Kathy Van Ness is a former fashion executive, who changed her life when she became General Manager and COO of the legendary Golden Door Spa and Resort in California. She transformed the property, and in turn, transformed her own life.

Join me in conversation with this dynamic change maker, passionate environmentalist, and activist on this edition of the Healing Wisdom podcast.

Welcome to a new episode of the Healing Wisdom Podcast featuring Diana Stobo, founder of the award-winning resort Retreat Costa Rica. Diana is not only a hotelier, but also a successful entrepreneur, raw food expert and life enthusiast.

In our Healing Wisdom Podcast, she shares her story; how she turned her entire life upside down, when realizing that although it might have seemed from the outside that she had it all – the husband, the house, the children – she was unhappy. So she did something about it. She changed from being overweight with numerous medical issues to becoming fit and healthy. And since our wellbeing is made up of more than just our physical body, she became a healing coach and healthful lifestyle enthusiast.

About The Retreat Costa Rica:

Set on a crystal mountain, the Retreat Costa Rica truly is a little piece of heaven. The healing treatments, such as crystal infused therapies, volcanic clay baths, forest bathing, farm to spa rituals as well as modern aesthetic treatments, revolve around all healing modalities that can be found in the surrounding nature. Of course, food plays a major role, so the resorts holistic approach to healing is based on a philosophy of clean living through healthy eating.

“The experience of being with somebody of true wisdom is that they can love you but not judge you, and I think we spend a lot of our lives judging ourselves.”

In this edition of the Healing Wisdom Podcast, John Stewart, one of the founders of the acclaimed holistic health resort Kamalaya in Thailand, shares his own incredible journey of personal transformation. John reflects upon a meeting that changed his life as a teen, and how he lives his life today, helping others to “move into life.”

Being a monk, but also a successful business man, John managed to find the balance between these opposite worlds. He explains that the answer to a more fulfilled life, a life that balances between spirituality and consumerism, is to simply make better choices. He muses that we need to detach from the outer influences and have the courage and curiosity to turn within to find our path to self-love and happiness.

“For me, happiness really truly comes from taking care of people.”

About the Healing Hotel Kamalaya, Koh Samui:

Set in a nurturing tropical location, this unique Healing Sanctuary and Holistic Spa Resort brings together diverse cultural, healing and spiritual traditions with the option to participate in structured healing programs and inspiring retreats. Integrating holistic medicine and complementary therapies from Eastern and Western traditions, Kamalaya takes a balanced approach to optimal physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

In this edition of The Healing Wisdom Podcast, Doris Lopez, Vice-President of Health and Healing for Canyon Ranch with locations in Lenox, Mass., and Tucson, Ariz., is our special guest. Doris states that “our mission (at Canyon Ranch) is always to help people to have a better outcome in whatever manner they want. I hear how we’ve transformed people’s lives. It doesn’t always come because they’re seeking. Sometimes it comes by surprise.”

Hear Doris and podcast host and producer Valerie Smaldone talk about finding joy in daily activities and keeping positive during these exceptionally challenging times.

Discover the benefits of Ayurveda on your immune system and wellbeing in this episode and meet Carina Preuss, the General Manager of Ayurveda Parkschloesschen. Her Healing Hotel in the German countryside is fully committed to the ancient practice of Ayurveda.

Meet Preet Singh, General Manager at The Farm at San Benito in the first episode of the new Healing Wisdom series and learn how this remarkable Healing Hotel is dealing with the pandemic in a holistic way.