Dr. Ryan Michael Nick is the founder and director of The Institute for Optimal Psychology. Dr. Nick is on the faculty of psychology at the University of Fredericton, a leading Canadian institution of higher learning. He is a member of Psi Chi, The International Honors Society in Psychology. On the admissions committee at Columbia University's graduate school of health, education, and psychology, Ryan also served as an Instructor and Academic Advisor for what is now the Psychology and Spirituality: Science and Practice Master of Arts Program. He served on the teaching team for courses, Fieldwork of Applied Psychology in Spirituality and Entrepreneurship, Positive Psychology, and Spirituality, Religious Diversity and Psychotherapy. Dr. Nick was a co-director of the Awakened Awareness for Adolescents multi-university psychosocial research initiative, and director of the Synchronicity and Divinity lab team within the Spirituality and Psychology Lab.

At Teachers College, the graduate school of Health, Education, and Psychology, at Columbia University, Ryan served as Founder and Executive Director of The Coaching Clinic for Optimal Psychology, Health & Living which provided specialized graduate students training and practice in the art and science of coaching. In this capacity, he organized and oversaw hundreds of graduate student coaching engagements across Columbia University, as well as with private sector and nonprofit organizations. This included senior executive level coaching for Madison Square Garden entertainment company, home of the New York Knicks as well as the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada; financial services firm Cohen and Co., and the Broadway Community nonprofit, a homeless shelter, soup kitchen and community center neighboring Columbia in Morningside Heights. Ryan and his organization received the Exemplary Impact Award for these collected efforts. Ryan also founded The Coach as Citizen Initiative, a multi-organizational effort to promote the philosophy of altruism and coaching as citizenry and identity, for which he and the initiative received the Outstanding Community Program Award. Ryan served in the student community as president of the Columbia University Toastmasters Club, Triathlon Club, and Coaching Club. Dr. Nick received the Morton T. Embree Award for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning as a Teaching Assistant. A recipient of the Pariser Scholarship, Ryan was advised on his interdisciplinary doctoral degree by Clinical Psychologist, Lisa Miller, as his primary doctoral mentor, as well as by Historian of Education, Thomas James. Ryan completed doctoral scholarship at Princeton University, where he participated in seminars on the History of Religion and the History of Science, Medicine and Technology. Elaine Pagels, the Princeton Historian of Religion was a member of his doctoral dissertation committee, as well as Jack McGourty, the Columbia Business School Professor and Director of Global Entrepreneurship. Ryan graduated with a Doctor of Education, Master of Education and Master of Arts from Columbia University and was a recipient of the Shirley Chisholm Trailblazer Award. Ryan graduated magna cum laude from Colgate University with a degree in Psychology. He has completed post-doctoral graduate scholarship at Harvard University, where he has earned certificates with High Honors from Harvard's Business School, and as well as in the study of Media and Medicine from Harvard Medical School. He received an $80,000 scholarship to study at the Yale School of Management.

Out of undergrad, Ryan provided investor relations and fundraising services for a wide range of private equity, hedge fund, and venture capital firms, including multibillion dollar Carlyle Group and Ellington Management.

To apply for his Signature Coaching Program,

Or for Teaching and Speaking engagements,

Please submit your request to Dr.Ryan1@outlook.com.