Who We Are
Karel Vredenburg—Host
Karel has had a long successful career as a design executive, most recently as IBM Global Vice President of UX Research. After retiring from IBM, he co-founded Habits for a Better World, a nonprofit using research, design, and filmmaking to improve the world. He also serves as an Industry Professor at the DeGroote Schools of Business and Medicine. Throughout his PhD studies in Cognitive Science and Clinical Psychology, Karel developed his life-long passion for improving the human condition through design, research, and podcasting. He started the Life Habits podcast almost 18 years ago initially inside IBM as an adjunct to his extensive mentoring and shortly thereafter as a popular publicly available podcast on all of the podcast platforms. Check out his website for more information and connect with him on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Mandy Kloppers—Co-host
Mandy is a Psychologist and Cognitive Behavioral Therapist. She specializes in helping people create lasting positive change by aligning healthier thought-scripts with supportive behaviors. Fluent in English, Afrikaans, and French, Mandy has worked with large global firms, including Cisco, to reduce stress and improve quality of life through evidence-based CBT approaches. She is also a mental health speaker, presenting at events such as the Mental Wealth Festival in London, and her blog has been recognized as one of the Top Ten mental health blogs in the United Kingdom. Born in South Africa and now based near London, Mandy connects with a global audience through her social media platforms, where her followers include Barack Obama and Yoko Ono. For more, visit her Linktree, her website, or on gravatar.
Suzanne Clark—Co-host
Suzanne brings a unique blend of expertise across leadership, governance, and human connection. Her career has spanned higher-education publishing, not-for-profit leadership, and management consulting, unified by a passion for asking powerful questions of distinguished experts, executives, and thinkers. These collaborations have produced bestselling textbooks, nationally recognized programs, and more than 150 successful international recruitment, Board facilitation, and consulting projects.
A linguist by training with Masters degrees in both Law and English, Suzanne is attuned to the power of language to include—or exclude—and thrives at the intersections of strategy, governance, leadership, and law. She is also a conceptual artist, AI apprentice, and lifelong learner whose writing and relational art practice explore belonging and inquiry. At the heart of all she does is a deep commitment to how people engage with each other, their ideas, and their work. The best way to connect with her is on LinkedIn.
MJ Shaar—Co-host
MJ Shaar believes the world needs more kindness—and she's got the science to prove it works. As a pioneer in kindness-driven performance, her work shatters the myth that good people finish last. Among the first 50 graduates of the groundbreaking Master's in Applied Positive Psychology program at the University of Pennsylvania, MJ learned directly from Martin Seligman, the field's founder, before joining him as a teaching colleague. With a foundation in Organizational Behavior from her undergraduate studies, her approach uniquely blends business savvy with a human touch to her work. Whether she's working with recognized wellness institutions, governmental agencies, startups or Fortune companies, MJ brings science-backed insights delivered with infectious energy and genuine heart. Her mission? Teaching organizations that when we invest not only our mind but also our heart, extraordinary things happen. Check out her website or connect with her on LinkedIn.
Paige Heron—Producer
Paige Heron is the producer of the podcast. She has had education and practiced in several fields including radio broadcasting, music, and photography. She has co-hosted a morning radio show, produced live shows as well as commercials, and has experience doing voice over work. Paige has taught music, worked as a photographer and is a talented professional crafter.