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Tuesday, May 21st, 2019

4:00 PM - 4:45 PM

Session II: Herscher Hall, Food & Wellness, Room 303-304

Wellness. Nutrition and Mindfullness: A Transformative Lifestyle: From the Palate to a State of Wellbeing

Melissa Mayo, Food Network Chef, Author and Motivational Speaker

Dr. Ethan Weiss, Co-Founder and Medical Advisor, Keyto

Sophia Cavalli, President, Intuitive Mind Strategies

Matthew Supkoff, Director of Marketing and Sales, Continental Vitamin Company

Iyan M. Bruce, Owner / Sound Therapist, Inner Harmonic – Neuroacoustic Medicine

Sherridan Ross, Developing Community Gardens, Health and Nutrition Programs, Metro Community Development Corp

Ceslie Armstrong, CEO & executive producer, NYTEX Productions LLC, Moderator

 

Dr. Ethan Weiss has been passionate about health since a young child, growing up around a cardiologist father. He eventually went on to attend Vassar College before moving on to medical school and residency at John Hopkins. He came to UCSF in 1998 to complete his clinical and research fellowships in cardiology and has remained on the faculty since then. Dr. Weiss has maintained an active clinical practice with expertise in the emerging intersection between endocrine and metabolic disease and cardiovascular diseases. He is a leading authority on

novel tools to predict and prevent cardiovascular disease and has special interest in using technology as a tool to enable lifestyle changes. Dr. Weiss maintains an active research program that focuses broadly on regulation of metabolism. His lab spans from basic biology exploring how hormones interact to regulate metabolic processes all the way to running randomized clinical trials to assess the impact of nutritional interventions. Throughout his 20 year career, Dr. Weiss has published papers in the best scientific journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, Nature, Journal of Clinical Investigation, and many others He maintains robust grant support and has had funding from The NIH, AHA, ASH, as well as private foundations and other organizations. Recently, he has made it his life’s work to help the world live healthier through a combination of mindful living, exercise, and healthy eating. As the Co-Founder and Medical Advisor for Keyto, Dr. Weiss has been at the forefront of helping to make sure that Keyto’s proprietary technology lives up to Keyto’s personal health promise.

 

Sophia Cavalli, President, Intuitive Mind Strategies is an intuitive mind strategist and stress reduction coach, speaker, and trainer who has spent the last 20 years studying mindfulness, meditation, and wellness modalities for emotional, mental, and physical health. With previously held senior leadership roles in multibillion-dollar companies, Sophia blends her business knowledge with proven wellness strategies. She believes in unleashing the power of human potential, and through her coaching, workshops, and seminars designed to engage, enliven, and empower, she assists individuals and organizations to thrive. Sophia enjoys sharing her years of exploration in a way that helps others reduce stress, increase productivity, improve overall wellness, tap into their intuition, and unleash creativity to achieve their goals. She is certified in educational kinesiology and the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and is completing her mindfulness brain-based and evidence-driven coaching certification with Mark Waldman, author and global leading expert on the brain.

 

Melissa Mayo, Food Network Chef, Author and Motivational Speaker: Melissa is a Food Network chef, author and motivational speaker with a cooking school in Italy-- yet my most beloved roles are those of wife and mom. I learned to cook at my mom's knee. She taught me to taste my way to the perfect dish. When I moved to America, I missed the tastes of home. So I began recreating them in my kitchen. Once I was in control of the ingredients, the weight I had been holding onto in my teens and 20's just fell off. That's why I believe that abs are made in the Kitchen. I don't believe in diets or crazy resitrictions. I eat eveything. But the sercret to achieving your dream body, is to make healthy, clean and delicious home cooked meals.

 

Matthew Supkoff, Director of Sales & Marketing, Continental Vitamin Company: Matthew Supkoff has over 30 years of experience in the natural health industry both personally and professionally.  Matthew has worked in all aspects of the industry including retail management, advertising, product and sales training, and a variety of executive positions.  Matthew has also been a vegetarian since he was 14 years old and has extensive personal experience with natural products. As the Director of Sales & Marketing, he has been with the Continental Vitamin Company since 2002.

 

Iyan M. Bruce, Owner / Sound Therapist, Inner Harmonic – Neuroacoustic Medicine: Iyan Bruce is a sound therapist focusing in the area of Neuroacoustic Medicine, targeting stress and stress-related conditions. Utilizing the precise application of scientific sound, he is able to enhance brainwave function, achieve advanced brainwave entrainment and directly affect healing in the autonomic nervous system. Iyan discovered the healing power of scientific sound after developing a stress induced autoimmune condition. Seeking a drug-free alternative treatment, he met Dr. Jeffrey Thompson, a pioneer in the field of Neuroacoustics with over 30 years of clinical success. After healing his own nervous system, Iyan decided to train directly with Dr. Thompson to expand the reach of this revolutionary modality. Sound has been used for centuries in cultures around the world. Now, through science and modern technology, Iyan is able to apply a 21st century solution to a 21st century problem, delivering drug-free relief from stress, migraines and anxiety, as well as promoting deeper states of meditation and consciousness.

 

Ceslie Armstrong is the CEO and Executive Producer of NYTEX Productions. Armstrong is a media and entertainment premium content creator, innovator, and strategist specializing in positioning brands and organizations for increased consumer recognition, value, revenue and growth. As executive producer, creative director, interviewer and writer with a strong digital marketing and distribution backbone to drive revenue for publishers, organizations, networks using processes that adapt to changing and emerging technologies to connect to audiences and build strong brand relationships. Armstrong’s strategy of “content drives engagement, decisions and revenue,” along with her deep experience in subscriber-based recurring revenue business models, make her an in-demand consultant and advisor for brands and platforms. Armstrong’s company NYTEX Productions, produces original premium content and experiential events including concerts; fine and performing arts; Grammy award-winning artists; talk and music radio/podcasts; interview format; travel and lifestyle. Company brands include “Grapes, Grains & Grub,” “ACES Apex (Art, Culture, Environment, Sporting),” and more. Armstrong has a long career in hospitality and culinary arts including as an owner, operator, chef and brand strategist and has created culinary content for major platforms. She is a co-director of the inaugural Food Tech + Wellness Forum at Digital Hollywood. As the co-founder of Momentum Women Media & Entertainment for 10 years, Armstrong was the company’s Chief Content Officer producing programming for major platforms and events showcasing and recognizing global women innovators, leaders, celebrities, and authors. She is a recognized influencer in the women’s market and has been engaged as spokesperson for many globally known brands. She is a sought-after speaker at universities, organizations and conferences. Armstrong has been in the music industry producing and packaging artists including Los Lonely Boys, Matisyahu, John Cale, Alejandro Escovedo and more. She has created content with renown photographers including Lynn Goldsmith, Henry Diltz, Francesco Scavullo, Billy Name, Patrick McMullan, Christopher Makos, Mick Rock and many more. She has held the post of editor-in-chief, senior editorial positions and contributed to titles including Grace Woman, Marie Claire, Glamour, Mode, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, and more. She has been featured and quoted in hundreds of publications including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Financial Times, WWD, Forbes, Fortune, and Entrepreneur. She has appeared as guest, host and correspondent on Good Morning America, CBS Early Show, The View, E!, Access Hollywood, Food Network, Entertainment Tonight, MSNBC, Fox News, CNN, and many more. She lives in the Hill Country on the Texas Wine Trail near San Antonio and commutes to her second home towns of New York City and Los Angeles where she lived for 20+ years. Upon relocating to Texas she was the keynote speaker at the George Bush Presidential Library; received a Texas Press Association award; a proclamation by the State of Texas for excellence in journalism.

 

Sherridan Ross, Developing Community Gardens, Health and Nutrition Programs, Metro Community Development Corp: Sherridan Ross was born in Birmingham Alabama in 1956, he and his family moved to Compton California in 1960. Sherridan attended Longfellow elementary, Walton jr high and Compton high school. In junior high and high school, he excelled in math and science and began to take college courses in science at the jr. college while still in jr. high school. He also had a love of art and gardening. He began to draw and paint with oil paints at Walton. His teachers encouraged him to continue with the art because he had a natural talent. At home he learned horticultural and agricultural skills from his mother and grandmother, “We always had a vegetable garden at home and always had fresh veggies and fruit thanks to mom's garden. Sherridan also loved music, he sang in his church choir and he is a member of the Voices of inspiration Gospel community choir and has sung with Michel Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Dolly Parton, Barbra Mandrell, Stevie Wonder and a host of others. Sherridan's love of science and art continued at Compton high. His art teacher at Compton, Mr. Hall, encouraged him to enter one of his pieces into an art show at Paramount Studio. From that show he met Jon Atabridge and Joseph Hanna and was hired by Joseph to do the Spider-man series for TV in 1973-74. Jon also set up two art shows in Hollywood for Sherridan to sell his art work. Through the art show Sherridan was commissioned to do paintings for Paramount studio's directors and Bank of America for the main branchs in Los Angeles. In the summer of 1974 he was hired by the University of California coop extension to build community gardens throughout Los Angeles county. The program was called “Common Ground” and worked with SC-Edison to create gardens under power lines. Sherridan got certified as a Master Gardener through the university program. Sherridan enrolled in UCLA in 1976 with a double major, Biological science and Physics and a minor in Art and Art history. With the credits from prior college courses he took while in high school he graduated with BS degrees in Chemistry and a MS in Physics and a BA in art history. He was accepted to the USC school of Medicine in 1979 with advance placement and was awarded the Eisenhower fellowship. Sherridan excelled in practical medical theory, neurological functions of human genetics, surgical theory and genetic engineering. Because of his advanced work he was designated as a medical ambassador for USC and was sent to 39 countries to study alternative medical practices and procedures. The program lasted 3 ½ years before the AMA canceled the program. After completion of his travels he returned and practiced general medicine and neurosurgery at LA county general hospital, California hospital, Scrips medical hospital of San Diego and Irvine medical center. Sherridan retired from UC Irvine in 2014 after 30 years. Sherridan continues to advise and be a consultant to doctors and hospitals through the world. He currently works with a nonprofit, Metro Community Development Corp. in the city of Compton on developing community gardens, health and nutrition programs, healthy living programs, and enhanced organic food programs for elementary and middle schools in Compton and surrounding communities. He is also working with Alicia Hamilton and her Revelation network on developing programing on urban agriculture for the network.