Brain Health Week at Rancho La Puerta
Join me in Tecate, Mexico/ Spring 2026 dates coming soon
The next Brain Health Retreat at Rancho La Puerta will be in the spring of 2026. Dates and details will be announced soon. Paying and Founding Member subscribers get first dibs on spots so be sure to sign up here:
Hello, brain health ambassadors! As a regular Visiting Chef at Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico, I’ve been giving talks about brain health and teaching at the cooking school since 2015. Now I am absolutely thrilled to share that I am helping the Ranch organize an ongoing series of programming around cutting-edge brain health topics—Brain Health Week. Scroll down to see the amazing group of brain health experts who will be joining me.
Not only that, I’ll be hosting a BHK Retreat there that same week. Yes, it’s like a retreat within a retreat! There are just a handful of spots in this Brain Health Retreat at the Ranch, which comes with additional perks and savings. Find all the details, below.
I was recently a guest on Rancho La Puerta’s pocast Resonate. Listen to my conversation with Barry Shingle here.
The Brain Health Retreat at the Ranch
A retreat with cooking, small group conversations, and special perks (including up to 30% off the entire week), all while enjoying this classic wellness destination and spa in the mountains of Northern Baja California, Mexico.
When: November 15 to 22, 2025
Where: Tecate, Mexico (an hour from San Diego)
Who: Me + about a dozen of you!
To register: Contact Donna Sher at 858.449.3672 or email her at dsher52@hotmail.com.
More details about the BHK retreat
This is my third time hosting a retreat at the Ranch. Retreat participants enjoy all the activities the Ranch offers, like fitness classes, yoga, meditation, educational workshops, hiking and walking trails, and art classes. Not to mention an amazing spa! Plus, the BHK retreat receives additional perks:
Special rates—up to 30% off the all-inclusive price
Small group meetings with me (a tea workshop, a chocolate tasting, and an aperitivo talk)
Our own cooking class at La Cocina Que Canta
Dinner each night at one long table—a great way for me to get to know each of you, while you get to know one another
A few suprises!
Plus, this retreat falls during Brain Health Week November 15 to 22, 2025, so there will be brain health talks and workshops going on all week.
Join BHK as a paying subscriber to be the first to know about Brain Health Retreats. Plus, you’ll have access to all the recipes, articles, and guides I am sharing for better brain health. Founding Members get 4 live cooking class/kitchen chats per year.
Brain Health Week at Rancho La Puerta: Faculty
Sarah-Anne Schumann, MD, MPH: Sarah-Anne is a physician who is board certified in both Family Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine. She graduated from Harvard College, Harvard Medical School, and Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. She previously served on the medical school faculty at the University of Chicago and University of Oklahoma-Tulsa. She completed her certificate in plant-based nutrition at eCornell and the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and is an advanced teacher of therapeutic yoga and a certified mindfulness meditation teacher.
Rita D. Jacobs, Ph.D. is the author of The Way In: Journal Writing for Self-Discovery; Tommy: The Musical; A Day in the Life of America and A Day in the Life of Canada. She is a widely published journalist and book reviewer whose articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, PARADE Magazine, Diversion, Frequent Flyer, Glamour, SELF and GRAPHIS. She is Professor Emerita of English at Montclair State University and in the past twenty years has taught workshops on journal writing nationally and internationally. In 2012, Random House commissioned her to write 20 columns titled, “From Journal to Memoir” which are available on her website Rita D. Jacobs – Biography (ritadjacobs.com)
Yoni Mayeri has been a professional photographer for over thirty years. Yoni has focuses on the powerful connection between photography, brain health, and mindfulness. Her workshops explore how the act of seeing, composing, and capturing images can enhance mental well-being, reduce stress, improve memory, and cultivate present-moment awareness.
Annie Fenn, MD (that’s me!): I’ll be teaching hands-on cooking classes at La Cocina Que Canta and giving the first talk of the week: Stay Sharp With Age: 10 Ways To Take Care Of Your Brain.
Learn more about all there is to do at the Ranch here:
Brain Health Week: Schedule Of Events
Brain Health Kitchen with Annie Fenn, MD
Saturday 8:00 pm – Stay Sharp with Age: 10 Ways to Take Care of Your Brain
Tuesday 4:00 to 7:30 pm – Hands-on Cooking Class
Wednesday 4:00 to 7:30 pm – Hands-on Cooking Class
Thursday 4:45 to 7:30 pm – Farm to Table Dinner
Journal Writing is a Brain Exercise, with Rita Jacobs, Ph.D.
Sunday 8pm – The Journal as a Starting Place
Writing Workshops:
Monday 2:00 pm – The List of 100 Desires
Tuesday 2:00 pm – Dialogue with the Self
Thursday 2:00 pm – Right Brain/Left Brain Collision
Brain Health: Improve Your Mood & Reduce Your Risk for Dementia through the Tools of Lifestyle Medicine, with Sarah-Anne Schumann, MD, MPH
Monday 1:00 pm – Brain Health: How The Pillars of Lifestyle Medicine Can Improve Your Mood & Reduce Your Risk for Dementia
Tuesday 1:00 pm -Sleep and Brain Health
Wednesday 1:00 pm – Food Myths – What Should I Be Eating for a Healthier Brain and Body?
Thursday 1:00 pm – Gut Health: Everything You Need to Know about the Microbiome and Psychobiome
Unlock the Power of iPhoneography: Creativity, Mindfulness & Visual Storytelling, with Yoni Mayeri
Monday 8:00 pm – Unlock the Power of iPhoneography: Creativity, Mindfulness & Visual Storytelling
Tuesday 11:00 am – Your Creative Potential: Mastering the iPhone Camera
Wednesday 11:00 am – The Art of Editing with the Photos App
Thursday 11:00 am – Discover the Art of Presence: Mindful Photo Walk
Music and Memory, with Nahre Sol
Wednesday 2:00 pm – Music and Memory
Thursday 8:00 pm – Concert: Peaceful Music
If you have your heart set on joining me during Brain Health Week, be sure to share with a friend and snag your spots now! This is also an ideal retreat for couples, sisters, mothers & daughters, and the solo traveler.
I hope some of you wil be able to join me for this educational vacation!
November is a busy time at the Ranch and retreat spots are limited. Sign up by contacting Donna Sher at 858.449.3672 or email her at dsher52@hotmail.com.
She will help you register for Brain Health Week and, if you wish, the BHK Retreat group. I am also happy to answer any questions you may have.
Love,
Annie
Hi Annie, are we able to pay $35 fee to access the class this Sunday?
Sorry to miss. I’m usually there teaching during that week through Thanksgiving. Maybe next time.