Founder, Beautiful Minds®
Founder of Beautiful Minds, Marina Passalaris is a respected Australian author, media commentator and entrepreneur who has dedicated more than two decades to youth wellbeing. Motivated by her own struggle with anxiety, Marina launched Beautiful Minds in 2003, spending months driving across regional Australia to deliver evidence‑based confidence workshops to small groups of girls. To date Beautiful Minds has supported just over 1.8 million kids and their parents. Marina’s impact has earned her nominations for Australian of the Year and Telstra Business Woman of the Year, while Westpac named Beautiful Minds among its prestigious Top 20 most up and coming Australian companies.
CEO, Beautiful Minds
Brendon is a co-owner of Beautiful Minds
Beautiful Minds is one of Australia’s longest serving family well-being organisations.
They are in 935 schools across Australia, and hold over 170 weekend workshops and retreats a year.
Beautiful Minds has partnerships with The Huberman Lab at Stanford University, FujiFilm, Nestle, NBCUniversal and Post-it 3M.
Brendon is a skilled storyteller who honed his ability at Stanford University, on television and in the cut-throat film industry in the United States.
Collaborator, producer of global hit podcasts
Alex Vespestad is a writer, producer, and editor of award-winning immersive audio shows. He’s most known for his work on the Apple hit #1 podcast To Live and Die In LA.
Recently he produced NBA star Steph Curry’s Audible series and worked with Rick Rubin and Kim Kardashian.
He has worked with the world’s most respected and prominent content creators, such as Spotify, Netflix, Audible, Wondery, TenderfootTV, The Podcast App, Panoramic Media, Epicleff Media, and Best Case Studios. In total, the podcasts he has produced have garnered over 60 million listens.
AFL Premiership Coach, Dad Ambassador
Paul Roos is a revered figure in Australian sport and leadership. An AFL Hall of Fame player and the 2005 Premiership-winning coach for the Sydney Swans, he is renowned for shaping the team’s famous “Bloods” culture. Beyond his decorated football career, Paul is a global leadership expert, author, and founder of Performance by Design. Named Australian Father of the Year in 2008, he collaborates with Beautiful Minds, sharing his insights on leadership, culture, and performance.
Leading authority on trauma and life events
Ryan Soave famously taught Congress to meditate. He is a trauma therapist, Director of the APN Lodge – a world-class treatment facility in the Colorado Mountains and a researcher at the Huberman Lab at Stanford University working with Dr Andrew Huberman.
MA, CTT, RYT-200, Certified Breathworker and Yoga Nidra Instructor Ryan holds a Masters degree in Mental Health Counseling and is a Certified Trauma Therapist, Yoga Teacher, and meditation instructor. Ryan is also an Advanced Student of Somatic Experiencing. He has extensive experience working with complex posttraumatic stress disorder and unresolved trauma. He is an expert in the practices and teachings of mindfulness. Ryan believes that each individual has the path to healing within.
Collaborator, Producer at Cirque Du Soleil
Rob Tannion is an experienced Artistic Director with a background working for globally recognized arts and entertainment companies. He currently serves as Director of Show Quality at Cirque du Soleil, having previously directed their groundbreaking ice show, “Crystal.” With extensive experience in choreography and managing large-scale international productions, Rob brings a wealth of creative and operational leadership from the highest levels of the entertainment world.
World-renowned Psychologist, Multiple Intelligence
Dr Branton Shearer is a developmental psychologist who received his master’s degree at Harvard University
He received a U.S. Department of Education Innovation Grant to study the use of the multiple intelligences to enhance cognitive functioning following brain trauma. He initially created The Multiple Intelligences Developmental Scales (MIDAS) in 1987.
The MIDAS assessment has been translated into Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Dutch, German, Greek, Persian, Arabic, and Bahasa and has been completed by over 50,000 people world- wide. It is being used in schools in more than 25 different countries.
Revered expert in relationships, black belt in BJJ
Rabbi Dr. Mordecai Finley is a prominent spiritual leader, philosopher, and educator. He serves as the Rabbi of Ohr HaTorah Synagogue in Los Angeles and is a professor of Jewish thought at the Academy for Jewish Religion, California. With a Ph.D. in Religion and Social Ethics from the University of Southern California, Rabbi Finley is known for his insightful teachings on wisdom literature, ethics, and contemplative practices. He brings his profound understanding of spiritual and ethical development to his association with Beautiful Minds.
Founder & Mental Fitness Coach at ARC Mindset and Wellbeing
Alison is a health and wellbeing professional who uses positive psychology and neuroscience to educate and inspire others to improve their wellbeing, and live their lives in a meaningful way. Alison works with both individuals and groups, and has a particular passion in helping mums regain their identity and live a calm, confident, and content life.
Prior to working in the wellbeing industry, Alison was a Senior TV Producer for 18 years producing live national broadcasts for almost all major networks, from Channel 9’s Logie Awards and Carols by Candlelight, to the Seven Network’s AFLW Grand Final coverage. She thrives on getting the best out of people, and making every one of our moments on Earth count.
Director of the Neurofeedback Institute of Sonoma County
Dr. David Sortino is a clinical psychologist with over four decades of experience as an educator, consultant, and neuroscientist specializing in learning. Holding degrees from Harvard and Saybrook University, he directs The Neurofeedback Institute of Sonoma County and focuses on supporting individuals with ADHD and RAD. Dr. Sortino is the author of several books on child development and learning, including “The Promised Cookie” and “A Guide to How Your Child Learns.
Founder & Equine Wellness Facilitator at Circus Cowgirl
Kansas Carradine combines a lifetime of equestrian expertise with certifications in HeartMath and Equine Guided Education. Daughter of actor David Carradine, she has entertained global audiences as a trick rider and stuntwoman in film and live shows like Cavalia. Through her venture, Circus Cowgirl, Kansas now focuses on enhancing mental and emotional well-being, using HeartMath techniques and horse-centered programs to help individuals regulate their nervous systems and build resilience.
Founder & President of the Trauma Research Foundation
Dr. Bessel van der Kolk is a pioneering psychiatrist, author, and educator whose career has been dedicated to studying how individuals adapt to traumatic experiences. Based in Boston, he is the founder of the Trauma Research Foundation and a Professor of Psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine. Dr. van der Kolk authored the seminal bestseller “The Body Keeps the Score,” profoundly influencing the understanding and treatment of trauma worldwide.
Oscar-Nominated Producer
Fred Fuchs is the former President of American Zoetrope Studios – the visionary production company founded by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas.
Fred has produced seventeen features including THE GODFATHER PART III, BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA, DON JUAN DEMARCO, and THE VIRGIN SUICIDES.
His films have been nominated for eleven Academy Awards, and he is an Emmy Award winner. While at Zoetrope Fuchs also started a successful TV division and was Executive Producer for international award-winning miniseries like THE ODYSSEY and MOBY DICK.
Fred lives in Palo Alto, California and is a keen mountain biker.
Director at Adobe
Jennifer Mulveny brings over 25 years of high-level public policy and government relations experience to the Beautiful Minds board. Currently serving as Adobe’s Director of Government Relations and Public Policy for Asia-Pacific, based in Sydney, she has previously worked in Washington D.C., including a tenure at the White House. An active advocate for women in technology and a UNC-Chapel Hill alumna, Jennifer contributes her extensive strategic expertise as a Board Member for Beautiful Minds.
CEO, Grays Online
Chris Corbin is the owner and CEO of GraysOnline – Australia’s largest online auction site with over four million registered customers.
He brings world-class marketing, financial analysis, execution, and analysis knowledge to our company and understands the need for bridging the gap between the digital and real world.
Having represented Australia in water polo in the early 2000s, Chris understands the importance of optimal functioning, thriving team environments, and peak human performance.
