2026 Mattering Summit Speakers

Emiliya Zhivotovskaya, MAPP, MCC

Emiliya is the CEO and founder of The Flourishing Center, a New York City based, Benefit Corporation (B-Corp) that is dedicated to increasing the flourishing of individuals, organizations and communities worldwide.

She is the creator of the acclaimed Certification in Applied Positive Psychology (CAPP) program, offered and online worldwide, which has trained thousands of practitioners. She is the creator the Bounce Back Better® (B³®) Program, Applied Positive Psychology Coaching Certification (APPC), Flourishing Skills Group® (FSG®) Program, iMMi Program, co-founder of the Positive Educator Certification™ (PEC) Program, creator of the PERMA-V Model and the 5i Change Agent Model.  (If you haven’t noticed, she likes creating and is an “inventor” in our 5i Change Agent Model.)

Emiliya holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Positive Psychology and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Mind-Body Medicine from Saybrook University, where she is also an adjunct faculty member.  Emiliya holds a Master Certified Coach (MCC™) credential with the International Coaching Federation (ICF), as well as over a dozen certifications in modalities ranging from coaching to yoga, Reiki, intenSati, Thai massage, biofeedback, motivational interviewing and more.

Prior to her work in the science of wellbeing, Emiliya was a professional party entertainer for over 12 years. She brings her entertaining background to her work today as a “pra-cademic-prenuer”; first and foremost she is a practitioner working in the field with individuals and organizations, then a researcher and academic, and an entrepreneur, focusing not just on the growth of The Flourishing Center, but is passionate about the craft of entrepreneurism and helping others grow their work. She integrates these tools into a unique approach to vitality and mind-body health, inspiring and empowering others to craft a life of thriving mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually and financially.

Brad Aronson

Brad Aronson is a husband and a dad, and when he’s holding the parenting reins, he likes to go all out. For him that means leading an egg drop competition from the third-floor window of his family’s home or heading up indoor games of baseball and hockey, and then having to explain why something else is now in pieces. Luckily, his wife, Mia, is understanding.

Brad loves teaching entrepreneurship to youth in Camden, NJ and Philadelphia. Everyone in his class starts their own business, which has led to many adventures in entrepreneurship.

Brad is the author of the National Bestseller HumanKind: Changing the World One Small Act At a Time. This heartwarming read shares real-life, feel-good stories about how one small deed can make a world of difference. “Elegant and wise” (Deepak Chopra), “The most uplifting and life-affirming book in years.” (Forbes) 

All royalties from HumanKind go to nonprofits in the book.

Stephen Post

Professor Stephen G. Post is one of the world’s leading scholars on altruism, love, compassion, and the science of giving. He is a best-selling author, professor of preventive medicine, and founder of the Institute for Research on Pure Unlimited Love, which is based in Cleveland’s university circle but is active across the US and worldwide. His work bridges science, spirituality, and ethics with a mission to understand how unselfish love heals, uplifts, and transforms both individuals and cultures. Post is widely considered the premier American bioethicist and scholar on the relationship between altruism, compassion and well-being in both the recipient and giver. His pioneering book The Moral Challenge of Alzheimer Disease was recognized as a medical classic of the 20th century by the British Medical Journal. His book Why Good Things Happen to Good People: How to Live a Longer, Healthier, Happier Live by the Simple Act of Giving (2008) was a national best-seller, and was awarded first place by World Literacy Canada. Pure Unlimited Love: Science and the Seven Paths to Inner Peace (2025) is his mature statement on giving, well-being, inner peace and spirituality to date. Post has held leadership positions at various medical schools of distinction, including Case Western (1988–2008) and Stony Brook, where his program is ranked 7th nationally.

Rebecca Newberger Goldstein

Rebecca Newberger Goldstein grew up in White Plains, New York, where her father, an immigrant from Ukraine, was a cantor. Her family was Orthodox Jewish. She graduated from an all-girls high school whose primary concern was to prepare girls for a life of Orthodox marriage and motherhood. By her senior year she was regularly playing hooky, mostly going to libraries to try to get herself some semblance of an education.

Her latest book is The Mattering Instinct: How Our Deepest Longing Drives Us and Divides Us. She had been gestating its ideas ever since The Mind-Body Problem, when she first introduced the idea of the mattering map in her effort to understand the sadness of her main character. The Mattering Instinct is influenced by Spinoza’s own attempt in the Ethics to firmly ground an objective ethics on secular grounds that we can all accept, no matter our theological beliefs, or lack thereof. 

Vicki O’Grady

Vicki O’Grady is a retired Florida Licensed Mental Health Counselor, author, and accomplished workshop presenter. Vicki has worked in the fields of mental health, addictions, eating disorders and personal growth beginning in the late 70’s. She was in private practice from 1989 until her retirement in 2023. Vicki has traveled throughout the United States and Israel presenting personal growth workshops and seminars. She is the former President and founder of Personal Power and Prosperity, a personal growth organization.

Vicki is the founder of the You Matter Compassion Project founded in 2014. YMCP involves handing/mailing out You Matter business cards to others. Since the project began, thousands of others have joined the movement to encourage others to know that they matter. She presently gives out about 15,000 a month.

Vicki’s education includes a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with Social Welfare Certification from Meredith College in Raleigh North Carolina. Her Masters of Arts degree is from Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida.

Vicki trained in Imago Relationship Therapy (developed by Harville Hendrix and endorsed by Oprah), hypnotherapy, EMDR, Emotional Freedom Techniques, parenting techniques developed by International Network for Children and Families (INCAF).

Sonja Lyubomirsky

Sonja Lyubomirsky is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside. She received her B.A. summa cum laude from Harvard University and her Ph.D. in social psychology from Stanford University. Lyubomirsky is the author of the best-selling The How of Happiness and The Myths of Happiness (published in 39 countries). Her latest book, How to Feel Loved, with Harry Reis, was released by Harper Wave in February 2026, accompanied by her mainstage TED talk on the same topic. Lyubomirsky’s research—on the possibility of lastingly increasing happiness via gratitude, kindness, and connection interventions—have been the recipients of many grants and honors, including Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Basel, the Diener Award for Outstanding Midcareer Contributions in Personality Psychology, the Christopher Peterson Gold Medal, a Positive Psychology Prize, and the Faculty of the Year Award (twice). She writes a popular bimonthly newsletter on the science of happiness and leads (with Lauren Weinstein) a weekly online happiness program and community, open to anyone. Her work has frequently been featured in print media, TV, podcasts, and feature documentaries across the world, including a recent profile, as well as a book review, in the New York Times. Lyubomirsky has four kids, ages 12 to 26, and lives in Santa Monica, California.

Jonathan Fields

Jonathan Fields is a dad, husband, award-winning author, executive producer, and host of the top-ranked podcast, Good Life Project®, boasting more than 100-million listens, streams, and views. In his popular Awake @ the Wheel newsletter, Jonathan helps you feel more alive and less alone. He is also the founder of a series of companies focused on human potential, currently serving as CEO of Spark Endeavors, where he developed the groundbreaking Sparketype® Assessment, which has been tapped by over 1-million individuals and organizations to identify, embrace, and cultivate work that makes people come alive. His latest book, SPARKED: Discover Your Unique Imprint for Work That Makes You Come Alive, is both a rally cry and a field guide to reclaiming work as a source of meaning, joy, and possibility. Jonathan’s work has been featured widely in the media, from The New York Times, FastCompany, Wall Street Journal, and the Harvard Business Review to Oprah Magazine, SUCCESS, Allure, Parade, Reader’s Digest and many more.