Healthy Hedonism: Why Feeling Good Is Good for You
Healthy Hedonism reframes pleasure as a biological imperative—and reveals how feeling good may be one of the most powerful longevity strategies we have. In modern life, many adults live in a state of chronic survival physiology, where stress, vigilance, and restriction quietly shape our biology. Yet our bodies are wired for something more. Through the science of pleasure, connection, beauty, novelty—even sensuality—we discover how experiences that feel good regulate the nervous system, optimize hormones, and extend healthspan. In this opening talk, we explore how to make the Vitality Shift—moving both our consciousness and our physiology from surviving to thriving. You’ll begin to see how designing a life that feels deeply good is not indulgent. It is intelligent biology.
The Culinary Alchemist: Why How We Eat Matters More Than What
In a culture obsessed with restriction and “clean eating,” we’ve forgotten a fundamental truth: pleasure is a biological requirement for healthy metabolism. Healthy Hedonism teaches that feeling good is not the reward for a healthy diet—it is the very signal that tells the body to digest, repair, and thrive. In this talk, Dr. Oberg discusses her clinical research and reframes the dinner table from a place of discipline to a site where the environment, company, and sensory delight act as powerful metabolic primers. By shifting from food fretting to intelligent indulgence, meals become events that regulate cortisol, improve insulin signaling, and deepen connection. Discover why the Mediterranean lifestyle works not only because of olive oil and fresh ingredients—but because of the curiosity, conversation, and pleasure that season every bite.
The Longevity of Joy: Reversing the Hidden Triggers of Aging
Longevity without vitality is not success—it is simply a longer period of survival. This session explores the hidden triggers that quietly accelerate aging, from chronic stress and inflammation to the subtle habits of survival physiology. We move beyond the traditional “anti-aging” model and toward a new understanding: joy, beauty, and connection are powerful forms of preventative medicine. You will learn how pleasurable experiences influence measurable biomarkers including HRV, cortisol rhythms, and inflammatory signaling. Drawing on both longevity science and cultural wisdom, Dr. Oberg shows how small shifts in lifestyle can help us move from vigilance and depletion into vitality and resilience. This talk reveals that a life rich with meaning, curiosity, and delight may be one of the most scientifically robust strategies we have for staying young.
From Surviving to Thriving: Recovering from Stress to Build a Better Brain
Most of us treat our brains like hard drives—tools for productivity that we worry will eventually wear out. But in the philosophy of Healthy Hedonism, the brain is the ultimate organ of experience, allowing us to savor beauty, connection, curiosity, and awe. In this session we move beyond the fear of cognitive decline and explore the science of the Vitality Shift in the brain. When the nervous system experiences safety, pleasure, and sensory richness, the brain shifts from survival mode into a state that supports creativity, resilience, and deep engagement with life. You’ll learn how experiences like nature, music, sleep, and meaningful connection influence mitochondrial health, neuroplasticity, and emotional vitality. From the neuroscience of awe to the power of everyday “sensory enhancers,” this talk reveals that a vibrant brain isn’t just about memory—it’s about expanding our capacity to fully experience life.
Dr. Erica Oberg, ND, MPH is an integrative physician, longevity strategist, and author of Healthy Hedonism: Why Feeling Good Is Good for You, a science-based reframe of pleasure as a biological driver of vitality.
With over two decades of experience in clinical medicine, NIH-funded health promotion research, and public health leadership, Dr. Oberg has built her career at the intersection of precision science and lived expansion. Her work challenges the cultural belief that health requires restriction, teaching instead that intelligently attuned pleasure regulates the nervous system, optimizes physiology, and supports long-term healthspan.
Through the lenses of hormonal intelligence, nervous system regulation, mitochondrial resilience, and experiential design, she demonstrates that joy, beauty, sensuality, novelty, and purpose are not indulgences — they are measurable drivers of well-being.
Dr. Oberg serves as Medical Director of Marqi Medical and leads an exclusive concierge medical practice in La Jolla, California, where she integrates advanced diagnostics, regenerative therapies, and personalized vitality strategies.
A former Founding Medical Director of Bastyr University California and published researcher with over 30 peer-reviewed papers, she brings scientific rigor to wellness. For more than a decade, she has been featured faculty at Rancho La Puerta and other health spas, integrating cutting-edge medicine with experiential retreat programming.
When it comes to black music, Washington, D.C. produces its share of game-changers. That long list includes Duke Ellington, Chuck Brown, Marvin Gaye, Shirley Horn, Roberta Flack, Bad Brains, Meshell Ndegeocello, Wale, and Oddisee. You can add Ben Williams to that venerated roster.
Billy Childs has emerged as one of the foremost American composers of his era, successfully marrying the musical products of his heritage with the Western neoclassical traditions of the twentieth century in a powerful symbiosis of style, range, and dynamism.
Tom Blue Wolf is a beloved elder, storyteller, and Earthkeeper whose life has been devoted to remembering humanity’s sacred relationship with the living Earth. For more than four decades, he has shared teachings drawn from ancestral wisdom, ecological stewardship, and the universal language if ceremony.
Laura Morris, CPT 
Jennifer Ventrelle, MS, RDN, CPT, is a registered dietitian, certified personal trainer, and co-author of 
Jake Rainey is an experiential educator, leadership specialist, and practitioner of human development dedicated to helping individuals and teams reach their sustainable peak. With a Master’s Certificate in Experiential Teaching & Learning and certification as a Life & Engagement Coach, Jake’s work is grounded in the belief that real growth happens when people are safely supported beyond their comfort zones. His commitment to holistic safety is reinforced by dual certifications as both a Wilderness First Responder and a Behavioral First Responder, allowing him to thoughtfully manage both physical and emotional risk in dynamic environments.
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Kim Ross, MS, RD, CDN is an integrative nutritionist with a holistic approach to health. Treatments are aimed at enhancing the body’s ability to heal and detoxify itself to prevent and reverse illness. Goal-oriented, Kim creates flexible nutrition programs tailored to the specific objectives of each individual and company. She incorporates a variety of modalities that enhance optimal health including cutting-edge testing, nutraceuticals, homeopathy and herbs. Currently, Kim lectures nationwide and consults to businesses and investors. Kim maintains a 
Dr. Janine G. Tabas is a practicing board-certified comprehensive ophthalmologist with a specialty in cataract surgery. She graduated Dartmouth College in 1985, and Medical College of Virginia with honors in 1989. During medical school, she was elected chapter President of AOA, the National Medical Honor Society. Dr. Tabas completed her residency at the prestigious Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia in 1993. She is an active member of the Wills teaching staff, as well as a surgical mentor each year to the residents. Dr. Tabas is the Founder of the Women of Wills Organization, which promotes leadership skills in women physicians. In 2022 Dr. Tabas became Co-Director of Cataract and Primary Eye Care Department at Wills Eye Hospital, and currently serves as President of the Wills Alumni Society.
Lisa Rafel
Juan Pablo Andrade, Juan Pablo Andrade is a renowned Costa Rican pianist with a dynamic stage and academic presence. He has earned top honors at international competitions and the Costa Rican National Prize of Music, and has performed widely as a soloist with various orchestras and at major festivals. A familiar ear with the Costa Rican National Symphony, he has toured the Americas and Europe, and his CD War to Peace received favorable reviews. In academia, he is a Professor of Piano at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and has taught at several prestigious universities. He also volunteers at international festivals and founded the La Frontera International Piano Conference in Brownsville, Texas, to foster musical exchange in the region.
Linda Chávez is a distinguished Mexican-American pianist with degrees from the University of Texas at Brownsville and Longy School of Music. A laureate of numerous awards and scholarships, she excels in both performance and education. She has performed at international festivals across Costa Rica, Italy, Aruba, Austria, Puerto Rico, and Lincoln Center, where she joined the Teaching Artist Program to inspire others. Currently the principal pianist of the Valley Symphony Orchestra, she founded the Brownsville Piano Studio, serving over 225 students weekly, and launched Ananda Music Experience, an online program for adult women learning music mindfully. Chávez continues to inspire and effect positive change through her music.
Kevin Mills is a cellist from Orange County, California who studied under Darrett Adkins at both The Juilliard School and Oberlin Conservatory receiving his Masters in Cello Performance and Artist Diploma respectively. Kevin received his Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance from California State University of Fullerton and has toured, taught, and performed nation-wide and abroad in Denmark, Korea, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, and Hungary.
Mark Wuttke is a Vistage CEO Coach and Chair, leadership advisor, and former global C-suite executive with more than 30 years of experience in wellness and beauty. Born in Australia and now based in Jupiter, Florida, he has led companies across five continents while championing sustainability and conscious leadership.
Sarah Livia Brightwood has been President of Rancho La Puerta for over 20 years, the pioneering 4,000-acre resort and spa founded in 1940 and located in Tecate, Baja California. For 30 years, Sarah designed the gardens and many buildings at the resort and created its organic farm and culinary center. She is a champion of regenerative, earth centered practices and a passionate steward of the land.
Norma Meza is from the traditional Kumeyaay lands of Ja’aa, also known as Alamo (Cottonwood) Creek in Baja California. 
Steve Sando is the founder and president of Rancho Gordo, a company that has transformed heirloom beans from a humble staple into a celebrated culinary ingredient. Since 2001, his commitment to preserving the indigenous crops of the Americas has driven the growth of a business that grows, imports, and promotes heirloom beans, corn, and chiles. Rancho Gordo works with chefs, farmers, and home cooks alike, creating a vibrant market for these once-neglected ingredients.
Lynette Toma is a Sound Healing Practitioner, Meditation and Breathwork Facilitator, Speech Therapist, and Author known for creating refined, deeply restorative wellness experiences that support nervous system regulation and whole-person well-being. She is the founder of Pure Sound Bath, a boutique sound healing practice offering elevated, immersive sessions designed to help individuals reconnect with stillness, clarity, and inner balance.
Sharon Horesh Bergquist, MD, is an award-winning physician, innovative healthcare leader, and visionary researcher renowned for spearheading a science-based approach to personalized, precision lifestyle as medicine. She has helped lead numerous clinical trials, including the Emory Healthy Aging Study and the NIH funded Emory Healthy Brain Study. Dr. Bergquist is widely published in peer-reviewed journals, has been invited to the White House to collaborate with presidential advisers on healthcare reform, and has contributed to over 300 news segments, including Good Morning America, CNN, ABC News, The Wall Street Journal, and NPR. She hosts The Whole Health Cure podcast and her popular TED-Ed video on how stress affects the body has been viewed over eight million times. Her book, The Stress Paradox (HarperCollins, 2025) distills years of research into daily habits that help us reach our highest potential for health, happiness, and longevity, offering hope and empowerment through our innate capacity for resilience and regeneration.
Dr. Amanda Watters is a licensed naturopathic physician who enjoys lecturing nationally on topics such as nutrition and mental health. She has worked in clinical practice in pediatrics and family medicine for over a decade, and is also the CEO and Co-founder of EllyPop, which makes organic freezer pops out of herbal tea, fruit juice, and electrolytes. Dr. Watters is adjunct faculty at National University of Natural Medicine where she teaches in the Pediatrics, Psychology, and Business Classes, and finds joy in teaching the art and science of medicine to the next generation of physicians.
“The Earth is Her Employer”
Tarah “Rah” Hines (they/she) is an international facilitator and advocate for holistic wellness, eco-spirituality, food sovereignty and environmental liberation. Over the last 15 years their work has included serving as an international delegate to Miriam Miranda and Bertita Caceres in Honduras, co-founding the Black Permaculture Network, co-organizing the 2 Defend Black Women March in Washington D.C., and curating healing and rest spaces for conferences and convenings.