Our Vision
To support 1 million frontline professionals by 2030, ensuring the people who absorb crisis for a living are protected by systems built for that reality.
About Recess
Recess is a neuroscience-informed technology company focused on stabilizing trauma-exposed workforces.
We work with healthcare systems, schools, and public safety agencies to address the biological impact of repeated trauma exposure, before it becomes turnover, extended leave, incident risk, and operational instability.
Our approach integrates:
- Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) theory
- Secondary trauma and compassion fatigue research
- Polyvagal-informed nervous system regulation
- HRV-based stress recovery science
- AI-driven adaptive personalization
Recess translates established trauma processing science into scalable workforce infrastructure.
We are not a wellness platform.
We are a science-backed system designed for high-exposure environments where stability is operationally critical.
Our Manifesto
Trauma exposure is not an individual weakness. It is a structural condition of high-impact work.
In healthcare, education, and public safety, people absorb crisis as part of their role. Over time, that exposure accumulates biologically.
When it is ignored, instability follows.
Most institutions respond with training and wellness programs. Few address the nervous system strain driving the instability.
We believe:
- 1Stability is operational, not optional.
- 2Emotional risk should be measurable.
- 3Prevention must be proactive.
- 4Infrastructure should protect the people who protect others.
If exposure is structural, stabilization must be structural too. That is the future of workforce resilience.
Our People
Built by Experts. Guided by Science.
Recess is guided by world-class experts across trauma research, neuroscience, health systems, and AI.
Advisory Board
Ayelet Hirshfeld, PhD
AI in Mental Health | Stanford Postdoctoral Researcher | Trauma & High-Risk Workforce Specialist
Michael Lawrence
Commercialization Strategy | 3x Healthcare Exit | Former Google
Kwame Johnson, MD
Enterprise Clinical AI | Duke-Trained Physician | Former Google & Microsoft
Leadership Team
Kelz Bethel
Cofounder & CEO
Lisanne Fellinger
Cofounder & CTO
Matthew Swartz
Chief Psychology Officer
Backed By
Supported by leading partners and innovation ecosystems across digital health, workforce innovation, and behavioral science.
If your workforce is exposed to trauma as part of the job, Let's Talk.
In 30 minutes, you'll see how the system works, and whether it fits your environment.