Soneva Jani: October 1-31, 2022 Soneva Fushi: November 1-14, 2022 Combining years of hands-on therapy and clinical chiropractic experience with an in-depth understanding of human movement, sport and exercise physiology, Dr Chet Collins provides his patients with immediate relief and long-term solutions for their physical needs. His passion for helping others discover the freedom of movement and his record for relieving and correcting persistent physical problems have resulted in an international reputation as “Dr Magic Hands”. Over the past 20 years, Dr Chet has also developed Motion Restoration Therapy, a unique combination of pain-free deep tissue manipulation, detailed finger pressure and gentle joint movement. In doing so, restoring normal motion to the body’s tissues and relieving abnormal stresses on the joints and musculoskeletal pain. Through Motion Restoration Therapy, even painful conditions that have been resistant to previous forms of treatment can be improved in a short period of time. Corrective exercises and personalised training are then used to support soft tissue corrections and prevent recurrences.

Sascha Stemberg has been running his restaurant, Haus Stemberg Anno 1864, in Velbert, Germany, since 2015. He first started working there as a Sous Chef in 2005 and, together with his mother and father, he planned his culinary dream. The restaurant has been family run since 1864, making Sascha and his wife the fifth generation to inherit it. Each dish is always full of flavour, using only the best ingredients, which are often local. They have their own bees, and work with many of the farmers in the area. In 2013, the restaurant achieved its first Michelin Star.

Educated in classic Japanese sushi in Chiba, Japan by the renowned sushi master, Mr. Kazato, Chef Pepi Aneveski is a certified sushi head chef by the prestigious All Japan Sushi Association (AJSA). With more than 15 years of experience, one of Chef Aneveski’s greatest achievements has been winning the World Sushi Cup in Tokyo, Japan in March 2013, and also being awarded the title ‘World’s Most Creative Sushi Master’. In recent years, Aneveski has been working as a Head Sushi Chef in Copenhagen, Denmark, and has continued to develop his artistry. “Sushi is much more than a food creation,” he explains. “It’s more of an art which by understanding and respecting the core products gives you amazing results.”  His ambition is to raise more global awareness about the art of sushi. Chef Pepi Aneveski will host a series of dinners at Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani in the Maldives to showcase his sushi mastery from October 15 to 30, 2022.

Soneva Jani: October 15-23, 2022 Soneva Fushi: October 23-30, 2022 Former English professional rugby player Ben Cohen came to prominence in the successful Northampton side that lifted the Heineken Cup in 2000. A big, quick wing, Cohen became a regular fixture of the England side and became a prolific try-scorer on the international stage. He started six games at the Rugby World Cup in 2003, receiving a winners medal and MBE after winning the tournament against hosts Australia. Following his retirement in 2011, he founded the anti-bullying foundation StandUp, dedicating his spare time to raising awareness of the long-term effects of bullying and offering support to those who do real-world work around the anti-bullying space. Well-known for her eight-year stint on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, Kristina Rihanoff is a world finalist professional ballroom dancer, instructor, choreographer and author. A yoga devotee for nearly 20 years, Kristina credits her regular yoga practice for keeping her away from injuries and providing mental focus throughout her dance career. Following the birth of her daughter, Kristine turned to yoga once again to help rebuild her strength and mobility. Together, the couple opened Soo Yoga in 2019 – the first and only family wellbeing centre in Northamptonshire, UK. Adopting a holistic approach to its members’ wellbeing, the centre offers an extensive range of classes for all ages and abilities, including all styles of yoga, reformer Pilates, dance, cycling, HIIT and meditation. Soo Yoga is also home to Kristina’s dance and drama academy, Bespoke Ballroom. Along with her incredible team of teachers, Kristina offers exciting classes for babies, toddlers and kids.

Dipna Anand is a Celebrity Chef who co-owns the famous ‘Brilliant Restaurant’ in Southall, specialising in Punjabi cuisine, showcasing some of her grandfather’s recipes dating back to over 75 years. Author of two recipe books, Dipna guest lectures at The University of West London in the subject of Indian cooking and also runs her own School of Indian Cookery in West London. Dipna carries out food demos, pop-up chef events and is currently on a mission to teach the nation how to cook ‘real Indian Food’ with her TV show Dip In Kitchen. Working alongside The Compass Group as brand chef for their Punjabi food range, Dipna is now on the brink of creating her own ready meals and spice range. The chef’s Brilliant Punjabi food range is available at selected events with Wembley SSE Arena, The O2, The ExCelLondon, Twickenham Rugby Stadium, Chelsea Football Club, Goodwood, The Oval Cricket Club and Madejski Stadium in Reading. Dipna is known as the curry queen of the Indian cookery world however has expertise and knowledge in a range of cuisines from around the world. Her quick, easy and express style recipes a real buzz in the social media world. She believes cooking should be fun, exciting, easy and quick.

Terrell Owens is a six-time NFL Pro-Bowl player, actor, humanitarian, fitness expert, model and motivational speaker. With 1078 Receptions, 15,934 yards, and 153 touchdowns during the span of his 15-year career, his extraordinary skills on the gridiron and elite athleticism raised the bar for Wide Receivers in the league. Credited with being one of the most exciting and electrifying players to ever play the game, he has garnered countless awards and accolades for his work, on and off the field, including, six Pro Bowl appearances, 5-time Associated Press All-Pro, recorded five seasons with 13 or more touchdowns, and the first to score a touchdown in seven straight “Monday Night Football” games. On September 15, 2008, in yet another remarkable Monday Night Game, Terrel moved into second place on the NFL’s all-time career touchdown list. In 2022 he made history again when he became part of the first trade in Fan Controlled Football. Terrell’s work on the field is only mirrored by his accomplishments off the field including partnering with the Alzheimer’s Association. In 2000, he testified before Congress to continue to raise awareness about the disease. Owens’ latest endeavour, the “What TO Do” Global Campaign is an initiative aimed at empowering and motivating youth around the world through speaking, workshops and the launch of an inspirational clothing line for men, women and children. While in the Maldives, he will be hosting a series of workshops for Young Sonevians at Soneva Fushi.

Born in Lancashire, England, Lisa Goodwin-Allen became interested in cookery at school, enjoying the opportunity to be creative and express herself. After graduating from college, she worked in several prestigious restaurants, including the two Michelin-starred Le Champignon Sauvage in Gloucester, before arriving at Northcote at the age of 20. Within just a year, she was made chef de partie, working her way up to becoming head chef at just 23, one of the youngest chefs to lead a Michelin-starred kitchen at the time. Over the last two decades, Lisa has helped maintain Northcote’s Michelin star, using seasonal, locally-sourced ingredients that incorporate her Lancashire roots into her creative dishes. She has become a familiar face on British television, including serving a rabbit and leek turnover to Prince Charles during a banquet to celebrate the National Trust on the BBC’s Great British Menu (which she won in 2010, and was a finalist the following year and was the only chef in the history of the show to have all three of her dishes in the banquet in 2020). As well as returning to the Great British Menu as a guest judge in 2016, she has also been a chef mentor and judge on MasterChef: The Professionals, and Celebrity MasterChef. Lisa Goodwin-Allen will be hosting exclusive dinners at Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani from October 19 to 28, 2022.

Dr James O’Donoghue is a planetary astronomer at the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and prior to this he worked at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. His research involves the astronomy of Giant Planets Jupiter, Saturn and exoplanets. His recent astronomical discoveries have made global news: Saturn’s rings aren’t going to last forever — they are falling into the upper atmosphere, and Jupiter’s aurora heats the entire planet. James has a passion for educating people about the wonders of space: he creates space science-themed animations which are used in schools, planetariums, universities and museums globally. These videos have over 200 million views across Twitter, Youtube and other platforms, gaining him nearly 200,000 followers on the Twitter account “@physicsJ”. During his visit, James will be hosting after-dinner stargazing sessions, along with talks about astronomy throughout the day.

Joe Wicks is on a mission to make the world fitter, healthier and happier. The man behind the global fitness brand The Body Coach, his YouTube channel ‘The Body Coach TV’ delivers home workouts for all ages and fitness levels. Inspired by the sense of fulfilment he got from helping his clients get fitter and healthier, Joe started using social media to share nutritious recipes and motivation, which he hoped would make a positive difference to people’s lives. His 15-second videos of meals that take 15-minutes to make quickly attracted a large following and inspired Joe’s first book – Lean in 15. Full of 15-minute recipes and workouts, the book was published in 2015 and has sold over one-million copies. It was the UK’s best-selling non-fiction title that year and is the second best-selling cookbook of all time. His ‘PE With Joe’ workout series during the Covid-19 lockdown received over 80 million views and raised more than £580,000 for NHS Charities Together. In 2020, Joe broke the Guinness World Record for the highest number of viewers for a live streamed workout on YouTube – with over 955,000 viewers taking part. Joe will be in the Maldives at Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani from October 20 to 30, 2022, to conduct workshops and training sessions for our guests.  

Agnieszka Roma Radwańska is a Polish former professional tennis player. Known for making intelligent use of the court, she won 20 career singles titles, two doubles titles, and achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 2 on July 9, 2012. Among her many achievements and accolades, Agnieszka is the first Polish player in the Open Era to reach a Grand Slam singles final, the first Pole to win the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Finals, the first Pole to claim a WTA singles title, and was one half of the first Polish team to win the Hopman Cup tournament. In addition, she won the WTA award for Most Impressive Newcomer in 2006, the WTA Fan Favourite Award six times, Shot of the Year five times, Shot of the Month on a regular basis, and finished with a top 10 year-end ranking eight times.  She is also widely considered one of the best tennis players to have never won a Grand Slam. For her accomplishments in sport and for representing her country with distinction, in 2013 she was awarded the Gold Cross of Merit by Polish President Bronisław Komorowski. On November 14, 2018, Agnieszka announced her retirement from professional tennis at the age of 29. Agnieszkai will host a series of tennis camps for our guests at Soneva Jani from October 22-30, 2022.

Ibrahim ‘Ibou’ Ba will be hosting a Young Sonevians’ Football Club at Soneva Jani from December 19 to 23, 2021. Born in Dakar, Senegal, Ibou began his professional football career at the age of 17 with French side Le Havre. An impressive right mid-fielder, he moved to FC Girondins de Bordeaux in 1996, and was part of the team that reached the final in the Coupe de la Ligue. From there, he was bought by AC Milan, winning the Serie A title in 1998-99. He re-joined the legendary side after brief stints on loan to AC Perugia and Olympique de Marseille, and was part of AC Milan’s legendary 2002-03 season, winning both the UEFA Champions League and the Coppa Italia. Before his retirement in 2008, Ibou represented clubs in the UK, Turkey and Sweden, returning to AC Milan for his final season. During his career, he also won eight caps playing for the French national squad. Led by Ibou, the Young Sonevians’ Football Camp will focus on all aspects of the game: from the technical and physical, such as shooting, hand-eye coordination and dribbling, to the psychological, social and emotional, from decision-making to confidence and good sportsmanship. After an opening ceremony on December 19, each day will include morning training sessions and an early evening match on the Soneva Jani futsal ground (sports shoes are obligatory for training and matches).

Ronaldo Aparecido Rodrigues, commonly known as ‘Naldo’, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a centre back. He is currently an assistant coach at Bundesliga club Schalke 04. Naldo started playing professional football in Brazil when he was 18 years old. In 2005 he went on to play in the German league ‘Bundesliga’ where he, over the course of 14 years, played for various teams including Werder Bremen, VFL Wolfsburg and Schalke 04. From 2007 to 2009, he made four appearances for the Brazil national team and won the Copa America. Naldo was named the best Bundesliga player in 2017 and was the first defender in Bundesliga history to top this category. AS Monaco was his last team in which he also finished his football career.

British artist and designer Stuart Haygarth is best known for his work which revolves around discarded commonplace objects and detritus. His exquisite designs and installations have employed the flotsam and jetsam of everyday life – from man-made debris washed up on the seashore to thousands of salvaged prescription spectacles. Creating order and symmetry out of randomness and waste, his work is as much about the process of collecting and collating materials as the elevation of these materials to objects of value or beauty. By constructing narratives about time, loss, abandonment, and modernity, these human aspects attached to the chosen objects are an integral part and driving force within the work. Stuart will be our resident artist at Soneva Art and Glass, the Maldives’ only hot glass studio, from October 20 to November 10, 2022.

Chantelle Nicholson is a multi-award winning chef owner of Apricity, London. Formerly chef-owner of Tredwells (the recipient of a green Michelin star in 2021) and All’s Well, a ‘pandemic pop-up’. As one of the leading female voices in the UK’s hospitality industry, Chantelle is an advocate for seasonality and sustainability, championing veg-forward cooking and being committed to creating a more sustainable future across her operation and activities, whilst also being an independent board member for ReLondon and a Food Council member for City Harvest.

Therese Alshammar is a Swedish swimmer who has won 72 international medals, including three Olympic medals, 25 World Championship medals and 43 European Championship medals, and has set 14 world records throughout her career. A specialist in short distances races in freestyle and butterfly, she is the only female swimmer who has competed in six Olympic Games and the oldest to win an individual world championship title. Therese also runs a learn to swim program for schools in Sweden and has written two children’s books on swimming, mixing fact and fiction to spur interest to play in the water. While in the Maldives, Therese will be helping Young Sonevians perfect their stroke while having fun in the water.

Soneva Fushi: November 1 – 6, 2022 Soneva Jani: November 6 – 10, 2022 A medalist of the prestigious international culinary competition Bocuse d’Or, Viktor’s gastronomic career was inspired by his father and brother, who were also chefs. Over the past 20 years,  the multiple award-winning has since mastered his skills under the guidance of some most famous, Michelin-starred chefs around the world, including Björn Frantzen at Frantzén in Stockholm, David Muños at StreetXO in Madrid and Christian Puglis at Relae in Copenhagen. Currently, Viktor is the brand chef of Moscow’s Uhvat restaurant, where he specialises in locally-grown produce and age-old cooking methods, seamlessly combining them with the latest techniques in the culinary arts. Constantly surprising guests with his original interpretation of traditional cuisine, he uses his original clay wood-burning stoves to cook delectable dishes before adding modern techniques and an author’s presentation.