About me
MY STORYI grew up in a small coastal village in northern Finland, surrounded by forests and the kind of resourcefulness that comes from having more ingenuity than money. My grandparents were farmers and carpenters who built everything with their hands. They saw possibility in the face of adversity, and that legacy has carried with me ever since.
Studying and working in the field of psychology has given me the tools I was really looking for, to understand human behaviour more deeply, and to do something useful with that understanding. My research on mindfulness and children's wellbeing began as volunteer work in schools, and eventually led to a PhD and a broader research career.
I write to make sense of things, and I want to share my insights and wonder with you.
A turning point came in New Haven, where I saw how science and community can work together in ways that genuinely change lives, researchers working together with people to find solutions to real problems. That experience changed how I think about expertise, and what it's actually for.
My working life has taken me from Finnish schools to the Government administration, from behavioural science initiatives to globally recognised research projects. Life has also brought unexpected loss. Writing has always been how I make sense of things. My books grow out of a belief that research and real human stories belong together, and that we all have more power to shape our lives, and our world, than we think is possible.
Academic and professional background:
Former roles as Chief Specialist on Behavioral Insights for the Prime Minister's Office of Finland, and Senior Advisor for Mind Finland.
Clinical psychologist/psychotherapist, (CBT/ACT)
Member of the research consortium for Finland's Basic Income Experiment
Author of Moneywisdom, which was selected as one the best financial books of the year in Finland
PhD in Psychology, Marie Curie alumna at Yale University and visiting researcher at the London School of Economics and Political Science.