Larissa May (Larz) is a global marketing guru and founder of #HalfTheStory (HTS), a non-profit dedicated to empowering the next generation’s relationship with social media. In 2020, Larz was named one of Business Insider’s Rising Stars in Brand Marketing for her role in launching multiple million-dollar ventures (Otherland and Kin Euphorics). She also created a grassroots community that pioneered a nationwide conversation about the importance of digital wellbeing for youth.
Larissa May’s Speech Topics:
THE FUTURE OF THE WORKFORCE- GEN-Z AND THE COVID ERA
Gen-Z will make up 30% of the workforce by 2025. A generation that grew up in front of screens has a new preference for workplace policies, mental health benefits and more. This presentation prepares executives and HR professionals for how to adjust corporate policies, workdays, and benefits to fit the shifting expectations of Gen-Zs.
WELLNESS 101: HOW TO UNLOCK A HAPPIER, HEALTHIER, AND MORE PRODUCTIVE WORKFORCE IN THE COVID ERA
How much is digital distress costing your workplace? Founder and executive director of #HalfTheStory, Larissa May, introduces the art of digital wellness and provides tangible tools for your employees to build healthy tech fundamentals to increase productivity, decrease screen time, and boost company morale in a digital-first world.
SOCIAL MEDIA RESPONSIBILITY 101: MENTAL HEALTH & SOCIAL MEDIA: DIGITAL ACTIVISM TRAINING
Does your team know how to execute ethical and effective social media content? Founder and executive director of #HalfTheStory, Larissa May, provides best practices to uplevel your content for digital campaigns to transform your internal practices, promote digital inclusivity, and responsibility surrounding difficult topics. This is great for social media managers, marketing teams, and creative agencies.
DIGITAL WELLNESS 101: HOW TO TAKE BACK YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH TECH
Founder and Executive Director of #HalfTheStory, Larissa May, will inspire students with a thought-provoking introduction to digital wellness, the concept of developing a healthy and positive relationship with technology. Students will leave the experience with tangible tools to reduce their screen time, support their mental health, and build healthy tech habits.
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Larissa May’s Bio:
Larissa May (Larz) is a global marketing guru and founder of #HalfTheStory (HTS), a non-profit dedicated to empowering the next generation’s relationship with social media. In 2020, Larz was named one of Business Insider’s Rising Stars in Brand Marketing for her role in launching multiple million dollar ventures (Otherland and Kin Euphorics). She also created a grassroots community that pioneered a nationwide conversation about the importance of digital wellbeing for youth.
Larz founded the Global Day of Unplugging, an internationally recognized day every August that encourages divesting from technology to plug back into life. Larz has been dubbed a digital wellness activist by Time, Forbes, Refinery29, Good Morning America, and NBC. To date, #HalfTheStory has become a leading youth 501(c)3, receiving over 30,000 stories of youth relating to the cause from 99 countries around the world. From political figures, to leaders in technology, Larz’s work has permeated all facets of life and business.
As a public speaker, she has presented to universities, corporations, and institutions such as Sundance Film Festival, L’Oreal, Samsung, Healthline Chronicon, and top universities across the globe. Her voice carries a new generation of digital activists, and yet, her work doesn’t stop with activism. Now based in San Francisco, Larz virtually travels for speaking engagements at schools and conferences across the United States. Her workshops include social storytelling, life-tech harmony, digital wellness in the workplace, and trend reports on the future of Gen-Z.
You can follow her journey at @livinlikelarz and @halfthestory.
First-Person Mission Description:
I believe that the future of technology is now.
The 20-year long experiment—has concluded that the delicacy of the mind must coexist in harmony with the platforms we create.
Kids are handed phones before they can read, replacing many of our basic human needs. Did you know the next-gen will spend more than 5 years on their phone by the time they reach their early twenties? A new generation of young people has the power to rewrite this story.
I’ve spent the last 5 years of my journey investigating the relationship between technology, mental health, and human connection. I travelled to schools across the US to speak and spent my nights and weekends engaging with youth in different cities around the world.
My conclusion was that the systems were not in place for kids to develop healthy relationships with technology from the start.
The ecosystem of creators and consumers can only flourish with a series of checks and balances. Our relationships with technology are learned. It is my mission to empower youth to engage in technology with intention, connection, and fight for a brighter future. I’ve been coined as a Digital Wellness activist by Time, Forbes, Refinery29, Good Morning America, and CNN.
#HalfTheStory was the first youth organization to lead the conversation surrounding digital wellness and build a collective of youth around the globe and fight for the future. We’re just getting started.
