Yeon Life
Yeon Life represents a way of living where food and health are at the center.
We were inspired by our visit to the world's largest organic food cooperative, Hansalim, in South Korea. Our goal is to create our own version of this beautiful concept while honoring its roots.
We are connecting the Korean word Yeon with the English word Life.
This combination expresses ideas about the connection of life, the relationships that shape our lives, and the continuous flow of existence. It emphasizes how our lives are intertwined with others through relationships, events, and circumstances. The word carries a deeper philosophical meaning, highlighting the interconnectedness of life and the ongoing influence of our relationships and experiences.
Yeon is pronounced somewhat like "yuhn."
The core of our community is based in the Nordic region, which inspired us to infuse Yeon with a touch of Nordic heritage. This is why we incorporated a circle after the word that contains Yggdrasil, the Norse World Tree. Yggdrasil is a powerful symbol in Norse mythology, representing the interconnectedness of all things in the universe—linking heaven, earth, and the underworld. By including Yggdrasil, we emphasize the deep connections that resonate with the meaning of Yeon, highlighting the idea that all life is interwoven and sustained through these vital connections
We are also building a community around this concept, and here you can meet some of the members who are part of it
Johan Erkkilä
For over 20 years, I have worked with food, and in the past 15 years, I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with various restaurants, engage in product development, work in large-scale kitchens, and create pop-up dining experiences.
My interest in food has evolved into a lifestyle and passion that continues to both fascinate and challenge me. From an early age, I knew I wanted to work with my hands and create something creative. As a child, I loved painting, drawing, sculpting, and more. This is why my career has organically developed through various forms within the food industry, such as chocolate, restaurants, catering, canteens, street food, product and concept development, food styling, and pop-ups.
As you can probably tell by now, I love food!
In recent years, I’ve delved deeper into the impact of food on the body. I want to show that food that is good for you and your body doesn’t have to be boring or tasteless. This journey has also led me to start the podcast Fantastisk hälsa, which I host together with Cecilia. In the podcast, we explore the intersection of food, health, and science, sharing insights and practical advice to help others lead healthier lives.
Food can be powerful, and I’m here to show you how it can be both nourishing and delicious! 🌱
Cecilia Fürst
Cecilia Fürst is a specialist in general medicine in Sweden. She is trained in Functional Medicine and Metabolic, Nutritional, and Anti-Aging Medicine in the USA, as well as Regenerative Medicine in Italy and the USA. In addition, she has studied chemistry at Lund University and conducted diabetes research at the University Hospital in Linköping.
My deep interest has always been to test boundaries and understand how the body works, and how it has the ability to balance and keep us healthy if we only understand how.
This has been and continues to be my driving force in everything I have done and continue to do. With increasing research and technology, it is now possible to understand how we can guide ourselves toward a healthier direction and push diseases and poor health into the future. My goal is to make this knowledge accessible to everyone who is interested.
I want to share my knowledge of how you can balance everything from your biochemistry, mental capacity, genetics, and physical health. My wish is to take you on an exciting journey toward becoming the best version of yourself.
John Köckert
Here’s an enhanced version of the text with the added experiences:
John combines the best of regenerative practices with climate-smart agribusiness to create transformative solutions in food systems. At the age of 21, he founded his first venture and has since worked and studied across ten countries on four continents, gaining deep entrepreneurial experience in regenerative agriculture. His journey includes lecturing on impact entrepreneurship at universities in Africa and Europe, co-owning and managing a farm in Northern Uganda, and acquiring expertise in the international agri-commodity trade.
His work is also informed by innovative approaches such as Regenerative Food System Transformation, inspired by the Hansalim cooperative model from South Korea, which emphasizes local, farmer-driven food systems. Additionally, John applies Serious Gaming/Scenario Simulation, engaging multi-stakeholder dialogue and system thinking to model food system dynamics and explore regenerative pathways.
Currently, John is focused on Regenerative University Education, where he integrates hands-on regenerative practices with climate-smart agribusiness insights, empowering the next generation of change-makers to lead sustainable transformations in food and agriculture.
Elizabeth Gundersen (Gilman)
A food medicine creator, forager and consultant in Oslo, Norway (from California) that is fusing the science of nutrition and the art of healthy eating. Recognized for bringing comprehensive knowledge across organic, sustainable, and nutritional cuisine that is translated into experiences and meals with an innovative--and delicious--approach. Over 12 years’ experience running a successful catering business, managing a large staff, and cultivating relationships with farmers and other service providers to deliver true farm-to-table experiences with the highest quality ingredients--ensuring both a nutritional and memorable dining experience for my customers.
Worked to deliver food nutrition and consultancy to the likes of Michael Jordan, Will Smith, the Kennedy Family, and more.
Core skills and competencies include; Health and nutritional consultancy, restaurant and concept development, recipe and menu design, event and pop-up dining, customer relations, catering production and execution, and organic and seasonal foods. Also, a certified Reiki practitioner and sound healer. Available for Yoga and wellness retreats in Norway.
Lars Mortensen Lægreid
Facilitating Learning and Leadership
Founder & Principal for Emergence School of Leadership
Thomas Snellman
Thomas living in Pedersöre in the western part of Finland, this farmer has been working in agriculture since 1981. Initially focusing on dairy cows until 1998, the shift to solely beef cattle followed. Since 1990, the farm has been fully organic. Over the years, the farmer has been deeply involved in rural development, particularly in projects related to organic production, serving as an advisor, mentor, and licensed supervisor in the organic sector. Additionally, the farmer has worked part-time on national projects aimed at promoting organic farming.
In 2013, the farmer launched the direct-selling system REKO, which allows producers to sell directly to consumers without intermediaries. The system rapidly gained popularity, initially in Finland and then expanding to other countries. Today, REKO has more than 600 local rings with over 3 million members in 30 countries worldwide, including Scandinavia, the Baltics, and beyond.
For these contributions to sustainable food production and rural development, the farmer was recognized as "The Nordic Food Entrepreneur" in 2017 and "The Countryside Profile in Finland" in 2018