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Seriously, Jerk Brain?!

Seriously, Jerk Brain?!

"Self-preservation is a full-time occupation." – Ani DiFranco

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Author: liz

From history major, with side quests in Medieval Studies and chemical engineering, to nonprofit finance leader, Big 4 tax partner, technologist, researcher, and now co-founder of Divine, nothing about my career has been linear. The throughline has always been systems: financial systems, organizational systems, technological systems, and human systems. I have an MBA in Operations and Supply Chain Management and a PhD in Organizational Leadership Psychology, and I’ve spent my career trying to understand how complex systems shape people’s choices, opportunities, wellbeing, and sense of belonging. Today, my work sits at the intersection of psychology, technology, human-centered design, and digital trust. I am co-founder of Divine, an open-source, decentralized social video app built to put creativity back in human hands and replace doomscrolling with joyscrolling. Divine is part of a bigger question I care deeply about: how do we create online spaces that support safety, creativity, identity, and belonging without defaulting to surveillance, extraction, or control? At Divine, I wear a lot of hats across engineering, finance, operations, and strategy, while helping shape the app’s trust, safety, and values work. I focus especially on teen online safety, human-generated content, participatory design, and healthier relationships with technology. I am a postdoctoral alum of Vanderbilt University’s Department of Computer Science, where I worked with Dr. Pam Wisniewski’s Socio-Technical Interaction Research Lab. I continue to write, speak, and research at the intersection of online safety, digital trust, decentralized technology, and youth wellbeing. I was named a Distinguished Fellow at the Institute for Data Integrity in 2023. In 2025, I had the honor of serving as President of Division 13 of the American Psychological Association, the Society of Consulting Psychology. I also live with major depressive disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. In 2020, I took a leave from PwC to focus on my mental wellness, and I now speak and write openly about mental health, especially in the workplace and in relation to digital wellbeing. This blog, Seriously Jerk Brain, chronicles much of that journey.

Tick, tock…

Jerk Brain is having a good day. That means I’m not.

bad day, depression, jerk brain, mental health

The only baggage you can bring

We all carry things around with us, past hurts and slights, regrets and resentments, fears and hopes. As part of this process, I’m learning what I can leave behind.

depression, emotional baggage, emotional intelligence, fear, jerk brain, mental health, priorities, song lyrics, therapy

You are now free to move about your life

Although I’m far better at giving advice than I am at taking it, I’ve found one of the best sources of wisdom in my life to be commercial aviation. Ding!

advice, humor, mental health, travel

I did a (15K) thing!

It was an ugly race, but it felt good to finish strong. It also made me consider the difference between doing my best and doing the best I know how.

anxiety, depression, exercise, jerk brain, mental health, running, self image

Do you hear what I hear?

Amplifying my voice hasn’t been challenging, because I already have a megaphone. What do we do to turn up the volume for others who aren’t being heard?

career, depression, inclusion, jerk brain, job, mental health

So, what do you do?

I’m trying to figure out who I am separate and apart from my job. And, that’s a big deal when you’re trying to make small talk.

career, depression, imposter syndrome, jerk brain, job, mental health, pretending, self image, what to say

Thoughts on courage

What does it mean to be courageous? Can I have courage and still be scared?

#jerkbrain, anxiety, career, depression, mental health, self image

Recovery update: Houston, we have a plan

Another update on my recovery. My new psychiatrist is supportive of my mental health goals and we are going to take a fresh look at my medication. I’m feeling optimistic.

anxiety, depression, medication, mental health

Poster girl with no poster

People tell me that I’m a role model, but for what exactly? Exploring what it means to be perceived as a leader worth emulating.

#jerkbrain, career, imposter syndrome, mental health, pretending, role model, self image

Dialog with Jerk Brain

Here’s an insider’s view of an extended volley between me and my Jerk Brain. It isn’t pretty.

#jerkbrain, depression, mental health, pretending, self image

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