Authors

NANCY PEATE writes and speaks about wellness and how to live one’s best life despite chronic illness. After working as a software technical writer, she returned to the classroom to get a master’s degree in Library Science. A research librarian by profession, research topics of most interest include resilience and chronic illness, particularly Parkinson’s disease.

JOHN PENDERGRASS is an eye surgeon, decorated Vietnam veteran, and six-time IRONMAN® triathlon competitor. A native Mississippian, he graduated from Delta State College and earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Mississippi. Pendergrass is the first person over 60 to ever compete in six IRONMAN triathlons on six continents, which served as

ANDY PHILLIPS is a contributing writer at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is also a motivational speaker who speaks to a variety of audiences about the importance of character, perseverance, going after your goals, and the ability to view losses as lessons. He is a former 2x Division-1 Football Captain and played as

RINA PLAPLER is a Partner at MBLM and has built brands for over 20 years. She leads strategy at MBLM in New York and has held executive positions at FutureBrand and Gormley & Partners. Rina has worked with B2B, B2C and B2G companies and has extensive strategy experience across a variety of industries including financial

PAMELA POST-FERRANTE, MED, MFA, CAGS, is a writer, teacher and workshop leader. She teaches in the Graduate School of Expressive Therapies at Lesley University and currently leads sessions privately and in Boston area hospitals for cancer survivors. She was published in Living on the Margins: Women Writers on Breast Cancer. Her work has been heard

CHEF HARI PULAPAKA is a Worldchefs Certified Master Chef (WCMC), a Certified Executive Chef (CEC) and an inductee into the American Academy of Chefs (AAC) of the American Culinary Federation with four James Beard Award semifinalist nods as Best Chef-South and multiple Food & Wine People’s Best Chef recognitions. Born and raised in Mumbai, India,

JENNEFFER PULAPAKA, DPM, is a Board-Certified Podiatric Physician Diplomate from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. A trained podiatric surgeon who specializes in diabetic limb salvage, she is the founder of DeLand Foot and Leg Center. She focuses on Peripheral Vascular Disease, holds a Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate, and is a Culinary Health Education Fundamentals (CHEF)

TOM RAWLINGS is an attorney board-certified in child welfare and juvenile justice law. He has served as a juvenile court judge, as the child protection ombudsman for the State of Georgia, as the Director of the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services, and as leader of a child abuse prosecution and treatment team in

SHARON RICARDI has over 30 years of experience in the field of health care and senior care, specializing in Alzheimer’s disease. She was the Executive Director of Middlesex Visiting Nurse Association followed by a stint as Executive Director of an assisted living community in Framingham, MA. She was also the Regional Director of Operations for