End Well 2024

Yvette Nicole Brown is an Emmy-nominated actress, writer, producer and host best known for her roles on the television shows: Community, The Mayor, Drake and Josh, The Odd Couple, Disney Plus’s Big Shot, and Act Your Age and films including Dreamgirls, Tropic Thunder, Avengers: Endgame, and Disney’s Disenchanted. She is also a 2020 NAACP Image Award Nominated writer for Always A Bridesmaid – the Romantic Comedy she penned and Executive Produced that is streaming on Netflix and BET+. Yvette sits on the National Boards of Donors Choose, EMILY’s List, MPTF Next Gen and SAG-AFTRA and is a caregiver and advocate.

Stacy London’s career has been an illustrious one. She is a pop culture icon due to the TLC series, What Not To Wear. She was the original host for all 12 seasons. She has been the creative director for brands like Westfield Mall as well as a worldwide spokesperson for Pantene, Lee Jeans, Woolite, and Dr. Scholl’s. She has been a style correspondent for the Today Show, Access Hollywood, Rachel Ray, and The View. She wrote her NY Times bestseller The Truth About Style to rave reviews. She has spoken on the topic of style and self-esteem at Harvard University, Meijer, Vassar College, The Global Wellness Conference, and Women In Retail, just to name a few.

In 2020, she acquired the brand State Of Menopause and took the role of CEO.  After years of using style as a vehicle to create a higher sense of self-esteem and self-awareness, it became clear that wellness at this “black hole” mid-stage of life required more care and consideration than ever before. Having experienced some of the worse perimenopausal symptoms and being unable to take hormones, Stacy searched for functional products to no avail. Recognizing menopause as its own vertical, its own ecosystem required her to create education-forward products to help inform those going through menopause and those who will experience it.

Menopause is a topic wrapped in shame and stigma. Stacy believes that this stage of life is something to value and understand. She is interested in changing legislation and health policy around menopause, clinical research dedicated to menopause and mid-life, accessible information and education, and moving the needle around these topics through culture, media, and product selection.

Throughout Stacy’s career, she has made her mark by continuing to raise the confidence of others. In her thoroughly relatable way, she brings the influence of style and agency to a time of life when we need it most.

As she likes to say, “Menopause can be hard, but it isn’t hopeless and you aren’t helpless.” She’s dedicated to changing the conversation around “the change” and giving menopause and midlife the makeover it deserves.

In 2023, she sunset the company in favor of a long-term educational and advocacy platform about the culture of mid-life, aging, and menopause which she will debut in 2024. She currently advises several other brands on menopause and mid-life.

She lives in Brooklyn with her girlfriend, Cat, and their dog, Dora.

Roshi Joan Halifax, Ph.D. is a Buddhist teacher, Founder and Head Teacher of Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a social activist, author, and in her early years was an anthropologist at Columbia University (1964-68) and University of Miami School of Medicine (1970-72). She is a pioneer in the field of end-of-life care. She has lectured on the subject of death and dying at many academic institutions and medical centers around the world. She received a National Science Foundation Fellowship in Visual Anthropology, was an Honorary Research Fellow in Medical Ethnobotany at Harvard University, was a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Library of Congress, received the Pioneer Medal for Outstanding Leadership in Health Care by HealthCare Chaplaincy, the Sandy MacKinnon Award from Covenant Health in Canada, Pioneer Medal for Outstanding Leadership in Health Care, received an Honorary DSc from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. She has received many other awards and honors from institutions around the world for her work as a social and environmental activist and in the end-of-life care field.

From 1972-1975, she worked with psychiatrist Stanislav Grof at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center with dying cancer patients. She has continued to work with dying people and their families, and to teach health care professionals and family caregivers the psycho-social, ethical and spiritual aspects of care of the dying. She is Director of the Project on Being with Dying, and Founder of the Upaya Prison Project that develops programs on meditation for prisoners. She is also founder of the Nomads Clinic in Nepal.

Her books include: The Human Encounter with Death (with Stanislav Grof); The Fruitful Darkness, A Journey Through Buddhist Practice; Simplicity in the Complex: A Buddhist Life in America; Being with Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Wisdom in the Presence of Death; Standing at the Edge:Finding Freedom Where Fear and Courage Meet; Sophie Learns to Be Brave; and her latest work, In a Moment, In a Breath.

She has been involved with the Mind and Life Institute since its inception and is founder of the Varela International Symposium.

For more about Roshi Joan’s life and work, please visit her website: www.joanhalifax.org.

Pop culture icon Ricki Lake is a multi-hyphenate entertainer with storytelling at her core. Whether through acting, producing, writing, dancing, or simply sharing her own experiences, Ricki’s passionate heart and signature transparency have connected her to fans and cemented her place in the cultural zeitgeist for almost four decades.  

The world first met Ricki in 1988 as Tracy Turnblad in John Waters’ beloved film Hairspray. Her debut in this cult classic positioned her as an “entertainer to watch” in Hollywood.  Ricki went on to appear in other films such as Cry-Baby, Cecil B.Demented, Serial Mom, Mrs. Winterbourne, Cabin Boy, Last Exit to Brooklyn, Cookie, and Gemini.  She also starred on television in China Beach and King of Queens.   

At the impressive age of twenty-four, Ricki became the youngest talk show host in history. For 11 years, her long-running show was met with unprecedented success and changed daytime television forever. She went on to win an Emmy for Best Talk Show Host for her work on the reboot of The Ricki Lake Show. Ricki now hosts the podcast “Raised By Ricki” which debuted at the top of its category and continues to enjoy massive success as she revisits her iconic 90s talk show with guests like John Waters, Rosie O’Donnell, and Andy Cohen as well as past producers, former guests and former audience members. 

Ricki wowed viewers on season 13 of Dancing with the Stars, making it to the finals. A game lover, Ricki was also revealed to be the Raven on the first season of the hit series The Masked Singer and competed in the UK’s The X Factor: Celebrity as well as That’s My Jam. 

In her intimate, bold, and relatable book, Never Say Never: Finding a Life That Fits, Ricki showed us how her unique life in the spotlight could offer wisdom to anyone who has ever struggled in their own skin. She took readers behind the scenes of her troubled childhood—filled with food issues, abuse, and an unabashed yearning for a better life outside of her suburban home, pulling back the curtain on her talk show and her early days as a “fat actress.”  

Lake’s legacy and perhaps her greatest love, is her role as independent filmmaker. Her award-winning, critically acclaimed documentary, The Business of Being

Born, debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2007 and changed the way women across America give birth. The film has become a national platform and tool for childbirth education in schools and hospitals and is hailed as the “must see” film among mothers to be.  Lake and her producing partner, Abby Epstein, recently released the much anticipated follow up to The Business of Being Born, called The Business of Birth Control, which explores the risks of hormonal contraception along with its racist legacy. 

Lake and Epstein also published Your Best Birth, a book designed to educate expectant parents about their birthing options; in addition to producing More

Business of Being Born, a DVD series featuring celebrities such as Cindy Crawford, Gisele Bundchen and Alyson Hannigan sharing their birth stories with in-depth discussions of every step of the birth process. 

Lake has become an integral figure in the birthing community, serving on the board of Choices in Childbirth, a nonprofit organization that strives to improve maternity care all over the world. Lake and Epstein also teamed up to premiere their documentary film Weed the People, which examines the use of cannabis as medicine and its status as a Schedule I prohibited drug in the United States. 

Ms. Lake’s documentaries have taken her around the world for speaking engagements and opportunities to motivate others. In addition to appearing at universities all over the country, she was honored to speak and moderate a panel discussion at the UN, and to present her movie to Parliament.  

Ricki lives in Malibu with her husband, Ross and rescue pup, Dolly.  She lives each day believing that happiness is a choice, each day is a gift, and we all have the power to create our own destiny. 

Tembi Locke is the New York Times bestselling author of her memoir From Scratch, and an actor, producer, and screenwriter with a passion for connecting with an audience both on the page and on the screen. From Scratch is a Reese’s Book Club pick, an Audie Awards Best Audiobook Finalist, and a Goodreads Best Books Finalist. Along with Reese Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine, Tembi served as an executive producer and co-writer for the hit Netflix limited series inspired by her book.

Tembi thrives at the intersection of storytelling and advocacy. She credits her advocacy work to beginning with her parents, who always encouraged her to do her part in nurturing a more just and humane world. Tembi speaks on healing after loss, reclaiming your personal narrative, everyday resilience, creativity and the deep belonging found through human connection. Her work includes giving a TEDx talk, keynotes around the country, and being an ambassador to organizations doing the vital work of changing our systems and society for the better. She is also a prolific actor, who cut her teeth with iconic comedies like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Friends before going on to star in over sixty television shows including The Magicians, Bones, NCIS, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and the global hit Never Have I Ever. Through all of Tembi’s ventures, her hope is for her work to inspire people to love more deeply, embrace resilience, and honor the fundamental humanity that connects us all.

When not on set or with family, Tembi is at work on her forthcoming book. An intimate and interweaving look at family history and her pilgrimage to uncovering lost stories, it is a book of optimism and reckoning.

Jared Rubenstein, MD is a pediatric palliative care doctor and medical educator at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, TX, USA.  He is passionate about helping people talk about difficult things and believes that the use of satire, animation, and humor can facilitate these conversations.  When he’s not talking about palliative care, he loves traveling and spending time in nature with his wonderful wife and two hilarious kids.

Dr. Qwynn Galloway-Salazar, affectionately known as Doc Q, is the Founder and CEO of In Their Honor. As an Army Veteran, Spouse to a Combat Veteran, End-of-Life Doula, Storyteller, and Educator, she has devoted over two decades to supporting military and Veteran communities. Through her visionary leadership, she has fostered national conversations and shaped programming addressing the unique needs of Veterans and their caregivers, promoting quality of life through the end of life. 

In 2023, her groundbreaking work alongside PsychArmor Institute on the “Caring for Veterans Through the End-of-Life Collection,” launched. The collection addresses the challenges faced by Veterans and offers invaluable guidance and support for Compassionate Communities, Caregivers/Loved Ones, and Healthcare Providers.

Beyond her role at In Their Honor, Qwynn remains deeply engaged in supporting various organizations dedicated to military and Veteran communities. She lends her expertise to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s End-of-Life Doula Council and sits on the Veterans Studies Association advisory board. She is also a founding member of the Compassionate Communities Think Tank (U.S.). In her spare time, she mentors Master’s and Doctoral students, nurturing the next generation of leaders in her field.

Qwynn’s tireless efforts have garnered well-deserved recognition, with USA Today honoring her as one of their 2024 Women of the Year. This prestigious accolade, coupled with her previous distinction as the inaugural Woman Veteran of the Year (2022-2023) by the Georgia Department of Veterans Services, is a testament to her impact on her community and the nation at large.

Sebastian Junger is the New York Times bestselling author of Tribe, War, Freedom, A Death in Belmont, Fire, and The Perfect Storm, and codirector of the documentary film Restrepo, which was nominated for an Academy Award.

He is also the winner of a Peabody Award and the National Magazine Award for Reporting.

Shoshana Ungerleider, MD is an internal medicine physician, the host of the TED Health Podcast and leading voice in healthcare who regularly appears as a medical expert voice on CNN, MSNBC and CBS News. She has been involved with 2 Academy Award-nominated Netflix documentaries on end of life. During her training and early years practicing medicine, she often found herself caring for frail, often older patients who were alone, suffering in pain and surrounded by strangers in a hospital setting. Shoshana knew there had to be a better way, a way to make the end of life more dignified and human-centered so that ending well became a measure of living well. She founded End Well in 2017 to do just that.

Author of BRIEFLY PERFECTLY HUMAN: Making an Authentic Life by Getting Real About the End, Alua Arthur is the most visible death doula in America today. She is a recovering attorney and the founder of Going with Grace, a death doula training and end-of-life planning organization. Her TED Talk titled, “Why Thinking About Death Helps You Live a Better Life,” went online in July 2023 and has already received over 1.5 million views. A frequent guest on TV and radio, Arthur has been featured on CBS’s The Doctors and in Disney’s Limitless docu-series with Chris Hemsworth, as well as other national media outlets, such as Vogue, InStyle, the Los Angeles Times, The Cut, The New Yorker, New York Times, Marie Claire, and CNN. She has appeared on dozens of podcasts, and a Refinery29 video feature on Arthur and her work received ten million views across social platforms. She travels the country and world as a keynote speaker, addressing audiences at medical and end-of-life conferences, universities, seminaries, senior citizens’ communities, and more, and is perpetually in the quest for donuts.

Anthony Chin-Quee is a board certified Otolaryngologist (Ear, Nose, and Throat surgeon) with degrees from Harvard University and Emory University School of Medicine. He has done multiple performances for The Moth, where he’s won their local Story Slam, placed as a runner-up in the Detroit Grand Slam, and performed on their NYC, Chicago and London Mainstages. He was a medical consultant for ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” and a member of the writing staff of FOX’s “The Resident” for two seasons, distilling complex medical and social issues into palatable and understandable mainstream storylines. His memoir, “I Can’t Save You”— a candid account of the ways in which medical residency training shattered the mind of an empathetic, well-intentioned doctor, and the arduous task of piecing it back together again through painful and overdue self-discovery—was released by Riverhead Books on April 4th, 2023 to critical acclaim. He has published opinions in Forbes and been interviewed by NPR on the topic of systemic racism in medical education.

Anthony currently resides in England with his wife and two children.

Myra Sack is the author of “Fifty-Seven Fridays: Losing Our Daughter Finding Our Way,” and founder of E-Motion, Inc. a nonprofit organization created to support community, movement and ritual to enhance coping and resilience. Myra’s life changed when her older daughter, Havi, was diagnosed with a fatal neurodegenerative disease in December 2019. Havi died on January 20, 2021 of Tay-Sachs disease. E-Motion evolved out of a new way of living with the most difficult reality, blending Myra’s lived experience and knowledge as a certified Compassionate Bereavement Care provider with her lifelong identity as an athlete and career in social impact. Myra holds an MBA in Social Impact from Boston University, and graduated with a B.A. cum laude from Dartmouth College, where she captained the women’s soccer team and earned All-America honors. She has devoted over a dozen years to youth-serving nonprofits, including serving as Chief Program and Strategy Officer at Squashbusters, Inc. and leading program development across Latin America for Soccer Without Borders. A writer, speaker, and activist, Myra serves on the Board of the Courageous Parents Network and lives in Boston, MA with her husband Matt, their second daughter, Kaia, and son Ezra. Her writing has appeared in numerous national outlets including the Boston Globe Spotlight, Today.com, Hadassah Magazine, and Upworthy.

Hear more from Myra on our blog. 

Matt Goldstein is a physician-scientist and entrepreneur. He has founded companies, built R&D teams, and led strategy and execution of both pre-clinical research and clinical development. Prior to joining JScreen and Emory University, Matt was a Partner at Related Sciences, a venture creation firm. As an entrepreneur at Third Rock Ventures he spent a decade building and operating Third Rock portfolio companies. He was responsible for building and leading the Immunology program at Tango Therapeutics, the centerpiece of Tango’s strategic multi-billion dollar partnership with Gilead Sciences, Inc. He also served as the development head for Tango’s lead program which entered the clinic in 1H 2022. Matt was a co-founder of Neon Therapeutics leading Translational Medicine and Early Development through completion of their first clinical study and initial public offering. He is a graduate of Swarthmore College and the MD/PhD program at Stanford University, where he pioneered novel cancer immunotherapies in the lab of Ron Levy, MD. He completed his clinical training in Internal Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Brigham & Women’s Hospital. 

He lives in Boston with his wife, Myra, their second daughter Kaia and son Ezra. His oldest daughter Havi died on January 20th, 2021 of Tay-Sachs disease.

Kennedy Murphy is a 16-year-old from sunny San Diego with a passion for sports, media production, and supporting others through their grief. Her father, Don Murphy, passed away from a heart attack when she was just 5 years old. At the age of 7, she began attending Experience Camps California, a grief camp that has profoundly shaped her dedication to helping others navigate their own loss.

Sah D’Simone is a dynamic spiritual leader and global humanitarian who has made profound contributions to mental health, spirituality, and social welfare. As the founder of the Somatic Dance Institute and creator of the Somatic Activated Healing (SAH) Method, he has empowered millions to heal from trauma and foster spiritual growth. Sah’s work extends across multiple fields, from his role as a spiritual teacher to his achievements as an internationally acclaimed filmmaker, published author, and host of the podcast Solving the Riddle of Being Human.

Blending Buddhist practices, contemplative psychotherapy, kinesthetic learning, and clinical spiritual care training from Cedars-Sinai Hospital, Sah’s trauma-informed approach has earned worldwide acclaim. His holistic perspective informs his humanitarian efforts, which have garnered recognition like the City of Los Angeles CARE Award. A prominent figure in media, Sah has been featured in major publications and has spoken at esteemed institutions such as Columbia University and the United Nations. Through his innovative healing methods, bestselling books, and transformative retreats, Sah continues to bridge the gap between spirituality, mental health, and social consciousness, impacting lives globally.

For more, visit sahdsimone.com Instagram: @sahdsimone

Andrya R. Rivera-Burciaga is an Assistant Professor at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and oversees the Doctor of Nursing Practice program. She has over 23 years of clinical experience as a registered nurse, and 12 years as a family nurse practitioner, including nursing administration and education. For over 13 years, Dr. Rivera-Burciaga has focused her clinical practice on Hospice and Palliative Care, and as a PhD student, her research focus is on Healthcare disparities among Hispanics in palliative care and end-of-life.

She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Baylor University in May 1999. In 2010, she completed her Master of Science in Nursing, focusing on Adult Health. In May 2011, she also received her Post Masters Certificate as a Family Nurse Practitioner from the University of Texas-Pan American. In 2017, she received her Doctor of Nursing Practice from The University of Texas Health Science Center Houston – School of Nursing. She has also completed the Duke-Johnson & Johnson Nurse Leadership Fellowship. She is currently a PhD in Nursing Science student at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio.

In 2023, the Cambia Health Foundation awarded Andrya an esteemed opportunity to participate in the Cambia Sojourns Scholar Leadership program, for a proposed project focused on healthcare disparities among Mexican Americans living with serious illnesses.

She is married and has 1 son.

J.S. Park is a hospital chaplain, published author, and online educator. For nearly nine years he has been an interfaith chaplain at a 1000+ bed hospital that is designated a Level 1 Trauma Center. His role includes grief counseling, attending every death, every trauma and Code Blue, staff care, and supporting end-of-life care.

J.S. also served for three years as a chaplain at one of the largest nonprofit charities for the homeless on the east coast. J.S. has a MDiv completed in 2010 and a BA in Psychology. He also has a sixth-degree black belt. He is the author of As Long as You Need: Permission to Grieve, releasing April 16th, 2024 and published by W Publishing of HarperCollins Christian Publishing.

J.S. currently lives in Tampa, Florida with his wife, a nurse practitioner, and his daughter, newborn son, and adopted dog.

Lisa Keefauver, MSW is a grief activist with more than two decades of professional experiences with grief and loss; working as a social worker, narrative therapist, and educator within multiple settings from non-profits to corporations and universities. Lisa’s wisdom and understanding of grief is also embodied from her personal losses including the death of her husband Eric from Brain Cancer in 2011.

Lisa’s grief advocacy led her to found Reimagining Grief, with a mission to illuminate and dismantle the limited and misleading collective story of grief that causes so much unnecessary suffering. It also inspired her to create and host the top-rated podcast, Grief is a Sneaky Bitch; serve as an adjunct professor of Loss and Grief at the University of Texas at Austin; act as an organizational consultant to facilitate grief-smart organizations; write/appear as a thought leader across media platforms and as a keynote speaker. 

Just before beginning treatment for Triple Positive Breast Cancer in 2023, she took to the TEDx stage to deliver her, Why Knowing More About Grief Can Make it Suck Less. Learn more about why she is on a mission to change the narratives of grief by watching her Media Maker Profile by Medicinal Media. You can pre-order her heavily anticipated book, Grief Is A Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss now. It arrives in bookstores June 4, 2024.

KELLY CERVANTES is an award-winning writer, speaker, and advocate best known for her blog Inchstones and USA Today bestselling book, Normal Broken: The Grief Companion for When It’s Time to Heal but You’re Not Sure You Want To. She has been published in the Chicago Tribune, Cosmopolitan, and Fortune as well as featured on MSNBC, NY Times, and CNN. She sits on the boards of CURE Epilepsy and The Undiagnosed Diseases Network Foundation and hosts CURE Epilepsy’s podcast, Seizing Life. Born and raised in the Midwest, Kelly resides in Maplewood, NJ, with her family.

Hear more from Kelly on our blog.

MIGUEL CERVANTES is best known for the role of Alexander Hamilton in the Chicago and Broadway productions of HAMILTON for nearly 8 years and over 2000 performances. Other Broadway credits include IF/THEN, AMERICAN IDIOT, and 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE. TV credits include PERSON OF INTEREST, BRAINDEAD, MADAME SECRETARY, ROYAL PAINS and THE BLACKLIST.

Miguel grew up in Dallas, TX, and received a BFA in Musical Theater from Emerson College. His favorite role has been “Daddy” to Jackson & Adelaide and Anessa and husband to superhero wife, Kelly.

In loving memory of my #Adelaidybug

Austin Roy (he/him) is an English teacher at Flintridge Preparatory School where he teaches 10th Grade American Literature and a 12th grade course on Joan Didion. He is also a professor of market research and management theory at USC.

Austin has been a member of the Huntington Hospital Bioethics Committee, the UCSF Hospital No One Dies Alone hospice program, and he currently teaches Death Education and leads Completing-Your-Advance-Directive workshops around the country.

Lindsay Brant has been a critical care nurse in the Cardiothoracic ICU at UCLA Health for over a decade. Along with a rigorous and perceptive clinical approach, she is a trained Integrative Therapist and Death Doula, equipped with a diverse skill set to engage the mind, energy and spirit of each patient while tending to the body. Lindsay founded and chairs COMMUNITY, a nurse-led committee whose mission is to promote inclusivity, transparency and resilience in the CTICU and to ask the question, how can we show up for each other as we serve and ensure the dignity and autonomy of our patients? Lindsay believes in and practices the power of service. As a member of Upaya Nomads Clinic, alongside Nepali and western clinicians, she provides medical care and practical support to the high-altitude communities of the Himalayas.

Adimika Arthur, “Madam Medicaid,” is a hospital/health system leader, social entrepreneur, board member and revolutionary changemaker. An experienced clinical epidemiologist and hospital/health system executive, she currently serves as the Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Executive Director for Health Tech for Medicaid (HT4M), a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting innovation in Medicaid, the nations’ largest insurer. By further improving the quality, equity and access to care for vulnerable Medicaid populations, their families and communities, HT4M is radically changing the pace of innovation in Medicaid through innovative program service delivery, infrastructure/ecosystem development and issue/policy advocacy

D.S. Moss is a Humanist (nontheist) Chaplain unwavering in his pursuit to relate stories that connect us to our humanity. A natural explorer, he uses playful inquisition to examine the complexity of the human condition and the intrinsic meaning of life. Moss maintains an interdisciplinary practice of storytelling, street philosophy, and practical altruism. In 2015, Moss created The Adventures of Memento Mori podcast.. The consequence of this deep meditation on impermanence was life-changing. Uncertain of what happens after we die, Moss has dedicated his life to the positive changes that can happen while we’re still alive.

J.J. Duncan is an Executive Producer of The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning

and Bravo’s mega-hit: Project Runway. She is a writer, a  health-care advocate, and a public speaker. She is also a mom, a wife-of-a wife, and an exuberant story teller at most any dinner party. In short – J.J. is busy.

Darnell Lamont Walker is an Emmy-Nominated children’s television writer who understands the power of representation and joy, creating content in hopes that all children get the opportunity to not only see themselves, but see how incredible they are and can be. Darnell has written for outstanding shows, including PBS Kids’ Work It Out Wombats!, Netflix’s Karma’s World, and Nickelodeon’s Blue’s Clues & You. He’s a death doula, helping individuals and communities move through grief and toward healing and happiness. Currently living between the Chattahoochee National Forest of Georgia and Johannesburg, South Africa, Darnell’s goal is to continue to support children, adults, and whole communities around the world through the building of safe and happy spaces.

Hui-wen is a pediatric ICU nurse based in Los Angeles. She holds an MPH and MSN from UCLA, and is currently obtaining her Certification in Narrative Medicine from Columbia University. She has been published in the American Journal of Nursing (AJN), Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine, the Oxford Handbook of Meaningful Work, and The Healer’s Burden: Stories and Poems of Professional Grief. She is a regular contributor to AJN’s blog, Off the Charts. She has been a keynote speaker for various local and national nursing conferences. Her 2017 TEDxTalk was promoted to the main TED webpage in 2020, titled “How Grief Helped Me Become a Better Caregiver.” She has been featured in podcasts with NPR TED Radio Hour, The Silent Why, Grief is a Sneaky B!tch, and The Apologies Podcast, as well as webinars for Happify and the Speaking Grief Initiative. She and her husband have two daughters, two tortoises and one complicated dog. You can follow her work at http://heartofnursing.blog.

Claire Bidwell Smith is a therapist specializing in grief and the author of multiple books including Conscious Grieving and Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief and her work has created new and innovative ways to heal and transform through her grief and loss. Led by her own experiences with grief and fueled by her work in hospice and private practice, Claire strives to provide support for all kinds of people experiencing all kinds of loss. Claire offers numerous programs in addition to working with people one-on-one, as well as training other clinicians to work in the field of grief and loss. Claire has been featured in and written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Scientific American, The LA Times, CNN, MSNBC, Forbes, The Today Show, Goop, Oprah Magazine, and Psychology Today. She deeply loves her work and is devoted to expanding the conversation about grief and loss. www.clairebidwellsmith.com

Dr Anthony Back is Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington. He was educated at Stanford University and Harvard Medical School, and did his postgraduate medical training at the University of Washington in Seattle and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. His research into patient-oncologist communication, funded by the National Cancer Institute and numerous other foundations, led to the founding of VitalTalk, a 501c3 with the mission of disseminating communication skill training to doctors and nurses who care for patients with a serious illness and their families. VitalTalk is one of the most successful non-profit startups in medical education and has trained >800 faculty who teach workshops that have reached >28000 clinicians to date. In 2018, Dr Back turned his attention to psychedelic therapy, writing what remains the only first person account by a physician of a guided psychedelic experience to be published in a medical journal (“What Psilocybin Taught Me About Dying”). He is now conducting the first clinical trial of psilocybin-assisted therapy for doctors and nurses with symptoms of depression and burnout associated with their frontline work in the COVID pandemic, funded by the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Foundation and covered by NBC, National Public Radio, and Forbes. His second study in psychedelic medicine is a study of a group psilocybin-assisted therapy for patients with metastatic cancer.

Hal Hershfield is a Professor of Marketing, Behavioral Decision Making, and Psychology at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. His research, which sits at the intersection of psychology and economics, examines the ways we can improve our long-term decisions. 

Hershfield’s book, Your Future Self: How to Make Tomorrow Better Today, was published in June. Hal publishes in top academic journals and also contributes op-eds to the New York Times, Harvard Business Review, the Wall Street Journal, and other outlets. He consults with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, many financial services firms such as Fidelity, First Republic, Prudential, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, and Avantis, and marketing agencies such as Droga5. The recipient of numerous teaching awards, Hershfield was named one of “The 40 Most Outstanding B-School Profs Under 40 In The World” by business education website Poets & Quants.

Ai-jen Poo is a next-generation labor leader, award-winning organizer, author, and a leading voice in the women’s movement. She is the President of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Executive Director of Caring Across Generations, Senior Advisor to Care in Action, Co-Founder of SuperMajority and Trustee of the Ford Foundation. Ai-jen is a nationally recognized expert on caregiving, the future of work, and organizing. She is the author of the celebrated book, The Age of Dignity: Preparing for the Elder Boom in a Changing America. Together with Alicia Garza, Ai-jen co-hosts the podcast, Sunstorm. Follow her at @aijenpoo.

She has been recognized among Fortune’s 50 World’s Greatest Leaders and Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World, and she has been the recipient of countless awards, including a 2014 MacArthur “Genius” Award.  Ai-jen has been a featured speaker at TEDWomen, Aspen Ideas Festival, Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, Skoll World Forum, and the Obama Foundation Inaugural Summit. She has made TV appearances on Nightline, MSNBC, and CBS, and her writing has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, TIME, Maire Claire, Glamour, Cosmopolitan and CNN.com among others. Ai-jen has been an influential voice in the #MeToo movement and attended the 2018 Golden Globe Awards with Meryl Streep as part of the launch of #TimesUp.

Filmmaker, Director, Producer

Louie Schwartzberg is an award-winning cinematographer, director and producer who has spent his career providing breathtaking imagery using time-lapse, high-speed and macro cinematography techniques. Stunningly life-like, his high-resolution immersive films that celebrate life seamlessly bring nature and technology together to transform physical, emotional and psychological wellbeing. Louie is now pioneering the field of Visual Healing through research partnerships with the Providence Saint John’s Pacific Neuroscience Institute, University of California San Diego, University of California San Francisco, the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas and more.

Manager, Advocate

Music manager, Remington Rhodes, was thrust into the role of primary caregiver for his brother, Harry Hudson, when they were both in their early 20s. Having seen the challenges the healthcare system places on people with serious illness and their families, as well as the lack of resources for youth and young adults, Harry and Remington founded the charity Hey I’m Here For You (HIHFY) to support young people undergoing cancer treatment by providing resources to help them discover and pursue their passions.

Healthcare Change Agent, Advocate

Simon Davies, MSW; Hon DEd, is Executive Director, Teen Cancer America, the only national nonprofit working directly with hospitals to advise, support and fund them in the development of specialized programs and facilities for adolescents and young adults with cancer. His early career was in the management of substantial social and health care services in the fields of Learning Disability and Mental Health. Awarded an honorary Doctorate in Education by University of Coventry for the advancement of AYA professional education, Simon has developed an international reputation for success in bringing about change within traditionally structured health systems.

Policy Expert, Storyteller

Andrew MacPherson is Founding Principal and Managing Partner at Healthsperien, LLC, with two decades of federal and state health care legislative and regulatory policy and political experience. As Managing Partner, Andrew co-leads a team of over forty experts who specialize in developing comprehensive legislative and regulatory policy strategies, in-depth analyses, and strategic advocacy and communications initiatives for a wide-range of healthcare organizations, including Fortune 100 businesses, public sector purchasers, national health plans, professional associations, issue-based coalitions, health care start-ups and market innovators, and not-for-profit providers. Andrew has been featured in a variety of national media outlets on a range of health policy issues, including The Washington Post, Health Affairs, InsideHealthPolicy, Home Health Care News, Scripps News, The Messenger, and National Public Radio.

Andrew has a special emphasis and speaks regularly to national audiences on policy and political issues related to person-centered health care delivery transformation, including the public health crisis of social isolation and loneliness in the U.S., value-based insurance design (V-BID), and person-centered advanced illness and end-of-life care delivery. Andrew has been featured in a variety of national media outlets on a range of health policy issues, including The Washington Post, Health Affairs, InsideHealthPolicy, Home Health Care News, Scripps News, The Messenger, and National Public Radio.