Chris Herren is a former NBA player, author, and nationally recognized recovery advocate who has become one of the leading voices on addiction, mental wellness, and prevention. Sober since 2008, Herren has shared his story with more than two million students, athletes, and community members through Herren Talks, encouraging honest conversations about substance use, self-esteem, and emotional health. His journey was featured in the memoir Basketball Junkie, the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary Unguarded, and the prevention-focused film The First Day.

Herren is also the founder of Herren Project, a nonprofit supporting individuals and families affected by addiction, and Herren Wellness, a residential recovery and wellness program based in Seekonk.

Instagram: @c_herren_
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Facebook: Chris Herren Facebook

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Albert Garcia-Romeu, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. His research examines the effects of psychedelics in humans, with a focus on psilocybin as an aid in the treatment of addiction. He earned his doctorate in psychology in 2012 from Sofia University in Palo Alto, CA where he studied self-transcendence, spiritual experiences, and their relationship to mental health. Dr. Garcia-Romeu has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles, chapters, and commentaries on psychopharmacology and mental health, and has been interviewed widely in popular media. He is Associate Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research.

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Doug Bopst is an award-winning personal trainer, author, and host of the Adversity Advantage Podcast. A former felon who struggled with substances, he was incarcerated for possession with intent to sell.  Doug used his time in jail to rebuild his life through faith, family, and fitness. He is the author of From Felony to Fitness to Free, Faith Family Fitness, and The Heart of Recovery, and has helped hundreds of people transform their physical and mental health. Doug has been featured on the Today Show, Men’s Health, Forbes, and major podcasts including Rich Roll and Impact Theory. His story was the subject of a documentary that premiered at the Reel Recovery Film Festival.

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Jonathan Hunt-Glassman is the co-founder and CEO of Oar Health. Oar Health is a telehealth platform that helps people get started with medication to drink less or quit and provides ongoing support as they work toward their goals. Jonathan started the business after benefitting himself from treatment with medication for alcohol use disorder. Before founding Oar, Jonathan worked in healthcare as a product and strategy leader at Humana, Optum, and Bain & Company.

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Mashal Khan, M.D. is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine and Associate Program Director for the Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship. As the psychiatrist on the Liver Transplant Team, he evaluates organ recipients and donors and provides them with transitionary care. He utilizes his expertise and understanding of addictions to improve outcomes for individuals with Alcohol Liver Disease. His area of interest and clinical focus include technology-assisted interventions for substance use disorders and management of alcohol use disorder in patients with alcohol liver disease.

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Maxine Linehan is an internationally acclaimed Irish singer, writer, and theatrical performer whose deeply personal work reimagines beloved songbooks to explore identity, healing, and emotional truth. Her recordings have earned praise from The New York Times, Billboard, and USA Today, and she has performed sold-out shows around the world.  Now, Maxine is the co-host of the new podcast Happy AF: Joyfully Living Alcohol-Free, where she brings her signature honesty, humor, and storytelling to conversations about reclaiming joy and freedom without alcohol.

https://maxinelinehan.com/

https://www.happyafpodcast.com/

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Tom Farley grew up in Madison, WI, and graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in Marketing. He began his career in banking and finance before running The Chris Farley Foundation (1999–2012), a nationally recognized nonprofit focused on substance abuse prevention. Through humor-based programs, he helped young people build communication skills and create supportive environments.

In 2008, Tom co-authored The Chris Farley Show, a New York Times bestseller about his late brother, comedian Chris Farley. He has appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, and Larry King Live to discuss addiction and recovery.

Now in recovery himself, Tom is a passionate advocate for mental health and addiction treatment. He works at Recovery.com, connecting people with the resources they need to heal. As a speaker, he shares his journey to break stigma, inspire hope, and foster connection. Tom lives in Madison, WI.

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Katharine Phillips, MD, is internationally known for her expertise in body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and related disorders, such as olfactory reference disorder (ORD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). For more than 30 years, Dr. Phillips has conducted ground-breaking scientific research on BDD and has provided expert evaluation and treatment with medication and therapy for people with these and other conditions. 

She is currently Professor of Psychiatry, DeWitt Wallace Senior Scholar, and Residency Research Director for the Department of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine and Attending Psychiatrist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. 

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Meredith Berkman is a co-founder of Parents Against Vaping (PAVe), an advocacy and education nonprofit created in 2018 by three moms as a grassroots response to the youth vaping epidemic. Run and powered by volunteers around the country, PAVe is the first national parent voice in the fight against the tobacco industry’s predatory behavior. Working at the local, state, and federal levels, PAVe supports ending sales of all flavored tobacco products.

PAVe’s educational training, materials and resources, available in both Spanish and English, empower parents to educate others in their own communities about the dangers of youth tobacco use and industry targeting of young people and priority populations. 

Berkman, a mother of four, is a graduate of Brown University, and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. A former journalist, Berkman has written for publications including New York magazine, Entertainment Weekly, and the New York Post.

https://www.parentsagainstvaping.org/

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Dr Kaitlyn Regehr is an Associate Professor of Digital Humanities at University College London, whose research is focused on digital and AI literacy. She has informed legislation on online safety, most recently feeding into the Online Safety Act and she has provided consultation in the House of Lords, and to Members of Parliament, the Metropolitan Police, The Children’s Commissioner, The Scottish Government and Prevent. Dr Regehr is committed to the public dissemination of algorithmic and AI literacy through broadcasting and writing. She has been interviewed by Oprah Winfrey for the Oprah Podcast and has appeared across a spectrum of US Media including CNN and USA Today. More locally, she is a regular contributor on ITV’s This Morning, BBC News, The Today Programme, BBC Women’s Hour, BBC Bitesize and as an Op-Ed writer for The Guardian. Dr Regehr is also the author of the international bestseller, Smartphone Nation.

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