Advisory Board
Phil Swain - CEO & President, YogaWorks
Phil Swain, the President and CEO of YogaWorks, brings over 27 years as a leader in the sports and fitness industries to guide YogaWorks in its mission to become the mind-body and yoga authority worldwide. Phil raises the bar on innovation daily at YogaWorks, spearheading progressive programming initiatives, developing teacher-training programs, and opening centers in new markets. Setting the trend for the next generation, Phil is instrumental in organizing and professionalizing the yoga world, while also introducing yoga to people of all ages and from all walks of life.
Under Phil’s direction, YogaWorks is opening several new locations, including the latest eco-friendly center in Westlake Village, and a teacher-training institute in Santa Monica. He is also concentrating on setting international standards for yoga instructors with the YogaWorks Certification Process to ensure quality and consistency in all areas of instruction.
Jean-Christophe Gabler - Publisher & Founder, Yogi Times Magazine
Jean-Christophe Gabler moved from France to Los Angeles in 1993. After pursuing a career in the entertainment industry for several years, he discovered his talent for finances while working on the development of Yogi Times Magazine. His yoga practice became a turning point in his life, giving him the focus and the direction he had been seeking. After returning from a 10-day Vipassana meditation, JC delved into publishing with great passion and an intention to share the joy of yoga, health and sustainability with the world. As the Publisher and Co-founder of Yogi Times, JC’s focus is keeping the magazine running smoothly with an eye toward the future growth of the company.
Sophie Parienti - Editor-in-Chief & Founder, Yogi Times Magazine
Bringing people together seems to be an ethos for Sophie Parienti. After earning her BA in Art history at the University of Bordeaux in France, she pursued a certification in Public Relations at UCLA. Since first arriving in the states in 1992, she has delved deeply into the world of holistic health and yoga philosophy. Sophie trained with some of the most respected teachers in Los Angeles and turned her understanding of yoga into a lifestyle. For twelve years she dedicated her time to teach and spread the joy of yoga to her students. In 2002, she founded Yogi Times magazine in Los Angeles by gathering a team of passionate and dedicated entrepreneurial spirits who still run the magazine to this day. Sophie and her team have launched two other magazines: Yogi Times San Francisco and Yogi Times Business. She lives in Los Angeles with her son and husband, Yogi Times co-founder, Jean-Christophe Gabler.
Chris Roy – Social Entrepreneur & Founder, Namaste Interactive
Chris was never too interested in following the road most traveled by. An early affinity for music, culinary arts and culture peaked his interest in restaurants and ultimately led him to Laguna Beach as a partner in laid-back dream beach town cafe. This is where Chris first found himself drawn to the art of brand building. It wasn’t until the Internet began to emerge that he decided to depart from the restaurant business and begin a 10-year journey working in high-level sales and marketing positions for several internet start-ups. Shortly thereafter, Chris relocated to Shasta County to help launch an instant messaging software company. It was here that he was introduced to yoga and meditation through several wonderful teachers. In 2004, Chris co-founded Namaste Interactive with a vision of serving the interactive design, strategy and marketing needs of conscious businesses. In 3 years, Namaste Interactive has become the go-to solutions provider to yoga related, sustainable and organic companies. Chris is recognized as one of the premier interactive marketers working with conscious companies all over the world.
Hong Vo – Founder, Namaste Interactive
Hong Vo is a gifted designer, artist and entrepreneur. As a graduate of the Art Institute of Dallas, her design experience spans over 10 years covering fashion/accessories, product packaging, promotions, computer graphics and web design. Following her discovery of yoga in 2000, Hong began to nurture a new calling – to bring beauty and innovation to the emerging yoga market. This led her to co-found leading interactive agency, Namaste Interactive. Hong is the creative force behind Namaste Interactive. She works with new partners overseeing and supporting design, direction and implementation of their online strategies and programs. Hong has become a preeminent thinker in the conscious interactive realm and is recognized as a cultivator of brand images. Her passion for cutting edge design, interactive trends and organic beauty attracts the attention of progressive companies globally.
Gurudhan Singh Khalsa - National Sales Manager, Yogi Tea & Golden Temple Cereals
Yogi Bhajan played a significant role in my life. From August 1971 to the time of his passing in October 2004, he was and still is my spiritual teacher. He always said: follow and practice the teachings, do not follow me. Yogi Bhajan did not come to the U.S. to gather students rather he came to create teachers.
I have attempted to apply the teachings in my life throughout the 35 years I have taught Kundalini Yoga, over the 30+ years I have been the Summer and Winter Solstice Camp Director for kundalini yoga, over the many years being the National Sales Manager for the Yogi Tea and Golden Temple cereal company.
Robert Graham Ganger - Founder, Eco-Nouveau Fashion Show
Founder & CEO Pollinator Media Group LLC, Mr. Ganger hails from the event marketing world, producing unique mega-events made for television, generally with a philanthropic purpose. Pollinator's first offering was "EcoNouveau," an LA Fashion Week kick-off event featuring some of the world's top eco-fashion designers. Ganger's roots in event marketing began when he founded Mesh Inc. in 1995, producing the Bryant Gumbel/Walt Disney World Celebrity Golf Tournament (ESPN-TV), which netted over $6 million for the United Negro College Fund over a six-year period. Ganger previously co-founded The Evolver Project, an incubator that spurned a print magazine (Evolver) and EVO.COM, an online directory and media hub servicing the 'green' marketplace. He also co-founded a Green Business Networking event in Los Angeles that meets monthly and recently celebrated it's first anniversary. Ganger credits his shift in focus to exclusively conscious, holistic, and socially engaged endeavors to his extensive travels to sacred sites in India, Peru, Egypt, Mexico and elsewhere. Rob lives and works in Venice, CA.