Dr. Kristen Lee, Ed.D., LICSW, is a renowned behavioral science educator, best-selling author, comedian, and clinical social worker who has reached millions with strengths-based resources that foster connection and advance science and solidarity.

As lead faculty for Behavioral Science at Northeastern University, Dr. Lee’s research and teaching interests include individual and organizational well-being and resilience, particularly for marginalized and underserved populations. Dr. Lee works with organizations and leaders around the world on how to use the science of behavioral change and human potential to build healthy relationships and mental health cultures that help prevent burnout and promote organizational and human sustainability. She has delivered keynotes and workshops for a diverse range of clients including Harvard Medical School, Brown University, Google, and Amazon. Her work has been featured on Forbes, NPR, and CBS Radio, and she is a regular contributor to Psychology Today. Dr. Lee operates a clinical practice devoted to those at risk for burnout because of service within social impact and health professionals, and improving relationships.

She is the author of RESET: Make the Most of Your Stress, winner of the Next Generation Indie Book Awards Motivational Book of 2015, best-selling Mentalligence: A New Psychology of Thinking-Learn What it Takes to be More Agile, Mindful and Connected in Today’s World and Worth the Risk: Learn to Microdose Bravery to Grow Resilience, Connect More, and Offer Yourself to the World, a 2022 Next Big Idea Book Club nominee and Nautilus Book Award Silver Medal Winner, and Clean Slate: How to Make Change Happen, named “a witty, easy to follow approach to personal transformation” by Kirkus Reviews. She is the host of Crackin’ Up: Where Therapy Meets Comedy, a stand-up comedy show to benefit mental health access. In 2022, she received a First Place MVP award from EdTech for her work on addressing mental health challenges in higher education; in 2023, an honorary doctorate for her work in mental health. Her TedX talk, The Risk You Must Take (427K views) is featured on Ted.

Dr. Lee is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker known for her advocacy in promoting increased mental health integration in social policies and institutions to facilitate access and improved health outcomes in the U.S. and across the globe. She has served as a U.S. federal grant reviewer for the Departments of Minority Affairs, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, and Health and Human Services. She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers and the American Psychological Association. She holds a BS from Worcester State University, MSW from Boston University and an Ed.D. from Northeastern University. In 2011, Dr. Lee was the recipient of an Excellence in Teaching Award from Northeastern University for her “depth of knowledge” and “engaging teaching style”. In 2023, she was honored with an honorary doctorate in humane letters, and in 2015, the Distinguished Professional Achievement Award from Worcester State University as “a leader who lives by the highest intellectual and ethical standards”.

In her spare time, she can be found out on the running trails, attempting tricky yoga poses, eating peanut butter cups and drinking kale juice—but not all at once.