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.

Amy Gordon – Certified Senior Yoga Instructor & Reiki Master

Amy Gordon has been teaching yoga professionally and practicing personally most of her life to enhance her healthy macrobiotic lifestyle. She has led workshops in yoga, pranayama (breathing exercises), meditation and the running of reiki energy both nationally and internationally. Amy has studied with many masters… including Doug and David Swenson, David Williams, Nancy Gilgoth as well pattabhi jois, manju jois, saraswathi jois and sharath jois in Mysore, India. Amy is passionate about sharing the benefits she’s discovered through these complimentary practices.

Anh-Huong Nguyen – Meditation Teacher

Anh-Huong Nguyen has been practicing mindfulness meditation in the tradition of the Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh for more than 40 years. She leads daily meditation sessions, classes, and all-day workshops on the art of mindful living at the Mindfulness Practice Center of Fairfax since 1998. She also travelled and led mindfulness retreats across the United States and in Japan. Anh-Huong has translated several of Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s books into English, including “The Sun My Heart” and “The Diamond that Cuts through Illusion.” She is the author of “Opening the Heart of Compassion”, a guided meditation CD and co-author of “Walking Meditation”, a multi-media manual on mindful walking.

Georgina Mayer – Natural Foods & Macrobiotic Chef

Macrobiotic chef and counselor, Georgina enjoys sharing her passion for the culinary arts for health and healing with the mission to inspire and promote wellness and satisfaction through food and lifestyle. She is the co-founder of Casa Macro, the first plant based macrobiotic restaurant and health food store in Northern Mexico.

Jonathan Burgess, MD, MPH

Jonathan Burgess is a public speaker and researcher interested in diet and lifestyle practices in the management of mental health. He is author four book chapters on diet and lifestyle interventions for psychiatric disorders, two of which were commissioned by the American Psychiatric Association. A dynamic speaker, he is credited with six Grand Rounds presentations and has been a three-time Faculty Presenter at Harvard School of Public Health’s national conferences, as well as a speaker at Massachusetts General Hospital, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Austin Riggs, and others. He has completed research internships at Stanford School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, received a Doctor of Medicine from Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, and a Master of Public Health from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

Laura Castoldi – Counselor and Chef

Hallo, my name is Laura, I am 50 years old, I have two children, Benedetta (18) and Giovanni (15) and I am a former professional translator and English teacher for kids.

Norio Kushi – Owner of Trucking Company

Patricio Garcia de Paredes – Director & Teacher

Patricio is the founder and director of Macrobiotic School Japan (MSJ). He is an educator, author and cooking instructor with professional experience. He has been practicing macrobiotics since the age of five and is a graduate of the Kushi Institute in the United States. Patricio served as the education director and principal teacher at the Kushi Institute of Japan.

Steve Acuff – Health and Nutrition Counselor

​Steven began eating natural food in 1971 with his discovery of macrobiotic food. At different times between 1980 and 1987 he studied with macrobiotic author and lecturer Michio Kushi in Boston, Massachusetts to further his understanding of macrobiotic food therapy and oriental body diagnosis. ​​​

Steven has taught many international seminars, including joint seminars with Shizuko Yamamoto, a world-renowned master of shiatsu massage. He was also co-director of a macrobiotic study house in Sweden from 1987-98. The program offered intensive seminars on healing with food, including practical cooking instruction and shiatsu massage to guests from around the world. The staff also organized international summer camps with hundreds of participants. ​

Steven also teaches intensive courses in traditional Oriental facial and body diagnosis combined with German naturopathic health evaluation. He was a guest speaker at the school of nutrition science at the university in Harsta, Norway. He has lectures in 27 countries throughout the world and lectures about food and health. He gives personal nutrition advice as well. ​

T. Colin Campbell, PhD – Nutrition Scientist & Author

For decades T. Colin Campbell, PhD has been at the forefront of nutrition education and research. Dr. Campbell’s expertise and scientific interests encompass relationships between diet and diseases, particularly the causation of cancer. His legacy, the China Project, is one of the most comprehensive studies of health and nutrition ever conducted. The New York Times has recognized the study as the “Grand Prix of epidemiology”.

Dr. Campbell is the coauthor of the bestselling book The China Study: Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health, and author of the New York Times bestseller Whole, and The Low-Carb Fraud. He is the founder of the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and the online Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate in partnership with eCornell.

Dr. Campbell has conducted original research both in laboratory experiments and in large-scale human studies; received over 70 grant-years of peer-reviewed research funding (mostly with NIH), served on grant review panels of multiple funding agencies, actively participated in the development of national and international nutrition policy, authored over 300 research papers and given hundreds of lectures around the world.

He was trained at Cornell University (M.S., Ph.D.) and MIT (Research Associate) in nutrition, biochemistry and toxicology. Dr. Campbell spent 10 years on the faculty of Virginia Tech’s Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition before returning to Cornell in 1975 where he presently holds his Endowed Chair as the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry in the Division of Nutritional Sciences.