ANNA AKBARI

  • Author of Startup Your Life: Hustle and Hack Your Way To Happiness

Pings, news alerts, social media likes, email. We all struggle to manage our 24/7 connection to technology in a way that feels healthy and balanced, often at the peril of our personal relationships, the work we produce, and even our own sanity. Anna explains how we reclaim some “sacred space” and allow ourselves to find flow in an overly mediated world, without compromising our work and professionalism.

ANNA AKBARI

Anna Akbari, PhD is a sociologist, writer, coach, innovation consultant, and entrepreneur. A former instructor at New York University and Parsons School of Design, she is a frequent public speaker and media personality and has written for and been featured by Forbes, The Atlantic, TIME, The Economist, Financial Times, TED, Bulletproof Executive, Psychology Today, Google Talks, and dozens more. She is a regular contributor and guest on CNN and SiriusXM. Her book, Startup Your Life: Hustle and Hack Your Way To Happiness, teaches people to boost happiness and success by living their lives like a Silicon Valley startup. Anna Akbari is exclusively represented by BrightSight Speakers bureau.

Speech topics

The Sociological Aftershocks of the Pandemic

  • The return of local and the rise of domestic: how the pendulum is and will continue to swing as a result of the pandemic and its aftermath, ushering in a shift in priorities and goals, resetting society and the way we operate in many ways: how and from where we work/live/vacation/travel (real estate/hospitality/travel industry component) meet/connect/collaborate/date, spend our free time, nourish ourselves, etc.

  • Women and the pandemic: There's also an angle on the unique challenges and opportunities for women — particularly women with children — as a result of these shifts, including new income streams, flex work time, childcare, etc. (i.e. will fewer women opt out of the workforce after having children? will more professional women feel that having a family is now a viable option?

Digital Happiness: How To Be the Boss of Technology

Pings, news alerts, social media likes, EMAIL. We all struggle to manage our 24/7 connection to technology in a way that feels healthy and balanced, often at the peril of our personal relationships, the work we produce, and even our own sanity. How do we reclaim some “sacred space” and allow ourselves to find flow in an overly mediated world, without compromising our work and professionalism?

In this presentation, sociologist Anna Akbari, PhD, applies her decade of research on human/technology relationships to offer rules to guide you toward digital happiness, personal well-being, and enhanced productivity in a hyper-connected world. Through audience engagement before and during the presentation, this presentation offers a customized understanding of the effects of digital engagement and helps you to optimize your relationship with technology by creating a framework for setting and following your own technology rules, in both your personal and professional life. Leaders and managers can apply this framework for setting the tone within their companies and industries.

Books

Startup Your Life: Hustle and Hack Your Way to Happiness

As an entrepreneur, Anna Akbari learned that one of the best things about startups is their ability to "pivot" quickly

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