Our Team

 
 LifeLab Studios is led by a passionate team of learning scientists, platform engineers, and successful entrepreneurs.

Company Intention

To unlock the potential of every human being to become all they were meant to be ... and to do so in the context of relationship.

Company Brochure

Our Mission

Powering people, organizations, and communities to thrive. We do this by providing transformative tools, actionable insights, and meaningful human connections to drive lasting change."

Our Vision

A world where people unite around shared goals, leveraging ideas, personal stories, and supportive feedback to grow, achieve, and inspire others—where anyone can succeed in small group growth journeys, feeling seen, valued, and validated as they are coached to thrive in their personal growth and life wellness.

Lifelab Studios

We Power Destinations that Matter

We’re a personal growth and life wellness company that leverages the power of advanced technologies, the importance of human connection, and research on how people learn to provide a truly transformative growth solution. 

Our growth enabling ecosystem, Journey.do, includes our proprietary AI coaching tools, content journeys, behavioral change framework, and AI insights empower continuous improvement and deliver scaled impact.

Beyond Software as a Service (SAAS)

We’re not just about software — we’re about real, human-centered growth. We reimagine personal growth and life wellness as an ongoing journey where individuals feel truly seen, supported, and empowered. We’re here to power your growth and wellness — anytime, anywhere, with authenticity and accountability.

Combining the power of AI with the human connection of strength-based coaching, we create growth experiences that are personalized, scalable, and effective--powering destinations that matter.

We are deeply ...

Passionate about powering personal growth through small group journeys where member stories matter. We wake up each day thinking about it. We do this by providing a next-gen, small-group journey solution where member stories drives life application, social connection, and personal transformation.

We are committed to providing organizations and individual members with the best social growth platform in the world, which is supported in a way that their growth is ensured.

Lifelab Studios was founded on the premise that people want to do great things, that relationships catalyze growth, and that innovations can be harnessed to connect people to the ideas, opportunities, and supportive communities so that they will thrive.

Triple-Bottom Line Studio

We are part of a growing movement towards triple-bottom line studios in which there are multiple drivers beyond financial returns. For us, we began with the goal of social impact and that remains our most important driver, although different projects might fulfill one or more drivers in different ways.

1

 Social Impact

We are driven by the company mission to power people, organizations and communities to thrive. This is our Priority 1 driver, and is our first consideration.

2

 Financial Return

It is our goal to succeed, providing an innovative growth platform and in a way that is sustainable and scalable to reach our social impact goals. 

3

 Knowledge Generation

We grew out of the university and remain committed to transforming how people grow, providing an innovative example and sharing lessons learned.

Reflections

Thoughts From Our Founder

Human potential is one of the most, if not THE most, valuable resource on our planet. However, while the growth and wellness market is booming, with more and more people seeking personal growth and life wellness solutions, progress is hampered by disciplinary siloed solutions. Therapy is useful, especially in building a trusted connection while working through challenging histories. Small groups are useful for building a sense of belonging, shared wisdom, and to level the playing field where any member can be consumer and producer of insight. Content is powerful, providing transferable tools, insights, and concepts that can guide success.

When I was 15, I was living on the streets an struggling with wanting to live. My help came in the form of an arrest, with a justice system that placed my in a lockdown rehab for substances. That was the start of a lifetime commitment to healing. This includes my own self as a sober individual with decades of sobriety, and to helping others unlock their potential. I researched the topic deeply as a teacher, counselor, and professor, publishing over hundred pieces in the field of learning sciences. Journey.do is the culmination of my work, and many others, bringing what we know to build an invitational and scalable solution.

Our therapeutic model and studio implementation brings together cross-disciplinary insights on how people learn, while leveraging technological advancements and making these available through a personal growth as a service approach. This cross-disciplinary solution creates a unique value proposition and unprecedented opportunity to unlock the potential of all human beings. For us, story is the unifying DNA that brings these together, connecting human beings, who are supported by invested coaches powered by AI insights, as they pursue journeys that allow them to author new possibilities and new selves into existence.

With advancements in generative AI, the metaphorical 'reading' of story as DNA has entered a new era. Just as genomic sequences provide a blueprint for biological life, the narrative sequences of our lives can be analyzed by AI to reveal profound insights. AI's capacity to decipher complex story patterns allows for the generation of deep insights and personalized suggestions–ushering in a transformative era for personal growth and life wellness. We envision a world where every human goes in and out of journey throughout their lives, unlocking new capacities as they connect with peers and receive supportive feedback, allowing everyone to reach their full potential.  

Email Sasha

Our Core Talent

Sasha Barab
Chief Executive Officer

Sasha Barab is a professor and CEO. His work has resulted in over a hundred articles, chapters and books on knowing and learning. He provides vision and runs the company.

Walter Kalata
Chief Technology Officer

Walter’s passion is in building large-scale interactive systems so people can connect in ways that matter to them.  He manages all aspects of engineering, and ensuring product success.

Anna Arici
Research Scientist

Dr. Anna Arici is Research Faculty in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society at ASU. She has been researching learning environments for the past two decades.

Zach Ripka
Senior Engineer 

Zach uses a variety of skills to tie together our various applications and services as a full-stack engineer. He also spends time mentoring and working through designs/user experience. 

Matthew Davis
Customer Success

Matthew serves as both COO and CMO, passionate about the value of having an Employee Operating System. Also, steeped in the Journey Mapping approach, he leads sales efforts to solve real customer problems.

Steve Millette
Impact Officer

Steve has worked in the recovery industry for decades, ensuring quality of care and leveraging technological solutions to enhance and scale services. Steve is leading our recovery vertical.

Allison Waters
Senior Account Success

Allison works in customer success, and has experience in the wellness vertical. She provides deep care of her account success team, and those partners with whom she supports to ensure success.

Zane Encinas
Content Development

Zane graduated from ASU with a focus in humanities, social science research methods, and environmental education. He is committed to customer success, and ensuring that all people can live a fulfilling live.

Sam Shell
Growth Specialist

Sam worked as a probation and detention officer before joining our team. She now serves as a growth specialist in both the juvenile and adult justice markets. She does intakes and story reviews. 

Lane Eggers
Account Success

Graduated from ASU with a focus on criminology and a commitment to helping justice youth individuals succeed in life. He will be a growth coach, while also building data insights to support account success.

Rona Gallardo
Usability Technician

Rona does most usability for the platform, checking new features, designed grows, and making sure the platform runs smoothly and as expected. Also, doing similar work for around brand consistency.

Lex Williams
Project Management

Lex has worked on various growth modules with a focus on empowering all voices. She is project managing new features, supporting customer success, and coding front end views when needed.

Gracie Deboer
Growth Specialist

Gracie graduated from ASU with a focus in criminology. She is deeply committed to ensuring every voice is heard, and that everyone deserves multiple chances. She brings energy, light, and supportive feedback. 

Irelynn Hukill
Growth Specialist

Irelynn has a background in social worker and counseling. She builds content with an empathetic flair, and provides supportive feedback and growth guidance to ensure people are able to grow to be their best.

Kerol Orellana 
Admin Assistant

Kerol pretty much does anything the is needed from doing reviews, ensuring filing is set to onboarding new team members. She prides herself on attention to detail, technology skills, and supportive personality.

Your Name
Credible Messenger

We are always looking for credible messengers and life coaches to help us provide quality care.

Our Advisory Board

Michael Angst
Fiduciary Board
Eline Media, CEO
Scott Beck
Fiduciary Board
Gloo, CEO
Tuck Bettin
Fiduciary Board

Cobblestone, CEO

Tom VanderArk
Advisory Board
Getting Smart, CEO

Our Core Values

Ensure Growth

Customer First

Value People

Empower Voice

Celebrate Success

Seek Impact



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