Mike Young – Founder + CFO (Chief Foodie Officer)
Mike Young is the Founder of aPlantBasedDiet.org 501(c)(3) Non-Profit, TriangleGrapeVine.org and FloridaGrapeVine.org. aPlantBasedDiet.org has a website full of food and recipe resources, a YouTube Channel, local community groups, and live in person outdoor festival events up and down the US East Coast. He’s the type of person that’s continually in search of improvement and doing the best he can do with everything. Mike has always been a forward thinker, and this has propelled him into leading a whole foods plant based lifestyle. He believes there’s nothing more important to do today than spread the good news of this lifestyle since everyone and everything benefits! Mike can be found perpetually on social media. Mike is also a Lifestyle Nutritionist @ ForeverYoungNutritionCoaching.com with a passion for human health. Author of the vBook “Live to 150” available FREE here: http://LiveTo150.org You can learn about his health journey here: https://youtu.be/jWFPL4xKMcs
Denise Young
Denise began her non-profit leadership work as the President of her COA. She leads projects and analyses financial data as a Senior Systems Analyst at Freddie MAC. Denise began her Plant-based journey after Mike encouraged her to read The China Study in 2017. Denise lost her beloved Aunt and Grandmother to diabetes and watched several family members struggle with breast cancer. She’s committed to educating people about a healthy lifestyle that doesn’t exploit animals and is better for the environment. Since switching to a Whole Foods Plant Based diet, Denise has lost 20 pounds, has resumed running and recently won first place in her age group in a competitive 5K!
Dr. Harrington
Dr. James Loomis
Caryn Dugan, CHWC
Lisa Wong, L.Ac.
A vegan acupuncturist and optimal health coach, Lisa is the founder of the Center for Healing By Design, a 501c3 non-profit with the mission to empower vegans, vegetarians, and compassionate people worldwide to get in touch with their Inner Doctor and create happy, healthy, and fulfilling lives in harmony with Mother Earth and all living beings.
Dr. Joshua Helman MD
Dr. Joshua Helman MD is a Harvard-trained Physician licensed in 14 states. He has two degrees in Biochemistry (bachelor’s from Harvard magna cum laude and master’s from the University of Cambridge, UK). Dr. Josh is Board Certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine and the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine. His Medical Degree is from Harvard Medical School and MIT. He is the former Medical Director of Hippocrates Health Institute, and has worked at the TrueNorth Health Center with a focus on Fasting. He has an upcoming online Summit in November on Preventing Dementia.
Dilip Barman
Dilip Barman has been involved with plant‐based lifestyle for decades. He is President of the Triangle Vegetarian Society in North Carolina where he hosts the country’s largest vegetarian (all vegan) Thanksgiving. He is a Food for Life instructor (and has a promotional video); Food for Life is a nutrition education program of the Physicians Committee, a non‐profit organization with a goal of improving lives through evidence‐based research in food and nutrition. Dilip is Executive Producer of the 2020 film Code Blue that shows how lifestyle choices can profoundly affect health. Dilip designed a program and now offers 3-day immersions teaching healthy cooking and nutrition.
Cody Stubbe, MSN, RN
Cody Stubbe, MSN, RN, is a Nursing Instructor at Nebraska Methodist
College in Omaha and at Purdue University Global in Lincoln. She has worked as a licensed nurse for over 20 years and has a background is surgical nursing, specializing in cardiothoracic, vascular and orthopedic surgery. Since 2009, she has shifted focus to nursing education with experience in teaching theory as well as a variety of clinical settings and educating all levels of courses for undergraduate nursing programs. Cody started a Lifestyle Medicine Student Interest group at Nebraska Methodist College where she currently serves as an advisor and helps plan events that promote Lifestyle Medicine on campus and in the community.
Bryan Strickland, MD & Carolyn May Strickland
Bryan Strickland, MD is an Assistant Professor of Medicine with UAB Internal Medicine Residency Program in Montgomery, Alabama. Dr. Strickland is board certified in Internal Medicine and board certified in LifeStyle Medicine. He serves on the board of the State of Alabama Department of Public Health. Dr. Strickland has followed a plant-based diet and taught his patients about the benefits of a plant-based diet since 2009.
Carolyn May Strickland is a Food for Life Instructor with Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). She’s also a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, Certified Health and Wellbeing Coach, YMCA certified fitness instructor, graduate of Cornell Center for Nutrition Studies, and graduate of Rouxbe/Forks Over Knives plant-based cooking school. She is a member of the Move Montgomery Health and Wellness Task Force and board president of EATSouth urban teaching farm.
Bryan and Carolyn, who live in Montgomery, Alabama, have a YouTube channel called Stricklands & Friends: A Seasonal WFPB Cookbook. You can also see Carolyn on the show So Many Cooks in the Kitchen on YouTube, Facebook, and The PlantBased Network. She was featured in the December 2022 edition of Women’s World magazine and you’ll find some of her original recipes in Glen Merzer’s book Food is Climate.
Bryan and Carolyn started a monthly plant-based potluck, VegOut Montgomery, in 2013 and a monthly cooking and nutrition class, Meatless Monday Montgomery, at the Montgomery Whole Foods (2018-2022). (Meatless Monday Montgomery is now available on Facebook Live on the last Monday every month and as a local meet-up.)
Kathy Brobst
Kathy Brobst is a certified Group Exercise, Yoga, and Pilates instructor. She holds certifications through American Council of Exercise (ACE), Yoga Alliance (500ERYT, YACEP) and Meditate School of Mindfulness. Kathy has been in the fitness industry for 25 years, teaching group exercise, yoga, and pilates classes. After a back injury, Kathy discovered the healing power of yoga and wanted to help others with their pain. This led her to focus on yoga therapeutics in her private practice with clients. In addition, she later studied with Rachel Krentzman, author of Yoga for a Happy Back, and Scoliosis, Yoga Therapy, and The Art of Letting Go to become a certified “Happy Back” yoga teacher. Recently, Kathy has become certified, through Meditate School of Mindfulness, as a Practitioner of Sound Therapies, utilizing crystal and Himalayan sound bowls, tuning forks, and various other instruments to promote energy balancing through the power of intention and vibration.
Kathy lives in Northern Virginia and enjoys hiking, plant-based cooking, reading, paddle boarding, exercise (of course), and spending time with her family: husband, David, sons, Tyler and Jordan, and daughter, Megan and many other extended family. She is honored and excited to share yoga with the Health Optimization group on Celebrity Cruises!
