Directors
Ryan Madamba is Executive Director of Wellspring Retreats. Ryan is one of the founders of Wellspring. He earned a Bachelor’s degree from Drury University where he swam on four national championship teams in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Ryan was also the NAIA champion in the 50 freestyle and earned NAIA All-American honors 23 times during his college career. Ryan has many years of experience working with guests to change their lives for the better. He has served as a residential counselor, outdoor educator, river specialist, whitewater/canoeing instructor, program supervisor and program director. Ryan founded Wellspring Adventure Camp in 2004 as the world’s first adventure weight loss program for children and adolescents. Ryan enjoys helping guests learn to lead a healthy lifestyle through a scientifically-based, balanced curriculum.
Daniel S. Kirschenbaum, Ph.D. ABPP, is Clinical Director of Wellspring Retreats. He is a licensed clinical psychologist in Illinois, Hawaii and California, was Director of the Eating Disorders Program at Northwestern University Medical School, where he is Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Kirschenbaum is a Fellow and Diplomate in Clinical Health Psychology of the American Psychological Association and former president of its Division of Exercise and Sport Psychology. He has served as a consultant to the United States Olympic Committee, the National Basketball Association, the Ladies Professional Golf Association, the Chicago Bears, numerous professional journals, and several major corporations. Dr. Kirschenbaum has provided invited addresses at many professional conferences world-wide, received numerous grants for research, and published 10 books and 130 journal articles on weight loss, sport psychology, and related topics. His books include: Treatment of Childhood and Adolescent Obesity (1987); Weight Loss Through Persistence (1994); The 9 Truths About Weight Loss (2000); and, The Healthy Obsession Program: Smart Weight Loss Instead of Low-Carb Lunacy (2006). In 2000, the American Council on Exercise and its Board of Directors unanimously endorsed The 9 Truths About Weight Loss as “the best book ever written for the public on how to lose weight and keep it off.”
