Meet Our Experts
Happify's tracks were created with the best and brightest minds—experts, research scientists, and practitioners—who believe in what we are doing and are passionate about improving people's lives.
List of persons
Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D.
Dr. Lyubomirsky is Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside and author of the bestseller The How of Happiness and The Myths of Happiness, translated in 23 and 16 countries, respectively. Her research—on the possibility of lastingly increasing happiness—has received many honors, including the Templeton Positive Psychology Prize and a Science of Generosity grant.
Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D.
Among the most highly cited scholars in psychology, Dr. Fredrickson has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and her books, Positivity and Love 2.0 have been translated into more than a dozen languages. She is Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and Director of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Lab at UNC Chapel Hill, and is beginning her term as President of the International Positive Psychology Association.
Shawn Achor
Where do we start? Shawn wrote international bestseller The Happiness Advantage. The same research made the cover of the Harvard Business Review, and has drawn more than 4 million views to his TEDx talk. The translation of Shawn’s wisdom into a Happify track turns his brilliant ideas into positive action.
Rick Hanson, Ph.D
The titles of Rick Hanson's books tell you why we are thrilled to work with him: Hardwiring Happiness, Buddha's Brain, and Mother Nurture. He’s a neuropsychologist, Senior Fellow at the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, and publishes a newsletter, "Just One Thing", that has over 100,000 subscribers.
Roberta Lee, M.D.
Stress can rob us of happiness, so we're thrilled that Dr. Lee, a true authority on the subject, has put together one of our most popular tracks. She's the author of The Superstress Solution and an integrative medicine primary care physician at the University of Arizona Medical Center's Pantano Clinic. Before that she was the vice chair of the Department of Integrative Medicine at Beth Israel Hospital in NYC.
Derrick Carpenter, MAPP
A sought-after life coach who has counseled everyone from Fortune 500 executives to stay-at-home moms to U.S. Army Officers, Derrick created his Happify tracks to broaden access to his experience and techniques—which includes research in the psychology labs of Harvard and Yale. An athletic enthusiast, he was voted Most Inspirational by his college rowing team.
Kwabena "Bobo" Blankson, M.D.
A graduate of Harvard and the Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Blankson studied neurodegenerative diseases, including the effects of positive environmental enrichment in Huntington's Disease and the role of spirituality in Parkinson's disease. His areas of expertise include depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and chronic headaches. He has published in peer-reviewed journals and been featured in NYTimes.com, CNN.com, and Time.com.
John Gottman, Ph.D.
Dr. John Gottman is world-renowned for his work that predicts marital stability and divorce. He was voted as one of the top 10 Most Influential Therapists of the past quarter century by the Psychotherapy Networker and has spent more than 40 years working with thousands of couples. He is the author of dozens of books, including the bestseller The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work.
Caroline Adams Miller, MAPP
Bestselling author of Creating Your Best Life, Positively Caroline and My Name is Caroline, Caroline coaches, teaches and speaks to audiences around the world about goals, flourishing and grit. Martin Seligman, the "father of Positive Psychology," said that Creating Your Best Life added "a major missing piece" to the world of coaching because of its ground-breaking connection between the science of happiness and the science of success.
Afton Hassett, Psy.D
Dr. Hassett is a licensed clinical psychologist and Associate Research Scientist in the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Michigan. As a principal investigator at the Chronic Pain & Fatigue Research Center, she conducts highly collaborative and innovative research related to exploring the role of cognitive, affective and behavioral factors in chronic pain populations. She has published studies exploring wellbeing and quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Michael Norton, Ph.D.
Michael Norton is a professor at the Harvard Business School and the co-author of Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending. Dr. Norton understands, on a deep level what truly brings lasting happiness—and that insight is captured in his expert track. In 2012, he made Wired magazine’s Smart List as one of "50 People Who Will Change the World."
Emma Seppala, Ph.D.
Dr. Seppala is science director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University, author of The Happiness Track, and a leading expert on health psychology, wellbeing, and resilience. She founded the popular news site Fulfillment Daily and holds degrees from Yale, Columbia, and Stanford. Originally from Paris, France, she speaks French, English, German, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.
Denise Clegg, MAPP
Denise launched the Penn Positive Neuroscience Project and directed the Penn Center for Neuroscience & Society after receiving her Master of Applied Positive Psychology there. She also served on the Penn Resilience training team and led workshops on the science and experience of mindfulness meditation for professional and community groups. Her work with NGOs is dedicated to advancing research and policies with a positive social impact and that nurture resilience within individuals and systems.
Clifton Berwise, Ph.D.
Dr. Berwise is a staff psychologist at the Center for Counseling and Student Development at the University of Delaware. In his role, he is a clinician, supervisor and facilitator for seminars regarding multicultural humility. His research has focused on exploring factors that lead to positive mental health and educational outcomes for Black Americans such as racial identity and racial socialization. While in graduate school, he was awarded a fellowship from the American Psychological Association’s Minority Fellowship Program.
Ryan Niemiec, Psy.D.
A licensed psychologist, certified coach, and international workshop leader, Ryan is an adjunct professor at Xavier University and adjunct faculty at the University of Pennsylvania. He has led several hundred mindfulness meditation groups over the last decade, and is the creator of Mindfulness-Based Strengths Practice (MBSP). He is Education Director of the VIA Institute on Character and author of a few books, including Mindfulness and Character Strengths: A Practical Guide to Flourishing.
John Coffey, Ph.D., M.S.W.
John is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Sewanee: The University of the South. He is the second person to earn a PhD in Positive Developmental Psychology from Claremont Graduate University and serves as a life coach for parents and their children. His research focuses on understanding and promoting well‑being from childhood and adolescence into adulthood by merging theories from developmental and positive psychology.
John Zelenski, Ph.D.
Dr. Zelenski is an Associate Professor of Psychology and directs the Carleton University Happiness Laboratory. He studies individual differences in happiness and how these unfold as momentary thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Most of this work has focused on the trait of introversion-extraversion or how people connect with nature. He has taught university courses on personality and positive psychology to rave reviews at Carleton, Washington University, and around the world (literally) with Semester at Sea.
Margarita Tarragona, Ph.D.
A psychologist, coach, clinician, and organizational consultant who specializes in personal and relational transformation, Dr. Tarragona incorporates scientific findings on flourishing from positive psychology, with collaborative and narrative ways of working with clients to generate dialogue and expand their life stories. She has a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Chicago and is the author of Positive Identities: Positive Psychology and Narrative Practices.
Sharon Salzberg
A meditation teacher and New York Times best-selling author, Sharon is the co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA and has played a crucial role in bringing Asian meditation practices to the West. Sharon has been a student of meditation since 1971, guiding retreats worldwide since 1974. She is the author of many books including Real Happiness and Lovingkindness.
Itai Ivtzan, Ph.D.
Dr. Ivtzan is a positive psychologist, senior lecturer, and the program leader of MAPP (Masters in Applied Positive Psychology) at the University of East London. His main areas of research are positive psychology, mindfulness, and spirituality. He's the author of Awareness is Freedom: The Adventure of Psychology and Spirituality and co-author of Mindfulness in Positive Psychology: The Science of Meditation and Wellbeing.
Elizabeth Dunn, Ph.D.
A professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia and co-author of Happy Money. Dr. Dunn has examined the role of adversity in creating the ability to savor, and the impact of helping others on our well‑being. At age 26 she was featured as one of the "rising stars" across all academia by the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Michelle Pow, L.C.S.W.
As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Michelle facilitates the healing process in a trauma-informed, culturally-responsive, and social justice-oriented environment that addresses the effects of systemic inequities and trauma on people’s mental health. Her education includes a B.A. in Psychology and International Developmental Studies and a Masters in Social Work (MSW) from UCLA. She has led and fostered dialogue on cultural humility, healing racial trauma, and issues impacting Asian American mental health at various organizations across the United States.
Andrew Scheffer
Andrew has the rare distinction of being both a former monk and a Wharton M.B.A. He's logged 10,000+ hours in mindfulness training over 25 years, including 8 years in monasteries around the world. He also spent 15 years in private banking and wealth management at firms like Morgan Stanley and UBS. With this background, he teaches people how to apply mindfulness in the business world and in all areas of our hectic daily lives.
Stella Grizont, MAPP
Stella is the founder of WOOPAAH, a company that designs happiness and play experiences for individuals and organizations like Google and Columbia University to increase their well‑being, creativity, and productivity. Stella is one of the first 200 people in the world to receive a Master in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Her work has been featured on MSNBC, Vanity Fair, ABC7, and Entrepreneur Magazine.
Liza Colpa
Liza is a passionate 200-ERYT Yoga Alliance certified teacher. Her background, lineage, and style of teaching stem from Integral Yoga and Dharma Mittra. Liza has not just seen how much meditation yoga has helped her grow as an individual, but she truly believes it has helped her manifest a happier and healthier life. Whether it be through creating online content, holding space for class, or running workshops, she hopes that she can help plant the seeds within students, so that they can cultivate the happier and healthier life they deserve.
Michelle Gielan, MAPP
Michelle is the bestselling author of Broadcasting Happiness and the founder of the Institute for Applied Positive Research. She is an Executive Producer of “The Happiness Advantage” Special on PBS, and her research and advice have received attention from The New York Times, Washington Post, Forbes, CNN, FOX, and Harvard Business Review. She holds a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.
Judith Moskowitz, Ph.D., MPH
Judith is a Professor of Medical Social Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and the Director of Research at the Northwestern Osher Center for Integrative Medicine. Trained as a social psychologist, she studies the impact of positive emotion on adjustment to health-related and other life stress. She is the Principal Investigator of several NIH-funded trials of an intervention designed to increase positive emotion and improve psychological and physical well‑being.
Christiane Wolf, MD, PhD
Christiane is a physician turned mindfulness and compassion teacher and teacher trainer. She teaches Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindful Self-Compassion and is also a Buddhist teacher in the Insight (Vipassana) meditation tradition. She teaches classes, workshops and retreats in the US and in Europe in both English and German. She is the co-author of the book, A Clinician’s Guide To Teaching Mindfulness.