Why We're Bringing Psychological Science to the C-Suite

Introducing the Flourish Summit, September 3–5, 2026, in Napa Valley

The world of work is changing faster than most organizations can adapt. AI is reshaping how teams operate, what leaders are expected to know, and how quickly decisions must be made. And while nearly half of organizational leaders see AI as a key investment area for their organization, almost as many have considered leaving their role due to stress.

The strain isn't limited to the corner office. Only 20% of employees worldwide are engaged at work, a gap estimated to cost $10 trillion annually, or 9% of global GDP.

Technology alone won't close that gap. The organizations that thrive in the years ahead will be the ones that understand something deceptively simple: performance is human. How people adapt, build trust, recover under pressure, and make decisions through change is not a soft consideration on the margins of strategy. It is the strategy.

That conviction is behind the Flourish Summit, a first-of-its-kind executive leadership event taking place September 3–5, 2026, at The Meritage Resort & Spa in Napa Valley, California.

What the Flourish Summit Is
Convened by American Psychological Association Services, Inc. (APASI), the applied and innovation arm of the American Psychological Association, the Flourish Summit will bring together C-suite executives from across the country for two days of intensive, science-backed leadership development at the intersection of psychological research and business transformation.

For more than a century, APA has been the leading authority on human behavior, cognition, and performance. APASI extends that foundation into real-world application, translating scientific insight into measurable business outcomes. The Flourish Summit is APASI's first event focused specifically on leadership development, and it's designed for leaders operating at the highest levels of organizational responsibility. Participation is by invitation only and intentionally limited.

"As organizations navigate unprecedented complexity and accelerating change, the science of human behavior has never been more essential to performance in the workplace," said Guillermo Corea, Chief Business Innovation & Growth Officer at APASI. "Building a thriving business in the age of AI will depend on a more sophisticated understanding of how people adapt, build trust, recover under pressure, and perform through change. This is about bringing rich evidence-backed insights, honed by decades of expertise in psychological science, to bear on transforming businesses for tomorrow's world of work."

Beyond Wellness: Flourishing as a Strategic Advantage
Plenty of leadership events talk about wellbeing. Flourish takes a different approach.

Rather than focusing solely on individual wellness, the Summit will examine the systems, behaviors, and leadership practices that help people and organizations perform, adapt, and recover under pressure. Programming will explore executive psychological capital, leadership performance, organizational thriving, and the practices that help leaders strengthen confidence, resilience, optimism, and decision-making when the stakes are highest.

In other words: not just how leaders feel, but how leaders and the organizations they run actually work.

What's Next
Additional details about speakers, programming, and participation will be announced in the coming weeks. To learn more about the Flourish Summit or to request an invitation, visit the Flourish Summit page.