Keynote and Workshop Topic

Identifying and Alleviating Social Anxiety’s Impact
on Productivity and Leadership

A Common Sense, Hard Love Approach to Social Anxiety

How Recovery from Debilitating Social Anxiety
Can Help You Jump-Start Your Career

How Neuroplasticity Can Dramatically Alleviate Your Social Anxiety

Related Topics
Reclaiming Self-Esteem
Overcoming Social Anxiety and Depression
Regulating and Replacing Negative Emotions

Abstract

Statistics tell us that two out of ten people experience anxiety, and half of those suffer from social anxiety. This can manifest in various ways, such as avoiding social situations, feeling constantly judged, or experiencing doubt and confusion. Seventy percent of those also have depression, and far too many turn to substance abuse. In the fast-paced and demanding world of academia and business, these conditions can lead to missed opportunities, decreased performance, and a lack of motivation to thrive in the workplace and classroom. In the words of Aaron Beck, the pioneer of cognitive-behavioral therapy, we feel helpless, hopeless, and worthless.

Our ability to deliberately accelerate and consolidate learning by compelling our brain to repattern its neural circuitry is a powerful tool for change. We possess the inherent power to transform our thoughts and behaviors. By proactively creating healthy new mindsets, skills, and abilities, we can take control of our mental well-being. We can deliberately compel our brain to repattern its neural circuitry, empowering us to lead a more fulfilling and balanced life.

As someone who has experienced the hardship of social anxiety disorder for the first half of my life, I understand the toll it can take. I was trapped in its vicious cycle of fear and anxiety, restricted from living a ‘normal’ life. My fear of disapproval and rejection compelled me to avoid the life-affirming experiences that connect us with others and the world.

I have spent the last twenty years researching recovery methods and fusing them into workshops, lectures, and publications worldwide. I discovered how to resolve the adverse self-appraisal that disrupts a life of productivity and prosperity. I’m passionate about helping individuals reclaim their strengths, virtues, and achievements and unlock their full potential.

In my speeches and workshops, I share practical strategies and insights for overcoming the doubts and fears of social anxiety to create a mindset of resilience and potential. Drawing upon my own experiences and teachings, I demonstrate how the deliberate, repetitive input (DRNI) of positive information, which involves consistent affirmations of our positive and affirming strengths and abilities, offsets the negative polarity of our neural network caused by adverse core and intermediate beliefs.

Complementary mechanisms replace our negative thoughts and behaviors with healthy, productive ones and regenerate our self-esteem by rediscovering and reinvesting our character assets.

Understanding neuroplasticity, the brain’s continuous adaptation and restructuring to experience and information, is empowering. It’s what makes learning and registering new experiences possible. Our neural network is dynamic and malleable – realigning its pathways and rebuilding its circuits in response to stimuli. This knowledge gives us the power to control our inner narrative and rewrite the story of our lives. 

Through my workshops and coaching programs, I empower individuals to recognize that their weaknesses and failures do not define them. Their character strengths, virtues, attributes, and achievements make them the best they can be. Understanding and appreciating this is a powerful source of motivation and self-worth.

A coalescence of neuroscience and psychology captures the diversity of human thought and experience. Through interactive exercises and group discussions, participants learn practical techniques for managing their thoughts and emotions, building resilience, and cultivating a growth mindset. They discover that they can control their inner narrative and rewrite the story of their lives.

Whether you’re a student, organizer, or professional striving to excel in your field or a potential leader blocked by self-doubt and uncertainty, my keynote speech and workshops can help you recognize your inherent abilities and limitless potential. Together, we can reframe the negativity of your life into a future filled with confidence, resilience, and success.

• The pioneer of proactive and active neuroplasticity utilizing the deliberate, repetitive neural input (DRNI) of information.
• Former playwright and equity actor in more than a dozen productions. “… outstanding with commanding and polished stage presence” (Hollywood Reporter). Ties to Jimmy Burrows (Frasier, Friends), John Cleese, Mike Frankovich (producer), Gordon Jenkins (Sinatra’s arranger), Sal Mineo, Tennessee Williams …
• Co-wrote musical, Ward 22 with Michael Dare (John Belushi’s “Captain Preemo”). Debuted at Jerome Lawrence’s home (Mame, Inherit the Wind).
• Wrote/directed LA production of A Country Musical.
• Project manager, then European contract negotiator for British Telecom and AT&T
• Authored multiple academic articles on social anxiety, depression, and recovery featured in 84 countries.
• Publicist to Edith Eva Eger (holocaust survivor) New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller; featured in primetime CBS special, Hitler and Stalin
• Treatment advisor and producer’s representative at the Cannes Film Festival 1989
• Presenter over sixty virtual discussions on social anxiety, depression, and empowerment
• Producer of a YouTube instructional series on Proactive Neuroplasticity
• 200,000 readers of weekly posted articles on ReChanneling.org website and social media

About Dr. Robert F. Mullen

For over thirty years, Robert Mullen navigated the challenges of severe social anxiety. Often referred to as the neglected anxiety disorder, SAD was a new, underrated, misunderstood, and frequently misdiagnosed condition. Bewildered, angry, and depressed, Robert was a social pariah convinced there was something wrong with him, experiencing first-hand the controlling, devious, and manipulative nature of his disorder.  

In his mid-forties, Robert Mullen returned to university, challenging SAD’s grip on his emotional well-being. It was a journey of trial and error, but the answers eventually revealed themselves. He now dedicates his career to the millions of people worldwide who struggle with anxiety and depression. His commitment to this cause is a beacon of hope for many.

Before his pivotal decision, Robert’s career was a tapestry of diverse experiences. He spent several years as an equity actor and playwright in Hollywood, with minor roles in TV and film. He was a publicist and manager for artists and writers, including Auschwitz survivor and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Edith Eva Eger. His journey also led him to serve as a film project treatment advisor and representative at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.

Moving to the San Francisco Bay Area, Robert ran his own artists’ management company before becoming an international contract negotiator for AT&T and British Telecom.

It was at university that Robert honed his talents in public speaking for a variety of organizations. Post-doctorate, he created the nonprofit group ReChanneling, which develops and implements programs to (1) mitigate symptoms of social anxiety and related conditions and (2) pursue personal goals and objectives – harnessing our intrinsic aptitude for extraordinary living.

Robert’s work has not just made a mark, but a profound impact in the field of mental health. He has published numerous articles and chapters and produced a YouTube series on recovery. He is credited as the pioneer of proactive neuroplasticity, a technique supported by the deliberate, repetitive neural input (DRNI) of information. This approach has been instrumental in developing workshops, lectures, and seminars that have helped hundreds of clients.

Robert’s paradigmatic approach targets the personality through empathy, collaboration, and program integration. It utilizes neuroscience and psychology techniques designed to replace or overwhelm negative thoughts and behaviors with healthy, productive ones, while producing rapid, concentrated positive stimulation to offset the abundance of negative information in our brains’ metabolism.

Dr. Robert Mullen teaches clients mindfulness (recognition, comprehension, and acceptance) of their inherent capabilities and potential. To be the best we can be, we must not define ourselves by our deficits and shortfalls but by our character strengths, virtues, attributes, and achievements.

Speaking engagements include:

American Academy of Religion – Atlanta/Berkeley/Phoenix
American River College, Sacramento
Asian Studies on the Pacific Coast, Portland University
British Telecom, San Bruno, CA
Bunnings Group Limited, AUS (SF Convention)
California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco
The Exchange for the Performing Arts, Sacramento
First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco
Folsom Lake College, CA
Lakeshore Unitarian Society, Winnetka, IL
Five+ years of Monthly Online Discussions on Social Anxiety
Sacramento AIDS Foundation
San Francisco Media Alliance
Scottish Rites Temple, Los Angeles
Society for Asian & Comparative Philosophy, Monterey

Social Anxiety Disorder

The distinction between social anxiety disorder and social anxiety is a matter of severity; reference to one includes the other. The recovery tools and techniques provided apply to comorbid emotional malfunctions, including depression, substance abuse, generalized anxiety, and issues of self-esteem and motivation. These malfunctions originate homogeneously, their trajectories differentiated by environment, experience, and the diversity of human thought and behavior. 

• Fear of situations in which you may be judged negatively
• Worry about embarrassing or humiliating yourself
• Intense fear of interacting or talking with strangers
• Fear that others will notice that you look anxious
• Fear of physical symptoms that may cause you embarrassment, such as blushing, sweating, trembling or having a shaky voice
• Avoidance of doing things or speaking to people out of fear of embarrassment
• Avoidance of situations where you might be the center of attention
• Anxiety in anticipation of a feared activity or event
• Intense fear or anxiety during social situations
• Analysis of your performance and identification of flaws in your interactions after a social situation
• Expectation of the worst possible consequences from a negative experience during a social situation – (Mayo Clinic)

Testimonials

Mullen is the pioneer of proactive neuroplasticity utilizing DRNI ‒ deliberate, repetitive, neural information. – WeVoice (Madrid, Málaga, Valencia)

It is refreshing to work with an organization that possesses sincere commitment, ethics, and genuinely cares about its clients. – Sharon Hoery & Associates, Colorado

It is one of the best investments I have made in myself, and I will continue to improve and benefit from it for the rest of my life. – Nick P.

I have never encountered such an efficient professional … His work transpires dedication, care, and love for what he does. – Jose Garcia Silva, PhD (composer Cosmos)  

Social Anxiety Workshop produced results within a few sessions, with continuing improvement throughout the workshop and beyond. I’m now much more at ease in situations that were major sources of anxiety and avoidance for me just a few months ago. – Liz D.

A leading expert on social anxiety disorder and its comorbidities, Dr. Mullen is the father of proactive neuroplasticity. – Lake Shore Unitarian Society, Winnetka, IL

Dr. Mullen is considered a leading expert on anxiety and depression, etc. If you want to regain your sense of self-worth and confidence, you may want to consider recovery. It’s a bit of work but well worth the effort. – Matty S. 

I am simply in awe at the writing, your insights, your deep knowing of transcendence, your intuitive understanding of psychic-physical pain, your connection of the pain to healing, your concept/title, and above all, your innate compassion. – Janice Parker, PhD

Publications

• 2025. Social Anxiety’s Failure to Establish, Develop, and Maintain Healthy Relationships in C.-E. Mayer, E. Vanderheiden Handbook of Love, Part 2. Springer. doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-76665-77/29
• 2024. Hemispheric Synchronization in Recovery from Social Anxiety Disorder. ReChanneling Inc. pp. 1-5. Doi: 10.6084/m9.figshare.25996474
• (2022). Utilizing Psychobiography to Moderate Symptoms of SAD in Clio’s Psyche, Winter 2022, 18, (2) pp. 234-249.
• (2022). Broadening the Parameters of the Psychobiography. The Extraordinariness of the ‘Ordinary’ Extraordinary (pp. 285-301) in C.-E. Mayer, P. Fouche, R. van Nierkerk (eds.) Psychobiographical Illustrations on Meaning and Identity in Sociocultural Contexts, Palgrave MacMillan
• Neuroscience and Happiness. Neuroplasticity and Positive Behavioral Change.Academia.edu online course.
• Social Anxiety Disorder in the LGBTQ+ Community. Academia.edu online course.
• (2021). Enlisting Positive Psychologies to Challenge Love within SAD’s Culture of Maladaptive Self-Beliefs. Chapter 59 (pp. 1121-1140) in C.-E. Mayer, E. Vanderheiden Handbook of Love in Cultural & Transcultural Cultures, Springer. Winner of the William B. Gudykunst Outstanding Book Award from the International Academy for Intercultural Research
• (2020) Establishing a Wellness Model for LGBTQ+ Persons with a Psychological Dysfunction. Academia.edu, Researchgate.com. doi:10.13140/RG.2.2.17550.38728.
• (2019). How an Honorable Psychobiography Embraces the Fluidity of Truth in New Trends in Psychobiography, Springer. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-16953-4. 
• (2016). The Art of Authenticity: Constantin Stanislavski and Merleau-Ponty. Journal of Literature and Art Studies, 6 (7):790-803 (2016). doi:10.17265/2159-5836/2016.07.010. 
• (2010). Aristotle and the Natural Slave: The Athenian Relationship with India. Mithras Reader, Vol. III (35-61). ISBN: 978-0-9556858-3-5.
• (2010). Holy Stigmata, Anorexia, and Self-Mutilation: Parallels in Pain and Imagining. Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies, 9:25, 2010.
• Upcoming: Social Anxiety Disorder: A Life Trajectory of Fear in Clio’s Psyche, Spring 2023 edition