Lauren Redden joined the Blue Zones Project- Monterey County as the Organization Lead for the Food Environment in October 2023. In her role, she works with restaurants and grocery stores in the Peninsula Cities region to make small changes and adopt best practices to create a healthier food environment.

Lauren obtained a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics from Point Loma Nazarene University and a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences from San Diego State University. Lauren is a Registered Dietitian who has worked in clinical and community settings to help individuals manage acute and chronic health conditions and achieve their nutrition goals. In Lauren’s prior work, she had the pleasure of working with older adults, including lively and inspirational centenarians.

She enjoyed listening to their stories and learning their secrets to long and happy lives. In addition to nutrition care and education, Lauren has also worked in the food insecurity field and is passionate about working to remove barriers to accessing healthy food. She is honored to use her expertise in nutrition as part of a program helping Monterey County residents “Live Longer, Better™.”

In her free time, Lauren enjoys cooking, volunteering in her community, and going for walks along the beautiful Monterey Bay.

Favorite Power 9: Move Naturally and Purpose

Paola Delgado was born and raised in Salinas, California. She graduated from Salinas High School and received her bachelor’s degree in communications studies, from California State University, Fullerton and her master’s degree in film, Television and Media Studies, from California State University, Los Angeles. She is really passionate about her community and wants to help make a difference.

Paola joins the Blue Zones Project – Monterey County team as the Engagement Lead for Salinas. Her Focus is assisting in the planning and coordination of local events, as well as establishing marketing plans and strategizing how to increase engagement and participation within the community.

My Power 9

My favorite Power 9 principle is Family First! During the holidays I remember my parents taking us to Mexico and driving 3 days to get to our location. In that time, I was too young to understand why we would go to Mexico or why we would skip days from school to go. Now, that I am older I want to go back to Mexico for the holidays every year. The connection and the memories our family has shared over the years is something that is very special to me and that I hold near and dear to my heart. Being able to go to Mexico to see my entire family has been a blessing and I can’t wait to continue building memories with them.

Larisa Sheparovich joined the team in May 2023 as the Schools and Worksites Lead for the Peninsula Cities. In this role, Larisa works to help make healthy choices easier at school campuses and worksites.

Before working at the Blue Zones Project, Larisa was an elementary school teacher in San Luis Obispo and in Salinas. Larisa always had a passion for teaching students about nutrition, mental health, socio-emotional skills, and the importance of moving naturally. The students were always asking questions and wanted to learn more about how to live happy, healthy lives. Joining the Blue Zones Project was an easy choice.

Larisa received her Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo where she studied Psychology and Neuroscience. Larisa has always been interested in the mind-body connection.

My Power 9

My favorite Power 9 is “Loved Ones First.” In my free time, you can find me playing cards with family or going on a walk with friends (and my dog, Bruiser). Spending quality time with my loved ones helps me feel grounded and allows me to remember my purpose.

Mackenzie Fisher joins the Blue Zones Project – Monterey County team as our Sr. Events & Office Specialist. As the daughter of two local entrepreneurs, she grew up in the hospitality industry, so event planning and office management is a natural fit. She has spent the last few years working in mental health, providing access to marginalized groups across the country, but is thrilled to be back and supporting her own community. She happily manages the day-to-day function of all three of our local offices and supports the team and community with events across the county.

Mackenzie was born and raised on the Monterey Peninsula and attended Santa Catalina High School, before moving to Washington State where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Spanish Language, and Education from the University of Puget Sound. During this time, she spent 7 months abroad in Granada, Spain studying the language and culture. It was here that her passion for slow-living, natural health, and movement came to fruition. She is an avid herbalist and studies naturopathy, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and acupuncture when she is not working, cooking, or exercising with her dog.

My Power 9

For me, moving naturally and downshifting work hand in hand and I have found there is no better place to downshift than walking along the ocean with my partner and our puppy. You will find us walking/running/tidepooling along Asilomar or hiking the trails in Pacific Grove, Carmel, and Big Sur.

Lidia Wilding joins the Blue Zones Project Monterey County team as the Engagement Lead for the Peninsula Cities. Her focus is building relationships and engaging the community through planning, coordinating, and promoting of local events for individuals and organizations.

Lidia has a Bachelor of Science in Advertising from The Art Institute of California – San Francisco. With over a decade of event planning and management experience, Lidia is excited to be a part of the health and wellness transformation of the community where she was raised.

Prior to Blue Zones Project, Lidia worked in the nonprofit sector for 20 years and has worked for prominent organizations such as Monterey Bay Aquarium, San Francisco Zoo, Monterey Jazz Festival, and SPCA Monterey County.

Lidia lives in Salinas with her loving husband, amazing daughter, and fur baby Luca. She enjoys gardening, spending time outdoors with her family, and socializing with friends.

My Power 9

Loved Ones First! My family is my everything and my primary purpose in life.

Antonio Vargas joined Blue Zones Project – Salinas as the Food Environment Lead in June 2022. His focus involves working with restaurants and grocery stores in Salinas to add healthier food options and creating healthier food environments.

Antonio was born in Salinas and raised in Gonzales. After graduating from Gonzales High School, he went off to study Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Health Education and Health Promotion at Arizona State University.

The focus of his studies involved health promotion planning, community health, the social determinants of health, the built environment, and food insecurity. This led him to view his own community with a new lens and come to the realization that he wanted to help use his newfound education and 8 years of experience as a Chef to create positive and lasting change in Monterey County.

In his free time, Antonio enjoys spending time with family, cooking, listening to music, and basketball.

My Power 9

My favorite Power 9 is Loved Ones First.