Story, Mission, Vision
Our Story
WellIntel Talks was co-founded by Nicole Legg and Cindy (Cynthia) McDowell.
“While completing our PhD’s in psychology, we spent years sharing scientific insights with other researchers and clinicians for years. However, we noticed how infrequently scientific information is shared with the broader community. We became committed to addressing this disconnect and making high-quality mental health and wellness research more accessible and digestible for everyone.
We created WellIntel Talks to ease the process of finding and accessing reliable, evidence-based wellness information, and to promote wellness intelligence in the community.”
- Nicole and Cindy
Our Mission
Our Mission is to promote access to evidence-based, high-quality mental health and wellness information and to equip people with wellness intelligence to manage their own mental health and wellbeing.
Our Vision
Our Vision is to become the leading wellness education platform. We are striving to connect groups with evidence-based and engaging talks for any and all of their wellness education needs.
Check out these articles from Canadian SME and DailyHive to learn more about our Mission & Vision and what we are all about.
Meet the Founders
Nicole Legg, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer
Cindy McDowell, M.Sc.
Co-Founder, Chief Operations Officer
Nicole and Cindy each received their Master of Science degrees in Psychology (Clinical Psychology and Research Psychology, respectively) at the University of Victoria, British Columbia. Nicole has completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology, and Cindy is currently working towards her PhD in Experimental Psychology. Collectively, the Co-Founders have presented their research at over 30 academic conferences, published multiple research papers in top scientific journals in their fields, and written textbook chapters for esteemed publication outlets. Cindy and Nicole have been sharing their knowledge with the broader community for years by providing talks to community organizations, contributing to podcasts and wellness blogs, participating in interviews, and more. Nicole is a mental health clinician (training to become a Clinical Psychologist), a researcher, and an outdoor enthusiast. Nicole's area of research focuses on understanding when and why people engage in risky behaviours such as disordered eating, substance use and suicidal behaviours, and Nicole has presented her research at several conferences. Nicole also works at various clinics in Vancouver, providing therapy and psychological assessments to those in the community. Nicole has been providing talks on mental health and wellness topics for over 8 years. Click to learn more about Nicole’s speaking experience and expertise.
In Nicole’s spare time, you will often find her hiking, kayaking, skiing, playing golf or tennis, and soaking up every last minute of sunshine (while it’s out in Vancouver!).
Cindy (Cynthia) is a researcher, data scientist, and lover of the outdoors. Cindy's area of research focuses on understanding factors that protect against the onset of dementia and promoting healthy brain aging. Cindy is also a highly skilled data scientist, and is fluent in various statistical coding programs and procedures. As a psychological scientist and researcher, she has presented at several conferences and continues to conduct novel community-based health research. Cindy has provided public talks for the past 3 years and was named one of Canada’s 2023 Women Leaders in Digital Health by Digital Health Canada. Click to learn more about Cindy's speaking experience and expertise.
In Cindy’s spare time, you will often find her backpacking, canoeing, playing soccer, reading, and playing with her dog.