Free To Be Me Food Allergy Wellness Retreat 2024

Join me for the second annual Free To Be Me food allergy wellness retreat!

W ellness retreat meets food allergy life! Imagine walking into a room where everyone just "gets it" about food allergies. That's a powerful feeling. This retreat was designed by an allergy adult (Amanda Orlando of @EverydayAllergenFree), who understands what it's like to grow up allergic and deal with the complex emotions, and often very specific situations, that arise from allergy life.

T he goal of this retreat is for every guest to feel accepted, connected, validated, and heard. This is an open, welcoming, and inclusive environment where everyone is free to be themselves, and can bond with others in the community who have shared life experiences.

The 2024 retreat theme is “Live from Toronto!”, and will center around all things media, and telling our own stories.

Think for a moment about the role of the media/social media in our lives as people with allergies, and the role of people with allergies in the media and on social media.

How do we respond to representations of food allergies? How do they make us feel, and do they impact our level of anxiety? How do we share our own stories online? How can we make ourselves heard? How can we reach a broader audience and the general public? The questions can go on and on… and that makes it a perfect theme for the second Free To Be Me food allergy wellness retreat.

The retreat, set up as a talk show of course, will feature keynote speakers Mia Silverman @theallergicgirl, a young adult with over 50 food allergies who has become a TikTok sensation, and Gwen Smith, Editor and Co-Owner of Allergic Living, the first and most prominent major media source for those living with food allergies. See below for the full lineup of workshops, breakout rooms, and keynote speakers.

Important Details

May 31 (7 - 10pm) - June 1 (8:30 am - 6:30pm), 2024 The Retreat at The Birkbeck Building 10 Adelaide St E, Toronto

June 2 (10am - 1pm), 2024 Rise & Shine at IGD Studios 688 Richmond St W, Toronto - only 30 tickets available for Rise & Shine!

On Friday, May 31, guests will gather for an evening social where they can sign in, mingle, enjoy some ice breaker activities, and listen to a Q&A.

On Saturday, June 1, the retreat starts at breakfast and will run the course of the day.

On Sunday, June 2, Rise & Shine ticket holders will convene for a restorative session in a more intimate setting.

Preferred hotel: Executive Hotel Cosmopolitan, located at 8 Colborne St, Toronto. Just a short five minute walk to the retreat venue; 10 Adelaide St E.

Looking to dress in theme? Show up in a local fave… denim on denim on denim…also known as a Canadian tuxedo :) Vintage flare is always encouraged.

W ho attends the retreat? Young adults (ages 12 and up) and adults who have food allergies themselves, parents and siblings of those with food allergies, and individuals or parents of those going through treatment programs.

2023 vs 2024 retreat

What’s changing?

A fresh new theme, new venue, another day of programming (Rise & Shine! see below for more), new speakers, new material and concepts from our existing workshop facilitators, more ice breakers, and a new date on the calendar!

What’s not changing.

The caterer (Chef Brenda Kwong Hing), the menu, the brands used in catering, the attention to detail, the overall vibe of inclusiveness and community.

Sign up for the newsletter to receive updates, including the full itinerary and speaker lineup as there are more workshops and speakers to be announced!

W orkshops & Speaker Sessions

Live from Toronto... It's Friday Night! - Mia Silverman

We’ll start the show with an interview between our host, Amanda, and special guest Mia Silverman, also known as @TheAllergicGirl on TikTok and Instagram. Mia is a young adult who has risen to TikTok fame with her raw and real posts about living with 50+ food allergies as a young adult living and going to school in NYC.

Morning and Afternoon Calm + Soothing Affirmations - Amanda Orlando

Your host, Amanda, will guide you through soft spoken, calming affirmations and gentle seated movements to provoke greater awareness of our bodies and minds, to be present in the moment, and to think calmly and clearly; all important strategies for those living with allergies or who live with anxiety as a result of their allergic experiences.

Be Heard! Perfecting Our Communication - Karrie Kwong

WHAT you say is just as important as HOW you say it! How we communicate our needs as people with food allergies has an impact on our everyday interactions with others. With over 13 years working in advertising, and years of experience as a professional actor and acting coach, Karrie understands good communication and how to hone one’s skills. She will engage guests in roleplay self-advocacy scenarios, and challenge us to improve our craft through vocal and physical exercises that build self awareness, confidence, and clarity.

Illustrate Joy - Bianca Lee

Trauma-informed expressive arts facilitator and sound therapist, Bianca, will lead guests through a creative journaling and illustration session to spark joy and appreciation for ourselves and how we manage this allergic life. She will challenge guests to look inwards at our successes and personal growth on our unique food allergy journeys, with an eye to promoting self confidence, and helping guests thrive! The session will involve a visual arts component, as well as group sharing and discussion.

Expressive Collaging - Self-Guided

For guests who prefer a smaller group activity, because everyone’s comfort level is different. Guests will enter a peaceful space that is plentiful with collaging supplies, as well as prompts for how to create a collage that expresses your emotions towards specific aspects of allergy life. Guests will be welcome to enjoy this activity quietly, or to engage as a group; however they wish to spend their time.

TeenTalk Workshop - Michael Sawers and Kyle Dine

Michael Sawers has a wealth of experience mentoring youth with food allergies through his involvement with Food Allergy Canada, as a member of their Youth Advisory Committee, and is a highly sought after mentor thanks to his welcoming demeanor and down-to-earth approach as a young adult with allergies himself. Kyle Dine, CEO and founder of Equal Eats, musician, keynote speaker, and food allergy adult, has educated over 1 million kids across 900 schools with his school assemblies about food allergy safety. Michael and Kyle will lead a group discussion for young guests, starting with a focus on navigating social media and anxiety, and opening up the conversation more broadly to navigating life as a young adult with allergies.

Teen Workshop - Taking Back Your Power - Sarah Danna

Sarah, also known as @SarahandSpices, is a young adult and recent college graduate living her best life with food allergies, who shares her journey online with authenticity, positivity, and grace. Sarah will lead a teen workshop on tackling common barriers that allergic teens face, and guide participants on how to turn them into actions!

Q&A with News Anchor & Media Expert, Joelle Tomlinson

Joelle is an adult living with food allergies and celiac disease, who has created an incredible career for herself working in media. Joelle spent six years of her decade-long career in broadcast journalism working as the morning news anchor and producer for CTV Calgary. She now work as a public speaker and emcee. Joelle has not let her restrictions hold her back! She’s an inspiration. Joelle and I will sit down for a Q&A to discuss her allergy and celiac story, the road to diagnosis, and her incredible career in media so far.

Q&A with Allergic Living Magazine’s Co-Owner and Editor - Gwen Smith

Amanda will sit down with Gwen Smith, Co-Owner and Editor of Allergic Living Magazine for a Q&A about the magazine’s inception, Gwen’s personal story behind creating a media outlet that has become an institution, successfully pivoting in a changing media landscape, and how to write a good submission for those looking to share their story. Our media theme would not be complete without Gwen herself!

Reacting To That Reaction Scene - Megan Crowley

How do you react to portrayals of allergic reactions in TV and movies? As people with food allergies we tend to have strong opinions about how allergic reactions, or the allergic person, is depicted in the media. It can elicit intense emotions. How do we address these scenes with our kids, or our partners, our friends, coworkers, and family? Megan Crowley, of Holis Collective, is a food allergy parent, registered Social Worker and Psychotherapist, and is part of The Food Allergy Counsellor directory. She will lead a talk on reacting to depictions of food allergies in the media and how they make us feel, challenge us to look deeper into what these emotions may indicate in regards to our relationship with food allergies, and speak to how we can process these emotions, as well as time for a more general Q&A about the psychology of food allergies.

A nd more to be announced!

New! Rise & Shine, a Sunday morning restorative session, post-retreat

Some of the biggest takeaways from the inaugural retreat were that guests wanted more time to mingle, thought the retreat should be longer, and wanted to enjoy some form of relaxation. That’s how Rise & Shine (kind of like a VIP day) was created. Rise & Shine is a more intimate gathering for those who want to continue the experience and spend more time together in a relaxing and more intimate environment. Please note that there are only 30 spaces available for Rise & Shine, so get your ticket before they sell out!

Guests will arrive at the bright and airy IGD loft studio (a perfect finale to our media theme, we will be gathering in a studio that is ordinarily used for film projects and has hosted Matty Matheson, among other presenters, film crews, and musicians) on Sunday morning, greeted with a cozy fleece blanket that they can use to get comfortable during the 45 minute restorative sound bath session led by Bianca Lee. Following the relaxing sound bath, Amanda will share a cooking demo, and there will be a gelato cart from On Third Thought Gelato, a local, allergy aware gelato company. There will also be fresh fruit, drinks, and packaged snacks for guests to enjoy. Then everyone will gather in the main room of the studio to spill the tea on the retreat; guests will be encouraged to share their favorite memories, growth moments, further discussion topics, etc. It will be an open discussion in a welcoming environment. Finally, guests will have some time to socialize and take photos.

Guests are welcome to bring a yoga mat to Rise & Shine if they wish, to be used during the sound bath.

Menu & Catering

Allergy mom, Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef, and owner of Delicious! Catering, Chef Brenda Kwong Hing, will be leading our catering team for the second year of FTBM! The top allergy free and gluten free menu, brands, and protocols will remain untouched from last year. Ingredients labels will be available for all products used. You can download your free copy of the ecookbook from The Zestfull.

Hot beverages, juice, pop, and water provided throughout the retreat

May 31 - Fresh fruit and packaged snacks

June 1 - Breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snack

June 2 - Fresh fruit, packaged snacks, and gelato cart by On Third Thought gelato

There will be packaged snacks available from our sponsors, however they may be “free-from” but not necessarily top 9 free, so please always read the label before consuming any product.

Traveling to Toronto

We are happy to welcome guests from all over North America, and beyond! 75% of attendees at the 2023 retreat traveled from the USA for this retreat, and several from western Canada, and we were so happy they joined us. This event is truly one of a kind, and fills a need for emotional connection (in person) within the food allergy community. In short, my goal was to make this an event worth traveling for.

Flying into Toronto:

YYZ - Pearson Airport is our international airport and is about a 25 minute cab or Uber/Lyft drive from the preferred hotel

YTZ - Billy Bishop Airport is our city airport that is quite literally located right at the foot of the downtown core. If you live in the northeast, there is a good chance you can fly into YTZ. They offer a bus service to Union Station, you can take the King St streetcar from YTZ to the preferred hotel, or you can take a 5 minute cab/Uber/Lyft ride.

Preferred Hotel: Executive Hotel Cosmopolitan, located at 8 Colborne St, Toronto. Just a short five minute walk to the retreat venue; 10 Adelaide St E.

About The Organizer

Hey! I’m Amanda Orlando. I was diagnosed with eczema and multiple severe food allergies as a baby, so it’s the only life I have ever known. Sharing food allergy and eczema awareness has become my passion. I am the blogger behind @everydayallergenfree and the author of 3 food allergy cookbooks. I have appeared in numerous media outlets, such as CTV Your Morning, CBC Radio, Huffington Post Blog, VITA Mag, and Globe & Mail, to share allergy friendly recipes and awareness. I love mainstream food and wellness culture, but always felt I was watching from the outside. There was no wellness event that was catered to the needs of people like myself who have food allergies and eczema, so I decided to create one. Thanks to all who joined me for the inaugural Free To Be Me Food Allergy Retreat in 2023!