Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
Joel Fuhrman, M.D. is a board-certified family physician, six-time New York Times best-selling author and internationally recognized expert on nutrition and natural healing, who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional methods. He is the President of the Nutritional Research Foundation and on the faculty of Northern Arizona University, Health Sciences division. Dr. Fuhrman coined the term “Nutritarian” to describe a nutrient-dense eating style, designed to prevent cancer, slow aging, and extend lifespan.
For over 25 years, Dr. Fuhrman has shown that it is possible to achieve sustainable weight loss and reverse heart disease, diabetes and other illnesses using smart nutrition. In his medical practice, and through his books and television specials, he continues to bring this life-saving message to hundreds of thousands of people around the world.
In addition to the Dr. Fuhrman Wellness Center in New Jersey, Dr. Fuhrman operates his Eat To Live Retreat in San Diego where overweight people from all over the world come to conquer food addiction and recover their health.
Michael Greger, M.D.
A founding member and Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, a physician, New York Times bestselling author, and internationally recognized speaker. He has lectured worldwide, testified before Congress, and was an expert witness in the defense of Oprah Winfrey in the famous “meat defamation” trial. A graduate of Cornell University and Tufts School of Medicine, he serves as the Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at The Humane Society of the United States. His latest book How Not to Die became an instant New York Times Best Seller. More than a thousand of his nutrition videos are freely available online at NutritionFacts.org, with new videos and articles uploaded every day.
Kendrick Farris
Kendrick Farris is a three-time Olympic weightlifter with two top-10 Olympic finishes. He earned gold and silver medals in the Pan American Championships and broke the American total-lift record in 2016. Farris set the American total-lift record and competed in the 2016 Olympics games, after transitioning to a plant-based diet. Farris’s success as a plant-based athlete drew the attention of representatives from the James Cameron produced documentary The Game Changers. Farris joined a host of vegan athletes disproving the myth that athletes need meat for high performance. Farris developed and operates BlessTheGym, a sports performance brand, to teach young athletes the importance of physical activity and nutrition. BlessTheGym hosts a number of events, giving back to the types of communities Farris came from.
Julieanna Hever, M.S., R.D., C.P.T.
Julieanna Hever, MS, RD, CPT, The Plant-Based Dietitian, has a BA in Theatre and an MS in Nutrition, bridging her biggest passions for food, presenting, and helping people. She has authored five books, including The Healthspan Solution, Plant-Based Nutrition (Idiot’s Guides), and The Vegiterranean Diet, as well as two peer-reviewed journal articles on plant-based nutrition for healthcare professionals (in The Permanente Journal and Journal of Geriatric Cardiology), and she is the nutrition columnist for VegNews Magazine. Julieanna is the co-founder and nutrition director for Efferos, co-host of the podcast, Science and Saucery, and she speaks and consults with clients around the globe.
Ray Cronise, BSc
Ray Cronise is a scientist-innovator focused on disrupting diet and nutrition advice. He’s the mastermind behind Las Vegas magician, Penn Jillette’s 100-pound weight loss. A former NASA scientist and Matthew Kenney Culinary graduate, he’s teamed up with leading academic researchers at institutions such as Harvard and the NIH to publish work at the intersection of healthspan and plant-based diets. He’s authored The Healthspan Solution, Plant-Based Nutrition (Idiot’s Guides), is the co-host of the podcast, Science and Saucery, and has been featured by Wired Magazine, TEDMED, ABC Nightline, The Atlantic, Men’s Journal, The Guardian, Presto, and The 4-Hour Body.
Chef Katie Mae
Chef Katie Mae is the founder of The Culinary Gym, an online hub for learning, practicing, and mastering whole food, plant-based cuisine. Her mission is to empower people in the kitchen, offering delicious recipes and culinary instruction that make health and vitality the true pleasure in life! Since 2011, Katie Mae has been teaching at TrueNorth Health Center and Dr. McDougall’s residential health programs, and now students can train with her from anywhere in the world. At The Culinary Gym, radiant vitality is a happy side dish … the main course is Delicious Living!
Josh LaJaunie
Josh LaJaunie is an unabashed WhoDat, a certified Cajun, and a plant based running advocate. He grew up on, and still lives on the banks of Bayou Lafourche in Thibodaux, LA. There, they “live to eat,” yet, ironically, they, he has realized as he has embarked on his transformation journey, are doing the opposite. They are dying at an alarming rate due to what they eat. Heart disease alone is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths per year in Louisiana, and, he now realizes he was well on his way to a probable similar fate at a fairly young age. He found himself weighing 400 lbs by the time he was in his early 30s. However, in the past few years he has lost over 200 lbs and has turned the tide on his health trajectory via the power of eating plants and running miles.
Stephanie Redcross
Stephanie Redcross started Vegan Mainstream based on a simple idea: to build a pro-vegan world, we need a solid infrastructure of successful businesses and brands to ensure that an ethical lifestyle is accessible to everyone, everywhere. With this in mind, in 2009, Stephanie started developing tools, training and support for the brave individuals who identify themselves as Vegan Professionals – those starting and running vegan businesses all over North America, and the world. She was well-equipped to do this, with more than 15 years of marketing experience with small businesses and Fortune 500 companies. Since then Stephanie has been a frequent speaker at vegfest, conferences and even her own bootcamp series. Through these types of engagements, and her day-to-day work with Vegan Mainstream, Stephanie inspires others to turn their vegan passion into successful businesses.
Howard Jacobson, PhD
Howard Jacobson, PhD, is a health coach and educator, co-founder and Chief of Behavioral Science at WellStart Health, and founder of the WellStart Health Coaching Academy. He hosts the popular Plant Yourself Podcast, which is in its seventh year. Howard is co-author of Sick to Fit, with Josh LaJaunie, and has written books with T. Colin Campbell and Dr Garth Davis.
Gustavo Tolosa
Argentine-American pianist Gustavo A. Tolosa holds a Doctorate in Musical Arts degree from the prestigious Eastman School of Music. He has served as a professor in several universities such as Abilene Christian University, University of Redlands, University of Rochester, Brookhaven College and Northlake College among others. He is the founder and director of the Dallas Music Academy and the founder of the Dallas Chamber Players. In 2013 he recorded a CD entitled “Greetings from Argentina” that contains music by two influential Argentine composers. Dr. Tolosa is also the founder and director of “Musical Angels, Inc.”, a non-profit organization that provides weekly piano and guitar lessons in children’s hospitals, thus helping patients recover and improve the quality of daily life. The lessons are totally free. Dr. Tolosa has offered more than 700 concerts and master classes in Argentina, the United States, Spain, England, China, Singapore, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and continues to perform all over the world. Besides music, Dr. Tolosa is a strong enthusiast for the plant-based movement, having broadcasted hundreds of webinars with most leading doctors, dietitians and chefs in the plant-based movement. He continues to produce videos that are available for free in his YouTube channel (under his name) and in his FaceBook page (under DoctorStarch).
Shannon Johnson
Shannon Johnson is the owner of Shake & Move Fitness located in downtown Marshall. As an instructor and licensed personal trainer, she has been active in the fitness community for over 20 years and is licensed in Zumba, Zumba Toning, Zumba Step, Zumba Kids,Zumba Sentao, and Strong by Zumba. Her passion lies in teaching fitness to people of all ages. She prides herself on making people feel comfortable no matter what their fitness level. She is an accomplished instructor that keeps classes fun and spontaneous. Her clients rave that she makes them feel like they just left a party, not an aerobics class. When Johnson isn’t working out, she is spending time with her husband, step-daughters and grandchildren.
Malissa Watkins
Malissa Watkins is an ACE certified Group Fitness Instructor and AFFA certified Personal Trainer. She has been in the fitness industry since 2011. Her classes are energetic, fun, and a great way to sweat out the stress of daily life. While she loves the high energy of dance fitness and boot camp classes, she is excited to be able to introduce people to the benefits of lower impact programs, such as FXP Hula Hoop Fitness. As her career in the fitness industry has grown, she has embraced the philosophy of “all ages and all stages”. Making fitness accessible to varying demographics is a passion she pursues.
Joy Snyder
Joy Snider is a former educator turned work-from-home mommy. After having her baby, she decided it was time to take control of her health and show her daughter what it means to set and conquer goals. Through personal study and class work at Pilates on the Square, Joy developed a passion for all things fitness! What better way to utilize her background as a teacher and passion for fitness than to be an instructor at Pilates on the Square!
Christina Cocek Anderson
Since moving to Marshall from Los Angeles, Christina Cocek Anderson has brought her professional background in journalism, publishing, legislative advocacy, and author of a two-volume history-centered, arts-infused curriculum implemented in elementary and secondary schools nationwide to her civic work in our community, state, and region. She and husband, Richard Anderson, former Harrison County Judge and State Senator, renovated, with their partners, the historic Hotel Marshall. They have also worked together on the restoration of the 1901 Courthouse and the establishment of the $1.4 million endowment to assist with the ongoing preservation of the restored Courthouse in perpetuity. Christina, a devoted vegan, also directed Marshall’s successful efforts to win the prestigious National Civic League’s 2015 All-America City Award.
Rachel Born
After being a client of Pilates on the Square and discovering the unlimited benefits of Pilates practice, Rachel decided to pursue her instructor certification. Discovering her joy of running, group fitness, boot camp workouts, and cycle in her late thirties, fitness instruction was a natural progression after her retirement. Contemporary Pilates workouts based on classical principals of Pilates movements allows Rachel to engage and challenge clients to reach their health and fitness goals.
Rachel is certified in Balanced Body Reformer, Pilates Suspension Method, and Barre Above.
Andrea Ivins
Group exercise instructor, certified personal trainer, and endorphin enthusiast, Andrea is a vegan and proficient in healthy living and eating. Andrea’s love for all creatures under the sun (bugs, too) drives her in her advocacy for ethical eating, environmental sustainability, and cruelty-free living. When she’s not educating and motivating members at the Anytime Fitness gym she manages, you can find her writing a health and wellness column for her local paper, working in graphic design, reading about nutrition, and eating an insane amount of peanut butter.
Kathryn Lorusso
Kathryn (Kat) Lorusso is a yoga teacher, college counselor and owner (with her husband, Joe) of a vegan snack food company, Thankful Foods. Kathryn has been a vegan for 10 years after being diagnosed with breast cancer. She is a Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) Food for Life instructor who mentors newbie vegans around the DFW metroplex. In her spare time, Kathryn fosters greyhounds and doodles and has a home rescue pack, of 1 greyhound, two labradoodles and one standard poodle. Kathryn is grateful for every day that she can save dogs, cook plants, help young adults figure out their career paths and teach yoga. Life is good!
