Laurie Anderson is one of America’s most renowned and daring creative pioneers. She is best known for her multimedia presentations and innovative use of technology. As writer, director, visual artist, and vocalist she has created groundbreaking works that span the worlds of art, theater, and experimental music. Ms. Anderson has published seven books, and her visual work has been presented in major museums around the world. In 2002 she was appointed the first artist-in-residence of NASA, which culminated in her 2004 touring solo performance The End of the Moon. Her film Heart of a Dog was chosen as an official selection of the 2015 Venice and Toronto Film Festivals and received a special screening at the Rubin Museum, where she joined in conversation with Darren Aronofsky. Ms. Anderson has made many appearances at the Rubin, and has been in conversation with Wim Wenders, Mark Morris, Janna Levin, Gavin Schmidt, Neil Gaiman, and Tiokasin Ghosthorse. She also hosted the premiere season of the Rubin’s AWAKEN podcast.

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche is a recognized tulku of the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, a teacher, spiritual leader, and bestselling author. He possesses the rare ability to present the ancient wisdom of Tibet in a fresh, engaging manner. His profound yet accessible teachings and playful sense of humor have endeared him to students around the world. Rinpoche’s teachings weave together his own personal experiences with modern scientific research in relation to the practice of meditation. He has authored several books including two bestsellers: The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness, which has been translated into over 20 languages, and In Love with the World: A Monk’s Journey Through the Bardos of Living and Dying. His recent TED Talk is titled “How to Tap into Your Awareness—and Why Meditation Is Easier Than You Think.” Rinpoche teaches extensively around the world and oversees dharma centers, including three monasteries in Nepal, India, and Tibet, and the Tergar Institute in Kathmandu; Tergar meditation communities on six continents; numerous schools in Nepal; and social engagement projects related to health, hunger, hygiene, the environment, and women’s empowerment issues in the Himalayas.

Tara Brach is the founder and guiding teacher of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington. She is the author of several books—including the international best-selling Radical Acceptance, True Refuge, Radical Compassion, and Trusting the Gold—and her popular weekly podcast is downloaded over three million times each month. Along with Jack Kornfield, Tara leads the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program (MMTCP), serving participants from around the world. Tara’s teachings blend Western psychology and Eastern spiritual practices, mindful attention to our inner life, and a full, compassionate engagement with our world.

Alok Vaid-Menon (they/them) is an internationally acclaimed gender non-conforming writer, performer, and public speaker. As a mixed-media artist, Alok explores themes of trauma, belonging, and the human condition. Over the past decade they have presented at more than 500 venues in over 45 countries. They are the author of Femme in Public (2017) and Beyond the Gender Binary (2020), as well as the creator of #DeGenderFashion, a movement to degender fashion and beauty industries. Alok has been honored as one of HuffPost’s Culture Shifters, NBC’s Pride50, and Business Insider’s The Doers. They currently serve as a contributing editor to the White Review.

Latham Thomas is the founder of Mama Glow, a global maternal health and education brand serving birthing people along the childbearing continuum, and a doula education platform empowering birth workers around the world. Named one of Oprah Winfrey’s SuperSoul 100, Latham is a fierce advocate for birth equity and works to bridge policy gaps in maternal health. She is a co-founder of The Continuum Conference, a gathering centering the experience of fertility, pregnancy, and new motherhood, and the Mama Glow Foundation, which advances reproductive justice through education, advocacy, and the arts. Latham has served as a doula and lifestyle guru for celebrity clients including Alicia Keys, Anne Hathaway, Gabrielle Union, and more. She is a graduate of Columbia University and author of two best-selling books: Own Your Glow: A Soulful Guide to Luminous Living and Crowning the Queen Within and Mama Glow: A Hip Guide to Your Fabulous Abundant Pregnancy. She is the proud mother of 17-year-old DJ prodigy, producer, and entrepreneur DJ Fulano.

Dr. BJ Miller is a longtime hospice and palliative medicine physician. He currently sees patients and families via telehealth through Mettle Health, a company he cofounded with the aim to provide holistic care for individuals and families who need help navigating the practical, emotional, and existential issues that come with serious illness and disability.

Led by his own experiences as a patient, BJ advocates for the roles of our senses, community, and presence in designing a better ending. His interests are in working across disciplines to affect broad-based culture change, as well as furthering the message that suffering, illness, and dying are intrinsic aspects of life. BJ has given over 100 talks on the topics of death, dying, palliative care, and the intersection of healthcare with design.