Janeane Bernstein Keynote Speaker

Mental Health Advocate.
Creator of OUTSIDE THE BOX, a virtual mental health & wellness series for Gen Z.
Author of "Better Humans" (2023) and "Get the Funk Out" (2019)

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Janeane Bernstein's Biography

Journalist, author, and mental health advocate Janeane Bernstein, EdD helps students, employees, and communities reconnect, recharge, and thrive in today’s disconnected world. Her unique, research-backed, and firsthand experiences go beyond traditional workshops—combining social health strategies, emotional intelligence tools, and interactive programs like We Knead Connection™. Participants leave inspired, equipped with practical skills, and ready to build meaningful relationships, spark creativity, and be more mindful in their daily lives.

In response to the global pandemic, she created the mental fitness podcast and event series, Outside the Box; this includes her CARE Initiative, and other programming designed to address the mental health and wellness needs of students, teachers, and organizations of all sizes. She is also the founder of the Outside the Box Institute (otb-i.org), a nonprofit focused on addressing loneliness, social disconnection, anxiety, and depression.

Janeane is the author of Get the Funk Out! %^&* Happens, What to Do Next! (Post Hill Press | Simon & Schuster 2019) in which she shares stories of resilience and the importance of prioritizing mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing. She has hosted Get the Funk Out! a weekly radio show on KUCI 88.9 FM since 2011.

She graduated from Syracuse University with a focus on communications and education and earned a doctorate from Boston University in Curriculum & Teaching. In 2021, she was selected to become an Age Boom Academy Fellow with the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center in partnership with the Columbia Journalism School, and the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. She is currently an eCornell Course Facilitator at Cornell University.

Janeane grew up in New York City and Stamford, Connecticut, living with her mother who, unbeknownst to her, struggled with mental health issues and substance abuse. At 16, she went to live with her father and stepmother. Janeane talks openly about overcoming a life of trauma and abuse, and how we are all a work in progress.

Better Humans: Strategies for Alleviating Loneliness and Fostering Connection

Practical approaches to strengthen social health, build meaningful relationships, and cultivate authentic connection in a disconnected world.

How Are You…Really?

Techniques to ask meaningful questions, foster authentic dialogue, and build emotional intelligence.

Signature Experiential Program – We Knead Connection™

Hands-on baking class where participants shape and flavor bread or bagels while building life skills, sparking creativity, and fostering meaningful connections.

Making Better Humans: The Art of Communication

Rebuild conversation skills and connect authentically in work, school, and everyday life.

Flow, Presence, and Digital Detox

Hands-on, tech-free experiences to boost focus, creativity, and meaningful connection.

Getting Out of Your Funk & Back into Your Life—Here’s What You Can Do Next

Practical strategies to regain focus, lift your mood, and take positive steps forward when challenges arise.

She brings credible authority as a journalist and mental health advocate who founded the Outside the Box Institute, helping organisations tackle loneliness, anxiety and depression with practical, community-rooted approaches.
She translates the science and realities of mental wellbeing into clear, relatable strategies through her Outside the Box programming and CARE Initiative, equipping audiences to strengthen resilience and connection at work and in education settings.
She draws on over a decade as host of the weekly KUCI 88.9 FM show Get the Funk Out! to lead candid, engaging conversations that normalise help-seeking and reduce stigma.
She pairs lived experience with evidence-led insight as the author of Get the Funk Out! %^&* Happens, What to Do Next!, giving audiences a grounded framework for moving from setback to action.
She brings academic and institutional credibility as a Boston University doctorate holder and a 2021 Age Boom Academy Fellow, helping leaders address mental health and social disconnection with greater confidence and care.

Videos of Janeane Bernstein

Mind Matters – Accessing Resources for Mental Wellbeing

Vroman's - Q&A w/ Janeane Bernstein, author GET THE FUNK OUT! $%^& Happens, What to Do Next!

Articles, Media & Podcasts

The Power of Intergenerational Connections to Reduce Loneliness - by Janeane Bernstein

Next Avenue

Books by Janeane Bernstein

Better Humans - What the Mental Health Pandemic Teaches Us About Humanity

Get the Funk Out, %^&* Happens, What to Do Next!

Comments & Testimonials

"My team recently brought in Janeane to facilitate our end-of-year meeting, with a focus on self-care and resilience (it's been a tough year for everyone!). She worked closely with several of the team members to understand our work and tailor her content to our team, and prepared a really engaging and interactive discussion that was fun, meaningful, and the perfect mix of content and conversation."

Hensley Evans Partner & Practice Area Lead, ZS Associates

"I had the privilege of introducing Janeane's fabulous book, "Get the Funk Out" at Book Passage late last year (before Covid) and thankfully it came in so handy when STP hit this past March. Her easy, empathetic, and engaging style kept the BP audience riveted with the Q&A going right up to closing time. The message of self-care resonated so much that as a professor at SFSU (teaching health courses), I invited her to spread her inspiring advice & practical tools with my students."

Cathy Rath Adjunct Professor, San Francisco State University

"We were so excited to have Janeane speak to our community of current students, alumni, and current and former faculty. The theme of her talk was centered around resilience and self-care in a time when it matters most. Her passion, kindness, and love for what she does and who she works with shines so bright and made this an unforgettable experience for our community."

Stephen Sheehan Director of Alumni Engagement, King School

"Janeane connects to an audience like they're lifelong friends, candidly and vulnerably sharing uplifting anecdotes, struggles and bounce-backs, and lessons learned from a lifetime of growth, change, and human connection. Likewise, she inspires her audience to laugh, share, and reflect on their own journeys, values, and goals."

Director of Field Study for the School of Social Ecology, UC Irvine