Guests
Click on the ‘Listen’ button to jump straight to their episode.
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Rainn Wilson
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Annie Slease
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Dr. Jeff Hall & Dr. Andy Merolla
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Glennon Doyle
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Richard Barrera
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Houston Kraft
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Dr. Smita Malhotra
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Brian McLaren
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Augustus Mays
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Vicki Shabo
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Jill Murphy
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Nicole Hockley
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Anya M. Kamenetz
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Dr. Anna Malaika Tubbs
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Dr. John B. King Jr.
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Alex Briscoe
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Merve Lapus
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Graham Wiseman
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MariaEsther Hemmen
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Chris Gethard
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Gabe Leporati
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Dr. Louise L. Hayes
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Sarah Rice
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Lenore Skenazy
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Fareedah Shaheed
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Patrick J. Kennedy
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Vikram Patel
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Simran Jeet Singh
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Ryan Stanger
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Dena Trujillo + Natalia Dayan
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John MacPhee
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Steve Adelsheim
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Gabby Rivera
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Brigid Schulte
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Dr. Marleen Wong
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Mara Madrigal-Weiss
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Dr. Dominique Thompson
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Dr. Lisa Wong
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Jamal Miller
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Dr. Renee Schneider
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Jeff Guenther (@Therapy Jeff)
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Gary Gulman + Chris Gethard
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Dr. Michael Rich
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Dr. Anna Lembke
Dr. Anna Lembke Helps
Dr. Anna Lembke Professor of Psychiatry, Stanford University of Medicine and NYT Bestselling Author Anna Lembke, MD is a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. A clinician scholar, she is the author of more than a hundred peer-reviewed publications, has testified before the United States House of Representatives and Senate, has served as an expert witness in federal and state opioid litigation, and is an internationally recognized leader in addiction medicine treatment and education.
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In 2016, she published Drug Dealer, MD – How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked, and Why It’s So Hard to Stop (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2016), highlighted in the New York Times as one of the top five books to read to understand the opioid epidemic (Zuger, 2018). Dr. Lembke appeared in the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, an unvarnished look at the impact of social media on our lives. Her latest book, Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence (Dutton/Penguin Random House, August 2021) was an instant New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller and has been translated into 25 languages. It combines the neuroscience of addiction with the wisdom of recovery to explore the problem of compulsive overconsumption in a dopamine-overloaded world.
Dr. Michael Rich Helps
Michael Rich, MD, MPH is recognized globally for his acclaimed work as a pediatrician, child health researcher, and children’s media specialist. He is the Founder and Director of the Digital Wellness Lab which is on a mission to understand and promote positive and healthy digital media experiences for young people, from birth through young adulthood.
Dr. Rich is also the Founder and Co-Director of the Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet Disorders (CIMAID), the first evidence-based clinical program designed to address Problematic Interactive Media Use (PIMU) in children, adolescents, and young adults. Using a multidisciplinary approach, Dr. Rich works with young people and their families to help them to adopt and sustain healthy approaches to engaging with interactive media and technology.
Gary Gulman and Chris Gethard Help
Gary Gulman
Over 25 years in comedy, Gary Gulman has established himself as an eminent performer and peerless writer.
A product of Boston, Gulman has been a scholarship college football player, an accountant, and a high school teacher. He has made countless television appearances as both a comedian and an actor.
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Gulman has made four masterful TV specials including his most recent universally acclaimed stand-up specials for Max, “Born On 3rd Base”, lending his meticulous comedic craft to the current Tale of Two Cities-esque wealth gap, and “The Great Depresh”, a tour de force look at mental illness, which is equal parts hilarious and inspiring
In 2019, he appeared in the international blockbuster “Joker”. He can most recently be seen co-starring with Amy Schumer in the hit Hulu comedy series, “Life & Beth”.
Gary's first book published by Flatiron Books is titled “Misfit: Growing Up Awkward in the '80s”, a memoir based on his life from Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade. It was released in September of 2023. Amy Schumer called the book “laugh out loud funny and heartfelt” and MacArthur Fellowship recipient Adrian Nicole LeBlanc found it “exquisite, love-affirming and generous”.
Today, Gulman is one of the most popular touring comics, selling out theaters around the country including the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City. Gary is currently touring with "Misfit: A Gary Gulman Stand Up & Book Tour", which features material based on his book, but not a repeat of the book. Gary lives in Harlem with his wife.
Chris Gethard
Chris Gethard is a comedian, podcaster, author, actor, and former television host. He’s been an active performer for over two decades. His work expanded to include mental health advocacy and activism after the release of his 2017 HBO special Career Suicide, in which he detailed his experiences navigating the mental health system in dealing with his own depression and anxiety issues.
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Career Suicide received critical praise that made Chris a sought-after speaker in the mental health advocacy space. In 2022, Chris delivered a keynote as part of Wellness Together’s annual Student Mental Wellness Conference. He found Wellness Together’s mission and methodology exciting and forward-thinking, and as his conversations with the organization continued and grew the Laughing Together partnership was born.
Chris joined the Wellness Together team to bring comedy and mental health together to support students and communities.
Therapy Jeff Helps
Jeff Guenther is a licensed professional counselor in Portland, Oregon, practicing since 2005. His focus includes working with both couples and individuals. Alongside therapy, Jeff dedicates his spare time to creating short videos for TikTok and Instagram, and hosting his weekly podcasts, 'Big Dating Energy’ and ‘Problem Solved.’ Excitingly, you can now pre-order his new book, also titled 'Big Dating Energy.' Follow him on all platforms for insightful relationship advice, tips, pep talks, and a range of resources to boost your mental health. Learn more at TherapyJeff.com.
Dr. Renee Schneider Helps
Dr. Renee Schneider is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and a Lead in the Mental Health Center of Excellence at Google. Dr. Schneider is passionate about the dissemination of evidence-based interventions for mental health problems and has a special interest in supporting children, teens, and parents. At Google, she works with teams whose products directly or indirectly impact the mental health of users, including Search, YouTube, and generative AI features. Dr. Schneider earned an undergraduate degree from UCLA and a doctoral degree from the University of Georgia. She completed fellowships at the Palo Alto VA and Stanford University School of Medicine. Before joining the team at Google, Dr. Schneider was the VP of Clinical Quality at Lyra Health, a mental health start-up, where she oversaw care and conducted clinical research on the efficacy of evidence-based approaches outside of academia.
Jahmal Miller Helps
Jahmal Miller, as Chief Administrative Officer, strategically leads Dignity Health Mercy Medical Group’s organizational development, health system relationships, talent management and business operations. Miller, who most recently served Dignity Health’s parent company, CommonSpirit Health, as System Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, was previously Director of Corporate Reputation and Thought Leadership for Blue Shield of California. In addition to leadership roles at Kaiser Permanente and Sutter Health systems, Miller served as the Deputy Director of the California Department of Public Health’s Office of Heath Equity, serving as the state’s lead advisor on issues related to reducing health and mental health disparities and to achieving health equity for all Californians.
Dr. Lisa Wong Helps
Dr. Lisa Wong is a musician, pediatrician, arts education advocate, and champion of arts in health. A graduate of Harvard College and NYU School of Medicine, she is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Director of the Arts and Humanities Initiative at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Wong served as president of the Longwood Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra of Boston’s medical community, for over 20 years. During her tenure, she helped create LSO’s signature “Healing Art of Music” program that raises funds and awareness for nonprofit health organizations through its music.
Dr. Wong serves as chair of the Boston Public Schools Arts Advisory Council and as chair of the education committee at Conservatory Lab Charter School in Dorchester, advocating for the incorporation of the arts education into curriculum to promote social emotional wellbeing in Boston’s children. Dr. Wong teaches and lectures extensively on creativity and interdisciplinarity and is the author of Scales to Scalpels: Doctors who practice the healing arts of Music and Medicine. S At Harvard College, she teaches a course on the role of music in education and health and is currently working with the Massachusetts Cultural Council to establish Culture Rx, a social prescription program.
Dr. Dominique Thompson Helps
Dominique is a multi-award winning GP, young people's mental health expert, TEDx speaker, author and educator, with over two decades of NHS clinical experience. Dom now works as an independent mental health consultant and speaker, whilst holding roles including; President-elect of the Student Health Association, membership of the UK government’s Higher Education Mental Health Implementation Taskforce, and Clinical Advisor to NICE and Student Minds.
She is author of The Student Wellbeing Series (Trigger Press) for young people, and co-author of How to Grow a Grown Up (PenguinRandomHouse) for parents. Dom has done two TEDx talks; ‘What I learnt from 78000 GP consultations with university students’ and ‘Understanding Why’.
She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA).
Mara Madrigal-Weiss Helps
Mara Madrigal-Weiss is the Executive Director of Student Wellness and School Culture, Student Services and Programs Division, San Diego County Office of Education. Her experience includes working with school communities as a Family Case Manager, Protective Services Worker and Family Resource Center Director.
Madrigal-Weiss received her M.A. in Human Behavior from National University, a M.Ed in School Counseling, and a M.Ed in Educational Leadership from Point Loma Nazarene University. Madrigal-Weiss has been dedicated to promoting student mental health and wellness for over 19 years.She is a past president of the International Bullying Prevention Association (IBPA) the only international association dedicated to eradicating bullying worldwide.
Madrigal-Weiss is a member of the California Department of Education’s Student Mental Health Policy Workgroup. Commissioner Madrigal-Weiss serves as the designee of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction as a Commissioner on the Commission. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA).
Dr. Marleen Wong Helps
Marleen Wong, Ph.D. is CEO for the Center for Safe and Resilient Schools and Workplaces and former Senior Vice Dean, David Lawrence Stein and Violet Goldberg Sacks Endowed Professor of Mental Health, Emerita, at the USC Suzanne Dworek Peck School of Social Work at the University of Southern California. A School Social Worker at the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), she gained expertise in the development of PreK-12 mental health, crisis intervention, earthquake/disaster recovery and threat assessment policies, procedures, and interventions over a span of 30 years. After the LA Riots and Fires in 1992, she was appointed the Director of Mental Health, Crisis Intervention and Threat Assessment Teams and Suicide Prevention Programs Dr. Wong has been engaged in a community based research partnership with RAND Health and the UCLA Partnered Health Research Center from 1997 to the present and served as the Principal Investigator for the Trauma Treatment Adaptation Center for Resilience, Hope and Wellness in Schools from 2002 to 2021. A member of the Institute of Medicine Board on Neuroscience and Behavioral Health which published the report The Psychological Consequences of Terrorism, she has also served as PI, Co-PI or program developer for over $20M in grants funded in the US by the US Army, the Department of Defense/DoDEA, UNICEF, KOGNITO, SAMHSA and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network.
Brigid Schulte Helps
Brigid Schulte is a journalist, think tank program director, keynote speaker, and author of the New York Times bestselling book on time pressure, gender, and modern life, Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time. Her latest book, Over Work: Transforming the Daily Grind in the Quest for a Better Life will be published in September 2024. She was an award-winning journalist for The Washington Post and The Washington Post Magazine and was part of the team that won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize. She serves as the director of the Better Life Lab, the work-family justice, care, and gender equity narrative change program at New America. She hosts the Better Life Lab podcast on Slate. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including the New York Times, Slate, the Atlantic, Harvard Business Review, the Financial Times, the Guardian, New York Magazine, Fast Company, and others.
Gabby Rivera Helps
Gabby Rivera is a Bronx-born queer Puerto Rican babe on a mission to create the wildest, most fun stories ever. Gabby is the first Latina ever to write for Marvel comics, penning the solo series AMERICA about America Chavez, a portal-punching queer Latina powerhouse.
Gabby’s critically acclaimed debut novel Juliet Takes a Breath was called “f*cking outstanding” by Roxane Gay and was re-published by Penguin Random House in 2019. Mic named it one of the 25 essential books to read for Women’s History Month, and Latina magazine called it the “dopest LGBTQA YA book ever.”
Gabby presented before the United Nations in 2020 as an invited speaker to their Unstereotyping Alliance Conference, and she has collaborated with groups such as the Ford Motor Company, the Makers Women’s Conference and Somos Familia, to uplift joyful storytelling and the magic of queer diasporicans everywhere.
In 2022, Gabby became a Sundance Screenwriters Fellow and received an Advancing Justice Award from Catalyst California, alongside activist Dolores Huerta and politician Sheila Kuehl. She currently resides on the West Coast and hosts Joy Uprising, a podcast that brings together her favorite revolutionary humans to honor joy in a chaotic world.
Steve Adelsheim Helps
Steven Adelsheim, MD, is a Clinical Professor & Associate Chair for Community Engagement at Stanford’s Department of Psychiatry, directing the Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing. Steve’s work is focused on early detection/intervention programs for young people. He leads the effort to bring allcove to the US, an integrated youth mental health model, which opened in June 2021 in Santa Clara County, CA, LA County in November of 2022, San Mateo County in January of 2024 with plans to open 8 additional centers in California over the few years. Dr. Adelsheim also co-leads PEPPNET, the national clinical network for early psychosis programs. Steve also co-directs the Media and Mental Health Initiative in Stanford’s Psychiatry Department. Dr. Adelsheim has partnered for many years with Native American and tribal partners on expanding early intervention mental health supports for tribal youth. He is actively involved in youth suicide prevention efforts, as well as 2 ECHO Programs, one supporting Native Youth Mental Health Providers and the other focused on school mental health, which will start in the Fall of 2025. Along with co-editors Vicki Harrison and Anne Collier, Steve is a co-editor of a soon to be released book through American Psychiatric Association Press on Youth Mental Health and Social Media. Steve previously spent many years leading school mental health efforts for the State of New Mexico and served as New Mexico’s state Psychiatric Medical Director.
John MacPhee Helps
John serves as the CEO of The Jed Foundation (JED), a leading nonprofit organization that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for teens and young adults. JED works across the country helping youth, families, schools, and community organizations to take actions to support youth mental health and reduce risks for suicide. Passionate about supporting young adults in their transition to adulthood, John advises several organizations including the S. Jay Levy Fellowship for Future Leaders at City College, Trek Medics, Opera Ebony, the Health Policy and Management Department at the Mailman School of Public Health, and HIV Hero.
Earlier in his career, he served in executive positions and board roles for several pharmaceutical companies, where he oversaw functions such as business development, alliance management, clinical development, regulatory affairs, sales and marketing.
John is a recipient of The Allan Rosenfield Alumni Award for Excellence in the field of public health from the Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. He earned a BA from Columbia College, an MBA from New York University and an MPH from Columbia University.
Dena Trujillo and Natalia Dayan Help
Dena Trujillo
Dena Trujillo, CEO of Crisis Text Line, has spent over 20 years operating at the intersection of nonprofit and for-profit, discovering and amplifying models that scale innovative solutions and maximize social impact. Prior to Crisis Text Line, Dena was a Venture Partner at Omidyar Network, where she spent 17 years driving philanthropic initiatives around the world and managing a grant/investment portfolio of over $150 million.
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Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7, high quality text-based mental health support and crisis intervention in English and Spanish. Guided by empathy and innovation, Crisis Text Line endeavors to build an empathetic world where nobody feels alone.
Natalia Dayan
Natalia Dayan, LMSW, is the Global Expansion Director at Crisis Text Line, spearheading the nonprofit organization’s Spanish service in the US. She is a Latina immigrant to the US who has worked in the mental health space for over 12 years. In the past, she has led Crisis Text Line’s Clinical Supervision team exploring new technologies and policies to improve services for those in crisis.
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Prior to Crisis Text Line, Natalia provided services to adults with psychiatric diagnosis who were experiencing homelessness. She also developed curricula for Psychoeducational groups, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Wellness Self-Management. Over the years, she has gained extensive experience supporting individuals and groups navigating issues including substance use disorders, domestic violence, suicidality, homelessness and eating disorders. Natalia has been a licensed master social worker (LMSW) for more than eight years. She has been interviewed by top-tier and regional media networks such as Telemundo, Univision DC, ABC Austin, Popsugar, La Voz Arizona, and La Opinión, to name a few.
Ryan Stanger Helps
Simran Jeet Singh Helps
Simran Jeet Singh, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of history at Union Theological Seminary and senior adviser for the Aspen Institute’s Religion & Society Program. He is a Soros Equality Fellow with the Open Society Foundations, and in 2020 TIME magazine recognized him among sixteen people fighting for a more equal America. He is a columnist for the Religion News Service, and his work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and on CNN. Singh is the author of the award-winning children’s book Fauja Singh Keeps Going. He lives in New York City with his family.
Vikram Patel Helps
Vikram Patel is the Paul Farmer Professor and Chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, where he also leads the Mental Health for All Lab. His work has focused on the burden of mental health problems, their association with social disadvantage, and the use of community resources for their prevention and treatment. He is a co-founder of Sangath, an Indian NGO which won the MacArthur Foundation’s International Prize and the WHO Public Health Champion of India prize. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in the UK and a member of the US National Academy of Medicine.
Patrick J. Kennedy Helps
Former U.S. Representative (D-RI) and Founder of The Kennedy Forum
During his time in Congress, Patrick J. Kennedy was the lead author of the landmark Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (Federal Parity Law), which requires insurers to cover treatment for mental health and substance use disorders no more restrictively than treatment for illnesses of the body, such as diabetes and cancer. In 2013, he founded The Kennedy Forum, a nonprofit that unites advocates, business leaders, and government agencies to advance evidence-based practices, policies, and programming in mental health and addiction.
Fareedah Shaheed Helps
Internet Safety Expert and Founder of Sekuva & The Protect Kids Online (PKO) Membership
Fareedah Shaheed is an Award-Winning Internet Safety Expert and a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree. She founded Sekuva & the Protect Kids Online (PKO) Membership with the mission of helping parents protect their children online.
Through her background in cybersecurity awareness, threat intelligence, and online gaming she has developed a unique approach called the SAFE Method to teaching internet safety to parents by centering the need for safe spaces and connection as the foundation to protecting kids online.
Her work has been featured in NBC, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, NASDAQ, FOX, AfroTech, Ebony Magazine, Yahoo!, Worth Magazine, and many more. She has worked with companies such as Meta, H&M, FedEx, NASA, Mozilla, LinkedIn, Common Sense Networks, and Love146 to help educate parents on internet safety and security. She is currently serving on the Forbes board for the Under 30 community and has been named LinkedIn Top Voices in Cybersecurity.
Lenore Skenazy Helps
After her newspaper column “Why I Let My 9-Year-Old Ride the Subway Alone” created a media firestorm, Lenore got the nickname “America’s Worst Mom.” (Google it!) She went on to write Free-Range Kids, the book-turned-movement that says our kids are smarter and stronger than our culture gives them credit for.
Lenore has lectured everywhere from DreamWorks to Microsoft to Harvard Med School, Yale Child Study Center -- and the Bulgarian Happiness Festival! (For real.) On TV, you may have seen her on The Today Show, The Daily Show Good Morning America, Dr. Phil, The View, Anderson Cooper, Fox News, NPR, the BBC, the CBC…you get the idea. She also hosted the reality show, World’s Worst Mom. (You never heard of it. She knows that.)
In 2017 Lenore co-founded Let Grow, the nonprofit promoting childhood independence, with three others, including Jonathan “The Anxious Generation” Haidt. She is Let Grow’s president. She helped Jon write the chapters in his book for parents and for schools.
Lenore lives in New York City with her husband and beloved computer. Her children are gainfully employed. (Phew!) And, for the record, she used to write for Mad Magazine. Yep. MAD. But now she's so serious that here is her piece on "Independence as Therapy" in The New York Times.
Sarah Rice Helps
Sarah Rice is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT) based in California, known for her compassionate approach to mental health and wellness. She co-hosts the popular Brain Candy Podcast, where she combines wit and curiosity to explore a wide range of topics, and This Changes Everything, a mental health-focused podcast. Sarah first captured audiences as a cast member on MTV’s The Challenge and Real World: Brooklyn. Today, she uses her platform to inspire personal growth and connection, blending her media presence with her passion for helping others through therapy.
Dr. Louise L. Hayes Helps
Dr Louise Hayes is a clinical psychologist, author, international speaker, educator, and Buddhist meditation teacher. She is an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at La Trobe University and Past President of the Association for Contextual Behavioural Science. She trains professionals, writes and works clinically with adults and teens on how to thrive and grow. Together with Joseph Ciarrochi, she developed DNA-v, a leading acceptance and commitment therapy model that has sparked international studies. In 2022 she released a book for helping adults thrive in the face of change – What Makes You Stronger. She is also the co-author of three best-selling books for assisting young people to thrive, including The Thriving Adolescent.
Louise’s passion project is a not-for-profit endeavour that takes professionals on retreat journeys into the Himalayas, where they extend their mindful way of living while raising funds to help children in remote Nepal.
Gabe Leporati Helps
Gabe Leporati serves as a Coordinator in the Sacramento County Office of Education’s School-Based Mental Health and Wellness program. Prior to his role with SCOE, Gabe spent the early years of his career working in various capacities within the public school system, including positions as a school counselor, mental health clinician, as well as a program manager at a school-based mental health-focused non-profit organization.
Gabe maintains a passionate focus on helping to deliver school-based mental health services to as many youths as possible with the goal of alleviating suffering and empowering young people to recognize their inherent value.
He holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, a Master of Science in School Counseling, and a Pupil Personnel Credential in School Counseling. Additionally, he is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor.
Chris Gethard & Laughing Together Helps
Chris Gethard is a comedian, podcaster, author, actor, and former television host. He’s been an active performer for over two decades. His work expanded to include mental health advocacy and activism after the release of his 2017 HBO special Career Suicide, in which he detailed his experiences navigating the mental health system in dealing with his own depression and anxiety issues.
Laughing Together provides an upstream, preventative approach to mental wellness that empowers communities to thrive. This combines the expertise of licensed mental health clinicians and improv teachers to create workshops that build resilience, enhance communication, and foster supportive environments. Laughing Together is a program by Wellness Together, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
MariaEsther Hemmen Helps
MariaEsther Hemmen is the CEO & Co-Founder of Mending Matters, leading the organization’s mission to expand accessible, youth-driven mental health services. Since founding Mending Matters in 2014, she has overseen strategic growth, program development, and cross-sector partnerships that strengthen school-based mental health interventions. With a background in social work and extensive experience in direct service, MariaEsther ensures that Mending Matters remains responsive to the evolving needs of youth and communities.
Graham Wiseman Helps
Graham Wiseman has always been a global citizen—literally! The son of a UN diplomat, he grew up in seven countries across five continents, exploring a dozen more. These experiences shaped his big-picture perspective on mental health and gave him a deep appreciation for the different ways communities support (or struggle with) youth well-being.
Graham spent 25 years in the corporate world, working with clients as varied as the University of California, the SF Giants, and Medicare/Medicaid New York. He even became a trusted advisor to five San Francisco Police Chiefs, known for breaking down complex challenges into simple, effective solutions.
But after a tragic loss in his family, Graham’s focus shifted. He founded a non-profit to help students, parents, and educators navigate mental health challenges with real-world strategies. Today, he’s leading the charge for California’s Mental Health Awareness License Plate (SB21, Glazer)—an initiative that could raise millions to fund school wellness centers across the state.
Merve Lapus Helps
Merve is a Results-driven education strategist with a track record of expanding reach and impact in K12 learning environments. As Vice President of Outreach & Engagement at Common Sense Education, he's led initiatives that have reached over 90,000 schools and supported 1.3 million educators. This includes overseeing a regional team driving community engagement, access, and professional development across school community stakeholders including district adoption, regional implementation, parent/family engagement, strategic marketing, and community development.
Merve has over 25 years of experience driving education technology initiatives across school programs, and building educator confidence through professional learning, and strategic implementation. Merve also sits on a number of steering committees addressing school climate and policy, and currently sits on the Marketing and Communications Board for the University of San Francisco (USF), The Alameda Health System Foundation Board, and the Executive Board for the Children’s Creativity Museum of San Francisco.
Alex Briscoe Helps
Alex is the Principal of the Public Works Alliance, a not-for-profit consultancy committed to strengthening public health and safety through innovative workforce development and healthcare finance redesign. He previously led the California Children's Trust (CCT), an organization that advocated for greater access to youth mental health resources in California. Pror to forming the CCT, he served as Chief Executive of the Alameda County Health Care Services Agency, one of California’s largest public health systems.
In his twelve years with the agency, he oversaw a budget of over a billion dollars that included one of the nation’s highest volume 911 systems, multiple general acute care hospitals, public health services, and more than $200 million in child and adolescent mental health services and contracts.
Before joining Alameda County, Alex was the director of the Chappell Hayes Health Center at McClymonds High School in West Oakland, a satellite outpatient center of Children’s Hospital and Research Center. His work there has helped define the nexus of public health and public education.
He has designed and administered mental health and physical health programs and services in child serving systems, including home visiting programs, programs for medically fragile children, and clinical and development programs in child welfare, juvenile justice, and early childhood settings.
Alex has served on the Alameda County First Five Commission, The Alameda Alliance, and The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and The Uninsured, along with other public and private boards and commissions.
He is a mental health practitioner specializing in adolescent services and youth development. He has advised or collaborated with a number of local and national foundations including The Atlantic Philanthropies, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, The California Endowment, and most recently with Tipping Point Community. He has specialized in Medicaid policy and administration, emergency medical services, youth voice and crisis counseling, and safety net design and administration.
Dr. John B. King Jr. Helps
John B. King Jr. served in President Barack Obama’s cabinet as the tenth U.S. Secretary of Education. Over the course of his extensive and influential career in public education, he has been a high school social studies teacher, a middle school principal, the first African American and Puerto Rican to serve as New York State Education Commissioner, a college professor, and the president and CEO of the Education Trust, a national education civil rights organization.
King is currently the chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY), the nation’s largest comprehensive system of public higher education. Both of King’s parents were career New York City public school educators. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife, an education researcher and former teacher, and his two daughters.
Dr. Anna Malaika Tubbs Helps
Anna Malaika Tubbs is a New York Times bestselling author and multidisciplinary expert on current and historical understandings of race, gender, and equity. With a Ph.D. in Sociology and a Masters in Multidisciplinary Gender Studies from the University of Cambridge in addition to a Bachelors in Medical Anthropology from Stanford University, Anna translates her academic knowledge into stories that are clear and engaging. Her articles have been published by TIME Magazine, New York Magazine, CNN, Motherly, the Huffington Post, For Harriet, The Guardian, Darling Magazine, and Blavity. Anna’s storytelling also takes form in her talks, including her TED Talk that has been viewed 2 million times, as well as the scripted and unscripted screen projects she has in development. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their three kids.
Anya M Kamenetz Helps
Anya Kamenetz speaks, writes, and thinks about generational justice; about thriving, and raising thriving kids, on a changing planet. Her newsletter on these topics is The Golden Hour. She has won many awards for her education journalism including at NPR, where she co-created the podcast Life Kit: Parenting. Her newest book is The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Children’s Lives, And Where We Go Now. Kamenetz currently advises the Aspen Institute and the Climate Mental Health Network, on new initiatives at the intersection of children and climate change.
Nicole Hockley Helps
Nicole Hockley chose to transform unspeakable grief and anguish into action after her youngest son, Dylan, was murdered in his first-grade classroom during the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. As the co-founder and CEO of the Sandy Hook Promise Foundation (SHPF), Nicole works every day to protect children from violence. SHPF is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and empowering youth and adults to prevent violence in schools, homes, and communities. Under Nicole’s leadership, the research-driven Know the Signs violence prevention programs were created and are available to schools at no cost. More than 23 million have participated in these life-saving programs in 24,000+ schools and youth organizations nationwide. As a result, countless acts of violence have been averted — including at least 16 planned school attacks — saving precious lives and helping youth get much-needed mental health support.
Nicole is a leading voice on school safety and gun violence prevention. She is a sought-after keynote speaker and commenter. Her opinion editorials have been published by Newsweek, CNN, USA Today, and InStyle, and her commentary has been featured in CNN, MSNBC, Newsy, ABC, CBS, and NBC news coverage, among countless other media outlets. Driven by Nicole’s extensive background in strategic marketing, Sandy Hook Promise is rapidly becoming a household name. The award-winning and provocative PSA campaigns she helped co-create with BBDO New York have amassed hundreds of millions of views worldwide, including “Evan” which generated two billion impressions and 10 coveted Cannes Lions Awards, “Back-to-School Essentials,” and “Teenage Dream” which both earned prestigious Emmy Awards for Best Commercial in 2019, and 2021, respectively.
In 2024, Nicole was appointed to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal School Safety Clearinghouse External Advisory Board as a Representative Member. Nicole received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Trinity College in 2023, for her humanitarian and philanthropic contributions to society and Doctor of Laws degree from Fairfield University in 2022. In December of 2022, Nicole joined as a member of John Hopkins University's Implementation Working Group for the National ERPO Resource Center. In late 2023, Nicole became a member of the Violence Project Advisory Board. In 2016, she was recognized by People magazine as one of 25 Women Changing the World. But her favorite recognition is for being the best Mom she can to her surviving son, Jake.
Nicole’s solemn “promise” to honor her son and the other 25 lives taken on December 14, 2012 with action has never wavered. She continues to spread awareness that violence is preventable when you “know the signs.”
Jill Murphy Helps
Jill Murphy is Chief Content Officer at Common Sense Media and serves as a strategic leader within the organization. Jill joined Common Sense in January 2005, built the editorial department with founding editor-in-chief Liz Perle. She oversees the ratings and reviews for all media channels including movies, streaming, TV, games, websites, apps, and books. She also oversees the content strategy and development for parenting advice. Jill also works closely with content partners including SkyUK, Hulu, Charter, DirecTV, Comcast, Netflix, Target.com, ATT, and more to further leverage the library of Common Sense Media reviews and advice.
In her time with Common Sense Media, Jill has been instrumental in evolving our ratings, reviews, and advice to keep up with where parents are. She has overseen the creation of our For Your Family recommendation engine, worked to refine and enhance the rating process, and continues to ensure the latest research on kids and media is incorporated into Common Sense advice and reviews. She has been involved in countless product launches, all while keeping the team on schedule to produce thousands of new reviews and hundreds of recommendation lists, each year.
Jill's commitment to Common Sense affords her the opportunity to help families avoid the TV shows she is devoted to. She serves as the resident expert on any and all reality TV, late '80s/'90s sitcoms, and other useless pop culture trivia that she claims is "for work." Jill holds a BA from San Francisco State University in broadcast and electronic communication arts, with an emphasis on writing and media literacy.
Current favorites: Real Housewives of any city, Ted Lasso, Nora from Queens
Won't Stop, Must-Watch, but Can't Sleep Afterwards: The Handmaid's Tale
Kid Favorites: Little Lunch, Odd Squad, Inbestigators, Just Add Magic, Summer Camp Island, and Project Mc2
Can't Wait For More: The Crown, Stranger Things, Succession
Still mourning: Parenthood, Downton Abbey, Friday Night Lights, Strangers with Candy
Augustus Mays Helps
Augustus serves as Ed Trust’s vice president for Partnerships and Engagement. In this role, Augustus leads the organization’s efforts to engage policymakers and diverse coalitions of advocates to enact equity-advancing policy change at the national and state levels. He does this by working collaboratively with Ed Trust’s president & CEO and the senior leadership team to coordinate the organization’s overall advocacy agenda.
Prior to joining Ed Trust, Augustus served as the director of policy and outreach at WestEd, where he led the organization’s strategic efforts to increase its visibility and impact with federal and state policymakers in the education, health, and justice prevention space. Before that, Augustus was the manager of policy & advocacy at Knowledge Alliance, the national trade association representing the education research, development, and service industry.
Augustus holds an MPA from the University of Oklahoma and a BA in political science from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Brian McLaren Helps
Brian D. McLaren is an author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. A former college English teacher and pastor, he is a passionate advocate for “a new kind of Christianity” – just, generous, and working with people of all faiths for the common good. He is Dean of Faculty for the Center for Action and Contemplation. and a podcaster with Learning How to See. He is a co-host of Southern Lights. His newest books are Faith After Doubt (January 2021), Do I Stay Christian? (May 2022), and Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart (2024). His co-authored children’s book Cory and the Seventh Story was released in 2023. The first book of a new science fiction trilogy, The Last Voyage, can be pre-ordered now for release in July, 2025.
Born in 1956, he graduated from University of Maryland with degrees in English (BA, 1978, and MA, 1981). His academic interests included Medieval drama, Romantic poets, modern philosophical literature, and the novels of Dr. Walker Percy. In 2004, he was awarded a Doctor of Divinity Degree (honoris causa) from Carey Theological Seminary in Vancouver, BC, Canada, and in 2010, he received a second honorary doctorate from Virginia Theological Seminary (Episcopal).
Dr. Smita Malhotra Helps
As Chief Medical Director of the Los Angeles Unified School District, Dr. Smita Malhotra is responsible for all medical and mental health services in the nation's second-largest school district. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, she helped lead the efforts to re-open the district’s 780-plus campuses.
She also worked to bring Narcan (naloxone) to all K-12 schools, part of a district response to the Fentanyl crisis.
Previously, Dr. Malhotra has been the Director of a Newborn Nursery and co-founded a program that helped to build resilience in children going through trauma in Los Angeles County. In 2014, she started a private practice with the goal of healing the whole child and family by combining traditional medicine with alternative therapies such as mindfulness, meditation, acupuncture and yoga. Her first book, 'The Newborn Handbook', published in 2020, guides new parents and caregivers through the first three months with a newborn.
Dr. Malhotra has also contributed to The Washington Post, HuffPost and has been interviewed on CNN, NPR, Los Angeles Times and other media outlets.
Dr. Malhotra's TEDx talk, "The Power of Embracing A Non-Linear Path" has had more than a half million views and counting. It was the second highest most-watched TEDx talk in the world when it was released in November 2023.
Houston Kraft Helps
Houston Kraft has spent the last two decades cultivating kindness in schools.
In 2016, he cofounded CharacterStrong, which today serves over 10,000 schools across 50 states and 49 countries with evidence-based curriculum and trainings. He has spoken at more than 700 campuses and events, wrote Deep Kindness (2020) and Be Kind (2023), and you may recognize the lower half of his face from his appearance on Lay's BBQ chip bags as someone who helps "spreads smiles." His message through the years has remained simple: kindness is the foundational behavior of successful schools.
He has been featured on Good Morning America, CNN, Hallmark, and more as an expert on developing a more empathetic, kind world. His biggest influence remains his mom, whose best life lesson is to "hug like you mean it.”
Who Helps YOU?
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