John is an ERYT 500, breathwork facilitator and meditation instructor. His healing journey began after being fired from his “dream job” producing sports television in New York City back in 2014.

He realized yoga and exercise were the only things bringing him joy. He completed his yoga teacher training and began teaching around New York and New Jersey.

He also noticed a massive shift in the retreat participants when they were fully out of their normal day to day lives and immersed in learning, growing and healing themselves.

He moved to California in 2017 and established SoCal Wellness Retreats as a way to make retreats more accessible and affordable. Since then he has helped thousands of people discover more strength and believe in a greater potential for their lives.

The retreats have evolved to include more science based techniques but still place a heavy emphasis on community and fun.

John likes to balance work and play with hockey, punk rock concerts and hikes with his dog Lola.

His biggest teaching influences have been Dr. Joe Dispenza, Wim Hof, Tony Robbins, Dr. Andrew Huberman, Dr. Jean Houston and the late Ram Dass.

He is always seeking ways to better understand the complex world of wellness and his focus is teaching ancient practices of breath, meditation and movement through the lens of neuroscience and quantum mechanics. His unique still infuses an emphasis on fun and playfulness.

He has been a part of many retreats and trainings with Joe Dispenza, Wim Hof, Tony Robbins and Jean Houston and has also been a part of a Coherence Healing meditation group led by Joe Dispenza and University of California San Diego.

Dr. Byron Bloemer practiced as a licensed psychologist for 25 years, providing more than 20,000 hours of psychotherapy to individuals and couples. He has conducted over 150 seminars and taught graduate school to doctoral and master’s degree students. As the proprietor of two mental health clinics, he led his team of over 45 psychologists, therapists and a medical psychiatrist, who served more than 1,100 patients per week. He successfully sold his practice to a next generation company in 2023. Dr. Bloemer now facilitates experiential seminars to help participants become conscious of, deepen, and evolve their relationship with themselves.

In Byron’s sessions, you will walk through various exercises designed to take you into the interior corners of your being, to explore previously unknown or less familiar aspects of yourself, and to learn to connect with and relate in refreshed ways to your mind, body and soul. Alienation from ourselves and the subsequent sense of separation from others is a primary cause of our nation’s current epidemic of loneliness, depression, anxiety and existential crises.

Elevation Eating is a seasonally-focused private chef company specializing in wellness retreats and transformational events. Founded by Chef Perla, who believes in supporting a sustainable food culture by using food to uplift community health, inspire social change and promote ecological regeneration. Her team's approach to cooking borrows from their shared experience using food as medicine and their work creating nourishing meals that satisfy taste buds. They're devoted to creating food that focuses on high-quality, local-sourced, beyond organic ingredients that support a healthier community and planet.

Ohana Friedrick of Sacred Wellness is proud to collaborate with SoCal Wellness through massage, energy healing and sound baths.

Her journey into the healing arts started as a baby. As an infant her mother would give her daily massages with the intention to make her strong and beautiful. This loving, caring energy continues to impact the work she shares with the community through healing, intimacy, movement and nonverbal communication workshops.

Her training extends from a BFA in Musical Theater, a licensed massage therapist, yoga teacher training in Guatemala, Reiki master and theta practitioner. For many years she practiced these modalities separately, then on one afternoon a friend asked her to share her voice as part of the session. Through this, Sacred Wellness was birthed, allowing for intuitive healing to occur with massage, energy healing, and sound bath all united.

Her passions also include bringing community together to share in caring for the earth mother, finding freedom through movement and dance, and authentic deep playful relating.

Amanda is a reiki energy practitioner, yoga instructor, and public health enthusiast. Originally from the East Coast, her soul’s journey and adventurous spirit has led her all around the world. She holds a Masters in Public Health with a focus in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and a decade of experience working in public health. Since then, she has worked remotely around the world in Central America + Hawaii; lived on a sailboat in French Polynesia; brought yoga to remote islands off of Fiji; and organized workshops + studied with healers across New Zealand. Now planted in sunny San Diego, Amanda is filled with joy to support your journey at SoCal Wellness Retreat. She looks forward to welcoming you with open arms and sharing her reiki energy healing practices with you!Item description