We recently connected with Sophie Janicke-bowles and have shared our conversation below.
Sophie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When you’ve been a professional in an industry for long enough, you’ll experience moments when the entire field takes a U-Turn, an instance where the consensus completely flips upside down or where the “best practices” completely change. If you’ve experienced such a U-Turn over the course of your professional career, we’d love to hear about it.
I was trained as a psychologist with a focus on media psychology, where I learned all about the way media (including TV, social media, and new technologies these days) impact us, mainly in a negative way. I learned about how and when TV and video games may contribute to aggressive thoughts and behaviors, the effects of media propaganda, and how kids can be seriously scared watching certain shows. Of course, we also talked about how to remedy these negative effects, but it was not until the early 2000s that psychology first took a turn to look at how individuals flourish, and then media psychologists started to more systematically investigate how media can benefit our lives, beyond learning and entertainment. I was at the forefront of this U-turn in the research field myself when I switched my research interests from studying antihero characters in crime drama to studying spirituality in media. Today, we have a whole subgroup of scholars that investigates the way media can support our well-being, help us to feel more connected and compassionate, and even push us to be more prosocial and kind to others. Now, media psychologists look at the bad and the good.
Sophie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I come from a family of professional musicians—every single one of them! You’d think I’d inherit some of those musical talents, but that wasn’t my path. Instead, I was drawn to the worlds of media and psychology, curious to explore the ‘why’ behind our behavior and experiences. Fortunately, I discovered the exciting field of media psychology, which perfectly blended my fascination with human behavior and my love for media. However, I’ve always had a bit of a rebellious streak, and I knew early on that a traditional academic career alone wouldn’t be enough to fulfill me.
Back in high school, I was already reading Psychology Today and dreaming of becoming a motivational speaker. After earning my PhD, I took the leap and launched my own blog, focused on the intersection of technology and positive psychology. My goal was to help people find meaning in the digital age, and that became my mantra. I loved breaking down complex science into easy-to-understand ideas and creating practical, actionable tools for others. Yet, I felt like something was missing.
That’s when I connected with my incredible co-founders at the Digital Wellness Institute. Here, I found my true calling—developing practical tools to help people manage their tech use in ways that promote personal well-being and flourishing. My academic role, now as a tenured professor, keeps me on the cutting edge of research, while my work at the Digital Wellness Institute gives me a front-row seat to real-world challenges around technology use.
Today, I’m not only a professor but also a contributor to Psychology Today, the very magazine that inspired me as a teenager. I’m a public speaker, sharing insights on digital wellness, social media, and how to live with purpose in our tech-saturated world. What sets me apart is my unique perspective—rooted in both academic research and practical experience in Positive Media Psychology—helping individuals and businesses navigate the digital landscape with intention and balance.
Any advice for managing a team?
Creating trust in the organization and team is crucial for happy and, therefore, productive teams. I have learned that making time and creating space for connection, fun, and personalized sharing goes a long way in building resilient teams. In the end, everyone likes to feel heard and cared for. It may take some effort for you as a leader to go out of your way and “care” for your teammates, but the more you do, the more you see them as people with emotions that go through the same struggles of everyday life as you, the more authentic and connected a team feels.
How’d you meet your business partner?
I met the two incredible women who co-founded the Digital Wellness Institute in very different, but equally memorable ways. Nina Hersher, the team’s connector, reached out to me because I was part of the initial Slack group that would eventually evolve into the Institute. We clicked right away during our first conversation and continued collaborating remotely before finally meeting in person in San Diego, California—over a burrito, of course!
Amy Blankson, the other co-founder, crossed my path in a rather funny circumstance. We were both attending the Wisdom 2.0 conference, and I went to one of her talks. I was hoping to chat with her afterward, but she seemed busy. Little did I know, she was actually suffering from food poisoning and barely made it through her presentation! Thankfully, we managed to connect in the hotel entrance hall just before she left. I shared the exciting news about the growing coalition on Slack, where people were coming together to talk about creating positive technology and promoting mindful tech use. She immediately saw the potential and soon took on a leading role, eventually becoming the CEO of the Digital Wellness Institute
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.digitalwellnessinstitute.com/landing-pages/keynote-speakers?utm_term=digital%20wellness%20institute&utm_campaign=SEARCH+-+DWI+Brand+Campaign&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=7194479270&hsa_cam=21021293915&hsa_grp=158753820933&hsa_ad=690849580240&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-960605481817&hsa_kw=digital%20wellness%20institute&hsa_mt=b&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxsm3BhDrARIsAMtVz6O9mFJZDN6i7OB9Lje2ujLVErI3Wo13pqDFpfXTnu4_cg8j1hRLswsaAquuEALw_wcB
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalwellnessinstitute/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-janicke-bowles-phd/
