Elevate & Educate: Virtual Event Programming

Topic-focused, time-conscious, expert-led conversations.

Concluding each session with an energizing well-being practice. Tap into what’s timely and important. Elevate and Educate is your virtual pulse-check on the issues, ideas, and innovations shaping wellness in SoCal and beyond.

July 22, 2026 | 12PM - 1PM

featuring Mary Bemis

What Keeps Spa Directors Up at Night?

The spa industry is evolving rapidly—but what are the issues leaders are truly grappling with? From labor shortages and rising costs to changing guest expectations and ownership demands, this candid discussion explores the challenges shaping today's spa business. Spa directors will share honest insights into the realities driving decision-making, while brands and partners gain a deeper understanding of where support, innovation, and collaboration are needed most.

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August 18, 2026 | 12PM - 1PM

featuring Julie Frumin, MA, LMFT

Featuring Julie Frumin, MA. LMFT and hosted by Kate Morrison of Ojai Valley Inn, this Elevate & Educate panel explores the growing conversation around skincare and beauty products for young teens and children.

Teens are absorbing anti-aging trends, cosmetic procedures, and complex routines through social media — often before they have the context to evaluate what they're seeing. Our industry has both the opportunity and the responsibility to offer something better.

This panel explores what age-appropriate teen wellness actually looks like, how to build services rooted in skin health over skin perfection, and how to speak to teens and parents in ways that build confidence rather than insecurity.

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September 8, 2026 | 12PM - 1PM

featuring Jeremy McCarthy

We are excited to welcome Jeremy McCarthy to our September Elevate & Educate session. As Founder & CEO of Leisure Alchemy, Jeremy has spent more than 30 years shaping luxury leisure and wellness experiences for leading hospitality brands including Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts and Mandarin Oriental. He is also the author of The Psychology of Spas & Wellbeing and a recognized leader in wellness innovation and positive leadership.

In our session titled “Building the Human / AI Interface,” Jeremy will explore how businesses can create meaningful synergy between human insight and AI-driven efficiency. The E&E will cover how to build a healthy relationship with AI, what should remain human-led, and how AI can help future-proof modern businesses.

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October 6, 2026 | 12PM - 1PM

featuring Dr. Claudia Aguirre

Bridging the Gap Between Cutting-Edge Longevity Science and the Luxury Spa Experience

Renowned Neuroscientist and Mind-Body Expert Dr. Claudia Aguirre bridges the gap between cutting-edge longevity science and the luxury spa experience. Drawing on her academic research in age-related neurodegeneration and years of hands-on work in premier spa and wellness settings, she offers something rare: genuine scientific credibility paired with real-world implementation expertise.

In this session, Dr. Aguirre will help you cut through the noise, separating true longevity science from influencer fads, and show you exactly how to translate that science into services that are both frontier-forward and operationally realistic for your property and wellness brand.

In 2009, when Dr. Claudia joined Dermalogica as their first in-house neuroscientist, she was the only PhD neuroscientist working in professional beauty. She is a TEDxUCLA speaker whose talk "The Hidden Brain in Your Skin" has been viewed by millions worldwide, a published researcher cited in peer-reviewed journals, and an invited lecturer at Stanford University. She is currently developing a book on the brain-skin connection for a general audience.

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