound Medicine, with Kendra Simmons
A Musical Healing Experience
Planet Medicine
The Power of Sound and using the Human Instrument for Health and Healing
Ben Brown, MD, is a professor at Stanford University and the University of California, San Francisco. He is the National Medical Director for Ornish Lifestyle Medicine and is the Founder of multiple non-profits, including Planet Care, the Burmese Refugee Care Project, and Integrative Medicine for the Underserved (IM4Us). He is an award-winning Teacher, Author, Photographer, and Humanitarian.
Hello, I’m Kendra Faye. Officially, I am a harpist, singer, and multi-instrumentalist, though my joy comes from seeing the transformative power of music. Music has taken me around the globe. To environments as varied as the Amazonian jungle and the hospital wards; it has taken me from teens struggling to overcome addiction to sharing the joy of new born baby; and finally, it has taken me to the bedside to help ease the fear of an illness or offering music to comfort the biggest of life’s transitions in my work with hospice. Sharing the power of music has been both ecstatic and humbling; being both performer and witness; being both minstrel and student; learning from the Universal language of song that crosses borders and blends appreciation with wonder. The ways we sing, play and praise in devotion awakens the heart to experience more fully the healing, the pleasure, the celebration, and utilize the lessons from pain or sadness. I am grateful that my lifelong love of music reminds me of the power and beauty that we all are and how sound can help remind us of our inner beauty. Song speaks our stories. There is something sacred about deep listening and expression of song that our soul thirsts for. It soothes us, comforts us, and inspires us as we dance with life’s mystery.