Shani Tran

A headshot of a woman with medium-dark skin tone smiling widely, her mouth open and teeth showing. Her black hair is in braids, fading to blue at the ends. She wears a light blue collared shirt.

Licensed therapist and author

Shani Tran is a Licensed Therapist who has been featured in Teen Vogue, Forbes, CBS mornings, and The New York Times. She is the author of “Dope Therapy,” a book about owning your mental health journey. You can find her on TikTok and Instagram making comedy sketches and telling personal stories to encourage people to laugh through the adversity.

Meet our 2023 Democracy Forum Speakers

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Brian Deese

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Hany Farid

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Nancy Gibbs

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Emma Grede

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Regina Hall

Award-winning actress and producer
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Mary Kay Henry

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Darryl Holliday

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Valerie Jarrett

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Mayor Brandon Johnson

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Terah Lyons

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Anna Makanju

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Governor Wes Moore

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Alondra Nelson

Harold F. Linder Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study
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Suzanne Nossel

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Chiedo Nwankwor

Vice Dean for Education and Academic Affairs, Interim Director of SAIS Europe, Senior Lecturer, and Director of SAIS Women Lead
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President Obama

44th president of the United States
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John Palfrey

President of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
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DeMario Phipps-Smith

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Sonal Shah

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Alex Smith

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Betsey Stevenson

Professor of Public Policy and Economics at the University of Michigan
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Mandy Teefey

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Raquel Vazquez Llorente

Head of Law & Policy, Technology, Threats and Opportunities - WITNESS
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Judy Woodruff

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