Keynote Speaker
Friday, April 13 | 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM | Trinity Ballroom | Plenary Session
Dan Harris
Award-winning ABC News Anchor and #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
Dan Harris is co-anchor of both Nightline and the weekend edition of Good Morning America on ABC News. He is also the author of 10% Happier, a #1 New York Times best-selling book about a fidgety, skeptical news anchor who stumbles upon meditation. Since releasing the book, Harris has also launched 10% Happier: Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics, as well as the 10% Happier podcast. The app mixes the irreverence of the book with simple, practical, down-to-earth instructions for meditation. This ancient practice – too long associated exclusively with hippies and robed gurus – has been shown by modern science to boost resilience, focus, creativity, emotional intelligence, and overall mental and physical health. With meditation and mindfulness now being embraced by executives, athletes, educators and entertainers, Harris has become a leading voice for pushing for the practice into the mainstream, using plain English and dry humor.
Why Dan Harris is Captivating Audiences
In an interactive presentation that includes rich video clips and images, Harris explores the power—and practicality—of meditation, which he believes will be “the next public health revolution.” Harris believes that mental fitness will, in the not too distant future, be as socially acceptable and sought after as physical fitness. With a raw and charming candor, Harris shares his own experience, discovering mediation after failing to find happiness through workaholism and substance abuse. He explores how and why some of today’s most successful organizations (e.g. the Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks, Google, and even the U.S. Army, to name just a few) have incorporated meditation as a way to both improve corporate culture and boost employee performance and well-being.
Harris also discusses his life in front of the camera as an award-winning anchor on both the weekend edition of Good Morning America as well as on Nightline. He culls from years of experiences as a foreign correspondent, an investigative reporter, and as a participant in some of the most fascinating and relevant conversations with celebrities, political figures, scientists, and others to present an in-depth and eye-opening look into the world of TV news and current events.
About Dan Harris
Dan Harris is a co-anchor for Nightline and the weekend edition of Good Morning America on ABC News, as well as host of ABC’s 500 Questions. He is also the author of 10% Happier, a #1 New York Times bestselling book about a fidgety, skeptical news anchor who stumbles upon meditation. Recently, Harris launched an app specifically designed to teach meditation to doubters and busy people. This ancient practice – too long associated exclusively with hippies and robed gurus – has been shown by modern science to boost resilience, focus, creativity, emotional intelligence, and overall mental and physical health. With meditation and mindfulness now being embraced by executives, athletes, educators and entertainers, Harris has become a leading voice for pushing for the practice into the mainstream, using plain English and dry humor. He has spoken in front of a variety of audiences—corporations, health and wellness organizations, and schools and universities.
In 10% Happier, Harris tells his story as only a reporter can: through deep research, tough questions, and a healthy dose of irony. The book is part investigation and part immersive journalism: one man’s accidental quest to boost his happiness quotient without losing his professional drive. After learning about research that suggests meditation can do everything from lower your blood pressure to essentially rewire your brain, Harris took a deep dive into the underreported world of CEOs, scientists, and even marines, who are now using it to be calmer, happier, and less yanked around by their emotions. The book takes readers on a ride from the outer reaches of neuroscience to the inner sanctum of network news to the bizarre fringes of America’s spiritual scene, and leaves them with a takeaway that could actually change their lives.
The app co-founded by Harris—called 10% Happier: Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics—mixes the irreverence of the book with simple, practical, down-to-earth instructions. Users get short, daily videos, in which Dan discusses the practice with some of the world’s greatest teachers. The app also comes with a personal coach, who can answer questions and keep users accountable.
10% Happier is also available in podcast form, and features in-depth conversations about meditation and happiness with celebrities, doctors, scholars, and other icons, including the Dalai Lama.
Previously, Harris was the anchor of the Sunday edition of World News. He regularly contributes stories on ABC for such shows as 20/20, World News Tonight with David Muir, and the weekday edition of Good Morning America. Harris has reported from all over the world, covering wars in Afghanistan, Israel/Palestine, and Iraq, and producing investigative reports in Haiti, Cambodia, and the Congo. He has also spent many years covering America’s faith scene, with a focus on evangelicals—who have treated him kindly despite the fact that he is openly agnostic.
Harris has been at ABC News for 16 years, receiving Murrow and Emmy awards for his reporting. Prior to joining ABC, he was in local news in Boston and Maine.
Harris grew up outside of Boston and currently lives with his wife, Bianca, and their son, Alexander, in New York City.