Registration & Breakfast

Opening Remarks by Shawn Lesser, Founder The REAL

Plenary Session

Location: Main Auditorium 

Keynote Addresses

Heather Kelly, Executive Director, The REAL (9:20 - 9:35am)

Ron Diamond, Founder & CEO, Diamond Wealth (9:40 - 9:55am)

Plenary Session

Location: Main Auditorium 

Rewriting the Future of U.S. Mental Health Through Policy, Advocacy and Innovation 

Evolving federal and state policies, grassroots advocacy, and emerging mental-health innovations are converging to transform the U.S. system of care. Panelists will explore where real shifts in access, equity, and quality are taking shape, from regulatory reform to technology-enabled delivery models.

Moderator: Maggie G. Mortali, CEO, NAMI NYC

Speakers: 

Darcy Gruttadaro, Chief Innovation Officer, NAMI

Kacie Kelly, Chief Innovation Officer, Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute

Mark Rapaport, MD, President-Elect of the American Psychiatric Association

Plenary Session

Location: Main Auditorium 

Coffee & Networking Break

Power Pause: Harnessing the Mind’s Potential 

How to Reset When Under Stress and Overwhelm  with Janna Bilski, Mindful Philanthropy

Join us for a short, powerful session designed to help you tap into your most valuable asset -- your mind. Through a simple, science-based practice, you’ll learn how to reset your nervous system, refocus your attention, and re-energize your mindset - equipping you to navigate high-stress situations and find a greater sense of peace.

Plenary Session

Location: Main Auditorium 

Fireside Chat - Mental Health Payment Reform

Seasoned health-policy and payer-system experts will unpack the changing landscape of payment models for behavioral health. The conversation will focus on tangible progress, persistent barriers, and strategies to align incentives for sustainable, equitable outcomes.

Moderator: Lia Mix, CEO, DELPHI

Speakers: 

Dr. Leith States, Former Acting Assistant Secretary for Health of DHHS

Rebecca O'Bagley, CEO, The Kennedy Forum 

Dr. Phillip Polakoff, CEO, A Healthier WE & Consulting Professor Stanford Univ School of Medicine 

Plenary Session

Location: Main Auditorium 

REAL Roundtables: Real Conversations, Shared Insight

Join fellow participants in small, focused roundtable discussions designed to spark candid conversation, peer learning, and fresh thinking. Each table explores a key theme or challenge, guided by a facilitator to keep the dialogue flowing. This is your chance to go beyond panels and keynotes - connect directly, exchange perspectives, and leave with new insights and real-world ideas.

Roundtable hosts:

1. Karolina Komarnicka, Founder, Space of Mind - Can AI help redefine mental wellness?

2. Dan Radecki, President and Head of Clinical Development, Object Pharma - Why Clinical Trials Insights are of Critical Importance for Family Office Investors 

3. Grace Ueng, Founder, Savvy Growth & Author of Happiness at Work - Can Putting Purpose into Action in Life & Work Help Us Conquer the Inner Critic?

4. Peter Mayfield, Founder, NatureUP Health - Can nature-based therapy be a robust complement to the medical model for treating mental illness? How growing scientific evidence supports nature connection as an effective and scalable approach to mental health care.

Location: Room 215 (Second Floor)

What We’re Funding and Why: A Candid Conversation Among Family Office Investors in Mental Health

Family-office and high-net-worth investors come together for an open discussion on where they are deploying capital in mental health, what criteria shape their decisions, and how they assess opportunity, risk, and impact in this growing sector.

Moderator: Richard Zimmerman, Partner, WE Family Offices 

Speakers: 

Belen Cox, Executive Director, TMCity 

Harris Schwartzberg, Founder, Two Bridge

Howard Fischer, Founder Basso Capital & Gratitude Railroad

Plenary Session

Location: Main Auditorium 

Networking Lunch

The Human-Centered Leader Reclaiming Wellbeing in High-Performance Environments - WORKSHOP

Facilitated by Ian Shea, Founder & CEO, I M Human

Session Description:

In this session, Ian Shea, Founder and CEO of I M Human, reveals how leading organizations are embedding emotional wellbeing into the core of leadership to drive retention, trust, and high performance. Drawing on work with executive teams across industries, he'll engage attendees on how listening as a strategic practice can transform culture and deliver measurable ROI, making emotional well-being not a perk, but a leadership imperative for CEOs and investors alike.

Workshop Session

Location: Room 219 (Second Floor)

Youth-led Design of Mental Health Support Systems that “Don’t Suck”

What does effective mental-health support look like from a youth perspective? Emerging leaders will showcase innovative digital, peer-led, and community-based models and examine how co-design processes can produce care systems that reflect real lived experience rather than outdated assumptions.

Moderator: Shiv Bhavnani, Partner, evio.vc

Speakers: 

Jen Libby, Founder, Promly

Marie Mimiaga, Head of Programs, Second Muse/Headstream

Siani Brown-Carr, Youth Mental Health Advocate 

Breakout Session

Location: Room 225 (Second Floor)

The Female Brain Economy: Funding the Future of Women’s Mental Health

Funders and innovators are reimagining women’s mental health as both a societal imperative and a powerful economic opportunity. Panelists will examine shifting investment trends, emerging treatment models, and the growing recognition of gender-specific mental health needs as a driver of market growth.

Moderator: Margaret Hines, co-Founder, Navi

Speakers: 

Cat Miller, Founder, This Way Up 

Melissa Mallah Dincher, Financial Advisor Women's Health, UBS

Jennifer Payne, co-Founder, Dionysus Health

Breakout Session

Location: Room 215 (Second Floor)

Breaking Ground with Founder Pitches, Presented by Baker Donelson

Presented by: Lisa Gora, Shareholder, Baker Donelson

Speakers: 

Alexandra Prieux, CEO, Alcediag

Dan Radecki, President & Head of Clinical Development, Object Pharma, Inc.

Jeremy Kamo, Head of Business Development, Second Muse

Oded Kraft, Co-Founder, President & CEO, GrayMatters Health

Plenary Session

Location: Main Auditorium 

The Mental Health VC Golden Era: Betting on Minds or Missing the Moment?

As venture capital surges into mental health, critical questions arise: Are investments driving meaningful innovation—or chasing trends? Speakers will analyze current capital flows, highlight promising areas, and surface market segments facing

Moderated by: Nathan Romano, Co-CEO Collaborative Capital Advisors

Speakers: 

Lindsay Hoover, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, JLS Fund

Josh Cohen, Partner, City Light Capital

Saki Georgiadis, Founder, evio VC

Location: Main Auditorium 

Investing Strategically in Workforce Mental Health for Maximal Value and Impact - WORKSHOP

Facilitated by Tahilia J. Rebello, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, One Mind

Across industries, organizations recognize that supporting workforce mental health creates both human and Across industries, organizations know that investing in workforce mental health drives both human and financial outcomes—but with limited resources, the challenge is knowing what actually works.

This session offers data-driven strategies and a practical framework to help leaders prioritize the highest-impact investments across leadership, culture, engagement, and work design. Through peer discussion and interactive exercises, participants will identify where to focus resources to improve well-being, strengthen performance, and build a thriving, resilient workforce.

Workshop Session

Location: Room 219 (Second Floor)

What We’re Inheriting, What We’re Funding: Next Gen Family Office Impact in Mental Health

Next-gen Family Office leaders will reflect on how new capital is being deployed to drive innovation, expand access, and build a more inclusive future for mental health care.

Moderated by: Simeon Schnapper, Managing Partner, JLS Fund

Speakers: 

Christy Johnson, Director of Health & Wellness, The Haven Collection

Chelsea Toler, Co-CEO & Co-Founder, Logictry & President at Private Family Foundation

Maggie Macar, CEO & Founder, zant

Ella Molony Cook, Co-Founder/COO, DFX & Angel Investor, Gaingels & Hustle Fund

Plenary Session

Location: Main Auditorium 

REAL Talks with The REAL Ambassadors

- Ron Diamond, of Diamond Wealth introduces The REAL Mental Health Foundation 

- Jacob Dietz, of The Global Mental Health Coalition introduces the REAL Ambassadors from The REAL Mental Health Foundation & reminds us of the critical power of storytelling to create impact in mental health awareness

- Shawn Nason, a REAL Ambassador, shares his inspiring personal mental health journey

- Geoffrey Sargeant, a REAL Ambassador, shares his inspiring personal mental health journey

- Mark Fujiwara, a REAL Ambassador, shares his inspiring personal mental health journey

Plenary Session

Location: Room 215 (Second Floor)

Shifting the System: Can Institutional Investors Lead the Mental Health Revolution?

Institutional capital has the potential to accelerate systemic transformation across mental healthcare. Experts will discuss how major investors can influence access, innovation, and equity and what it takes to align financial returns with long-term societal impact.

Moderated by: Danish Munir, Founding Partner, Grey Matter Capital

Speakers: 

Ken Steeves Jr, Partner/ Managing Director, Creative Planning LLC

Allie Friesen, Founder & Principal, AF Impact

Plenary Session

Location: Main Auditorium 

Closing Keynote - How to Build Trust in the Age of AI 

Poonacha Machaiah, Co-Founder & CEO, Cyberhuman AI, Inc (Former CEO, The Chopra Institute)

Plenary Session

Location: Main Auditorium 

Evening Networking Reception

Location: Grannie Annies

425 Main St, New York, NY 10044