Dr. Manijeh Motaghy
Dr. Manijeh Motaghy, PsyD, O.M.C., is a trailblazer who challenges the status quo and ignites progress. She is a humanitarian, philosopher, poet, and an Organizational Psychologist dedicated to advancing cognitive and behavioral excellence. Integrating science, psychology, and wisdom teachings, she has provided transformative programs for Fortune 500 companies such as Disney and Kaiser Permanente, and guided thousands of individuals, teams, and leaders with over 750 programs, retreats, and talks worldwide. She has written 100s of poems about the nature of life, love, pain, and compassion.
Manijeh is a behavioral scientist who highly values questioning concepts and views for clarity and seeking understanding before taking on any perspective or training tool.
“In her presence, one is inspired.”
Martin Buehler, VP of Robotics at Disney Imagineering.
She created the Mindful Life Optimization (MLO) methodology—a comprehensive framework for personal, organizational, and planetary well-being—and is the author of It’s Not Easy to Be Human, a guide to understanding and upgrading the human mind for greater happiness and purpose. Since 2014, Dr. Motaghy has taught over 100 Mindfulness courses for UCLA MARC and UCLA Mindful, including courses that transform adults with ADHD.
She has led 125+ daylong retreats and designed and taught 750+ mindfulness courses, workshops, presentations, and training for both private and public academic sectors such as Disney Imagineering, Health Net of California, Motion Picture Television, LAUSD, California State Universities, Campbell Hall, Chapman School of Law, and at both state-wide and global professional conferences.
As a global speaker, she has presented at top universities and international platforms, including IEEE Advanced Technologies and the Initiatives of Change at the Caux Palace in Geneva.
Click to see Dr. Motaghy’s Speaker Kit, Jan 2026
Her work has been featured in Huffington Post, Global Woman Magazine, MSN, Business Woman Today, London Business, and StartUp Magazine, as well as in documentaries on Amazon Prime and IMDB Tubi TV.
She has published and implemented numerous training models, including COMANDS: Seven Skills/Traits of Effective Leadership, Mindful Employees (ME), DROUGHT, MLO, and HSO (Three-Dimensional Mindfulness Approach, and a five-stage Human Software Optimization Methodology copyrighted in 2020).
She is an AI Ethics and Imperatives enthusiast and a contributor to two committees that further the success of the Stanford Planet Positive 2030 project.
Looking for oneness and peace, Manijeh has communed with nature and recognized natural patterns that elevate and fuel life ever since she was two years old. She began practicing yoga in 1994 and discovered Buddhism and mindfulness in her undergraduate psychology class in 2004. Being overjoyed by finally finding formal guidance that resonated with her natural tendencies, she delved deeply into the experiential Mindfulness practices that incorporate the full spectrum of Buddhist teachings. She’s blessed to learn from teachers like Ajahn Amaro, Ajahn Pasanno, Diana Winston, and others.
Have you ever thought about why it’s not easy to be human? There’s always one problem after another; we can’t just get it right and keep it that way. It’s Not Easy to Be Human offers a compassionate exploration of the complexities and inherent difficulties that come with living as a human being and the ways to mitigate them.
Manijeh considers the reasons behind our struggles, from the emotional and psychological to the neurological, societal, systemic, and ecological. This guide covers sixty lessons that include fundamental qualities and skills that should be the right of people of any background and identity to develop and benefit from.
Her book also presents a five-stage process to acquire these qualities and skills and take personal transformation into systemic and planetary health optimization. Dr. Motaghy’s methods are clinically proven to reduce stress and symptoms of illnesses; improve mental, emotional, and physical health; and provide positive effects on relationships, finance, and sustainability efforts. Her vision is to optimize the lives of one billion people by 2042 and make developing these fundamental qualities and skills a human right.
2021 & 2022 – Three InnerMBA Certificates from New York University
2014 – Authorized UCLA Mindful Awareness Practices teacher
2013 – Certification of Mindfulness Facilitation from UCLA Board of Behavioral Sciences
2008 – PsyD. in Organization Management Consulting, Phillips Graduate University
2005 – BA in Psychology, Cal State Channel Islands.
1996 – AA in Fashion Design, The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandize
Her 20 Year Vision is to Regenerate Humanity and the Planet to leave a better world for this and future generations by training the global community on how to live in an interdependent reality with consideration for all life so that everyone and everything can flourish.
