alive Contributors

Sandi Gauvin is a senior editor at alive.

Heidi Hoff is a freelance writer specializing in health and parenting. She is a frequent contributor to alive and lives with her family in Vancouver, BC.

Verena Pfleger has been teaching yoga in Vancouver and Singapore for 10 years. She currently lives and teaches on the Sunshine Coast, BC. Verena loves the inversion practice because of its ability to help focus, strengthen, and detox the body on subtle levels.

Brian Luptak is the head chef at The Acorn restaurant in Vancouver, where he continues to raise the bar with his innovative dishes, exceptional palate, and discerning eye for detail and presentation.

McKel Hill, MS, RD, LDN, is a leader in the healthy living world, inspiring an international community of followers to pursue a life of balance in wellness. She is also the founder of Nutrition Stripped, a website dedicated to optimizing health. Her expertise has been featured in Glamour, Vogue, Bon Appétit, SHAPE and more. She also provides nutrition coaching, workshops, retreats and consults privately. She is the author of the Nutrition Stripped cookbook.

Lindsey Vonn is an alpine ski racer and a member of the U.S. Ski Team. She was also an NBC news correspondent during the 2014 Winter Olympics and is the founder of the Lindsey Vonn Foundation. She is currently training for the 2018 Winter Olympics, for which she’s been named an International Games Ambassador.

Jason Lester is an ESPY Award winner, ultra-endurance athlete and author of Running on Faith. He’s also the founder of The EPIC5 Challenge. In 2014, he ran nearly 2,500 miles along the Great Wall of China in 83 days, becoming the first solo athlete to run the length of the wall.

Cam Speck is the co-founder and president at Fitplan Technologies.

Angela Wright, BSc, CNP, RNCP and Erin Roman, BSc, RD both work at InspireHealth Supportive Cancer Care. Both love to get super excited about their food choices, food sources, and food flavours! InspireHealth’s free services and programs are available in their Vancouver, Victoria, and Kelowna offices, and across Canada.

Rob Gentile, Ontario Hostelry Institute Gold Award winner for Independent Restaurateur in 2015, is the Chef Director of Toronto’s Buca Restaurant. Buca Yorkville was named Toronto’s best new restaurant in 2015 by Toronto Life.

Victor Barry, winner of three bronze medals at Toronto’s Gold Medal Plates, is chef-partner of Fika Cafe and Piano Piano the Restaurant in Toronto and co-host of Dining INNvasion on Cottage Life.

Britney Bourke, Ace-PT, logger sports competitor, and coach, specializes in full-body strength conditioning. She strives to motivate people to get off the couch and get healthy.

Lucy Sharratt is coordinator of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN), which brings together 16 organizations to research, monitor, and raise awareness about issues relating to genetic engineering.

Joe Wiebe, the Thirsty Writer, is the author of Craft Beer Revolution: The Insider’s Guide to B.C. Breweries (Douglas & McIntyre, 2015) and co-founder of Victoria Beer Week and the BC Ale Trail.

Carol Pope is co-author (with Sharon Hanna) of The Book of Kale & Friends: 14 Easy-To-Grow Superfoods (Douglas & McIntyre, 2014) and associate editor of more than 18 books on gardening and eating sustainably.

Jason Marr, ND, is a health and wellness speaker, director of Evoke Integrative Medicine, and chief naturopathic doctor at Twist Performance + Wellness in Vancouver.

Don Gonder, director of brand management at Purity Life Health Products LP, has been in the natural health industry for 23 years and is a staunch supporter/advocate for healthy living, access to natural products, and the right to choose.

Jonathan Beatty is a doctor of naturopathic medicine, a graduate of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, with a degree in nutrition and nutraceutical science from the University of Guelph.

Ashley Freeman is a nutritionist supporting women with weight loss, food sensitivities, and stress management through nutrition, lifestyle, and motivational coaching.

Tracey M. Beaulne, ND, is a Toronto-based clinician and director of The Tummy Clinic, where she focuses on complex gut-to-brain connections in treating her patients’ critical internal ecosystems.

Ann Medford is a freelance writer in Toronto.

Sophie MacKenzie is a food writer and vegan whole-food blogger from Vancouver.