Denny Waxman – Macrobiotic Author, Counselor, & Teacher

With 40 years of experience, Denny Waxman is one of the nation’s leading macrobiotic counselors, speakers and teachers. Credited with changing the food narrative in the U.S. from diets dependent upon animal and dairy to healthy whole foods and plant-based alternatives, Denny is now training the next generation of macrobiotic teachers. He is author of several notable books including The Ultimate Guide to Eating for Longevity:The macrobiotic way to live a long, healthy, and happy life, which he co-wrote with his wife Susan. He is founder of Philadelphia’s first health store, Essene Market, and recipient of the Aveline Kushi International Award for his dedicated service to macrobiotics.

www.DennyWaxman.com

• Author of Ultimate Guide to Eating for Longevity& The Complete Macrobiotic Diet
• Macrobiotic Counselor
• Former Kushi Institute Director
• Founder of SHI Macrobiotics,Formerly Known as Strengthening Health Institute

Susan Waxman – Macrobiotic Counselor, Cooking Instructor & Chef

Susan Waxman has dedicated her life to understanding the energetic nature of foods, cooking styles, and creating dynamic, healthful meal plans. This has allowed her to merge teaching and macrobiotic cooking that provides healthy, tasteful options for many clients looking to improve their health and perspective on life. Her expertise with ingredient selection, kitchen and pantry design, menu planning, and meal preparation are the foundation of her unique international macrobiotic cuisine.

Alex Jack – Macrobiotic Teacher, Counselor, and Author

Alex Jack is a macrobiotic teacher, counselor, and author. He has served as editor-in-chief of the East West Journal, executive director of the Kushi Institute, and president of Planetary Health, Inc., sponsor of the Amberwaves grassroots network. His many books include The Book of Macrobiotics with Michio Kushi, Aveline Kushi’s Complete Guide to Macrobiotic Cooking, and the multi-volume Spiral of History: The Arc That Bends Toward Justice, Peace & Love. He lives and teaches in the Berkshires with his wife Danka. For more information, visit: www.planetaryhealth.com

Bill Tara – Macrobiotic Counselor, Teacher, and Author

Bill Tara has been an active advocate for macrobiotics since 1966. He was the first teacher awarded the Macrobiotic Senior Teacher certificate by Michio Kushi and served as head of the Macrobiotic Teacher/Counsellor Review Board in both America and Europe, as well as the International Macrobiotic Congress.

His innovative and creative teaching of traditional approaches to health, healing and personal development has taken him to over twenty-five countries as a seminar leader, guest lecturer and keynote speaker.

His primary focus is on Macrobiotic Nutrition, Human Ecology and Five Transformation Body Psychology. He created the Kushi Institute with Michio and Aveline Kushi and was Executive Director in the USA and the UK. and was Director of Natural Health Care at the SHA Wellness Clinic in Albir, Spain. 

He is now the co-Director of the Human Ecology Project with his wife Marlene Watson-Tara and lives in the UK.

His latest book, Macrobiotics – Health, Emotion and Behaviour is now available on Amazon.

His publishing credits include: Macrobiotics and Human Behavior, Your Face Never Lies (editor), Natural Body – Natural Mind, The Portal of Dreams (fiction) and How to Eat Right and Save the Planet (with a Forward by Professor Gary Francione).

Dean Ornish, MD – Medical Doctor, President & Founder, Preventive Medicine Research Institute

Dean Ornish, M.D., is the founder and president of the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute and Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCSF and at UCSD. For over 40 years, he has directed clinical research demonstrating, for the first time, that comprehensive lifestyle changes may begin to reverse the progression of even severe coronary heart disease and also early-stage prostate cancer as well as other chronic diseases. 

 In 2010, CMS created a new Medicare benefit category to cover his reversing heart disease program, and it is now covering this when offered virtually via Zoom nationwide.  He is currently directing the first randomized controlled trial to determine if these intensive lifestyle changes may stop or reverse the progression of early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.  

 He is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of seven books.  His three main-stage TED.com talks have been viewed by over seven million people.  

 He was appointed by President Clinton and also by President Obama to White House Advisory Commissions and by Governor Newsom and Maria Shriver to the Governor’s Brain Trust on Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention and Preparedness.  He is also a member of The Lancet Oncology “Moonshot Commission” and has been a member of the board of directors of the San Francisco Food Bank.

 The “Ornish diet” has been rated “#1 for Heart Health” by a panel of experts at U.S. News & World Report for 11 years from 2011-2022.  He co-chaired the Google Health Advisory Council 2007-9.  

He was recognized as “one of the 125 most extraordinary University of Texas alumni in the past 125 years;” a “National Public Health Hero” award from the University of California, Berkeley; the Beckmann Medal from the German Society for Prevention and Rehabilitation of Cardiovascular Diseases; by TIME magazine as a “TIME 100 Innovator;” by LIFE magazine as “one of the fifty most influential members of his generation;” by People magazine as “one of the most interesting people of the year;” and by Forbes magazine as “one of the world’s seven most powerful teachers.”  www.ornish.com & www.PMRI.org & www.undoitbook.com

Jack Lambeth – Chef

Jack Lambeth is a Chef living and working in Gothenburg, Sweden. He runs the kitchen in a health-concept restaurant called Happy Me, where he specializes in whole food plant-based cuisine. Jack was raised in a Macrobiotic family, and has used macro principles to help try and make sense of the world along every step of his journey.

Jim Lyons – Farmer

After a 20 year or so stint in the natural food industry Jim Lyons set about trying his hand at growing food. Some years later and now having newly acquired  a 63 acre property in New Jersey he returned to the idea of growing rice. With some early help from his friend, Christian Elwell, Jim began what is now a decade old hard knocks study of small scale, regenerative organic rice production. The rice is sold under his farm’s name, Blue Moon Acres, and can be purchased online or at his two farm’s pop-up markets. 

Maria Brosnan – Counselor, Author, and Coach

Maria Brosnan is an educational leadership, health and wellbeing specialist: counselor, author and coach.

Over a 30-year period, Maria has worked in a variety of wellbeing capacities; from counseling, to whole school wellbeing training and her unique Headteacher Heart Health Programme.

She founded Pursuit Wellbeing as a platform of education and training to promote the health and wellbeing of teachers, leaders and all school staff.

Mary McCabe – Plant-Based Macrobiotic Chef and Instructor 

Mary has been cooking and teaching healthy, macrobiotic cuisine for over 45 years. She has been a professional chef and instructor through diverse venues nationally and abroad. She was a chef/owner of two award-winning restaurants. Mary is certified in cooking by the Kushi Institute and can be seen as a guest chef on the PBS series “Philadelphia Kitchens”, returning on the “Best of Series”. She is currently building a website marysveggiecooking.com to help people learn about cooking healthful whole plant-based cuisine.

Paul Lambeth – Shiatsu Practitioner & Macrobiotic/Health Coach

Paul Lambeth along with his wife Joy began their macrobiotic lives when their first son Jack was born in 1978. This was a time when London’s East West Centre was a vibrant centre for macrobiotic studies and they would travel there from the north of England to learn from the inspirational teachers there.

In 1985/86 they moved to Switzerland to help establish the International Macrobiotic Institute and since returning Paul has been busy practicing shiatsu, giving health advice and teaching for many organizations including The Kushi Institute, Rosewell Shiatsu Centre etc.

Thu Nguyen – Mindfulness Meditation Teacher

Thu Nguyen has led mindfulness retreats in the United States since 1988 and in 1992 was among the first students to be ordained as meditation teachers by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. He offers weekly classes on the practice of Qigong and mindful movements at The Mindfulness Practice Center of Fairfax.