Wellness, as a lifestyle, has reached new importance due to the challenges presented by the pandemic this past year. The Sun Valley Wellness Festival & Conference (SVWFC), widely recognized as the longest-running wellness festival in the world, has been on the forefront of the wellness movement for decades and will continue to offer a wide range of innovative wellness programs through its four pillars of focus - Mind, Body, Spirit and Environment - during its 24th annual event, June 25-28 in Ketchum, Idaho. In addition to featuring a variety of pioneering presentations and workshops from leading wellness experts, SVWFC will offer a new outdoor Experience Park showcasing vendors, music, food, and movement classes, as well as unique outdoor wellness adventures such as mindful mountain biking and hiking, forest foraging, and outdoor cooking adventures.
SVWFC Passes, for both in-person attendance and ‘Virtual SVWFC Experience’ options, are available at www.sunvalleywellness.org. Virtual passes are on sale March 25 and in-person passes and full schedule will be available in May. Passholders will have full access to all online session content through July 31, 2021.
According to Andria Friesen, Sun Valley Wellness Board President, “Our 2021 roster hosts exceptional speakers and highly relevant content. I am thrilled that local residents and visitors will again have the opportunity to participate in the physical SVWFC or view the presentations from the comfort of their homes. As for the rest of the world, COVID catapulted us into a virtual format and now there’s no looking back.” Friesen said that last year, when the conference pivoted to a fully ‘Virtual Experience’ due the pandemic, it attracted participants from 35 states and 15 countries, including Australia, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal, and Monaco.
Speaker Presentations
The Sun Valley Wellness Festival & Conference has long been known for bringing the best minds together to address leading-edge wellness topics and this year is no exception. The 2021 SVWFC speakers will each address important current wellness research on topics within their area of expertise, including the importance of understanding breath, the power of sleep, cultivating transformational race and cultural relationships, yoga for addiction recovery, nutrition and exercise for health and longevity, and more. Speaker sessions will be held at the Argyros Performing Arts Center in Ketchum with proper adherence to all health and safety protocols.
2021 SVWFC featured speakers include:
James Nestor, science journalist and author of Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art
Vin Gupta, MD, MPA, MSc, critical care pulmonologist and affiliate faculty at the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, COVID-19 health advisor for numerous organizations and medical analyst for MSNBC and NBC News
Matthew Walker PhD, Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, top Ted Talk presenter and author of Why We Sleep
Nadia Bolz-Weber, Three-time New York Times best-selling author and Lutheran minister who explores subjects such as spirituality and health, life purpose, shame, recovery, and self-awareness.
Milagros Phillips, creator of the transformational communication program ‘Race Demystified & the Healing Process’, and author of Cracking the Healer’s Code: A Prescription for Healing Racism and Claiming Wholeness
Tommy Rosen, noted pioneer in the field of Yoga and Recovery, founder and host of the Recovery 2.0: Online Conferences/Group Coaching Program, and author of Recovery 2.0: Move Beyond Addiction and Upgrade Your Life
Panelists for Plant Medicine; Ancient Wisdom, Modern Practices; the Healing Potential of Altered States include Pamela Hadfield, founder of HelloMD; Austin Perlmutter M.D., Internal Medicine physician and New York Times bestselling co-author or Brain Wash; Shawn Wells, biochemist, dietitian, and formulator; Kole Whitty, specialist in Bio Integration and Trauma Release; Kyle Kingsbury, retired American professional mixed martial artist, podcaster, and Director of Human Optimization at Onnit; and Colin Wells, founder of the veterans' support group, Veterans Walk and Talk.
Cook for Your Life: teaching healthy eating to people affected by cancer. Hosted by Corry Hart Clayville, media executive and director of partnerships for Cook for Your Life at Fred Hutch, and featuring bilingual presentation and cooking demonstration by Liza Schattenkerk, founding member of Food.com, and Hispanic liaison Herbert Romeo, local activist committed to Hispanic initiatives and community programs.
Wellness Experience Park This free public experience, held at a new outdoor location in Forest Service Park in Ketchum, will feature free outdoor yoga classes, music and a variety of carefully curated wellness products, practitioners, and healthy food vendors. All participants will be required to adhere to health and safety protocols.
Outdoor Wellness Adventures
In addition to the free outdoor yoga classes in the Experience Park, the SVWFC is offering a new series of guided small group outdoor wellness adventures in the beautiful natural mountain environment of the Sun Valley area. These include holistic hiking, forest foraging, and mountain meditations.
Special lodging rates are being offered by the Limelight Hotel in Ketchum, the 2021 SVWFC Headquarters. MajorSVWFC sponsors include Spirituality & Health, Limelight Hotel, Blue Farm Wines, Kettle & Fire, Poplar and Friesen Gallery.
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About Sun Valley Wellness – Sun Valley Wellness Festival & Conference
Sun Valley Wellness is a non-profit wellness organization that brings together globally recognized, cutting-edge programming, speakers and experiences that inspire transformation via the four wellness pillars of Mind, Body, Spirit and Environment. Its flagship event is the Sun Valley Wellness Festival & Conference, held annually in Sun Valley/Ketchum, Idaho.
The Sun Valley Wellness Festival & Conference is recognized as the longest-running wellness festival in the world. The event started in the resort community of Sun Valley, Idaho in 1997, just as wellness was beginning as a movement. Created by a passionate group of local wellness experts and advocates, the goal was to provide a platform for inspiration and education on innovative wellness topics. The Festival's ongoing commitment to excellence has led to steady growth of the event over the past two decades and fostered Sun Valley’s reputation as a major wellness destination. The Festival's ability to attract top wellness speakers each year is a testament to its influence in the world of wellness. Past speakers include Elisabeth Gilbert, Deepak Chopra, Ram Dass, Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, Gregg Braden, Dr. Tyrone Hayes, Vandana Shiva, Dr. James Doty, Glennon Doyle, J. Ivy, Dr. Abraham Verghese, Seth Cohen, MD, MSc, MC Yogi, Byron Katie, Rich Roll, Sharon Salzberg, Dr. Joe Dispenza, Colleen McCann, Dr. Zach Bush, Mark Nepo, Preetthaji, Kris Carr, Rebecca Rusch, Dr. Masaru Emoto, Toni Childs, Dr. Eben Alexander, Baptist De Pepe, Rev. Dr. Michael Beckwith, Bea Johnson, Diana Nyad, Dr. Devra Davis, Dan Millman, Austyn Wells, Roshi Joan Halifax, Marianne Williamson, Robert Thurman, Arianna Huffington, Dr. John Medina and many others.
Media Contacts
Carol Waller, CW Communications, carol@cw-communications.com, 208-720-3965
Heather LaMonica Deckard, SVWellness Executive Director, heather@sunvalleyevents.com, 208-720-4535
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