By Meagan IngersonThe Daily Northwestern
After 14 years as a social worker, Evanston resident Alyse Rynor switched to a more “holistic” approach to helping others by becoming a self-described “personal wellness coach.”
“Ultimately the goal is to bring more peace to the world,” Rynor said of her holistic health counseling service. “When people feel better, it makes a huge difference in the world.”
Rynor was one of two dozen vendors and practitioners, who participated in the third Healthy Living Festival, which took place Saturday afternoon at the Lake Street Church, 607 Lake St. Vendors offered services ranging from organic lawn care to environmentally sustainable design.
The goal of the festival, organizer Fran Horvath explained, was to “help individual businesses and practitioners show the community who they are and what they’re about.”
Horvath owns the store Ethical Planet, 1110 Davis St., which she described as a “vegan general store” offering vegan, organic and cruelty-free products. Horvath opened the store five months ago, after operating the business online for three years.
Northwestern library employee Jennifer Glickstein organized the festival with Horvath. Glickstein also owns Wolf Wisdom, a shamanic healing practice.
“We wanted to figure out a way to get more people out there and let the community know they exist,” Glickstein said of the festival’s goals.
About 250 people attended Saturday’s event. Glickstein said she and Horvath hope to hold another festival next spring.
The event also included several music performances organized by Glickstein, who said she is interested in songwriting and singing. She said she wanted to include the music acts “because (they’re) festive. It just sort of sets a mood and the type of music – peaceful, acoustic, folk music – (creates) a nice, friendly, uplifting atmosphere.”
Performers this year included acoustic guitarist Scott Lamps and shamanic vocalist Joan Forest Mage. Past entertainment has included a drum circle performance.
Medill graduate student Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan said she walked by and was attracted by the festival’s signs.
“I’m into eating healthy, specifically local foods and organic,” Kwak-Hefferan said.
Finding vendors for the festival was easy, Glickstein said, because many of the vendors are friends or acquaintances of Horvath who heard about the festival from visiting her shop.
“Fran knows everyone,” she said. “We just put the word out there.”
Rynor, one of the event’s vendors, said she heard about the festival from Horvath, whom she met through Ethical Planet.
Rynor was at the festival advertising her new holistic health counseling business. She said she emphasizes the “primary foods” of relationships, exercise, career and spirituality over actual “secondary” food.
“I’m allowing my holistic side to come forth,” she said of her practice. “I hope to bring this awareness that people can eat healthier and live happier.”
Reach Meagan Ingerson at [email protected].
