Monica McCarthy is a SAG-AFTRA/AEA actress, emerging playwright, Shakespeare coach, podcast host, community impresaria, public speaker, and messaging consultant. She is the creator and host of the live monthly events series and podcast The Happier Hour: Philosophy To Help Your Life Suck Less. Monica was previously the impresaria for popular communities like Holstee, Impact Hub, Escape The City, and the 92Y, where she has curated and facilitated thousands of events, workshops, and talkbacks. Monica frequently speaks on the topic of purpose and with organizations on the value of philosophy and community, including her TEDx talk Philosophy: The Life Hack Of The Future. Her first playwas selected for the Inge Festival and New Playwrights Winter Retreat, and she is currently writing her second play and her first television pilot. Monica is completing her Masters in Creative Writing from Harvard University. She prefers her bourbon neat, her coffee black, and the window seat from which she has seen 52 countries on