It’s always amazing (but not surprising!) what a week or ten days can do to transform someone’s life for the better. Since we launched Holistic Holiday at Sea in 2004, guests have expanded their knowledge about holistic nutrition, fitness, animal advocacy, and culinary arts by learning from the world’s leading experts. Onboard, there’s a special combination of education, vacation, and relationship building. It’s a recipe for growing minds, putting a smiles on faces, and guiding everyone on the path to wellness.

Year after year, our engaging presenters feed curiosity and open hearts. From physicians and nutritionists to animal welfare activists and movement coaches, these experts are making huge strides in the plant-based movement. They’re definitely our heroes! We wanted to know—who are theirs?!

Who is your biggest hero (living or deceased) in the vegan/plant-based movement?

Robert Cheeke says:

Determining my biggest hero is tough because so many people have played important roles in my life. In the vegan movement, I would have to say that Howard Lyman (Mad Cowboy) is up there near the top, along with my older sister, Tanya, who first encouraged me to adopt a vegan lifestyle. In the athletic world, Brendan Brazier has long been a role model for me. He helped me in myriad ways in sports and in business, being one of the people I look up to greatly. In the areas of health and wellness, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr., Dr. Michael Greger, and Rip Esselstyn are heroes of mine. I am so grateful and so fortunate to have such wonderful role models.

Dr. Michael Greger says:

Nathan Pritikin, as per my grandmother’s story that I talk about in the preface to How Not to Die. [Watch this 3-minute video on Dr. Greger’s grandmother and the work of Pritikin, one of our early lifestyle medicine pioneers.] Pictured here is Dr. Greger and his grandmother.

Angelica Kushi says:

My biggest heroes are my grandparents (as cheesy as that sounds) Michio and Aveline Kushi. They were ambitious, loving and caring. They came from Japan in the late ’40s and early ’50s to teach about macrobiotics. They were whole foods and plant-based long before it was even the slightest bit accepted. They coined the term “natural foods” and helped thousands if not millions of people create health in their lives. They taught about the link between food and our kindness to the entire planet.

These two quotes by Michio Kushi, sum it up:

“Peace begins in the kitchens and pantries, gardens and backyards, where our food is grown and prepared. The energies of nature and the infinite universe are absorbed through the foods we eat and are transmuted into our thoughts and actions.” -Michio Kushi

“We all have come from infinity, We all live within infinity. We all shall return to infinity. We are all manifestation of one infinity. We are all brothers and sisters of one infinite universe. Let us love each other. Let us help each other. Let us encourage each other. Let us all together continue to realize the endless dream of one peaceful world. We are always ONE forever.” -Michio Kushi

Jessica Porter says:

I’m a big fan of Christina Pirello… We have been friends for over 20 years, but I also have a fangirl admiration for her knowledge and skills. As a fellow funny redhead, she feels like a sister to me, but I don’t think I’ll ever reach her capacity in the cooking department. Go, Christina!

Dr. Michael Klaper says:

My greatest hero is Dr. Albert Schweitzer – a name all but unknown to today’s young people. Dr. Schweitzer was a physician who unselfishly cared for the people of Gabon at his clinic at Lambarene, and who embodied the principle of “ahimsa,” or reverence for all of life in everything that he did. Even insects and snakes were held in sacred regard by the Good Doctor, as he knew each was a fellow inhabitant of this amazing world, to be treated with reverence, wonder, and respect. His diet, as were all of his actions, was based upon the non-causation of suffering – so, of course, it was plant-based. To me, Dr. Schweitzer personified the best in humanity and in medicine – and his example sets the standard toward which I strive each day.

Christina Pirello says:

My biggest heros are Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, but in our living world, I would have to go with Dr. Neal Barnard for his tireless work.

Dr. Neal Barnard says:

Dean Ornish, Ben Spock, Denis Burkitt, and David Jenkins.

Meet Your Heroes!

We love it when attendees return home inspired, excited, and enriched! Year after year, it feels like we’re one big family sailing to beautiful ports around the Caribbean. Join the fun in 2019! Now is the best time to book. The super early bird rate ends on April 27!