Tasha Golden, Ph.D. ~ International Speaker & Consultant
Tasha Golden, PhD is a singer/songwriter turned public health scientist, and a leading expert in Creativity and Wellbeing. She was the first Director of Research for the International Arts + Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She is an adjunct faculty for the University of Florida’s Center for Arts in Medicine and lead author of “Arts on Prescription: A Field Guide for US Communities.”
Holding a PhD in Public Health, Dr. Golden has published extensively on art’s many health impacts. She now speaks and consults around the world—helping clients and audiences apply the science to advance wellbeing, connection, innovation, and positive change.
Golden’s work is shaped by her early experiences as a career artist and entrepreneur. As singer-songwriter for the critically acclaimed band Ellery, 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 questions about mental health, creativity, and well-being which led to her PhD, ongoing research, and global work as a speaker and consultant.
Golden is a published poet (Humanist Press), 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. She has spoken for SXSW, the US Conference of Mayors, POLITICO, and CogX, among many others, and is a frequent guest on top podcasts related to business, health, and the arts.
Leveraging her research and background, Golden helps clients and audiences raise their own new questions—linking science and creativity to grow their work.
Most Popular Topics:
- The Science of How Creativity and the Arts Transforms Well-Being and Social Change
- Discover how creativity and the arts can improve well-being and drive positive social change.
- Key Takeaways: Understand the impact of art on well-being, learn strategies to leverage creativity for social impact, and explore intersections of arts and health.
- The Arts and Mental Health: Surprising Insights for Everyone
- Delve into how art can play a crucial role in mental health, even for non-artists.
- Key Takeaways: Learn how the arts contribute to mental health, understand the surprising benefits of creative expression, and explore practical ways to integrate art for mental well-being—even if you’re not “creative”
- Navigating Mental Health, Burnout, and Trauma-Informed Practice: Insights from Research and Personal Journey
- Gain insights from Dr. Golden’s research and personal experience on mental health, burnout, and trauma-informed practices.
- Key Takeaways: Understand connections between mental health and creative expression, learn strategies for addressing burnout and promoting well-being, and learn why trauma-informed practice is such a great tool for creatives—and all of us.
- Leveraging Creativity and the Arts to Boost Well-Being and Impact
- Discover actionable ways to use creativity and the arts to enhance well-being and expand your sphere of influence.
- Key Takeaways: Learn practical ways to integrate creativity into your work and life, understand links between creativity and impact, explore why busting disciplinary silos is key to growth.
- Thinking Beyond Boundaries: Breaking Out of Disciplinary Silos for Greater Impact
- Explore why stepping out of your current discipline, sector, or role is essential for achieving greater impact.
- Key Takeaways: Discover the benefits of interdisciplinary thinking, learn how to bridge different sectors for innovative solutions, and explore the power of partnering across disciplines.
- The Real Drivers of Health and Transformative Change
- Discuss the many drivers of health, and learn how you can apply this knowledge to grow your impact and make positive change.
- Key Takeaways: Discover a more holistic definition of health, explore strategies for effecting change in communities and policy, and discover ways to advance well-being by getting creative—and thinking outside the box.
Partial List of Previous Podcasts:
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
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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:
Tasha Golden on Arts and Mental Health
“Can Music Heal Your Mind? This Radio Station’s Mental Health Programs Aim To At Least Try”
