Tasha Golden, Ph.D. ~ International Speaker & Consultant
Tasha Golden, PhD is a singer/songwriter turned behavioral scientist, and a leading expert in creativity-driven growth and innovation. From SXSW to the US Conference of Mayors, from POLITICO to state arts councils, from industry summits to universities, Golden’s storytelling and game-changing insights inspire audiences to question assumptions, reframe obstacles, and imagine new possibilities.
Previously the Director of Research at the International Arts + Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Golden has led pioneering research at intersections of creativity, behavioral science, and well-being. Honored as one of 2024’s “Fierce 50” by Fierce Pharma for her innovative contributions to health and healthcare, Golden is recognized among the top visionaries transforming the industry.
Now a full-time speaker, author, and consultant, Golden has guided thousands of clients and audience members to reimagine their work, purpose, and potential.
Golden’s work is shaped by her experience as a singer-songwriter for the critically acclaimed band Ellery, during which she toured internationally, with songs in TV and film (ABC, SHOWTIME, FOX, NETFLIX, etc). But when severe burnout and depression ended her music career, she began raising pivotal questions about mental health, creativity, and well-being that led to her PhD and ongoing research. This journey now informs her global work as a speaker and consultant.
Golden is the author of Once You Had Hands (Humanist Press) and the lead author of “Arts on Prescription: A Field Guide for US Communities.” She is also the founder of Project Uncaged: a trauma-informed creative writing program for incarcerated girls, and developer of “How We Human”: a training in Mental Health and Trauma-Informed Practice designed for creatives.
With extensive publications in peer-reviewed journals, Dr. Golden combines scientific research, storytelling, and her artistic background to help clients and audiences raise their own new, transformative questions — linking science and creativity to ignite growth.
Conversation Starters:
- You started as a singer/songwriter, and you’re now a PhD scientist studying creativity and well-being. How did that happen?
- How can people leverage creativity to reimagine well-being and foster transformation?
- What scientific insights can help us break free from limiting beliefs that hinder our growth and creativity?
- In what ways can creative thinking serve as a tool for resilience and burnout prevention in today’s fast-paced environment?
- You’ve been recognized as one of Fierce Healthcare’s “Fierce 50” for your innovative work linking arts with healthcare, like “arts on prescription.” Tell us more about this ‘arts and health’ link. How can we apply it to our own well-being?
- How does creativity help us challenge the status quo, and how does this drive growth and innovation?
- What have you learned about the role of creativity in mental well-being — both in your own life and in your research?
- Can you share examples of how uncertainty can be reframed as a catalyst for creative problem-solving and change?
- How can people leverage creativity for growth — both in their own lives and in their organizations?
- What role does the creative concept of “world-building” play in cultivating leadership and a culture of well-being?
- How does collaborating across industries and sectors — you call it “getting out of your lane” — lead to growth and innovative solutions?
- What are some surprising factors that truly drive health and wellness, and how can understanding them reshape our approach to personal growth and overall well-being?
To download Dr. Golden’s Conversation Starters
Most Popular Topics:
- Reimagining Wellbeing: The Power of Creativity for Personal and Organizational Transformation
- Breaking Free from Limiting Beliefs: What the Science Tells Us about Creativity and Growth
- The Art of Resilience: How Creativity and Creative Thinking Can Bolster Wellbeing, Prevent Burnout, and Support Personal Growth
- Challenging the Status Quo: How Creative Thinking Drives Innovation and Growth – for individuals and organizations alike
- Uncertainty as a Catalyst: Applying Creative Thinking to Navigate Change and Embrace the Unknown in Complex Times
- “World-Building” as a Tool for Rethinking Leadership, Wellbeing, and Change
- Breaking Down Silos: Why Thinking Outside Your Lane or Industry is the Shortest Path to Transformative Impact
- The Science of Imagining: Leveraging Creativity for Personal and Organizational Growth
- What Truly Drives “Health” (it’s not what you think!) – and Why This Understanding Will Change How You Think about Life, Growth, and Wellness
- Reimagining Health and Healthcare: How Creativity Is Driving New Solutions and Community-Engaged Growth
- The Role of Creativity in Mental Health, Burnout Prevention, and Trauma-Informed Practice: Ideas from My Personal Journey, and My Research
Partial List of Previous Podcasts:
Fidelis Leadership with Mike Ettore
Passion Purpose Possibilities with Candice Snyder
Road to Resilience with Stephen Calabria
Real Things Living with Brigitte Cutshall
Stuck in my Mind with Wil “Wize” Otero
Our Creative Connection with Chris Chinnock
Transition Bridge with Debi Ronca
Enhance Life with Music with Mindy Peterson
Sustainable Ambition with Kathy Oneto
Way Word Writers with Nicki Jacobsmeyer
Design Better with Eli Woolery and Aarron Walter
Podnosis with Anastassia Gliadkovskaya
All Things Therapy with Lisa Tahir
School of Reinvention with Roger Osorio
Find Your Leadership Confidence with Vicki Noethling
NXTLVL Experience Design with David Kepron
Health Promotion Practice with Arden Castle
Art Heals All Wounds with Pam Uzzell
Veterans Affairs C20 with Chad Kessler
Arts For The Health Of It with Catherine Particini
Five Things with Tara Anderson
Our Turn to Talk with Anastasia Vlasova
Distiller with Brandon Dawson
Brain Waves with Laurie Hernandez
Brain Waves with Brandon Staglin
Art and Happiness Project with Agathe Westad
Lifetime Arts with Käthe Swaback
Partial List of Previous Speaking Engagements:
- SXSW 2024
-
Intentional Spaces Summit
-
U.S. Conference of Mayors
-
a2ru
-
ThermenGruppe Josef Wund
- POLITICO European Health Summit
- SNF Stavros Nostos Conference
- National Academy of Medicine
- National Endowment for the Arts
- Johns Hopkins University
- Grantmakers in Health
- University of Florida
- SilkRoad
- Grantmakers in the Arts
- National Organization for Arts in Health
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- Straz Center for the Performing Arts
- Itaú Cultural
- National Association of City and County Health Officials (NACCHO)
- National Association of State Arts Agencies (NASAA)
- …and many more, including festivals, universities, school districts, national arts initiatives, etc.
Proud Member of Innovation Women:
Rave Reviews:
“This is absolutely awe-inspiring. I could listen to this all day.”
“Thank you, Dr. Golden, for a beautiful and encouraging presentation!”
~ Attendees, Veterans Affairs C20 Podcast
“What stands out so clearly in Dr. Golden’s work and presentations is that she is…able to translate [research] discoveries into practices that people can understand—communicating with heart, clarity, and aesthetic beauty…”
~Käthe Swaback, MA, ATR; Creative Youth Development and CultureRx: Social Prescription Program Officer, Mass Cultural Council
“In Dr. Golden, you gain not only a prepared and passionate speaker, but an empathetic advocate who shows up fully with her wisdom, education, and experiences.”
~Lauren (Lo) Houser, Director, Project Jericho
“As the Director of Research, working with the International Arts + Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins, [Dr. Golden] carries the expertise, discipline, extensive knowledge, and curiosity of a scientist…Because of her background as a singer/songwriter, teaching artist, and founder of her own arts and health program…what she communicates is done with grace, humility, compassion”
~ Käthe Swaback, MA, ATR; Creative Youth Development and CultureRx: Social Prescription Program Officer, Mass Cultural Council
“I have heard from so many people how amazing and insightful the presentation was. . .thank you for inspiring all of us!”
~Jordan Soliz, Ph.D.; Professor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Host of UNL’s “Health Equity Grand Rounds”
“Not only does she successfully communicate how relevant the science of arts and health is, she also lives and practices it in her own life. Through her words and presence, she presents the evidence of what we stand to gain by engaging in the arts to improve our connection, health, and overall well-being.”
~Lauren (Lo) Houser, Director, Project Jericho
Print Interviews:
- The National Endowment for the Arts American Artscape Magazine (Feature story, and “Notable Quotable”):
“The Art of Being Human: The Relationship Between Well-Being and Living an Artful Life with Dr. Tasha Golden” - Buzzfeed Health: Can Music Heal Your Mind? This Radio Station’s Mental Health Programs Aim To At Least Try.”
- Five Thirty Eight: The Science Behind Those Comfy, Cozy Holiday Feelings
Books:
Tasha Golden, Ph.D. is the author of Once You Had Hands (Humanist Press).
She has also authored the following book chapters:
- Golden, T.L. et al. (2022). Effects of Setting on Psychedelic Experiences, Therapies, and Outcomes: A Rapid Scoping Review of the Literature. In: Barrett, F.S., Preller, K.H. (eds) Disruptive Psychopharmacology. Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences, vol 56. Springer, Cham.
- Golden, T. (2018). Writing with incarcerated teen women: Trauma-informed pedagogy, health, and gender equity. In Lockard & Rankins-Robertson (Eds.), Prison Pedagogies: Learning and Teaching with Imprisoned Writers. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press.
- Golden, T. (2018). Subalternity in juvenile justice: Gendered oppression and the rhetoric of reform. In Pauszek, J., Girdharry, K., Lesh, C., and Parks, S. (eds) Best of the Journals in Rhetoric and Composition 2018. Anderson, SC: Parlor Press.
- Golden, T. (2017). Pop Heresy: Songwriting at the Edge of the Speakable. In Erickson, G. and Schweizer, B. (Eds), Reading Heresy: Religion and Dissent in Literature and Art. Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter Press.
Website:
TashaGolden.com
Videos and Articles:
Ongoing Blog with Psychology Today
Tasha Golden on Arts and Mental Health
“Can Music Heal Your Mind? This Radio Station’s Mental Health Programs Aim To At Least Try”
