Special thanks to Blanca Stella Mejia, Alex de Carvahlo and Ili Simhi for taking amazing photos!

Here are a few slideshows from the HeartCamp 2013 event. I hope you’ll enjoy them.

To read more about HeartCamp 2013, visit the recap post.

The post HeartCamp 2013 Photo Slideshows appeared first on Heartcamp 2013.

HeartCamp 2013 exceeded my wildest expectations. It was such a joyful day, full of authentic interaction. We shared information – all related to every aspect of the heart – from organ health to sex and relationships. We learned. We networked. We laughed. We cried. We meditated. We listened. We talked. We played goofy games. We danced. All this and more – and most importantly – it all came from the heart.

As the main event organizer, I’m always running around, like the bride who doesn’t get to enjoy her own wedding. But in fact, I did enjoy HeartCamp — enjoyed it immensely. I felt a wonderful, healing energy from our HeartCamp participants all day long. 

As far as I could tell, everyone was completely engaged in the event. And that made me very happy. That’s why I do this.

The day started early and quickly picked up momentum as we learned about heart health from sponsors Florida Heart Institute and Life Extension. A break room, sponsored by Social Chats, offered a place for participants to relax, with delicious refreshment and nosh from KIND bars and ZICO coconut water.

Badges of Courage and Heart’s Desire held court in the lobby, where we also enjoyed a fantastic lunch buffet in two different sessions, while some also had BMI and blood pressure readings, courtesy of Florida Heart Institute. Life Extension also served heart-healthy drinks in the break room.

In the afternoon, Dr. Sonjia Kenya spoke seriously about spicing up one’s love life with aromatic scents and toys, but she still had us in stitches with her humor. Afterward, I moderated two panels, one about heartbreak and the other about motherhood and pregnancy. Then Chicago-based coach Kevin Johnson spoke about “yougasms,” right before drummers Raymer Olalde and Philbert Armenteros showed up to teach us about the musical side of heart, courtesy of Ford Latino. Everyone got to shake a maraca and feel their hearts beat to Latin rhythms!

Outside, throughout the day, we held smaller, cozier sessions by the fountain under the pool cabanas. Gabriel Axel and Alex Wall wowed us with their neuroscience approach to the yoga heart and heart-centered marketing. Dawn Maslar led a meditation. Rachel Katz spoke about nutrition, Rebecca Cofiño touched upon motivation and Dr. Rosalind Bardisa talked about heart health. Heart’s Desire also held free, individual coaching sessions by the pool. The setting was tropical, the weather was perfect, all contributing to a sense of well-being and relaxation.

There were many other wonderful speakers. I could seriously gush about all of them, but that would be a dissertation. Click here if you wish to review the full scope of speakers and topics.

We also shared virtually. Volunteer Brenda Leguisamo of Social Biz Members helped us run a live feed twitter board and promote the hashtag #heartcamp. Tonya Scholz of Social Chats also shared on Bambuser.

 Click here to see some live video streams from HeartCamp.

And another interesting project, also sponsored by Ford Latino, was the sticky note doodle board. It was the brainchild of Blanca Stella Mejia, blogger at Mi Caminar, my friend and soul sister who worked with me two years ago conceptualizing the event. I gave birth to HeartCamp, but she was my doula.

Everyone shared his or her best visual interpretation of the day on a sticky note. I have many of them hanging on my office wall now inside a beautiful frame — a great reminder and inspiration of everyone who made HeartCamp one of the best days of the year, filled with much solidarity.

Our day ended with a very uplifiting and inspiring talk by Lisa D. Sparks of Verity Content (and her adorable pooch, Neo, showed up to), plus a business card raffle chock full of fantastic gifts – including hand-crafted items by Lana Sara Molano and Badges of Courage, a book from Intimacy Retreats, as well as heart-inspired prints by Gaping Void  – followed by a relaxing happy hour at beautiful Hotel Urbano along the fire pit under the crisp, blue sky of a Miami February night.

As tired as I was after all the planning and the day’s activities, I’m not kidding you, I fell asleep, well more like collapsed asleep, with a big grin on my face and my heart swollen with much appreciation and love. I’m still riding high on that energy.

I would like to thank all the participants, speakers, sponsors, enthusiasts, promoters, as well as Hotel Urbano, the space host, for making HeartCamp 2013 a reality that will long live in our hearts. Actually, I can’t thank you enough.

AFTERNOTE

There’s a reason why it has taken me so long to update the site. I had to move right away (I found an apartment that would make it easier for me to do elderly caregiving) and then my father was hospitalized, which ironically, involved follow-up visits to a cardiologist.

But HeartCamp doesn’t stop here. I’d love to keep the momentum going with some mini HeartCamp rountables and events until the next event in 2014. Remember, “the” annual Miami HeartCamp is always the Saturday before Superbowl! Save the date.

If you’ve got any feedback, tips, suggestions, ideas, or just want to chat, feel free to send me a note.

With much love to all,

Maria de los Angeles

Click here to see more photos from the event!

The post HeartCamp 2013 Unconference Brings Heart Health, Love and Sex Topics to Fore in Miami appeared first on Heartcamp 2013.

In 2013, some of HeartCamp’s sessions will take place in this beautiful tropical setting — Hotel Urbano in Miami.

Dear HeartCampers,

As we start the week, I’m really thrilled to see how this year’s HeartCamp is shaping up!

We have an amazing roster of speakers this year discussing a wide variety of topics, all of whom will provide a balanced look at all matters of the heart — from heart health, nutrition, to career inspiration — as well as sexuality, romance, relationships, body image and more.  Our speakers are professionals from all walks of life, including pharmacists, doctors, life and relationship coaches, nutritionists, authors, sex educators as well as musical artists.

We’ve also got three workshops: removing blocks to love, heart healthy breathing and drumming to Latin rhythms.  HeartCamp 2013 will feature two panels:  one on pregnancy and motherhood, the other on heartbreak and breakthrough.

Throughout the day, participants will enjoy complimentary refreshments from ZICO coconut water and KIND energy bars in the Break Room, where there will also be teeth whitening by Shinadent ($50) as well as free goodies from sponsor Life Extension.  At 3 PM, speaker Kimme Le from Life Extension will serve complimentary Vibrant Green drinks.

Badges of Courage also returns selling their hand-crafted pillows in support of breast cancer awareness.  Find Macarena throughout the hotel lobby and speaking rooms.

Sponsor Florida Heart Research Institute will also conduct blood pressure and body composition readings throughout the day while Heart’s Desire International will offer one-on-one mini “masterheart” relationship coaching sessions.  Yoga instructor and neuroscientist Gabriel Axel will also be available for individual sessions on breathing and meditation.  All of these masterheart sessions are included in price of admission.

Admission also features coffee service in the morning as well as hot Italian-style buffet lunch with vegetarian options.

Our plenary closing session will again feature keynote speaker Lisa Sparks, who will address the subject of communication.  Following her talk, all participants will have a chance to share in an open-mic session before we segue to a business card raffle that will include wonderful donated items by in-kind supporters as well as sponsors — books, goodies and a gift basket from speaker Dr. Bardisa, to name a few. The day will end poolside at gorgeous Hotel Urban with happy hour, featuring 2 x 1 beverages and live music around the soothing fountain and fire pit.

HeartCamp is grateful for its speakers, volunteers, supporters, all of whom have generously given their talent and time to make this event possible.   We’re also immensely thankful to our major sponsors — including Ford, Florida Heart Research Institute, Life Extension, Heart’s Desire International, Hotel Urbano and Latina Bloggers Connect — for believing in the event’s mission.

Find the talks at heartcamp2013.sched.org and check out our supporter logos on the sidebar of this website.  Ticket sales end on January 28 at 3 PM.  Register at Eventbrite.

As we move forward past February 2, HeartCamp will take on several creative forms before we regroup again in 2014. Stay tuned!

In heartfelt service,

Maria de los Angeles

The post Looking Forward to HeartCamp 2013 appeared first on Heartcamp 2013.

On Thursday, January 24, from 9 A.M. EST to 9 P.M. EST, we’ll be looking for the two most inspired tweets!  Tell us why you’d love to attend Heartcamp with the tags #fordlatino and #yoquieroford.  Ford is generously sponsoring two tickets ($40 value each).

In addition to the giveaway, Ford is also sponsoring a music session, drumming performers during happy hour as well as fun activities and prizes.

The post Win Tickets to HeartCamp Courtesy of Ford appeared first on Heartcamp 2013.

Lisa Sparks leading a lively plenary session at the end of the day.

Words cannot capture how amazing HeartCamp was!  The event took place without a hitch, courtesy of the staff at Hyatt Pier 66 and our devoted volunteers. This was the foundation for a very joyful day.

Every bit of feedback I’ve received has been about feeling good, feeling satisfied, connected, peaceful. So many people told me they had heart-openings, made new friends, experienced “aha” moments and felt safe in a comfortable environment to discuss all matters of the heart — from sex to heart health, creativity, relationships, dating and everything in between.

We had people talk about their incredible physical journeys — from being disabled to losing weight — all connected to the heart.  We learned about CPR and defribillators. We had tearful talks about parenting and saucy talks about romance from a literary perspective.

All this and so much more: the day was abundantly rich.  (And lunch, out in the terrace facing the marina, was delicious!)

We had a lively final plenary session, where everyone shared their stories about connecting in the online and offline world through technology. We had artists display their heart-inspired work and read some beautiful spoken word. Great times, lots of hugs, a little goofiness and continued networking at the after-party completed the event.

All in all, a truly perfect day, guided by the energy and spirit of everyone who was involved.

HeartCamp was everything I envisioned come to life, bringing together amazing folks under one roof to connect and talk about the heart. My dream came true and the experience was almost surreal as the day unfolded.

Once doors opened, the event sort of took care of itself — all the participants, speakers, volunteers, exhibitors and sponsors owned it and made it happen.  I could see great things happening around me. People were making meaningful connections, not just in the speaker rooms, but also in the exhibitor’s hall and in the Wild Card room where the artists and last-minute speakers held court.

For me, well, I was like the bride who couldn’t really do everything at her own wedding. I had to run around making sure everyone was on schedule and all was ok, but lucky for me and the rest of us, we had plenty of documenting, all of which is trickling in.  (See below on where to find everything.)

An event like HeartCamp could have cost well over $20,000 but it was a fraction of that thanks to all the community support in cash sponsorship, discounts, donated goods, services and volunteered time.  It just goes to show how many people believed in this and were willing to blaze a trail for something new.  We were all pioneers on this day.

So it’s with gratitude from the bottom of my heart that I thank everyone involved.

THE FUTURE OF HEARTCAMP

HeartCamp doesn’t end here.  Keep up with us on Facebook.  We’ll have a THINK TANK in a couple of months to discuss next year’s event.  And in the meantime — between now and 2013 — there will be Twitter parties as well as social gatherings to keep us connected.  I’m starting a newsletter (details to follow). As well, a national HeartCamp road tour is in the works.

Also, visit our Media Coverage page to read stories, see videos and more about HeartCamp 2012 and future HeartCamps to come.

With love and service from the heart,

Maria de los Angeles

More photos on our Flickr pool:

The post HeartCamp Recap 2012 appeared first on Heartcamp 2013.

Here’s a great video by Elizabeth Banks about a super mom who ignores her heart attack symptoms. When I experienced my heart situation I did right in calling 911 for an ambulance — better safe than sorry.

Do you know the warning signs of a real heart attack?  Some symptoms are similar to those of an anxiety attack. Know the difference and never ignore what your body is telling you.

GO RED FOR WOMEN

The American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign seeks to create awareness about heart disease, the number one killer of women.

In 2004, the American Heart Association (AHA) faced a challenge. Cardiovascular disease claimed the lives of nearly 500,000 American women each year, yet women were not paying attention. In fact, many even dismissed it as an “older man’s disease.” To dispel the myths and raise awareness of heart disease as the number one killer of women, the American Heart Association created Go Red For Women – a passionate, emotional, social initiative designed to empower women to take charge of their heart health.

February is National Heart Month and February 3, just one day before HeartCamp, is National Wear Red Day. Feel free to wear red to HeartCamp as well — just remember our dress code is casual.

Disclaimer: the American Heart Association is not affiliated with HeartCamp; however our 2012 sponsor Giselle Cheminand was the chair for the Go Red for Women campaign in Broward County.

The post Video: Just A Little Heart Attack appeared first on Heartcamp 2013.

Welcome to HeartCamp, dear friends!  HeartCamp brings together speakers and participants from different walks of life to discuss all matters of the heart — the physical, emotional, spiritual and creative heart — or many other ways to interpret “heart.”  We do this in the casual, unconference style of BarCamp, a successful model of meetups worldwide.

In the video below, I tell you a little about my inspiration.

It started a few years back when I was in an ambulance for what turned out to be a massive anxiety attack, receiving not just one but two injections of adenosine, which is a chemical defibrillator that basically reboots the heart by stopping its rapid beat very suddenly. The sensation of dying, even for a split second — it felt like an eternity though — left its mark on me and I swore that if I got through it, I’d give back to the world somehow.

HeartCamp is part of that path.

About a year later or so, I was sitting in a session at BarCamp Miami and thought to myself: “This is such a great format, why don’t we just get a group of people together to talk about love and sex instead of geek stuff like mobile apps, html5, cloud computing and css?”

I mulled it over and the idea expanded.  What about calling it LoveCamp? Well, LoveCamp is actually the name for a Nazi sexploitation movie. Obviously, that wasn’t going to work. And the more I thought about it, the more I was drawn to the idea of just letting the heart be the central vortex of it all, which is the role this precious organ has in life, anyway.

I’m taking a risk and a huge leap of faith here, trusting I’ll be able to pull this off, bringing together a community of great people here in South Florida and beyond — yoga, tech, personal growth, nutrition, medicine, career, art, literature and more — different worlds I know well but have never seen in the same room together.

“Connect, always connect.” So once wrote the great novelist E.M. Forster. That’s something I live, breathe and practice.

GRATITUDE

I couldn’t have done this without my co-conspirator Blanca Stella Mejía, a great friend and the techie ying to my tree-hugger yang. My volunteers, advisers, sponsors, followers and fans, and so many others who connect with me on a daily basis, you are also the encouragement for what I know will be a beautiful day full of joy and dialogue.

A special shout out goes to two bad ass women, Jessica Kizorek and Michelle Villabos, whom haven’t coached me directly, but inspired me this past summer to just put my foot down and pick a date and say to myself:  “what the hell are you waiting for, Maria? Make it happen!”

So here we are, just about two month’s away! This event is not about me, but about us and all we can share.  Besides, it should be very fun. Flip flops and good laughs welcome.

My heart is fine, by the way, and I have fully recovered from anxiety disorder.  I’ll be speaking about that at HeartCamp. Please join us on February 4, 2012 at the gorgeous Hyatt Pier 66 in Fort Lauderdale to share as much as we can about the heart and how it influences every aspect of our lives. To learn more, get started at What Is HeartCamp?

In service,

Maria

The post Video: A Message From Maria on HeartCamp appeared first on Heartcamp 2013.

Meet Maria de los Angeles, HeartCamp from Meet South Florida on Vimeo.

The post Video: Meet South Florida Interviews HeartCamp appeared first on Heartcamp 2013.

What does it take for women to transform their relationships? Not just romantic ones … how do the principles of surrender benefit our friendships and business connections? Check out the video.

The post Interview with Laura Doyle and Heart’s Desire appeared first on Heartcamp 2013.

Here’s a little teaser about her thought-provoking talk at HeartCamp:

There is now a growing population of metrosexual men defined by traditionally feminine characteristics and dominating the business world.  Extraordinarily successful executives are simultaneously celebrated for billion-dollar deals, impeccable grooming, and being in touch with their emotions.

Modern women have also changed dramatically. Many ladies running multi-million dollar corporations are also espousing the importance of family, emotional safety, and financial success.  More often than ever, women are leaving their corporate power jobs in favor of staying home with the kids.

For most progressive people, determining gender energy is no longer as simple as, “Do I need to be respected for my thoughts or cherished for my feelings?”  . . . .

All humans have both masculine and feminine hormones and qualities. There was a time when males and females were forced to embrace gender-identifying roles to survive.  But we have evolved and it’s no longer feasible to exude only masculine or feminine energy in every aspect of a relationship.

Rather than choose one or the other as your dominant gender energy, I believe a more meaningful quest is to determine when and how you want to exhibit feminine or masculine energy and work with your partner to establish a rhythm so your gender energies are complementary rather than competitive.

Read the full essay here. (Scroll to the topic What Sex is Your Heart?).

The post Dr. Sonjia Asks: What Sex is Your Heart? appeared first on Heartcamp 2013.