Archive 2017

Valerie Smaldone is a 5-time Billboard Magazine Award winner and well known for her unprecedented success holding the #1 on-air position in the New York radio market. She has hosted, produced and created several nationally syndicated programs featuring in-depth interviews with top recording artists such as Elton John and Mariah Carey. She is an accomplished interviewer, always interested in procuring each individual’s unique story. Valerie has also been the “Voice” for numerous prestigious live events, e.g. The Clinton Global Initiative, The Emmy Awards, The Tony Preview Concert on CBS and many more. She is a sought after motivational speaker, and calling on her years of speaking experience, coaches individuals on their presentational skills. Additionally, she consults companies and experts on their brand strategy. Valerie is proud to be able to help others accomplish their personal goals.

Stella Photi combined her passion for preventative health with her extensive travel industry experience to create Wellbeing Escapes in 2005, a pioneer in the wellness space. Stella has ever since been at the forefront of inspiring people to take a different type of holiday, helping to highlight wellness tourism as a serious segment in the mainstream travel market. Wellbeing Escapes offices are located in Islington, London and won ‘Best Specialist Tour Operator’ at The Telegraph Travel Awards 2016. Stella lents her extensive expertise to many different media publications such as Cosmopolitan and Grazia and is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post lifestyle pages. She considers wellness a journey that doesn’t have an end, but needs like-minded people for guidance. Prior to starting Wellbeing Escapes, Stella managed Leisure Sales for a major U.S. airline in Europe.

Nikki Costello is a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher (CIYT). For 23 years, her teaching has been influenced by annual trips to India, the study of philosophical and scriptural texts and a daily practice of meditation. In 2013, Nikki was a contributing editor at Yoga Journal, writing the magazine’s “Basics Column” and in 2016, she was named one of the 100 Most Influential Teachers in America. Nikki is recognized as a thought leader in the global yoga community and delivers her wisdom and expertise in yoga and meditation retreats around the world. When at home, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, she teaches public classes at Kula Yoga and Yoga Shanti and maintains a well-established private practice in New York City, guiding individuals on all levels of their health and well-being.

Rupert Schmid is the Chairman of Biologique Recherche, the manufacturer of French skin care products worldwide. After graduating he worked in top-level positions at several media and communication agencies. Rupert worked as the Head of Communications and Media at Veolia Environment and Veolia Transport. He directly advised top management and decision makers. Particularly inspired by his meeting with sailor Yvan Griboval, Rupert built and supervised the first worldwide protection plan for Antarctica and the Ross Sea during his work at Veolia Environnement. He is now Chaiman of Biologique Recherche and is loyal to the original spirit of the brand, he continues to develop and spread the brand in France and worldwide, strictly enforcing the brand’s values and the authenticity of its unique products and techniques.

Marjorie Hines Woollacott, PhD, has been a neuroscience professor at the University of Oregon for more than three decades and a meditator for almost four. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation; Marjorie has authored the book: Infinite Awareness: The Awakening of a Scientific Mind, exploring scientific studies which offer evidence that consciousness functions beyond the mind. She has also co-authored a popular textbook for health professionals and has written more than 180 peer-reviewed research articles — several of which were on meditation, the topic that motivated her to write her latest book.

Julie founded Wellness for Cancer to improve the quality of life for people touched by cancer. The charity focuses on minimizing the side effects on skin and body, caused by cancer therapy, as well as increasing people’s mental wellbeing during that journey. Julie is recognized for building a global bridge between medical experts and wellness professionals, serving as a thought leader within the Global Wellness Institute with the objective of establishing evidence-based guidelines. She has provided consulting and cancer-focused training for thousands of staff members of spas, hospitals and not-for profits throughout the United States, Europe, Mexico, Canada, and India. Julie holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Harvard University.