Speakers & faculty for 2027

Kip Andersen is the filmmaker behind Cowspiracy, What the Health, and Seaspiracy — three documentaries that reshaped how millions of people think about food, health, and the planet.

In Michigan, Kip brings something no audience has ever seen: the world premiere of his brand-new documentary, screened publicly for the very first time — anywhere — right here at Vegan Wellness Retreat. He’ll also deliver a live keynote and a live audience Q&A, plus a bonus screening of another of his acclaimed films with live commentary. This is a first-in-the-world moment you’ll only find at the Michigan retreat.

Dr. Alan Goldhamer is one of the world's preeminent authorities on water-only fasting — and the founder of TrueNorth Health Center, the largest facility on earth dedicated to medically supervised fasting. Over four decades he has personally supervised the fasts of more than 25,000 patients and trained a generation of physicians to do the same.

His landmark research on fasting and hypertension, published in peer-reviewed medical journals, helped move water-only fasting from the fringes into evidence-based medicine. He is co-author of the modern classic The Pleasure Trap: Mastering the Hidden Force That Undermines Health & Happiness, co-author of Can Fasting Save Your Life?, and author of The Health Promoting Cookbook.

Articulate, provocative, and impossible to forget, Dr. Goldhamer travels the country helping people break free of the habits that undermine their health. In 2027 he'll be right there with you — on the main stage and the doctors' panel — at both the Texas and Michigan retreats.

Chuck Carroll is one of the most recognizable voices in plant-based health — and living proof of everything this retreat stands for. At 5'6" he once weighed 420 pounds, trapped in a 10,000-calorie-a-day fast-food addiction and convinced he wouldn't see 30. Then he went whole-food plant-based and lost 275 pounds — keeping it off for more than 15 years. An NFL player he was interviewing dubbed him "The Weight Loss Champion," and the name stuck.

Today Chuck is the host of The Exam Room™, the flagship podcast of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine — a 2026 VegNews Veggie Award nominee that ranks in the top 0.1% of all podcasts worldwide, reaching hundreds of thousands of health-seekers alongside Dr. Neal Barnard and the world's leading plant-based physicians. A former sports and news broadcaster for CBS and NBC News Radio, he tells the story of transformation like no one else can.

And he's not just speaking — Chuck will record a live episode of The Exam Room right here at the Texas retreat, putting you in the room where it happens. If you've ever doubted that real, lasting change is possible, this is the session that will convince you.

Co-author of the New York Times bestseller Mastering Diabetes and co-founder of Evolution Health. Living with type 1 diabetes since 2002, Cyrus has helped more than 10,000 people improve their metabolic health through low-fat, plant-based, whole-food nutrition. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford and a PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry from UC Berkeley.

Drs. Rick and Karin Dina are internationally respected educators, authors, and clinicians dedicated to helping people understand the powerful connection between nutrition, lifestyle, and optimal health. With decades of experience studying and teaching plant-based nutrition, they have inspired thousands of people around the world to embrace a more compassionate, health-focused way of living.

Dr. Rick Dina, D.C. and Dr. Karin Dina, D.C. have devoted their careers to exploring the science behind whole food, plant-centered nutrition and sharing practical strategies that empower people to improve their health and vitality. Through their educational programs, lectures, and clinical experience, they combine scientific research with real-world application to make complex nutrition concepts accessible and actionable.

As leading voices in the plant-based health community, Drs. Rick and Karin Dina have helped educate countless individuals on the benefits of nutrient-rich plant foods, mindful lifestyle choices, and creating sustainable habits that support long-term wellness.

At Vegan Wellness Retreat, Drs. Rick and Karin Dina will share their expertise and passion for plant-powered health, helping attendees deepen their understanding of nutrition, optimize their well-being, and discover the incredible potential of a compassionate lifestyle.

Erin and Dusty Stanczyk are the husband-and-wife team behind Eat Move Rest — the beloved wellness brand and online community they founded in 2015 to help people get back to the basics of a vibrant life: the three things we all do every day — eat, move, and rest.

After years of battling anxiety, panic attacks, and acid reflux, the couple overhauled their health with a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle — inspired by the work of Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr. — and never looked back. Combining Dusty's background in biology with Erin's training in interpersonal communication, they turned their own transformation into a mission to empower others.

Today they're raising three plant-strong kids and are the authors of The Happy Healthy Plant-Based Cookbook, a colorful guide to nourishing your whole family and having fun along the way. Through their coaching, cooking classes, workshops, and thriving social community, Erin and Dusty have inspired hundreds of thousands to live more joyful, colorful, plant-powered lives.

At Vegan Wellness Retreats, Erin and Dusty bring their warmth, practicality, and infectious energy to both the Texas and Michigan retreats — showing families exactly how to make plant-based living simple, sustainable, and genuinely fun.

Doug Evans is a visionary entrepreneur, author, and pioneer in the plant-based wellness movement. With a passion for helping people harness the power of plants, Doug has spent decades creating innovative ways to make healthy, sustainable, and compassionate living more accessible.

Doug is the co-founder of The Sprouting Company, dedicated to educating people about the incredible benefits of growing and consuming sprouts. Through his work, he has helped thousands of people discover how simple, nutrient-dense plant foods can become a powerful part of a healthy lifestyle.

He is also the author of The Sprout Book and has been a leading voice in the natural foods movement, sharing his knowledge of nutrition, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and conscious living. Doug's unique ability to combine science, innovation, and practical tools has inspired people around the world to reconnect with their food and make healthier choices.

At Vegan Wellness Retreat, Doug Evans will share his passion for plant-powered nutrition, the future of food, and how simple changes can help transform health, communities, and the planet.

Scott Burnhard is a passionate advocate for plant-powered living, fitness, and personal transformation. Through his journey of building strength, optimizing health, and embracing a compassionate lifestyle, Scott inspires others to challenge their limits and discover what is possible on a plant-based diet.

Known for his impressive physique, positive mindset, and dedication to helping others become the strongest version of themselves, Scott combines fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle principles to show that a compassionate approach can also be a powerful one.

Scott's mission is to break outdated misconceptions about plant-based athletes and demonstrate that plants can fuel incredible performance, strength, and vitality. His message encourages people to pursue health, confidence, and personal growth while making choices that align with compassion for animals and the planet.

Join Scott at Vegan Wellness Retreat for an inspiring experience focused on fitness, plant-powered performance, and the limitless potential of a healthy, compassionate lifestyle.

Plant-based fitness expert bringing real-world training science to the stage — and the panel floor. Joey's sessions are practical, science-backed, and packed with takeaways you can use immediately.

VWR's Social Media Manager and the creator behind @ThatVeganAngel. Angel leads workshops spanning setting boundaries with non-vegan friends and family, finding your authentic voice as an advocate, and all-levels yoga and somatic movement designed to release stored tension and reconnect with your body.

Matt Bennett is a Holistic Health Educator who guides people to detoxify the body, quiet the mind, and reconnect with their intuition. After a plant-based lifestyle helped him overcome a lifetime of asthma, eczema, anxiety, and depression, Matt devoted himself to helping others rebuild the connection between body, mind, and spirit.

At Vegan Wellness Retreat, Matt leads the sound bath — an immersive, meditative journey of resonant tones designed to settle the nervous system, release stored tension, and leave you deeply restored. It's the perfect counterbalance to a week of movement, learning, and connection.

A holistic wellness educator, Matt blends practical health guidance with a grounded, soulful approach to living well.

Neil Ryan Dumra is the founder of Third Eye Cacao and the creator of the Cacao Flavonoid Index (CFI) — a longtime educator devoted to restoring integrity, transparency, and reverence to one of humanity's oldest plant medicines. His work bridges ancient tradition with modern analytical testing, setting new standards for cacao quality through flavonoid profiling, heavy-metal testing, genetics, and regenerative sourcing.

For more than two decades, Neil has explored the meeting point of nutrition, meditation, ecology, and human connection. He believes true wellness begins by rebuilding our relationship with nature — not by consuming more, but by understanding where our food comes from and honoring the ecosystems and people who cultivate it.

Based in Austin, Neil crafts some of the most authentic, pure ceremonial cacao in Texas — and he's bringing it straight to LoneHollow Ranch. In his workshop he'll explore the de-industrialization of cacao: why genetics, biodiversity, regenerative agriculture, fermentation, and post-harvest craftsmanship shape everything you taste and feel. Expect a live cacao experience, an introduction to the Cacao Flavonoid Index, and an invitation to balance, intimacy with nature, and heart-centered connection — a reminder that every choice we make can nourish not only our bodies, but our communities, the land, and the generations to come.

Stacey Lynn is VWR's lead yoga instructor — and a genuine crowd favorite. Since first leading our morning practice in 2025, Stacey has become one of the most beloved faces on the retreat, with a warm, all-levels approach that meets every guest exactly where they are — whether it's their very first sun salutation or their thousandth.

An E-RYT 500 Yoga Alliance–certified instructor with more than 15 years guiding others toward wellness, Stacey is the founder of StaceyYoga and the creator of an accessible chair-yoga teacher training that has helped make the practice available to every body. Her teaching pairs mindful movement and breathwork with the same evidence-based, whole-food philosophy that runs through everything at VWR — she's also a licensed Food for Life instructor, a certified Holistic Nutritionist, and holds a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell.

When she's not on the mat, Stacey lives plant-based on an Indiana farm with her husband Kyle, where she runs The Herban Farmacy. At both the Texas and Michigan 2027 retreats, she'll lead daily yoga, breathwork, and mindful movement designed to leave you grounded, open, and reconnected with your body.

Erin McIntosh has been the heartbeat of the fun at Vegan Wellness Retreats since 2025 — running the silent disco, Speed Dating, and the opening icebreaker games that make sure nobody stays a stranger. She's the founder of WOOP Life, and her whole world is sober, plant-based, high-on-life connection: grab a pair of headphones, pick your channel, and dance like nobody's listening. Warm, playful, and impossible not to dance with, Erin is back for both the Texas and Michigan 2027 retreats to help you let loose, open up, and connect.

CF GAinz — aka Najib — is back for 2027 as the Master of Ceremonies at both Vegan Wellness Retreats. If you've been with us before, you already know the deal: when Najib picks up the mic, the whole room lifts. He's the voice that opens each day, hypes the crowd between sessions, keeps the schedule moving, and makes sure nobody's still a stranger by day two.

Equal parts host, hype man, and heart of the room, CF GAinz brings the fun, high-energy vibe that ties the entire week together — introducing speakers, running the socials, and keeping the Vegan Olympics loud. He turns a lineup of events into one unforgettable community.

Back by popular demand at both the Texas and Michigan 2027 retreats. Come ready to move, laugh, and be part of it.

Dr. Joshua Helman is a Harvard-trained physician who has devoted his career to healing the brain and extending healthy life. He holds two biochemistry degrees — graduating magna cum laude from Harvard and earning a master's from Cambridge — and his MD from Harvard Medical School and MIT. He is a triple board-certified physician.

He serves as Medical Director of the Hippocrates Health Institute and as Chief Medical Officer of two centers dedicated to reversing Alzheimer's disease, where he has spent six years helping patients restore memory and brain function through fasting, whole-food nutrition, and evidence-based lifestyle medicine. His years at TrueNorth Health Center deepened his expertise in water-only fasting as a tool for healing, and he hosts the podcast Alzheimer's Breakthrough.

A returning favorite from our 2025 retreat, Dr. Helman is back on the Michigan main stage and doctors' panel in 2027 — with practical, hopeful science on protecting your brain, reversing cognitive decline, and living longer and better.

Nate and Lissa Maris are passionate advocates for compassionate living, plant-based nutrition, and creating a healthier, more connected world. Through their work, they inspire people to embrace a lifestyle centered around kindness, wellness, and the incredible potential of a plant-powered approach.

Known for their positive energy, authenticity, and ability to connect with people from all walks of life, Nate and Lissa share practical insights and inspiration that make healthy living feel approachable, joyful, and sustainable. Their message goes beyond food — it's about building a life filled with vitality, purpose, community, and compassion.

As members of the vegan movement, Nate and Lissa have dedicated themselves to educating, encouraging, and empowering others to make choices that benefit their health, animals, and the planet. Their enthusiasm and genuine passion have made them beloved members of the plant-based community.

Join Nate and Lissa at Vegan Wellness Retreat for an inspiring experience filled with connection, learning, and the celebration of a compassionate, plant-powered lifestyle.

Daniel McKinnon brings live food to life at the Michigan retreat. In hands-on demonstrations, he builds vibrant, plant-based dishes from whole, fresh ingredients right in front of you — breaking down each technique so you can recreate it long after you head home.

From everyday staples to showstopping centerpieces like the towering three-tier cake he crafted this year, Daniel’s food proves that plant-based can be every bit as beautiful as it is nourishing. Come hungry, leave inspired.