Advisor bios – True Sage

True Sage advisors

Dr. Brian Alman

CEO & Founder of True Sage

Dr. Brian Alman is the CEO & Founder of True Sage. A passionate facilitator with a Ph.D. in psychology, and author of 14 books, he is one of the world’s leading authorities in wellness and personal growth. Using knowledge of the conscious, subconscious, and Unconscious, he has significantly contributed to psychology, medicine, education, clinical research, wellness, parenting, business, and sports.

He was nicknamed “The Doctor of Last Resort” at Kaiser Permanente — the world’s largest nonprofit healthcare provider. By discovering and facilitating the unconscious, inner potential of each person, he has helped hundreds of thousands of people and contributed to making the world a better place. With his inventions, books, training workshops, one-on-one mobile technologies, and online programs, Dr. Alman is now helping people help themselves more than ever before in the fields of weight loss, stress reduction, healing, and healthcare.

Vincent Felitti, M.D.

Clinical Advisor
Principle Investigator
CDC/Kaiser ACE Study

Dr. Vincent J. Felitti, with over 50 years of experience in Internal Medicine, has made significant contributions in understanding childhood trauma, Hemochromatosis, and obesity. A Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California since 1982 and a Johns Hopkins Medical School alumnus, he served as a captain in the U.S. Army medical corps and held positions at Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland Hospital. Dr. Felitti co-led the groundbreaking Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study, revealing the impact of childhood trauma on adult health. Founder of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego, he’s also been involved with the Institute of Medicine, the American Psychiatric Association, and authored over 150 peer-reviewed articles. Recognized for his work, he received awards like the Distinguished Worldwide Humanitarian Award and the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award.

Donald Jones

Business Advisor
Chief Digital Officer STRI
Cardiff Ocean Group, LLC

Donald Jones is a globally recognized leader in digital medicine, digital therapies, technology enabled health services and virtual-first healthcare delivery. As a senior executive he built two of the largest, nationwide healthcare service companies in the US. He is a sought out as a speaker, advisor and board member. Over the last 40 years he has worked with over 65 companies in pharmaceutical, medical device, wearable, smart apparel, material science and healthcare. He is a founder and Operating Partner of Takeda Digital Ventures (TDV) and sits as an independent director on boards of VC and PE backed companies. Don has advised the boards and executive suites of many of the largest pharmaceutical and medical device companies including Dexcom, Resmed, Cepheid, Sanofi, Teva, Astra Zeneca, Genentech, Otsuka, Novo Nordisk and the Verily/Sanofi joint venture, Onduo. He is a Senior Advisor with both McKinsey & Co. and the GLG Institute. Jones serves as Chief Digital Officer of the Scripps Research Translational Institute (SRTI), collaborating with the renowned Eric Topol, MD, where they co-founded Scripps Digital Medicine, the world’s first digital health clinical trial center, a Master’s Program in Digital Medicine and the non-profit West Health Institute, raising over $130 million for its launch. In early 2020, Don founded IMPACT, the Virtual First Healthcare Provider Collaboration, in partnership with the Digital Medicine Society (DiME).

Marty Cooper

Business Advisor
Mobile Phone Inventor

Martin Cooper (born December 26, 1928, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.) American engineer who led the team that in 1972–73 built the first mobile cell phone and made the first cell phone call. He is widely regarded as the father of the cellular phone. Cooper graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chicago with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering (1950). He joined the U.S. Navy and served during the Korean War. After the war, he joined the Teletype Corporation, and in 1954 he began working at Motorola. He earned a master’s in electrical engineering from IIT (1957). At Motorola, Cooper worked on many projects involving wireless communications, such as the first radio-controlled traffic-light system, which he patented in 1960, and the first handheld police radios, which were introduced in 1967. He later served as a vice president and director of research and development (1978–83) for the company.

Phil Baker

Technology Advisor
Product Development
Author

Phil Baker is an esteemed technology advisor, product development expert, and award-winning author with a vast experience spanning several decades in various facets of product development, including invention, design, engineering, marketing, manufacturing, and distribution. He has played a pivotal role in bringing over 80 consumer electronics products to market, encompassing computers, wearables, mobile devices, home appliances, and more. As an executive in high-tech firms like Seiko, Epson, and Think Outside, Baker holds over 30 patents. He’s also the founder of Techsperts Inc., a company dedicated to assisting businesses in developing consumer electronics efficiently and cost-effectively. In addition to his prolific career, Baker is known for his contributions as a journalist and author, writing books like “From Concept to Consumer” and “To Feel the Music,” co-authored with Neil Young, and has been a columnist for the San Diego Transcript.

Arlene Harris

Business Advisor Telecommunications Entrepreneur Founder, GreatCall

Along with husband and partner Marty Cooper, inventor of the first cellular portable phone, Arlene Harris has helped and launched several businesses since starting idea incubator Dyna, LLC in 1986. Arlene has more than 35 years experience as an entrepreneur, board member, advisor, inventor, and investor in a number of successful companies in wireless-related businesses. She founded GreatCall and in 2006 launched its simple and personalized cell phone experience Jitterbug in partnership with Samsung. The Jitterbug offering has earned top honors, being named in the New York Times 10 Brilliant Ideas of 2006 as well as Reader’s Digest Top 100 Products. GreatCall also won the wireless industry’s coveted Andrew Seybold Choice Award for ‘Best New Company’ in 2007 and was also honored with the ASA award for Best Small Business in 2008 for the unique Jitterbug cellular service offering.

Salima Ruffin

Business Advisor
CEO of Creations World
Concierge

Creations was founded over 30 years ago by Salima Ruffin. Born in Kenya and educated in Switzerland and Germany, Salima was one of the first women ever elected to the elite Les Clefs d’Or as well as one of San Diego’s first true concierge, serving at the revered Westgate Hotel for over 13 years. Three decades later, the services of Salima and her discerning team of global experts are sought out by 5-star hotels, high-end properties, celebrities, and corporate clients who demand the very best.

Rick Hecht

Clinical Advisor
Kaiser Permanente
Humana

Healthcare executive with more than twenty-five years of innovative and strategic leadership across multiple departments, including sales and business development, client management and retention, product development and go-to-market strategy, customer service, clinical operations, and consulting. A proven track record of building and leading exceptional, high-performing teams. Clinical and operational expertise in behavioral health and wellbeing, with an emphasis on workforce mental health and Employee Assistance Programs. Extensive industry and market knowledge.