Who We Are

Michael is a documentary filmmaker and the founder of Thoughtful Robot Productions, committed to sharing stories that inspire, connect, and galvanize change since 2003.
He is a four-time Emmy and Grierson nominated filmmaker and recently joined the board of Telluride Mountainfilm festival.
Michael has been an Art of Living Breath & Meditation practitioner for more than 20 years, and a teacher since 2018. In addition to filmmaking, Michael volunteers with Art of Living as a meditation and breathwork instructor working with a wide range of populations including the LGBTQ community, creative activists, veterans, and military families. He writes, paints, and immerses in nature every chance he gets.

Poonam brings more than 20 years of facilitation experience in meditation and personal development and has been a featured speaker at leading universities and institutions ranging from Harvard, Yale and MIT to the World Bank Institute, State Department and American Express. She has also appeared as an expert on MSNBC, CBS News and TV Asia.
Having taught over 10,000 people from a multitude of backgrounds, she is recognized for her ability to connect with the needs of the person in front of her and help them reveal the best versions of themselves.
Currently residing in Los Angeles with her husband, Manish, Poonam travels across the country throughout the year teaching workshops, speaking at events and coaching leaders and influencers.

Matthew is a Director of Strategic Design at the Boston Consulting group where he applies human centered product approaches to issues primarily related to AI and digital transformation. He previously worked as a co-founder and advisor at a variety of startups and for the UX agency Huge.
Matthew was introduced to the Art of Living while studying social change at UC Santa Cruz and was a full-time teacher working in Los Angeles from 2007-2010.

Priya Narayanan, is a Psychiatrist and senior faculty member with the Art of Living Foundation. She is a strong advocate for the role of alternative modalities of healing and promotes the role of yoga, meditation and healthy living as adjuncts to conventional psychiatric treatment.
She also has a Masters in Screenwriting from the London Film and is currently working on a feature film that tells the true story of small town lawyer’s fight to expose a large psycho-pharmaceutical company and on a documentary From Head to Heart that tells the story of the humble origins of the Art of Living Foundation.

Manish Tandon, a multifaceted leader in music, media, and meditation, has held top marketing roles at Paramount/MTV, Sony Pictures, NBCUniversal, Audible/Amazon, and Meta/Oculus Studios, notably as Head of Marketing for the global VR sensation, Beat Saber.
Known as Cozmic, he's a highly acclaimed recording artist and songwriter. Tandon has also been a seasoned instructor in meditation and personal development with Art of Living for over a decade. With a UCLA and Columbia Business School (MBA) education, he's directed transformative wellness programs at esteemed universities nationwide, including Columbia, MIT, and Cornell. Committed to empowering others through wellness, music, and mentorship, Manish remains dedicated to uplifting individuals through various avenues.

Just after graduating as a naturopathic doctor in 2009, Ghazal found her path through involvement with the Art of Living as a volunteer and trainer. For over a decade, she has been supporting individuals as a breath and meditation expert, while also contributing to impactful projects through strategic marketing and event management.
After healing from a serious chronic autoimmune condition that was previously diagnosed as incurable, she has now dedicated her life to inspire others. Having discovered her own hidden power to heal, reaffirmed her belief that true healing starts from within and with our own mind.
Having traveled across 30+ countries across Europe, North America and Asia, meeting diverse individuals and conducting transformational in person and online workshops, training thousands of participants.

Johann Berlin is a social entrepreneur, international keynote speaker and advisor. His meditation journey started in 1999 after meeting, meditation master Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. He went on to become a teacher of meditation and breathwork through the Art of Living.
Johann has been contributor for Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Real Leaders and Huffington Post. Johann serves as consulting Chief Ethics and Learning Officer for Cooper Investors, and is a Senior Advisor at Leveraged Philanthropy. Johann is a leading voice on human-centered leadership, founding the Future of Humans at Work conference and podcast.
Previously, he served as CEO and co-founder of Sustainable CitySolutions, CEO TLEX Institute and consulting Chief, Learning Content Officer at Total Brain. As a board member, executive advisor and community volunteer, Johann is passionate about social ventures dedicated to resilient schools, local economy, and youth leadership. Johann's TEDx talk has been viewed over 100,000 times.

WHO WE ARE