Events / Services
Lectures & Workshops
Please Take at Look at the Links below:
https://www.janbuhrman.com/classes-with-john-bagnulo/october2025
https://www.janbuhrman.com/classes-with-john-bagnulo/sebatian2026
Building a Stronger You- February 8-13, 2026
*$1,000 Deposit Required To Reserve Your Spot*
Accommodations are billed separately.
Sign Up Now:
https://www.janbuhrman.com/classes-with-john-bagnulo/sebatian2026
THE RETREAT
Set in a lush, subtropical environment across from the 22,000-acre St. Sebastian River Preserve, ChoZen Eco-Retreat & Sanctuary is home to approximately 10,000 species of flora and fauna and 25 endangered animals, including the Florida Panther. ChoZen is located in the heart of one of North America’s most biodiverse lagoon systems–– the nursing ground for our oceanic friends including lagoon fish and shellfish. Regular sightings of dolphins, manatees, wild turkeys, turtles, bobcats, hawks and more are a natural part of daily life. We invite you to experience this unique environment in a 5-day retreat focused on personal strength building. This adventure includes meals, lectures, cooking classes, hikes, and workouts, as well as accommodations (5 days and 5 nights).
Lectures and cooking classes will focus on Enhanced Immune Function; Finding Deeper Sleep; Increased Mental Clarity; Stronger Muscles; and Improved Detoxification.
Workouts, daily hikes, and nourishment that specifically targets over all health. Meals and cooking classes will include high-quality proteins; the right portion for your daily intake will be calculated based on you and your lifestyle. Our approach is a well-rounded, holistic plan that specifically targets a stronger you.
AND IF COLD PLUNGING IS SOMETHING YOU HAVE CONSIDERED THIS IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY
You will have the opportunity to cold plunge as part of the daily experience here in this tropical paradise. Studies suggest that cold-water plunging following high-intensity exercise has positive outcomes for muscular power, perceived recovery, and reduced muscle soreness (due to decreased levels of creatine kinase, associated with muscle damage and soreness). And if cold plunging is not your thing, well- there is a sauna and a heated swimming pool!
Our programs and retreats always incorporate well-sourced, high-quality foods, supplements, and products. All meals use ingredients from the best producers available; we look for 100% organic food, grass-fed meats, wild, regenerative growing practices, and biodynamic and glyphosate-free labeling.
With Jan providing cooking classes prior to a lunch or dinner, you will learn how to prepare delicious meals that are nutrient dense, while understanding labels and food sourcing. A recipe book and sources are available for each participant.
Nutritional lectures will cover understanding the science behind the studies. John interprets studies that reinforce the importance of nutrients in health and how they affect specific aspects of disease as well as athletic abilities. We will include the most up-to-date studies on health and wellness, and we will have fun!
We source and find the best of the best.
Both of these programs will include all the meals and recipes, activities, lectures and cooking classes.
There will be meditation, journaling and a time to share your challenges and achievements. Consider a diet and lifestyle that will teach as you boost your wellbeing and build strength.
We promote the importance of …
- buying food grown close to homegetting loads of exerciseeating a variety of plants (a minimum of 40 a week!)eliminating stresslimiting exposure to toxins and chemicalsprescribing to functional medicine
… and finding gratitude in one’s daily life.
STAYING FIT FOR LIFE IS KEY TO OVERALL HEALTH
We focus on Building a Stronger You – Three Pillars
Cognitive: Executive function, processing speed, and memory; dementia is an extreme version of this decline, but many far less severe forms of this decline are pervasive.
Physical: Stability, flexibility, mobility, strength, muscle mass, bone density, aerobic efficiency, anaerobic output, freedom from pain, and sexual function.
Emotional: social support, relationships, sense of purpose, fulfillment, and relational living.
For those who favor a preventative approach to cardiology and who follow a functional medicine approach where nutrition and lifestyle is the foundation to good health. Functional medicine is not for everyone and our teachings are a patient-centered approach to treating inflammation and chronic diseases. One
that focuses on identifying the root causes of illness and restoring health by addressing those causes. It is based on systems biology, which considers the interconnections of physiological factors, individual genes, the environment, nutrition and lifestyle, and how they are considered on an individual’s profile. It is an evolution of discovering our individual wellness.
ABOUT JOHN AND JAN
John Bagnulo and Jan Buhrman. Together John and Jan have been offering health and wellness retreats since 2009.
John Bagnulo has an MPH from the University of North Carolina and a Doctorate of Human Nutrition and Food Science from the University of Maine. He has worked as a researcher, a university associate professor, and a clinical consultant for the past 24 years. He currently serves as the Director of Nutrition for Nutritional Medicinals, a past faculty member for the Center for Mind Body Medicine, Washington DC, and has a clinical practice in Hanover VT. Much of his clinical practice is with athletes and those involved in physically demanding sports.
Jan Buhrman, M.S. Ed., was the founder and owner of the full service farm to table catering company, The Kitchen Porch, on Martha’s Vineyard. Jan has become a food advocate and authority on local sourcing and sustainable agriculture with her years of sourcing foods for her catering business from local fishermen and farmers. Jan has taught thousands of classes on technique and the importance of knowing where your food comes from. She has raised pigs and chickens and gardens, feeding her family while nourishing the land. In addition to cooking, preserving and techniques, she teaches about the connections of food and health and about composting and soil regeneration.
John brings the nutrition and the science behind our philosophies and Jan ties in the practical “how-to” of incorporating healthy recipes and lifestyle into one’s life. John explores the science behind these approaches to healthy living and presents the latest research to the classes in fun approachable ways. Jan puts it all together by teaching how to incorporate it into your daily life.
In our classes you will learn about the plant based diet and how the nutrients and fibers are vital to our gut. We explain how to incorporate animal protein into our diet, by eating animals that are grown in the wild or on pasture.It is all related; our heart, brain, and gut health are directly related to our diet and lifestyle and if it is healthy for the soil or the animals, it’s a good bet it’s healthy for us and the planet too…. Food is medicine, lifestyle is medicine, you get to choose everyday!
IN PERSON RETREAT: VERMONT OCTOBER 16-21 2022
MANIFESTING YOUR HEALTH DESTINY
In this on site workshop, we will spend 5 days together, learning, hiking and cooking together
Health is a multidimensional state that contains a variety of biochemical, mental, and spiritual components or pathways. I prefer pathways because the word does a much better job of describing the dynamic nature of each versus the static image that most individuals have in their minds. We are always changing, and this requires ongoing efforts to maintain some sort of homeostasis on all fronts. The clearest examples of this are how blood pressure changes when potassium intake increases and how triglycerides drop when insulin levels fall. In each case, the body adjusts relatively quickly. With the increased ratio of potassium to sodium, less water is retained, and our systolic blood pressure drops. As our insulin levels decrease, the liver has a decreased role in LDL cholesterol and triglyceride synthesis. As a result, both small dense LDLs and triglycerides are reduced rapidly. Similarly, there are physiological reactions occurring for every action in the ecosystem that is the microbiome or within the inflammatory cascade as it relates to the types of fatty acids present in our diet. The mental balance that is essential to wellness is also sensitive to change. Understanding and appreciating the power that we hold and the influence that our lifestyle has on our health is critical, while acknowledging that events frequently occur outside of our control is equally important. When it comes to health, being able to determine which is which may be the single most important skill.
We will circle back on the pathways to our health as we take in potassium and fatty acids in our diets. Yes ! It will be delicious and Yes! It will be fun!
There will be time around the campfires, lectures and cooking classes each day. We will begin with looking at personal health challenges.You will be paired with a partner to touch base to support one another in working through your challenges. We will journal and keep track of foods and take notes on how we feel. We’ll also explore how you nourish your health through spirit. This is a community centered approach to finding balance both in foods and our way to health. (Note: Virtual participation is possible – see pricing below)
We have 10 private rooms with private bath available
Cost: 5 day course tuition is $1198/person + $1625 ($325 per room/night includes tax – some rooms offer 2-3 beds and most are queen). You can book your own accommodations and take the course only for $1198. Room share is an additional $250 per room share.
Note: You can also take this class virtually for $449 and join via Zoom*
Includes all meals, 8 cooking classes, 8 lectures, hand outs, and recipes and access to the online workshop for up to three months. This includes a 5 day program (Sunday night- Friday at 12 noon) includes all meals, hikes, and handouts.
**Upon sign up, we require a 50% down deposit. All deposits are non refundable however they are transferrable to another person**
Also full access to the online recorded course available up to three months following the course.
Room Descriptions: Please provide three preferred room choices:
Four upstairs rooms in the original Inn, Hogback, Romance, White Rocks, and Dutton, are named after local geographical features. These rooms are part of the Inn that was built in 1813. Located right next to our library, as well as right next to the cookie jar, they are a favorite of history buffs and dessert-lovers alike! Hogback and White Rocks each have queen beds, Romance now features a new queen bed, and Dutton has two twin/single beds that can be transformed into a king. Each room is equipped with a private bathroom (shower and built-in tub) complete with local artisan soap and soft, fluffy towels.
Two Loft Rooms, Carlisle, and Polly Allen are located right off of our ‘greenhouse,’ a year-round indoor garden brimming with a wide selection of flowers and plants. These rooms were originally the attached barn to the farmhouse and are named after early Goshen settlers. An ideal space for families; each room has a queen bed as well as two twin beds upstairs in a loft. Each room is equipped with a private bathroom (shower and built-in tub) complete with local artisan soap and soft, fluffy towels.
Four Pond-side rooms, Bluetta, Orniblue, Erlibue, and Northsky are each named after a variety of blueberry common in our blueberry patch, right outside the door. Overflowing with natural light and the soft tones of the nearby brook and pond, each room features a queen bed, and Vermont-inspired artwork and decor. Orniblue is our ‘dog room,’ and we welcome your furry friends! Each room is equipped with a private bathroom (shower and built-in tub) complete with local artisan soap and soft, fluffy towels.
The Moosalamoo Cottage, a building separate from the main Inn, houses a queen bed, two twin beds upstairs in a loft, and a small sitting area. The full bath has a walk-in shower, soft fluffy towels, and locally made amenities. In addition, this is “room” has a microwave and small fridge/freezer. Perfect for families, the cottage is ‘pet friendly”. Add $500.
https://www.janbuhrman.com/classes/october2022