36th Annual Art & Science of Health Promotion Conference

We are living through a period of profound and accelerating change. Global epidemics of obesity and chronic disease, skyrocketing healthcare costs, the rise of AI, and geopolitical and climate disruptions are reshaping how we live, work, and survive. For health promotion professionals, this demands a new kind of leadership—one rooted in adaptability and whole-person resilience.

At the same time, neuroscience has quietly uncovered what may be the most important health discovery of our time: the habenula, a small structure in the brain that acts as a master control switch for behavior, motivation, and mood. When activated by shame, judgment, or unmet expectations, the habenula suppresses the very efforts we promote—healthy eating, exercise, mental well-being, and whole person health. Understanding this mechanism changes everything.

In this keynote, Dr. Kyra Bobinet, MD MPH, presents her 30+ years studying and directing health interventions and discovery of the Iterative Mindset—a novel, neuroscience-based framework born from her research with people overcoming major social and health barriers. Backed by validated studies, Iterative Mindset outperforms common approaches like performance-based goals, tracking, and incentives by aligning with how the brain is actually wired to change. Dr. Bobinet offers a new model for health and behavior change professionals: one that activates adaptability, builds true resilience, and helps people thrive in an uncertain world.

In an era of growing awareness around mental health and brain science, we need more than isolated strategies—we need a truly integrated, whole-person approach to wellbeing. In alignment with this year’s conference theme, Wired for Well-Being, this keynote explores how a deeper understanding of the brain and nervous system can radically transform both mental health and overall quality of life.

Blending neuroscience and psychology with soul work and practical tools, Jocelyn Pepe delivers a powerful and personal keynote experience. Grounded in evidence-based research and shaped by her lived experience through adversity, burnout, and a traumatic brain injury, Jocelyn introduces a five-element framework addressing social, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.

Attendees will learn how the brain and nervous system drive behavior, how chronic stress impacts neuroplasticity, and how whole-person practice can unlock resilience and lead to health and longevity. Jocelyn’s story, paired with actionable insights, empowers audiences to move from burnout to balance—and equips them with practical tools to support themselves and others. Participants will leave inspired and equipped to integrate brain-based, soul-aware strategies into their lives, workplaces, and communities.

This interactive presentation will link the neuroscience of social connection, positive emotion, and resilience to stress – to lifelong wellbeing and health – while dynamically guiding people through the latest techniques for strengthening these capacities. In a world that sometimes seems to be going in the opposite direction, attendees of this session will both experience and learn the science behind validated wellbeing skills like enhancing empathy to bridge differences, activating awe and collective effervescence, and embracing love and forgiveness.

The session will share both scientific insights and practical strategies for attendees to improve their own – and also contribute to others’ – wellbeing. This session is especially well-suited for leaders wanting to weave wellbeing into the fabric of their teams and uplift organizational productivity and success.

Presenters will also share results from a cutting-edge global citizen science initiative: The Big Joy Project, a free online program that helps people understand the sources of and carve their own path to greater wellbeing in just one week. Attendees will both learn about discoveries from pioneering wellbeing science and actively engage in rigorously validated wellbeing strategies - all in the service of dynamically, iteratively, and sustainably increasing it both during as well as beyond the conference. Come ready to engage, reflect, and walk away with wellbeing practices and rituals that you can immediately use in a variety of contexts.