In Monday’s post, I mentioned going to sunny California for the weekend. Anyone remember that? I flew out there Thursday morning for the Integrative Nutrition Mega Conference, an event that brought together thousands of IIN students and graduates for a weekend full of passion, encouragement and true IINspiration! Recapping the entire event would result in a post long enough to make your eyes cross, so I’ll only highlight some of my favorite parts—though I can’t promise that’ll make it much shorter!
Someone upstairs wanted to help me stay on track with my sugar detox this weekend, because the most popular topic mentioned during Saturday’s presentations was sugar and its addictive and poisonous qualities. Julia Ross, an expert in the field of addiction and passionate about the dangers of sugar, spoke about sugar addiction. If you’ve ever tried to eliminate sugar from your diet, you know how difficult it can be. Ever wonder why? Well, maybe it’s because sugar is four times more addictive than cocaine. Yes, you read that correctly. COCAINE! This blew my mind, but it also made me feel like I wasn’t so crazy for craving the sweet stuff.
My favorite speaker Saturday (and that of many others) was David Wolfe. An advocate of raw foodism, David’s huge personality and infectious energy can be inspiring and terrifying, but one thing’s certain: he definitely makes you consider—even if it’s only for a moment—a raw food diet. He’s so passionate and knowledgeable about the lifestyle, it’s difficult not to hang on his every word! His presentation focused on superfoods, a topic I’ve been slowly learning more and more about. Some of the superfoods I incorporate into my daily diet include chlorella, maca and spirulina.
Many antioxidants are found in superfoods, and they provide the pigments that make foods like blueberries or carrots so vibrant. When in doubt, eat the rainbow—and I’m not talking about Skittles! (Source)
I will say, choosing one or two speakers to highlight from Sunday is impossible—I loved them all! The day kicked off with Stacey Morgenstern and Carey Peterson, two amazing women and the founders of Holistic MBA, a company that helps holistic health coaches develop their practices into more successful and lucrative businesses. They provided fantastic tools and I can’t wait to start using them with my practice!
Continuing with the business-oriented presentations, Eric Barron, a personal branding expert, talked about DiSC behavioral styles and how to use them to better communicate with people. After taking a short survey, I discovered I have a personality with high C (compliance/cautious) and I (influence/interactive) tendencies. Not only was the material interesting (I love personality psychology), Eric was a phenomenal presenter! His delivery was relatable and hilarious.
The final conference speaker was John Robbins, the only son of one of the founders of Baskin Robbins. To make a long story short, John chose not to take over his father’s company and now dedicates himself as an advocate for healthy, happy and sustainable living. He also managed to convince his father to adopt a plant-based diet and helped him add another 20 years to his life—that’s no small feat! The best part of his presentation, however, was just four simple words. “Less pain. More love.”
Though this recap touched on some of the incredible people I had the opportunity to listen to, the real inspiration and learning came from the people I was lucky enough to stay with while in California. My experiences with them deserve an entire post, and that they will. Get ready for some real IINspiration!
What are some of the most inspiring experiences you’ve ever had? What did you learn?
