Our Story
“What if there was a way to provide a guiding voice that helps people summon their own internal strength at any time without the fear of being judged?”
— Dr. Sera Lavelle
When Dr. Sera Lavelle, CEO and cofounder, started practicing hypnotherapy for eating habits, she quickly learned that people were really struggling. Over and over, her patients said that the more they talked to nutritionists, coaches, and even therapists, the worse they felt. “What’s wrong with me?” they plead. They already knew exactly what to eat; they just had trouble sticking to their goals.
Hypnotherapy, motivational interviewing, and mindful eating techniques empower people to stop focusing on what they eat and instead get in touch with their bodies. Consistent with research, these techniques help people start viewing healthy eating as a treat and less like an exercise in discipline.
But in-person sessions weren’t enough. Sera couldn’t be there in the middle of the night when her patients were feeling tempted.
Sera and her colleagues narrowed down the three main principles that help patients the most. The idea was conceived through therapy practice, but Bea really came to life when Sera’s friends Ruby Manadero, products expert, and their tech team brought their expertise to the table.
Meet the Team
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Dr. Sera Lavelle
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST / CO-FOUNDER / CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Dr. Sera Lavelle stumbled into hypnosis in 2007 “for fun” after a meditative detour in Southeast Asia post-volunteering in Cambodia. Hooked on the mind’s mysteries, she snagged a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Adelphi University, blending science with a touch of zen.
She founded NY Health Hypnosis & Integrative Therapy & Soho Integrative EMDR, NYC’s top therapy practices for healing broken relationships with food. Passionate about women’s issues like societal pressures, body image, motherhood, and infertility, Sera also taught gender and multicultural psych at Brooklyn College and Adelphi. Her work’s been spotlighted in Forbes, Elle, NY Times, and more—because, apparently, she’s kind of a big deal.
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Ruby Manadero
CO-FOUNDER / CHIEF PRODUCT OFFICER
Ruby Manadero combines a knack for storytelling, strategic thinking, tech, and a creative spark that’s, well, out of this world—quite literally. During college, she spent a year at NASA tinkering with cutting-edge tech before earning her BFA in Communication Arts & Design from Virginia Commonwealth University.
After a decade crafting big-brand magic as an Art and Creative Director for top agencies and movie studios in LA and NYC, Ruby took a bold leap into the tech startup world—where she’s been turning big ideas into game-changing realities ever since.
At CrowdTwist, she turned a "napkin sketch" into a loyalty platform so innovative Oracle scooped it up. Now, Ruby crafts award-winning user experiences and advises startups, sharing her creative and strategic spark to help them thrive.
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Anders Høedholt
CO-FOUNDER / CHEIF AI OFFICER
Anders is a Co-founder and Creative Technologist at Hause Collective, where he’s busy dreaming up smart city solutions with cityflow.live—think futuristic urban vibes, but make it practical.
A pro in Frontend Development, UI/UX, and IoT Product Design, Anders turns wild ideas into real-world magic. Armed with an MSc in ICT Product Development from Aarhus University, Denmark, he’s got the credentials to back it up.
He’s also published work with the ACM (yes, the fancy Association for Computing Machinery), proving his knack for innovation. Recently bitten by the AI bug, Anders co-created Bea Better Eating, adding yet another cool chapter to his ever-growing tech story.
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Andrzej Miller
FULL-STACK SOFTWARE ENGINEER
Andrzej is a full-stack wizard with a decade of tech battle scars to prove it. He’s taken on everything from global corporate Goliaths to scrappy, caffeine-fueled startups, thriving on projects that are messy, chaotic, or downright impossible. If it’s a technological dumpster fire, he’s already on it—probably with a smirk.
Specializing in enterprise-grade systems powered by Node.js and React, Andrzej doesn’t stop there. He’s all about cloud computing, serverless architecture, and dabbling in AI—basically, if it’s cutting-edge and slightly terrifying, he’s in. His secret mission? Pushing tech to its limits while making the world just a little better (or at least cooler).
Get the Bea Better Eating App
Dr. Sera Lavelle, founder of NY Health Hypnosis and Soho Integrative EMDR, trained Bea, an AI-powered app designed to help you foster a healthier relationship with food. Using proven psychological techniques, Bea offers step-by-step guidance to shift your mindset around eating. Unlike other apps that promote restrictive diets, Bea delivers supportive, science-backed advice to encourage mindful, positive eating habits that lead to lasting change.
