On behalf of Holistic Holiday at Home, I want to sincerely thank you for spending an amazing week onboard our first virtual voyage to wellness. It means so much to me, and to the whole team, that you trusted us to bring you inspiring content and that you truly care about your well-being.
To thank you for being a part of this amazing journey, I am extending a special discount of $100 when you upgrade your content package. Just use the code Robert100.
Being the primary host of this incredible online event has been one of the great honors of my life. Not just because more than 54,000 people registered, and because I received wonderful feedback about my role as co-host, but because I had the opportunity of a lifetime to sit down, virtually, one-on-one with many of my greatest heroes.
I never imagined I would be interviewing the original pioneers of the plant-based movement; people like Dr. T. Colin Campbell, who has had one of the biggest impacts on my life, were on my screen, chatting with me. I learned. I laughed. I cried–– all week long with you. I set my compass to True North, on my own discovery of the best version of myself. And I know many of you were doing the same thing, with each new presentation, lecture, and mindfulness, fitness, yoga, or cooking class, taking one more step forward in your own pursuit of health and happiness.
Holistic Holiday at Sea has always had a special place in my heart. It was on board the cruise ship, on the dance floor at the welcome party, where I met my wife 10 vegan cruises ago. Our lives changed forever when our sense of adventure, thirst for knowledge and love of plant-based foods brought us together in the Caribbean, thousands of miles from the west coast cities of Seattle and Los Angeles that we called home at the time. The producer of the virtual vegan cruise, Justin Belleme, has a similar story, meeting his wife on board, and we’re not alone. Many others have met and married, become best friends, and celebrated life milestones like anniversaries while cruising in the name of health. Countless lives have been changed as a result of the vegan cruise that has been sailing out of southern Florida for the past 17 years.
When the 2021 cruise was canceled due to the Coronavirus and Justin had the idea to create a virtual event with lectures and classes run by the biggest names in the plant-based health world, he approached me about being one of the hosts for this event. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I could do it. I was just wrapping up the biggest project of my life, writing a new book titled, The Plant-Based Athlete, that is set to be published by the world’s second largest publisher, Harper Collins, and which has been a dream 30-years-in-the-making. I had been dealing with social and performance anxiety, unsure I could fulfill the role of playing co-host on camera. Knowing how much the cruise has meant to me over the past decade, with the realization that the future of the cruise itself is unknown due to the virus, I took a deep breath and accepted the role, wondering if I had what it took to deliver on my promise. With trepidation, sweaty palms, and shortness of breath, I set out to interview nearly every single featured speaker in a recorded interview, a live Q&A, or both–– a project that would take me a month to complete.
When the virtual vegan cruise came to an end, I performed the last live class of the whole cruise just before the farewell dance party, and I got emotional on camera. Not because I was sad that the cruise was over, but because I was able to fulfill my role as host, overcoming stress and anxiety as I interviewed the legends of the plant-based movement on camera, in front of tens of thousands of people.
I was also sad that it was over and I was proud; proud of making a real difference in the world and doing my part to inspire, motivate, and help thousands of people make changes in their lives. But mostly, I was relieved.
And luckily for me, I learned from numerous doctors throughout my interviews how I can address my own anxiety through myriad practices and techniques, including simply taking more time for myself, and stepping back to breathe, meditate, read, relax, unwind, increase my water and whole food intake, get to bed earlier, exercise more, and even try some medical approaches to reach greater states of calm, especially during times of elevated stress.
I’d like to recognize a few crucial people who make Holistic Holiday at Home and Sea possible:
- Founder, Sandy Pukel, and Jan and John Belleme, who both worked with Sandy for a decade to get the cruise off the ground and smooth sailing to where we are today
- Justin Belleme, who created the concept for the virtual vegan cruise and invited me to play an important role as one of the faces of this event
- Chef AJ, who hosted and coordinated all the cooking demonstrations
- Bridgette Kossor, who hosted the entertainment and talent show, and managed our Facebook community
I also want to thank all of you. Without you, the wonderful virtual cruise community, this event would not have the impact that it had, and it sure would have felt a lot different hosting interviews and classes without an audience. So, thank you for your involvement, support, and trust in us to bring you a high-value experience.
Lastly, I want to acknowledge the power that each and every one of you has to create the world that you want to live in. Every choice you make about what you put on your plate is a vote for the lifestyle you believe in. I encourage you to be bold and proud. Set goals. Believe in yourself as you pursue health and happiness, one bite, one smile, and one kind word at a time. Know that you are valued, appreciated, and respected for who you are, wherever you are on your journey.
Our goal with Holistic Holiday at Home was to help one another get and stay healthy, together. Indeed, together we can change the world. I believe in you, and I thank you more than you know, for believing in me.
As I’ve said every day during our week-long voyage together: on behalf of Sandy Pukel, Justin Belleme, Chef AJ, Bridgette Kossor, and myself, thank you for being part of Holistic Holiday at Home and I wish you a wonderful day.
Until we set sail again, eat well, train hard, smile often, and lift others up. I look forward to seeing you again in the future, and I wish you all the very best in health and wellness. – Robert Cheeke, co-host of Holistic Holiday at Home
PS: Don’t forget to use Robert100 to save $100 when you upgrade your content package. This code expires at the end of the day on Monday, August 10th.
