Empowering Meaningful Human Connection Through XR Wellbeing: Why I’m Joining TRIPP as Chief Wellness Officer
For three decades, I’ve been passionate about what I’ve defined as a personal and professional mission: “empowering meaningful human connection.” Full stop. That connection is often mediated by technology in the form of the stories we share and experiences we co-create. It’s been a pleasure and a privilege for me to work in the tech sector, education, leadership, and healthcare, helping to shape a future way of life that embraces more fullness and flourishing.
I’m honored to share that my new role at TRIPP as Chief Wellness Officer allows me to build on and deepen this mission and commitment.
“The greatest scientists are artists as well.” — Albert Einstein
I have always been both a scientist and an artist. The two are not exclusive or separate at all. I see curiosity, creativity, and compassion as prerequisites for both. One of my favorite phrases is Walt Whitman’s “We contain multitudes.” I wanted to be an astronaut when I was growing up, and I went on to study flight and aeronautics and also earn an MFA in creative writing. I learned about technology and saw it as a vehicle to access even more creative freedom to amplify human ingenuity. This initially led me to the world of programming, where I cut my teeth as a coder and learned more about frontend and backend systems, game design, and worldbuilding. I saw poetry in code and beauty in the elegance of technology designed well. Our humanity and sensibility about the human condition are what make the difference.
Along the way, again and again, I’ve been moved by experiences of awe and wonder. Ones that take us on a journey of discovery beyond ourselves and our perceived limits. Ones that allow us to reach others and be reached by them. We can’t reach others if we don’t understand them, and having self-understanding and self-awareness is also key.
Finding meaning in the metaverse
I began to work in the metaverse (and often call it that!) before it was a buzzword, and, for me, it was paramount that it be mindful. Because meditation and contemplative expressive practices were part of my daily routine, I often looked to incorporate them into my work in virtual reality. For me, it was always about amplifying and supporting freedom, giving people avenues for voice and agency, defending dignity, and encouraging creativity and a sense of inventiveness, that mindset that fuels innovation.
Years spent developing cutting-edge global learning and leadership programming has given me an appreciation for incorporating elements of storytelling, mindfulness, and design in an intentional, intuitive way. I founded a company, MindWise, and began teaching at Stanford in the Wellness Department. The course I designed and teach, Digital Well-being, encourages learners to develop healthy relationships with technology that are all about humanity and shared stories. All about invitation over-prescription. Avenues to use advanced immersive tech in ways that are empowering and liberating.
I have authored two books in the past decade. Mindful by Design (2019) and Designing Wonder (2020), which are guides to designing and leading transformative experiences grounded in connection and mindful awareness, animated by wonder and awe. These books are recognized as standout resources across industries that look to encourage an innovative mindset and approaches to leadership and learning that are about curiosity, wholeness, and thriving in midst of change and complexity.
This leads me to TRIPP.
I met TRIPP’s brilliant founder and CEO Nanea Reeves many years ago. Recently, we spoke together at AWE, a conference that brings together XR professionals and enthusiasts, about the Mindful Metaverse in enterprise applications for well-being. There are so many clear synergies in our dedication to pioneering the mindful metaverse, and it fuels my motivation to see TRIPP’s vision and values evidenced in action.
Nanea and her team have built the leading XR wellness platform because she leads with intention and an unshakeable desire to bring the power of meditation to the masses through technology.
Her journey to founding TRIPP is deeply personal, and it’s evident by the amount of love and attention to detail embedded across every aspect of the company, from the product, to the team she’s built.
I am proud to join TRIPP’s team of creative and inspiring leaders, including Mani Srinivasan, TRIPP’s Chief Business Officer, who has been instrumental in securing strategic partnerships, positioning TRIPP at the forefront of the technological evolution from the hand to the head. I’ve also been friends and collaborated with VP of Community and Live Events Jeremy Nickel for years, running community social XR experiences that facilitate a deeper connection to self and community. I’m joining the company at an exciting time in its trajectory. I’m motivated by leading experiences that increase our individual and collective resilience, meeting needs of greater capacity, compassion, and creativity. The practices of meditation and mindfulness are core to my experience design methodology.
Part of what makes TRIPP such an engaging and inviting wellness company is that it’s a versatile, device agnostic, adaptive and robust solution for people’s needs to have meaningful experiences that affect inner well-being and have outward lasting effects. If we are to live fully integrated lives, there’s no division between inner and outer, no separation between work and life. Our work should be about flourishing. As a mentor of mine, Parker J. Palmer, has mentioned, there’s a hidden wholeness at play, and it’s about transformation from the inside out that represents an undivided life. How we can choose to have even more compassion for ourselves and others along this journey is part of the calling for new approaches to learning and development and new forms of leadership to empower us.
As the Chief Wellness Officer of TRIPP, I’ll be focused on leading next-gen wellness experiences that have a tremendous positive impact on quality of life across different measures, including health, creativity, and relationships. I’ll be applying cutting-edge developments and research, exploring new tools and techniques, and bringing the best practices to people in ways that are engaging, empowering, and focused on humanity.
TRIPP is already leading the XR wellness industry, and I’m joining at a momentous time for personal and professional development and growth. It’s a time when metaverse fluency is critical to companies’ ability to stay current and grow, and health and well-being have never been more important.
If you’d like to learn more about TRIPP, visit: https://www.tripp.com/
