Mental health tech nonprofit Project Healthy Minds has announced the first set of participants for its fourth annual World Mental Health Day Festival, taking place Oct. 10 in New York City. The event will be free to the public.
Deepak Chopra, MD; author and social psychologist Jonathan Haidt; journalist Katie Couric; Boardroom co-founder Rich Kleiman; parenting expert Dr. Becky Kennedy and Megababe founder Katie Sturino are among the speakers included in the festival lineup.
Influencers Kelsey Wells, Kendall Toole, Case Kenny, Timm Chiusano, Hellah Sidibe and Raymond Braun will also be in attendance.
The festival is designed to unite thought leaders, celebrities, executives and visionaries to dive into current public health issues.
Sessions will include a meditation and conversation about AI led by Chopra, as well as Haidt’s “How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an International Mental Health Crisis,” “How We Can Reverse It” (moderated by Couric) and “What Parenting Has Taught the Comedians” (moderated by Kennedy) panels.
The lineup continues with “Unfiltered: The Mental Health Toll of Influence,” a panel about the pressure behind social media posts; “Body Image in the Age of GLP-1s,” a conversation on bodies, mental health and shifting cultural ideals; “Changing the Game,” a look at how sports leaders can reframe and amplify the mental health conversation and unlock a championship-forward mindset.
“Every year, this community reminds us just how powerful it can be when people come together to change the way the world thinks about mental health,” Phillip Schermer, Project Healthy Minds Founder and CEO, said in a statement.
He continued, “This first look at our lineup reflects voices that are breaking barriers, sparking dialogue and inspiring action. We couldn’t be prouder to stand alongside them as we continue building a movement for change.”
On Oct. 9, Project Healthy Minds will host its third annual World Mental Health Day Gala. The gala is headlined by Board of Directors member Carson Daly and will feature a music performance from Lukas Graham.
Kalen Jackson will also receive the organization’s first-ever Sports Visionary of the Year Award in recognition of her work as a leader in mental health advocacy. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will present Jackson with the honor.
Other honorees will be announced in the coming weeks.
Project Healthy Minds has also named Keith Lissner, Former EVP of Design for Vera Wang, as artistic curator for the gala.
Last year’s inaugural Storyteller of the Year Award Michael D. Ratner and his wife Lauren Ratner, will serve as Gala Dinner Chairs alongside Chris Barbin, Jacqui and Joseph Canney, Susanne and Stan Galanski, Jody Gerson, Savannah Guthrie and Mike Feldman, Jimmy Horowitz, Naeem Kahn, Rich and Jana Kleiman, Lisa Licht, Carolyn Risoli and Joe Silvestri, Stephen M. Ross, Jennifer and Rob Ryan, Becky Schmitt, Danny Sillman, Vincent C. Tizzio and Victoria Tizzio, Peter Tunney and Jeff and Gail Yabuki.