Encore Retreat wasn’t born in a boardroom—it started in a coaching conversation between two women asking, what’s next? In 2023, Ilanit stood at a crossroads. A Registered Dietitian and founder of IBG Nutrition, she had spent two decades in the healthcare and food industries. But her growing passion for longevity science and transformative travel pulled her in a new direction—toward something more immersive, something people could feel in their bodies, hearts, and minds.
She began designing wellness retreats that blended her expertise in holistic health with her Colombian roots and love for Latin America. To bring the vision to life, she reached out to Joanne - an executive leadership coach with a corporate background at Starwood Hotels & Resorts and 15+ years consulting and high performance coaching with individuals and top teams. Jo listened and quickly realized both she and Ilanit shared the same dream. For Jo, it was an opportunity to combine her lifelong work in leadership, transformation, and luxury hospitality into more personalized, high-impact experiences.
Ilanit and Jo quickly learned they had insider access to some of the world's most beautiful locations. From Ilanit’s Latin American roots to Jo’s global life and career highlights in Australasia, Asia, Europe and the USA, they knew it was time to share some of the world’s best kept secrets and Encore Retreat was born.
Ilanit Blumenfeld
MPH, RDN, CDN
Ilanit Blumenfeld is a Registered Dietitian and Public Health Expert with a lifelong passion for nutrition, wellness, and balanced living. With over 20 years of experience, she has worked in private practice, corporate wellness, and entrepreneurial ventures, always focused on practical, science-based solutions that fit real life.
Her signature 80/20 approach encourages sustainable health through mindful eating, movement, sleep, and stress management. A mother of four, Ilanit brings compassion, relatability, and a deep understanding of what it means to juggle life and wellness.
Raised between Latin America and the U.S., and fluent in English and Spanish, she connects naturally with diverse communities and blends modern tools like Nutrigenomics and fasting-mimicking protocols with timeless wellness principles. She has been featured on television, YouTube, and in print media for her insights on Nutrition and holistic health for individuals and corporations. Whether working one-on-one or leading group programs, Ilanit’s focus remains clear: helping people feel their best, live with intention, and find joy in the process.
Licensed Coach – Executive, Life and Leadership | Facilitator of Transformation | Key Note Speaker | NYU Masters Student
Joanne draws her hospitality expertise from a 20-year global career with Starwood Hotels & Resorts. She moved on to studying and working in the field of neuroscience in the leadership space before credentialing her coaching skills with Columbia University's Business School. She established her private practice focused on reframing mindsets and behavioral patterns that differentiate individual and c-suite team performance
Joanne spent over nine years as a Senior Affiliate Advisor with Aberkyn/McKinsey & Company, partnering with client teams to elevate communication, align on direction, enhance decision-making practices, and build trust. Previously, she earned Brandon Hall awards for her cultural transformation work with Cigna Healthcare, recognized for program design and performance metrics that advanced Cigna’s Customer Centric strategy.
Joanne believes that sustainable high performance requires integrated wellbeing. She emphasizes the mind, body, and relational connections that enable leaders and teams to operate with clarity, resilience, and purpose-driven impact.
