1/4 - TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF IN THE NEW YEAR: Sally James, Author, Chef & Nutritionist, Dr. Carl Speizer, Director of the Napa Wellness Institute and Judi Cohen, CPCC

Slow Living Radio engaged our expert wellness panel on how to take care of yourself in the new year. With a balanced approach to physical, mental and spiritual wellness, we started the dialogue with our own Sally James, then welcomed guests Dr. Carl Speizer and Judi Cohen to the conversation. We've starting out the new year with "number one" in mind!

Sally James is an award-winning Australian chef, author, educator, television presenter and an ambassador for Australian food & wine whose books and recipes have won international acclaim for food & wine pairing, health and creativity. Sally is the author of eighteen books, including her best-selling Simply Healthy—winner of the prestigious World Cookbook Awards, Versailles, France, 1999 for Best Health Cookbook, Fresh and Healthy–Winner of the 2001 IACP International Cookbook Award in the Health category, Simply Sensational, a finalist for the IACP Award in 2003, and the Australian Heart Foundation Cookbook. She has been a guest chef and lecturer for the American Heart Association, the Culinary Institute of America, Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, COPIA, Draegar's and Publix Markets, the American Institute of Food and Wine, and Johnson & Wales Universitiesacross the United States.  James continues to do guest appearances on television and radio in the US and Canada, including a recurring guest spot on ABC television’s popular View from the Bay in San Francisco. James is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, the American Institute of Wine & Food, the Food Media Club of Australia, and Slow Food USA.

Carl Speizer, M.D., M.P.H.

Judi Cohen & Dr. Carl Speizer 

Dr. Speizer, Founder and Medical Director of the Napa Wellness Institute, has incorporated twenty five years of health care experience with his vision for mind, body and spiritual wellness to create a comprehensive multidisciplinary medical program with a focus on wellness and illness prevention. After a long career practicing acute care medicine in the emergency setting, Dr. Speizer became interested in prevention, occupational medicine and employee wellness. Since 2002 he has served as the Medical Director of both, WORKHEALTH, an occupational health clinic and the employee health program at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa, California. He received his bachelor of science degree in Zoology at San Diego State University, his masters degree in Public Health at UCLA and his medical degree at New York Medical College. He completed a residency program at Los Angeles County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Emergency and Trauma care and is board Certified. As a certified yoga instructor and provider of palliative yoga therapy, his understanding of the deep connection between health, wellness and psycho-spirituality, has been instrumental in the development of the Institutes programs.

Judi Cohen, JD, CPCC, is the founder of Warrior One, a company that consults with, mentors and coaches attorneys, physicians, entrepreneurs and other leaders to create awareness, vision and transformation. Ms. Cohen is a member of the Working Group for the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society where she is a student of Zoketsu Norman Fischer and teaches at the Group's annual Retreat for Law Professionals at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. She also teaches meditation at various venues for lawyers. She is a long-time yoga practitioner and a graduate of the Spirit Rock Mindful Yoga program, an eighteen-month residential retreat program exploring the intersection of Buddhist meditation and the Hindu Yogic traditions. She is also an affiliate partner with MBV Law LLP in San Francisco and has been practicing real estate transactional law for twenty-five years. She has been an adjunct professor of law at the University of San Francisco School of Law for over a decade, where she teaches Real Estate and Contemplative Lawyering, and is a member of the Ad Hoc Committee for Contemplative Lawyering at USF  ###