I am a behavioral geneticist, writer, activist and investor. My research centered on the genetics of psychiatric disorders and the impact of mindfulness meditation on health and wellbeing. I founded the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA to bring mindfulness practices to the public and to carryout scientific research on it. That work led to my co-authoring Fully Present: The Science, Art, and Practice of Mindfulness, and ultimately the creative vision for the Bedari Kindness Institute. Kindness addresses how we act in the world while mindfulness addresses thoughts and feelings that arise within. I spend my time now investing in companies that have the potential to benefit the human condition and in human rights work focused on gender equality.