Nina Hersher: Corporate Training Leader and Digital Wellbeing Industry Pioneer

American speaker, author and educator Nina Claire Hersher is the Chief Learning Officer of The Digital Wellness Institute. Known for her advocacy of digital wellness, Nina has co-authored the bestselling book, ‘Your Playbook for Thriving in the Remote Work Era.’ Moreover, she is a highly sought-after speaker with a specialized Master of Social Work in Digital Culture and Program Development. She also co-founded the annual Digital Wellness Day, which has, to date, reached over 7 million people in around 36 countries. 

Digital wellness or digital wellbeing is the optimum state of health and wellbeing that each individual using technology is capable of achieving. In other words, it addresses the use of technology to ensure a person’s physical and mental health in our fast-paced and connected world. In recent times, employees have relied heavily on their digital devices and the internet to perform their tasks. Not just employees; these days, everyone is glued to their gadgets. When it comes to digital wellness, both the intentional use and development of technology are key. The aim is to design technology in such a way that it promotes healthy use while proactively assisting the user in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. However, digital wellness doesn’t just mean that employees take time to disconnect from devices. It’s, in fact, also about optimizing productivity and digital habits to free up leisure time, family time, and time for sleep. It’s a comprehensive way for people to think about how their relationship with technology can be improved to affect other aspects of their lives. 

As far as its importance is concerned, it enables employees to be more engaged and productive, as well as lead healthier lives during and outside of work. Nina Hersher teaches people how to achieve digital wellness and harness technology in a way that fuels rather than fatigues. Due to COVID-19, the prevalence of isolation and remote work has highlighted the need to integrate how mental health intersects with our digital habits. As this revolution in work and life evolves, so must our terminology, practices, and intentions for living in a fast-paced world. 

From compulsive device usage to FOMO, nomophobia, and technology-based insomnia – everyone has a different entry point to the topic of digital wellness – or in other words – it causes them to explore what mental health and wellness mean. While some may have seen overly plugged-in children and are worried about gaming addiction, others may have personally experienced depression, distraction, and a loss of productivity with doomscrolling. 

An expert in the field, Nina holds a specialized Master of Social Work in Norms of Connectivity, Digital Culture and Program Development and is an all-around wellness guru of the digital times. Growing up, the talented entrepreneur wrote music for the iTunes album ‘Listen’ and performed alongside award-winning artists, including Adriane Lenox, Kelli O’Hara, Daphne Rubin-Vega, and the cast of Spring Awakening, using her voice to promote stuttering awareness and education. How did she end up in Digital Wellness?

Frustrated with the lack of resources and education in the field of digital wellness after graduate school, Nina co-founded The Digital Wellness Warriors in 2018 which was rebranded as the Digital Wellness Collective: the only global trade association for Digital Wellness professionals. The Digital Wellness Collective evolved into The Digital Wellness Institute as the expert network developed the first of its kind standardized education for the field. Her leadership brought to life the first nationally accredited ‘Certified Digital Wellness Educator’ program, leading to an official impact partnership with the 2-time Emmy award-winning documentary, The Social Dilemma.

There is more to Nina Hersher than what meets the eye. She is not only a highly sought after keynote speaker in the digital wellness industry, but she also conducts international workshops, team retreats, and develops curricula related to digital wellbeing and Digital Flourishing®. Nina’s vision for the Digital Flourishing® wheel led to the creation of the first scientifically validated survey instrument to measure wellbeing in the digital age headed by Digital Wellness Institute Research Director and Positive Media Psychologist, Sophie Janicke-Bowles, Ph.D.. It includes productivity, environment, communication, relationships, mental health, physical health, digital citizenship and quantified self.

When the pandemic hit, employees started working from home and spending more time on their devices, and their mental health started deteriorating, which also affected their physical health. This is where Nina’s curriculum and teachings come into play. She helps people by giving them the language and framework to normalize common digital challenges while focusing on the way forward. Her techniques have been helping people reclaim their peace of mind, an absolute must in this fast-paced digital world we live in. 

Today, 83 percent of employees are looking to their employers for guidance in navigating the pressures of remote work. Yet many feel ill-equipped to deal with these new pressures. Therefore, Nina co-authored the bestselling Digital Wellness Playbook, to provide employers with actionable, research-based guidance to support their team, reclaim their attention, and act with full intention. Not only is this playbook packed with great information, but it includes practical strategies for the entire team that can be immediately implemented. 

Over the years, Nina Hersher’s work has received an increasing amount of press and glowing reviews from organizations that have used her services and have experienced a positive change in their team dynamics and ways of working. From her work at Digital Wellbeing Consulting, to her impact at the Digital Wellness Institute and vision launching Digital Wellness Day she has touched millions of lives and provided countless resources on digital wellness and tech-life.

As a digital wellbeing industry pioneer, Nina Hersher is a member of several speakers bureaus and has been invited internationally to present at retreat centers, corporations and conferences like Kripalu, Wisdom 2.0, Spotify, Dolby and The King Abdulaziz Center. Along with this, her work has been featured in publications ranging from Forbes to The Stanford Social Innovation Review, Al Jazeera, and Voice of America.