Nina Hersher
Nina Hersher is CEO and Co-founder of the Digital Wellness Collective, a global trade association of Digital Wellness experts and organizations collaborating to enhance human relationships through the intentional use and development of technology. Hersher is an international speaker and leading expert in Digital Wellness, holding a specialized MSW from Washington University in St. Louis in Norms of Connectivity and Reconceptualizing Human Development in the 21st Century, additional credentials as an Oasis in the Overwhelm Facilitator, Teen Outreach Program Facilitator, and Meditation Teacher. Hersher specializes in Digital Wellness seminars, retreats, and advising tech companies. Hersher is also the founder of Evolving in the Digital Age™ Consulting, dedicated to best practices in mental health in a fast-paced world. Most recently, Hersher’s work was featured at Spotify and in publications including The Stanford Social Innovation Review, Al Jazeera, and Voice of America.
Nina Hersher is CEO and Co-founder of the Digital Wellness Collective, a global trade association of Digital Wellness experts and organizations collaborating to enhance human relationships through the intentional use and development of technology. Hersher is an international speaker and leading expert in Digital Wellness, holding a specialized MSW from Washington University in St. Louis in Norms of Connectivity and Reconceptualizing Human Development in the 21st Century, additional credentials as an Oasis in the Overwhelm Facilitator, Teen Outreach Program Facilitator, and Meditation Teacher. Hersher specializes in Digital Wellness seminars, retreats, and advising tech companies. Hersher is also the founder of Evolving in the Digital Age™ Consulting, dedicated to best practices in mental health in a fast-paced world. Most recently, Hersher’s work was featured at Spotify and in publications including The Stanford Social Innovation Review, Al Jazeera, and Voice of America.
Amy Blankson
Amy Blankson, bestselling author of The Future of Happiness, is the only person to receive a Point of Light from two sitting US Presidents. After graduating from Harvard College and Yale School of Management, she has focused her work on understanding how to cultivate happiness in a digital era. She is a co-founder of the Digital Wellness Collective, a member of the UN Global Happiness Council, and is currently working with the IEEE to create standards for well-being in the creation of artificial intelligence and emotion awareness. Most recently, Amy has shared her thought leadership as a speaker at TEDx, as a regular contributor for Forbes on Women, Technology, and Leadership, and as a featured professor in Oprah’s Happiness course.
Amy Blankson, bestselling author of The Future of Happiness, is the only person to receive a Point of Light from two sitting US Presidents. After graduating from Harvard College and Yale School of Management, she has focused her work on understanding how to cultivate happiness in a digital era. She is a co-founder of the Digital Wellness Collective, a member of the UN Global Happiness Council, and is currently working with the IEEE to create standards for well-being in the creation of artificial intelligence and emotion awareness. Most recently, Amy has shared her thought leadership as a speaker at TEDx, as a regular contributor for Forbes on Women, Technology, and Leadership, and as a featured professor in Oprah’s Happiness course.
Sophie Janicke-Bowles
Sophie H. Janicke-Bowles, Ph.D. is a positive media psychologist who investigates the role that new and traditional media play in promoting individual and social well-being (aka happiness). She is working as an Assistant Professor at the School of Communication at Chapman University, California, USA, teaching, speaking and researching on how to live a life full of meaning, fulfillment and happiness in the age of media saturation and digital distraction. Her work has been recognized in many national and international scientific journal outlets and she and her colleagues were recipients of a 1.9 million dollar grant from the John Templeton Foundation to explore prosociality and connectedness within media. She is currently working on the first textbook in Positive Media Psychology (Routledge, 2021) and is scientifically validating the first digital flourishing survey with her research associates in the upcoming year.
Sophie H. Janicke-Bowles, Ph.D. is a positive media psychologist who investigates the role that new and traditional media play in promoting individual and social well-being (aka happiness). She is working as an Assistant Professor at the School of Communication at Chapman University, California, USA, teaching, speaking and researching on how to live a life full of meaning, fulfillment and happiness in the age of media saturation and digital distraction. Her work has been recognized in many national and international scientific journal outlets and she and her colleagues were recipients of a 1.9 million dollar grant from the John Templeton Foundation to explore prosociality and connectedness within media. She is currently working on the first textbook in Positive Media Psychology (Routledge, 2021) and is scientifically validating the first digital flourishing survey with her research associates in the upcoming year.
Visiting Instructors
Lawrence Ampofo, Ph.D
Dr. Lawrence Ampofo is the CEO and founder of Digital Mindfulness, a digital ethics innovation firm in London, UK. Lawrence focuses on the development and application of ethical and responsible digital innovation. From our current use of mobile technologies and social media, to the responsible application of emerging technologies such as blockchain, AI and robotics.
Shaunelle Curry
Author, Speaker, and Media Studies Professor Shaunelle Curry is the Founder and CEO of Media Done Responsibly (), a public benefit organization that trains student innovators to be conscious consumers, creators and advocates of media that reflect their full humanity across race, socio-economic status, gender, ability, religion and sexual orientation. Shaunelle designed a service learning and peer training model that develops media leaders on a path from middle school to college to career. This model provides youth with a community of supportive peer advocates and a network of industry professionals. Through her role at MDR, Shaunelle amplifies industry professionals that build inclusion into their governing principles, policies, and practices. Shaunelle has been a featured member of the National Association for Media Literacy Education, was named an Unsung Hero of Los Angeles County by the California Community Foundation, and is a recipient of the John Anson Ford Human Relations Award.
Author, Speaker, and Media Studies Professor Shaunelle Curry is the Founder and CEO of Media Done Responsibly (), a public benefit organization that trains student innovators to be conscious consumers, creators and advocates of media that reflect their full humanity across race, socio-economic status, gender, ability, religion and sexual orientation. Shaunelle designed a service learning and peer training model that develops media leaders on a path from middle school to college to career. This model provides youth with a community of supportive peer advocates and a network of industry professionals. Through her role at MDR, Shaunelle amplifies industry professionals that build inclusion into their governing principles, policies, and practices. Shaunelle has been a featured member of the National Association for Media Literacy Education, was named an Unsung Hero of Los Angeles County by the California Community Foundation, and is a recipient of the John Anson Ford Human Relations Award.
Chris Flack
Chris is co-founder of UnPlug, a behaviour change consultancy with a focus on Digital Wellbeing. Since 2016 UnPlug has worked with +60 organisations globally to help staff work smarter in the always on world by improving digital habits and digital culture. Chris comes from a background of over fifteen years in tech consulting and behaviour change. He has experienced first-hand many of the negative impacts of information overload and witnessed how distraction and an ‘always on’ culture has changed the lives of many people. Chris also brings a wealth of international experience to the team, as a number of career breaks in his corporate life allowed him to spend four years travelling and working in senior strategy roles for international aid organisations across four continents. Chris is due to graduate with an MSc in Organisation Work and Behaviour from Dublin City University in 2021.
Chris is co-founder of UnPlug, a behaviour change consultancy with a focus on Digital Wellbeing. Since 2016 UnPlug has worked with +60 organisations globally to help staff work smarter in the always on world by improving digital habits and digital culture. Chris comes from a background of over fifteen years in tech consulting and behaviour change. He has experienced first-hand many of the negative impacts of information overload and witnessed how distraction and an ‘always on’ culture has changed the lives of many people. Chris also brings a wealth of international experience to the team, as a number of career breaks in his corporate life allowed him to spend four years travelling and working in senior strategy roles for international aid organisations across four continents. Chris is due to graduate with an MSc in Organisation Work and Behaviour from Dublin City University in 2021.
James Garrett
James Garrett is a brainhacker, brain coach, and founder of . He’s spoken on stages ranging from Harvard to TEDx and his work has been featured by The New York Times, Fast Company, and Harvard Business Review. He built one of the only brain-based positive psychology curricula in the Middle East and trained thousands of Arab youth in partnership with HM Queen Rania of Jordan. James spent years doing research with some of the best psychologists in the world, including Walter Mischel at Columbia (of the famed marshmallow experiments), Mark Brackett at the Yale Emotional Intelligence Center, and Stanford psychologist Nalini Ambady. His research on self-efficacy, emotional intelligence, and snap judgments has been published in top scientific journals. A rare combination of scientist, trainer, and entrepreneur, in 2019 James, a journey to discover what’s possible at the outer edges of neuroplasticity and brainhacking.
James Garrett is a brainhacker, brain coach, and founder of . He’s spoken on stages ranging from Harvard to TEDx and his work has been featured by The New York Times, Fast Company, and Harvard Business Review. He built one of the only brain-based positive psychology curricula in the Middle East and trained thousands of Arab youth in partnership with HM Queen Rania of Jordan. James spent years doing research with some of the best psychologists in the world, including Walter Mischel at Columbia (of the famed marshmallow experiments), Mark Brackett at the Yale Emotional Intelligence Center, and Stanford psychologist Nalini Ambady. His research on self-efficacy, emotional intelligence, and snap judgments has been published in top scientific journals. A rare combination of scientist, trainer, and entrepreneur, in 2019 James, a journey to discover what’s possible at the outer edges of neuroplasticity and brainhacking.
Jamie Levy
Jamie Levy specializes in creating a culture of belonging as the Engagement Director of the Digital Wellness Collective. In 2016 she founded Savvy Sisters Media, Inc. While working in social media marketing, Jamie was exposed to the benefits and unintended consequences of digital platforms. Curious to find a solution, she submitted her idea to the Horn School of Entrepreneurship at the University of Delaware. She was then invited to participate in the Venture On Start-Up Incubator Program and was awarded an initial investment to create the mindful technology movement, Meep. Jamie is also a Digital Production Designer and well-being ambassador at Deloitte.
David Polgar
David Ryan Polgar is a pioneering tech ethicist who paved the way for the hotly-debated issues around regulating speech on social media, AI ethics, unintended consequences, digital wellbeing, and what it means to be human in the digital age. He has appeared on CBS This Morning, TODAY show, BBC World News, and many others. An international speaker with rare insight into building a better future with technology, David is the founder and executive director of All Tech Is Human, which is an accelerator for tech consideration. David is a frequent consultant and tech commentator, Forbes contributor, co-host of the podcast Funny as Tech, and an advisor for Hack Mental Health, the Technology and Adolescent Mental Wellness (TAM) program, and #ICANHELP--all committed to using tech for good. He was recently appointed as a founding member of TikTok’s Content Advisory Council (US), providing expertise around the delicate and difficult challenges platforms face.
Dr. Eva Selhub, MD
Eva Selhub is an internationally recognized expert, physician, speaker, scientist and consultant in the fields of stress, resilience, and working with the natural environment to achieve maximum health and wellbeing. She has authored 4 books, including The Love Response, Your Brain on Nature, Your Health Destiny, and the Stress Management Handbook.. She is the only person certified in North America to teach the method of How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci and she serves as a Medical Advisor for several non-for profit organizations.
Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Dr. Eva served as an Instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and as a Clinical Associate of the world renowned Benson Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital for close to 20 years, serving as their Medical Director for six of those years. Dr. Selhub is now working with clients, corporations and scientific colleagues to redefine the ways in which we approach health and wellness to a model that incorporates alternative approaches to health as well as creativity, innovation, and resilience.
As an author, speaker and coach, Dr. Selhub uses her powerful gift to translate complex information–be it scientific or esoteric writings from wisdom traditions– into practical and usable knowledge that any individual can access. She bridges science with spirit, fitness with spiritual beliefs, corporate challenges with scientific understandings of stress and homeostasis, allopathic medicine with alternative medicine, and provides the framework for individuals to achieve transformational resilience and wellbeing.
Dr. Selhub has also authored multiple relaxation CD’s, Relax into Love, Finding Stillness, Ten Minutes to Relax: The Love Response (produced by the Relaxation Company), and Meditation for Life, Love and Flow (produced and recorded with Steven Halpern). She has been published in medical journals and featured in national publications including The New York Times, USA Today, Self, Shape, Fitness, and Journal of Woman’s Health, and has appeared on radio and television in connection with her work, including the Dr. Oz show.
Jay Vidyarthi
Jay Vidyarthi has been practicing mindfulness for over 10 years. He has completed many regular extended retreats in both traditional and science-based approaches. His experience includes 2 months of intensive residential training at the Monastic Academy, an extended interdisciplinary intensive with the Mind & Life Institute, and facilitator training with Unified Mindfulness.
Jay also works as a strategic designer with a focus on mindfulness, mental health, and well-being. He led UX to startup Muse: the brain-sensing headband, a category leader in transformative technology. He’s been involved in creating mindfulness-based technologies with Dr. Richard Davidson and his team at Healthy Minds Innovations, Brightmind, Character Lab, Retreat Guru, and many more. As the inventor of Sonic Cradle, Jay authored a number of early influential academic publications about mindful technology.
Top-tier press and influencer lists have consistently recognized Jay’s work (Forbes, TransTech200, Fast Company...), and he’s delivered 40+ speaking/teaching engagements around the world (MIT, Harvard, U of Toronto, CHI, DIS…). He also helped create the annual A Mindful Society conference which draws hundreds of leaders bringing mindfulness and compassion into healthcare, education, government, tech, and organizations.
