Introducing Conference Speakers

WEforum Health and Wellness Conference

Eat For Life: How the Power of Food

Can Heal Your Body

Meet Lisa Snyder, Conference Speaker

Yoga and Meditation Instructor, Writer and Beautiful Badass

Lisa dove headfirst into yoga, and even lived in an Ashram in SE Asia, after personal tragedy plunged her headlong into a grief so profound, she knew she couldn’t heal herself without making huge life changes. One change, a shift to a vegan diet, was necessitated by her wish to never inflict the same excruciating pain on other living creatures that she had endured. This intention was so pure that it opened up the opportunity to become kinder to herself, more grateful, and more present to her own life.

Lisa teaches others to come to their own truth, not by trying to control external forces, but by empowering themselves with the same kind of inner wisdom and compassion that Jivamurkti yoga and meditation taught her. Find out more by visiting her website .

What self-care strategies does she employ? Lisa emphasizes that self-care is never a linear process. She always returns to grounding activities that get her energy moving again and cultivate clarity and self-awareness.

Yoga, mindfulness mediation and dance.
Lisa gets out of her routine by journaling, spending time in nature, or connecting with her immediate community.
Crying.

Meet Evan S. Rubin, D.O., Conference Speaker

Osteopath, Gardener, Ice Cream Lover

“We’re locked in a big myth and have hopped onto a wheel that we think we can’t jump off of.”

Dr. Rubin has observed that Americans continually work harder so they can buy more possessions, including time saving devices, but then need to work even harder to keep accumulating them. He believes that people stay healthy through balance, not stuff. He values awareness, balance, wonder, and spirituality; and believes that osteopathy adds that extra depth to the field of medicine.

In his personal life, he refrains from excess. But he still enjoys life …. like new ice cream flavors … just not six scoops! It’s about balance and maximizing the body’s functioning.

What self-care strategies does Dr. Rubin rely on?

Dr. Rubin resets his body every day with physical activity.
He practices breathing techniques, which he believes adds clarity of mind, advising patients to practise slowing their own breath multiple times each day, starting with a 1:2 inhale:exhale ratio, until they can comfortably achieve, over time, a 3:6 or 4:8 ratio.
He gardens and goes away on periodic nature retreats to allow for reflection, renewal and healing, adding that, even in times of malaise, or physical and emotional crisis, just being outside is healing.

Meet Marcy Ragan, Conference Speaker

Health Advocate, Caterer, Personal Chef

Zen and the Art of Mise en Place Life Skills: “Be prepared. If something goes wrong you need to have some sort of a plan.”

Marcy Ragan considers food, cooking and mise en place the foundation of a happy life. As a child she also discovered that cooking satisfied her extensive palate, and allowed her to be adventurous and dream of a world more expansive than her own.

She wants everyone to literally cultivate a tactile relationship with food, by appreciatively digging their hands in to whole foods whenever possible, because what we choose to eat today determines our health later in life.

Marcy is constantly juggling responsibilities, running a family, managing a catering and personal chef business , maintaining her role as a community advocate; but her priority is still her kids: feeding and loving them, and getting them to all their activities.

What self-care strategies does she employ?

She relies on physical exercise and meditation to calm her and get her through physically demanding days.
She connects with her kids by sitting down to leisurely dinners and literally disconnecting from all their various devices.
She relies on the love and support of a great circle of girlfriends, including her sister, who she considers her best friend.