Meet the Team

“THE EXPERIENCE” Program Director, CPT, CMT, Wellness Life Coach & Nutritional Consultant

Mary Schmidt is a certified personal trainer and massage therapist. She is an accredited exercise therapist and posture alignment specialist and nutritional consultant.

From her background as a fundraising director and event specialist, Mary brings to The Retreat many valuable assets. Her position as program director is a perfect blend of her creative business achievements and her 30 years as a teacher, coach, author and speaker in the health and wellness industry. She has been a leader in corporate wellness programs throughout California. As an owner of a thriving personal training business and private gym, she has worked with all age groups and fitness levels. Her enthusiasm is contagious and she gives her clients the inspiration to bring about change from the inside out. When she met Lloyd Charton, she was impressed with how he had created The Experience Wellness Week to have a dramatic, positive and lifelong effect on people’s lives. Mary is passionately focused to have each guest at The Experience leave with a higher quality of life and an overall feeling of well being.

CPT, M.Sc. in Exercise and Sport Psychology

Haili McLeod is an experienced, certified personal trainer, nutritionist and physical education lecturer based in Newport Beach. Passionate about health, wellness and the Transition Movement, Haili believes ‘Without great health, no other joy is possible’ and is dedicated to helping others make healthy lifestyle transformations.

Nena Niessen, author of “Cures From The Kitchen: Recipes For Healthy Living,” is a certified plant based nutritionist from Cornell University. She is also certified in natural health and nutritional microscopy. She currently practices at a alternative clinic in Costa Mesa and teaches healthy cooking in Irvine. She prepares all meals with fresh, natural ingredients: herbs, vegetables and nuts when appropriate. She loves to create different salad dressings and sauces depending on the main and vegetable dishes.

One of seven children born to doctor parents in the small town of El Sauce, Nicaragua, she learned how to cook at a very young age. By age 14, she was already considered an accomplished chef using fresh, healthful ingredients.

In travels through the U.S. and Europe, she has learned to include ingredients from various regional cuisines. But regardless of where her culinary ideas originate, her first priority is simple, healthful and delicious meals.

Jennifer is a teacher/healer/facilitator that has been in the wellness industry for over 20 years. She has taught at various spa resorts such as St.Regis, Montage Resort Laguna Beach, Cesars Palace and Mariott Hotel. A Certified Integrative Breathwork Practitioner from the teachings of David Elliott and a Reiki Energy Master that intuitively will guide you into your own self healing - Physically, Mentally, Emotionally and Spiritually. She is a certified pilates teacher and life student of Tantric Dance of Feminine Power that teaches bringing more awareness into the body by facilitating the use of breathwork, pilates, yoga, dance and meditation.

She believes the external reality cannot be separated from internal reality. When we can transform negative blocked energy in the body into higher levels of awareness, we are on our way to self mastery, love and healing.

Evonne Kane is a California-state licensed acupuncturist and graduate of the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in San Francisco. She has maintained a private practice in Laguna Beach since 1986. Her continuing education is focused on the relationships between the immune, endocrine and nervous systems.

With 24 years of clinical experience, Evonne has cultivated an approach to health that is nurturing, as well as effective. Her therapies address inadequate nutrition, poor circulation, inflammation, stress, and hormonal imbalance – the underlying causes of many disorders. She collaborates with her clients to arrive at simple lifestyle changes that often provide fast, tangible relief.

In addition to her training in acupuncture and Chinese herbs, Evonne has studied and taught acupressure, qi gong, nutrition, and food preparation.

A native of Southern California, Wade Binley, D.C., has operated his chiropractic practice in South Orange County for more than 25 years, helping patients restore physical balance after over-working, over-stressing or over-recreating. Dr. Binley guides patients through a managed detoxification and then a directed and effective restoration of healthful functionality.

To keep his patients well, Dr. Binley empowers them by teaching them the fundamentals of health: balance, fitness, and nutrition-his personal passion.

While illness may be complex, Dr. Binley believes that health is simple and attainable, and counts it a privilege to guide his patients into their most healthy days yet.

Renee Ulnick has been providing her clients with professional colon hydrotherapy services for the past eight years. She herself struggled with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) for many years, unable to find relief through doctors’ prescriptions, harsh laxatives and a high fiber diet. Colon hydrotherapy, however, provided her with the health and relief she had been seeking. Her goal now is to help others better their lives with cleansing and lifestyle changes.

Dana Prather is a licensed massage therapist who has been practicing since 1997. She has worked with conventional and holistic practitioners and with professional athletes. He specializes in Trigger Point Therapy, PNF Stretching, Sports Therapy, Swedish Massage, and Active Release Technique (ART.)

Cheri Ikerd is the owner/president of OC Wildlife & Beach Tour Inc. and has a B.S. Degree in Business Administration from the University of Laverne. After 15 years working in marketing management for high-profile corporations, Cheri decided to venture out on her own with a business that would make a positive difference in peoples’ lives and, ultimately, the environment. In 2007, she started her own EcoTours that take locals and visitors to the ocean, tide pools and the Pacific Marine Mammal Center. On her tours, she provides each guest a conservation and environmental list that shows what they can do to help preserve the beauty of our oceans and the variety of creatures that live in the tide pools.

Cheri currently is a volunteer Tidewater Docent for Laguna Ocean Foundation. In addition, she is a naturalist and a CTA (Certified Tourism Ambassador.) Cheri is a native Californian and has traveled the globe. Her favorite destination is the Galapagos Islands.

Tiphanie Litalien is a Board Certified Licensed Esthetician. Her mission is to give her clients a professional, but yet, affordable solution to healthy skin. Her unique approach to healthy skin is taking the time with each client to determine the best way to maintain and achieve the best looking skin possible with minimally invasive procedures for your individual skin needs. Tiphanie has been working part time for Dr. Marcela Dominguez at Complete Care Family Medicine & Avanti Skin Center, in Mission Viejo. She also continues to educate herself by taking classes at the International Dermal Institute in Irvine. Through these courses she has been certified in:

• International Skin Care Techniques
• Acne: Types, Triggers, & Treatment
• Treating Rosacea and Sensitized Skin
• Skin Color and Pigmentation
• Advanced Skin Analysis
• Photo damaged & Aging Skin Treatments
• Hydroxy Acids & Exfoliation Techniques
• Medical Microdermabrasion
• Galvanic & High Frequency Treatments
• Machine-ability
• Reflexology

Tiphanie Litalien has always had a strong love for taking care of others and helping people feel confident about themselves in their own skin.

CMT

Mary Ann received her training on the island of Kauai, Hawaii graduating from Pacific College Center for Bodywork and Awareness. She then apprenticed for the following year under her kumu and mentor Louise Arakaki, the island’s most revered massage educator of 30 years. She continued her instruction under the Colorado Center for Healing Touch… a modality that re-establishes health and balance through our human energy field. She then began her journey of self-healing applying her resources of island living by studying the Hawaiian’s most honored form of massage.. Lomi Lomi. This remains her passion and is what she incorporates into all of her bodywork. She specializes in a flowing therapeutic massage combining deep work and techniques skillfully that will wake your spirit and deeply relax your body.

CPT, Nutrition Instructor, Fitness Lecturer & Motivator

Ken Roycroft has traveled the world and dedicated his life to
the pursuit of understanding the human body and to developing
his unique approach to rebalancing our structural imbalances,
healing chronic injuries and maximizing vitality for all that he encounters.