STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
Speakers at the 2022 Sun Valley Wellness Festival will address everything from the anatomy of fear to CLEAN, a program said to restore the body’s natural ability to heal itself.
This year’s festival – the 25thth– will be held in Ketchum from June 10th to 13th. Its theme is ‘Coming Home’ as it examines how social health and well-being define the basis of collective well-being and sheds light on what it means to be a community.
The festival features more than 30 presentations and workshops from experts in the fields of psychotherapy, herbal medicine and nutrition, anxiety and mental health, yoga and mindfulness.
It will also offer a free outdoor amusement park at Festival Meadows on Sun Valley Road with music, food, exercise and yoga classes and vendors. Many new items have been added to this year’s event, including themed dinners, receptions and get-togethers with our speakers for Festival Pass holders to encourage community and connection.
Mountain meditations and holistic hiking round off the weekend.
“Our 25thth The anniversary event will honor both the past and the future while anchored in the present moment,” said Geneal Thompson, the Festival’s Executive Chairman. “The lineup of our speakers is exceptional, and these renowned experts will address a wide range of timely, cutting-edge topics. “
Festival passes for attending events at The Argyros and Limelight Hotel in person are available, along with virtual options below www.sunvalleywellness.org. Pass holders have access to all online session content until July 31, 2022.
Individual tickets for presentations are offered according to space availability. The Limelight Hotel, which will serve as SVWF headquarters in 2022, is offering special overnight rates.
Sun Valley Wellness Festival 2022 speakers include:
Rich Doblin, PhD, Harvard-trained researcher and founder of MAPS – the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies
- je ivy, Award-winning poet, recording artist, songwriter, author, 2022 Grammy nominee for album “Best Spoken Word”.
- Steven Gundry MD, New York Times Best-selling author by The Plant Paradox and The longevity paradox
- Nora McInerny, Author and host of the award-winning Terrible, Thanks for Asking podcast, which shares ideas on how to navigate the toughest parts of life and live life fully in the face of loss
- Finian Makepeace, Thought leaders in regenerative agriculture and soil health
- Ellen Vora MDa holistic psychiatrist and author of The Anatomy of Fear
- Alejandro Junger MD, cardiologist, founder of the CLEAN program, New York Times Bestselling Author
- Preetthaji KrishnaPhilosopher, mystic, transformation leader and co-founder of the O&O Academy
- gary quinn, Financial Wellbeing Speaker, Coach, Strategist, Intuitive, Author and Educator
- Darshana Avila, Somatic sex and intimacy coach, recognized expert at Netflix Sex, Love and Goop
- Austin WellsAuthor, spiritual medium and gardener of souls
- david pond, Astrologer, author, speaker and leader of international workshops
- Alan Pesky, Co-founder of the Lee Pesky Learning Center and author
- Pirie Jones Grossman, Author, Speaker, Podcast Host, Life Empowerment Coach
- Britt Frank MSWTrauma specialist, therapist and author
- Claudia Alum, Writer, co-author of More to life than more; A reminder of misunderstandings, losses and learning
- rod stryker, world famous meditation teacher, yoga teacher, author and founder of Parayoga
- Suzanne Springer, Episcopal priest, mystical theologian, writer, poet and orator
The festival began in 1997, when wellness began as a movement, and is considered one of the longest-running wellness festivals in the world. It was produced and administered by the Sun Valley/Ketchum Chamber & Visitors Bureau until 2005, when the non-profit Sun Valley Wellness Organization was formed to assume responsibility.
Past speakers include Deepak Chopra, Ram Dass, Dr. James Doty, Dr. Abraham Verghese, Dr. Eben Alexander, Marianne Williamson, Jewel, Dr. Vin Gupta and Arianna Huffington.
The festival established the Cheryl Welch Thomas Scholarship Fund this year to honor Thomas, a key festival founder and a staunch supporter of the festival since its inception. Thomas has owned and operated the Chapter One Bookstore in Ketchum for more than four decades.
The scholarship on her behalf offers partial and full scholarships to needy applicants.
“Cheryl has been an advocate and creative force for the Sun Valley Wellness Festival from day one, but she has done most of the work quietly and behind the scenes because that is her humble nature. This grant, helping others who attend the festival to learn to grow is truly the best way to honor all that Cheryl has done for the festival over the years,” said Thompson.
Donations to the scholarship fund can be made at https://www.sunvalleywellness.org/donate. The festival accepts online scholarship applications https://www.sunvalleywellness.org/scholarship
The Wellness Festival board members are Geneal Thompson, Chairman Nick Maricich, Vice President Dr. Aaron Stern, Secretary Brenda Powell, Treasurer Sam Wilke, Marya Hecht, Blair Lauren Brown, Claudia Nanino, Tommy Rosen and Allison Quistgard Scherer.
