Strength with Heart

Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, India, and Burma. He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is a founding teacher of the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California. He is one of the key teachers to introduce mindfulness practice to the West and has taught internationally since 1974, Jack helped lead men's retreats for decades at Spirit Rock and in Mendocino with Michael Meade, Robert Bly, Luis Rodriguez and others.He is a husband, a grandfather and a mentor to many. He has published17 books which have sold 2 million copies.

Chris Germer, PhD is a clinical psychologist and lecturer on psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He co-developed the Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program with Kristin Neff, which is being taught in 30 languages around the world. He authored or co-authored 6 books on self-compassion and on psychotherapy. A new book, Self-Compassion for Shame, will be released in October 2026. Currently, Chris lectures, writes and leads workshops internationally, and he has a small psychotherapy practice in Massachusetts, USA. His website is www.chrisgermer.com.

Prof Paul Gilbert has been a clinical psychologist of over 45 years with the focus of working with people with mood disorders, complex shame and trauma, and harsh self-criticism. He is professor at the university of Derby and visiting professor at the university of Queensland Australia. He has published over 350 academic papers and 22 books. In 2006 he established the international charity the compassionate mind foundation (www.compassionatemind.co.uk) which is now one of the leading international organisations for the study of compassion and its applications. In recognition for his contributions to mental health he was awarded an OBE by the then UK Queen in 2011. He remains compassionate about the study of compassion especially its fears blocks and resistances.

Rick Hanson, Ph.D., is a psychologist, Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, and New York Times best-selling author. His seven books have been published in 33 languages and include Making Great Relationships, Neurodharma, Resilient, Hardwiring Happiness, Just One Thing, Buddha's Brain, and Mother Nurture-with over a million copies in English alone. He's the founder of the Global Compassion Coalition and the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom, as well as the co-host of the Being Well podcast - which has been downloaded over 25 million times. He offers free newsletters, and his online programs have scholarships available for those with financial needs. He's lectured at NASA, Google, Oxford, and Harvard. An expert on positive neuroplasticity, his work has been featured on CBS, NPR, the BBC, and other major media. He began meditating in 1974 and has taught in meditation centers worldwide. He and his wife live in northern California and have two adult children. He loves the wilderness and taking a break from emails.

Ashanti helps transform schools into safer, more connected spaces through workshops and social-emotional learning products. With more than 18 years of experience in education reform and youth mental health, he is the Founder and Executive Director of the Ever Forward Club (EFC), a nonprofit focused on reducing dropout rates among marginalized students through youth mentorship and teacher professional development. A 2023 recipient of the U.S. Surgeon General's Medallion, Ashanti is a keynote speaker, youth mental health consultant, Fulbright Fellow, and four-time TEDx speaker. His work as an "emotional locksmith" has been featured at SXSW, on CNN's This Is Life with Lisa Ling, The Kelly Clarkson Show, and in The Mask You Live In, a documentary on American masculinity that premiered at Sundance. Raised in Oakland by a single mother on welfare after his father died before he was born, Ashanti began his career as a math teacher. EFC reports that 100% of its student members have graduated high school, 90% enrolled in higher education, and 0% became incarcerated. EFC's projects include the Adventure Card Game and the Anthem Award-winning #millionmaskmovement, which has collected more than 75,000 masks worldwide.

Tony McAleer spent fifteen years inside the white supremacist and neo-Nazi movements — the last several as one of its architects in Canada. Bravado and aggression were the currency; feeling anything was a liability. He was very good at it. Two things pulled him out. The first was becoming a father — holding his newborn daughter and, for the first time, wanting to be the kind of man she could be proud of. The second was the inner work it took to get there: more than a thousand hours of counseling with Dov Baron, a Jewish man who met his confession with warmth. Being seen at his worst and not turned away became the seed of everything that came after. He calls what he built radical compassion. It starts with the self, extends outward through fatherhood, friendship, and civic life, and rests on a simple idea: hiding from ourselves is the true cowardice, and nobody is irredeemable.

Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D. is a Foundation Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno and President of the Institute for Better Health – a 45-year-old non-profit promoting quality services in mental and behavioral health. An author of 48 books and nearly 750 scientific articles, his career has focused on an analysis of the nature of human language and cognition and the application of this to the understanding and alleviation of human suffering. He is the developer of Relational Frame Theory, an account of human higher cognition, and has guided its extension to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a popular evidence-based form of psychotherapy that uses acceptance, mindfulness, and values-based methods to promote psychological flexibility. He is a co-developer of Process-Based Therapy (PBT), a new approach to evidence-based therapies more generally. His TEDx and YouTube talks for the public exceed 2 million views and his blogs at Psychology Today, Medium, and elsewhere have been read over 4 million times. Over 12 million copies of ACT books have been sold in virtually every language and his work is being put into nations in conflict around the world through the World Health Organization. He is among the most cited psychologist in the world.

Described as a visionary and transformational leader, policymaker and health care innovator Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, is CEO of the American Psychological Association, the leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. With over 190,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students as APA members, a top priority of Evans' current work is applying psychological science and knowledge to a wide range of complex societal issues. Previously, for over two decades, Evans served in public policy positions in Philadelphia and Connecticut, where he led the transformation of their behavioral health systems and their approaches to serving a wide range of individuals with complex needs. An unconventional leader, Evans has employed science, research, community activism, spirituality, traditional clinical care, policy, and cross-system collaborations to change the status quo around behavioral health. Over the years he has received national and international recognition, including prestigious awards in government, healthcare service, visionary leadership, actionable advocacy, equity, and social justice. He has held faculty appointments at the Yale University School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, and the Drexel School of Public Health.