Social Health in the Spotlight at SXSW
Plus, hanging out with Elmo??!!
SXSW is an annual conference and festival unlike any other that celebrates music, film, technology, education, health, and culture. A few weeks ago, it attracted around 300,000 people to Austin, Texas.
I had the honor and thrill (and nerves!) of giving the opening keynote. I’m sharing highlights and takeaways below, and you can watch the full recording here. But first, let’s reflect on why this moment matters.
Through our collective efforts, social health is finally getting the attention it deserves. For the organizers to decide to kick off the whole conference with this message is proof that social health is becoming a mainstream priority. As one friend of this newsletter wrote on LinkedIn: “Social health has gone from huh? to HEADLINE!”
There’s still a long way to go, but I’m excited for the potential of this momentum to lead to dramatic improvements to our lives and our world.
And most importantly, I’m excited to be co-creating that future with you.
Let’s dig in.
Recap of “The Future of Health is Social”
We began by warming up our social muscles. I invited the thousands of people in the room to pair up and find as many things in common as they could. The energy was electric!
Then we explored:
1) The Past
How humanity’s understanding of health has evolved over time.
Why the current narrative of health is incomplete.
2) The Present
What social health is and the science of why it’s essential.
Key signs of reaching the tipping point for a social health revolution.
3) The Future
3 predictions for the rise of social health in the next 10 years.
Examples of how social health will disrupt industries and society.
Next, it was a joy to share the stage with Amy Gallo, cohost of Harvard Business Review’s Women at Work podcast, whose insights stimulated my thinking and whose humor made me laugh multiple times. Some of the themes from our conversation:
My own personal struggles with social health.
The viral 5-3-1 framework for intentional connection.
The 4 social health styles: Butterfly, Wallflower, Firefly, Evergreen.
Social media, AI companions, and technology as a double-edged sword.
How workplace connection fuels performance and productivity.
Some memorable moments:
“It’s time to embrace health as not only physical and mental, but also social.”
“Social health is today where mental health was 10-15 years ago—but not for much longer.”
“We too often binge on the empty calories of social media connection.”
“The future of work is creating socially fit teams.”
“We need to lay the foundation for a lifetime of social health in childhood.”
“What are we living for? If we’re so busy all the time, and then we die—what’s the point?”
“Every single one of us has the ability to strengthen not only our own social health, but also the social health of the people around us.”
The best part of the SXSW experience? Getting to meet and connect with so many people from around the world.
In particular, I’m deeply grateful to everyone who came to my book signing (I was blown away by the response—the book sold out in minutes!) and to those who stopped to talk in hallways, on sidewalks, and in event rooms over the next few days. Those moments of connection were the real highlight.
And to my friends, family, and colleagues who cheered extra loud from the front row (after calming my nerves with hugs backstage), you fuel my social health every day. Thank you.
Watch the full opening session here:
And here’s a beautiful visual summary:
But wait, there’s more 👀
The next day, something truly surreal happened, and I’m still not quite sure how… I had the chance to hang out with Elmo! We recorded a special conversation that I’ll share with you as soon as it airs.
I always knew connecting with people is great for social health—but turns out, connecting with Muppets is too!
You’re invited
Stanford Healthy Aging Conference on May 5. Tune in virtually or attend in person to hear from me, Deepak Chopra, Chip Conley, and more. Today is the last day for early bird pricing!
TED2025: Humanity Reimagined on April 8. I’m excited to be part of an intimate, off-the-record panel—let me know if you’ll be there! If not, check out my TED talk on social health and TED conversation on AI.
I am a contributor to Forbes.com. For an article, I want to interview you. Please let me know how to contact you. Thanks. JannFreed.com