by Jennifer Walsh | June 22, 2019
Flamingle: Top Five Wellness Experts in Florida
These Floridans have transformed the Spa and Wellness Industries with innovative vision and products.
Susie Ellis
Health Nut
From her long career in the spa industry to her passion for wellness, Ellis is recognized as an authority on health trends. She began her career in the spa industry in the 1970s in California, moved to Palm Beach in 1994 to manage the spa at Mar-a-Lago and now lives in Miami. Ellis is the chairman and CEO of the Global Wellness Institute, a nonprofit considered among the wellness industry’s leading global research and educational resources. Ellis championed access to medical evidence supporting the most common wellness techniques through the institute’s website. Ellis is also president of Spafinder Wellness Inc. and, in the early 2000s, co-founded the Global Wellness Summit, an annual conference for wellness delegates.
Dr. Elizabeth Trattner
Holistic Healer
With over 30 years of experience practicing integrative, Chinese and energy medicine, Trattner has spent her career learning new approaches to holistic health. Trattner was one of the first doctors to open an integrative medical practice in Miami and was inspired to do so through her own experience battling a life-threatening autoimmune disorder as a young adult. She is a firm believer in personalized medicine and works with patients who want to manage their weight, allergies, autoimmune diseases, digestive disorders and infertility. Trattner’s treatments address inner and outer beauty, like the gemstone acupuncture facial, a 90-minute session that pledges to improve muscle tone and reduce wrinkles without surgery.
Naomi Whittel
Beauty Boss
The entrepreneur, wellness guru and mom lives in Boca Raton and has built a career on the belief that nature is the key to everyday wellness. Whittel founded health brands Reserveage Nutrition, which produces organic supplements and vitamins; Simply Goodfats, a health food company; and the beauty line OMI Skin Nutrition. Whittel travels the world seeking out ingredients and ancient rituals to incorporate into her work. She is a premier wellness partner for QVC, has appeared on Dr. Oz and was named one of the nation’s leading innovators in the natural products industry by Whole Foods Magazine. Whittel has three priorities for living well: proper eating, supplements and attentive skin care.
Mitesh and Vicky Popat
Tree Huggers
Florida natives Mitesh and Vicky Popat launched PlantOGram with the vision of creating an environmentally friendly, sustainable company that would leave a legacy and make people smile. What started in one backyard with two green thumbs has transformed into a company that, through its online store, ships more than 200 varieties of live and exotic fruit trees, including mango, spice and avocado trees, around the world. Because the trees are already grown and shipped in attractive planters, they can easily be kept inside or outside without the hassle of gardening or waiting for them to grow. Based in Windermere, PlantOGram has specialized selections for almost every occasion.
