Meet The Team

 Co-Founder and Advisor

Joshua Aronson, PhD

Joshua Aronson is a professor of applied psychology at NYU, where he directs the Mindful Education Lab, a group of psychologists and neuroscientists dedicated to using research to improve the psychological functioning and learning of people confronted with stress. Internationally known for his pioneering research on “stereotype threat” and “Growth Mindset,” Joshua’s work has been featured in popular books like Blink, Nurtureshock, Mindset, Drive, Nerve, Choke, Grit — and longer titles like Lean In, How Children Succeed, Intelligence and How to Get It, and Whistling Vivaldi. His work has been referenced in 4 Supreme Court cases and is widely cited in Law, Education, Psychology, and human development. Listed by Education Week among the most influential education scholars in America, Joshua is the editor of Improving Academic Achievement and Readings about the Social Animal, and is Co-author of The Social Animal.

His current work helps students and schools flourish using cutting-edge research on stress, mindfulness, and intellectual performance. His current work coaches individual students, teachers, and schools on how to maximize learning and well-being. He specializes in cognitive, socio-emotional, and moral development by incorporating social psychological interventions, including mindfulness and meditation, into classrooms. Joshua is executive advisor to the Casa Laxmi Foundation, where he advises on all matters related to student learning. Joshua is also conducted Diversity and Inclusion training for Fortune 500 companies, schools and universities across the country. 

Co-Founder

Jared Sossin, MHC-LP, NCC

Jared Sossin is a staff psychotherapist at The Midtown Practice, Manhattan.

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His therapeutic approach is evidence-based, including acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), existential therapy, person-centered therapy, emotion-focused couples therapy, and meditation & mindfulness-based interventions. Jared specializes in addressing problematic screen use and technology addiction, as well as tabletop role-playing therapy for adolescents and young adults as a more effective and alternative to traditional group psychotherapy.​

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Jared’s commitment to mental health and mindfulness was purely accidental. As an undergraduate at Wake Forest University, he began meditating after being given a book on the science of meditation. His initial thought was that being a meditator might impress the admissions committees at the law schools to which he was applying. Instead, meditation transformed him and his future plans. He was amazed by the effect on his ability to focus, his learning, and his performance in his courses. He graduated with honors, and with the realization that a law degree (his father’s plan) was not his true calling. Jared instead pursued a graduate degree in mental health counseling with the aim of sharing the power of meditation with people confronted by stress, anxiety, addictions, and other challenges to mental health.

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He trained in an Indonesian monastery to become a certified meditation teacher. He holds a Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health and Counseling from Wake Forest University and meditation teaching certifications from both the Maharishi Foundation and the School of Positive Transformation. A highly sought-after teacher, his students have included combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, politicians, educators, celebrities, clergy, and those experiencing homelessness. 

Meditation Coach and ABA Therapist

Chanel Qin

Chanel Qin is a graduate of Columbia University, where she earned her B.A. in Psychology. Passionate about mental health, emotional well-being, and personal growth, she has dedicated her career to working with children and adolescents in both educational and therapeutic settings.

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She serves as an ABA therapist working with young children on the autism spectrum and also practices and teaches mindfulness strategies. 

Director of Operations

Jennifer Sticco

Jennifer joins the Magenta Group with over five years of experience managing a private practice in Westport. After ten years of working in Marketing in New York, Jennifer left the city to raise her family in Connecticut. She now resides in Fairfield with her two children, both in high school, and understands and appreciates the challenges facing Fairfield County parents who want the best for their children in a high-pressure environment. She brings this understanding to every family we work with and looks forward to playing an active role in overseeing and assisting the Magenta team.

Social Media Director and Mindfulness Coach

Emma Schorr

Emma Schorr is a psychology student on the pre-med track at Boston University, where she participates in Kappa Delta sorority, Mu Epsilon Delta fraternity and the Boston University women’s club squash team. She has been working with NYU's Mindful Education Lab since the summer of 2023, enriching her knowledge and ability to teach mindfulness and meditation to be a resource for young people. 

At Magenta, Emma coaches mindfulness education and directs social media. She’s especially passionate about the connection between food, identity, and emotional well-being, and plans to pursue a career in psychiatry with a focus on eating disorders and youth mental health.

Consultant

Barry Cohen, PhD

I am currently an adjunct instructor in Applied Psychology and serve as co-director of the Mindful Education Lab at NYU’s Steinhardt School of Education. Previously, I directed NYU’s M.A. program in psychology for over a decade, and in 2016 I retired from my full-time role as Clinical Associate Professor of Psychology. I am the author of three widely used statistics textbooks currently in print.

I hold a B.S. in Physics from Stony Brook University (1970), an M.A. in General Psychology from Queens College (1975), and a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from NYU (1983), followed by two years of postdoctoral research in psychophysiology under Richard Davidson.

With more than 50 years of study and personal practice in meditation, my current research spans three main areas: the subjective and neural correlates of inner speech; the effects of mental pain on experience and behavior; and the cognitive, emotional, and physiological changes associated with regular meditation and related mental disciplines.

Academic Coach

Emely Morales

Emely Morales is a Psychology major at Georgia State University, minoring in Sociology, with a strong foundation in child development. She currently works as a research assistant on the Parent Behavioral Coding Team for the SHAPEJOY Study at GSU, which investigates the impact of parental mindfulness and empathy on children's emotional regulation and behavior.​ Emely is also a part of the NYU Mindful Education Lab in March, where she collaborates with Dr. Joshua Aronson and Dr. Barry Cohen on research exploring the implementation of mindfulness practices in educational settings.

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At Magenta, Emely serves as an Academic Coach, offering tutoring support in high school-level subjects. She is especially confident in tutoring all levels of high school math, biology, and English.

Mindfulness Coach

Rachel Cobrin

Rachel is a senior at Weston High School in Weston, Connecticut. Over her high school experience she has taken many honors and AP courses and thrived in the rigorous academic setting. Outside of school, she has tutored since her junior year and extensively worked with Friendship Circle. At Friendship Circle, she works with children with disabilities to help them feel comfortable in environments where they typically struggle. She is excited to be a Magenta Tutor this year to help students to be their best selves and be comfortable and confident in their educational environments through mindfulness practices.