Biography

Ember Zhang｜张路婷 (she/they) is a Chinese-American author, independent health researcher, engineer, athlete, public speaker, and advocate for individuals of AAPI/POC, LGBTQ+, neurodivergent, invisibly disabled, and other marginalized identities. Her previous (given) name was “Janet Chang.”

Her writing and perspectives on mental health and healing have been featured in mainstream media such as Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, New Scientist, and NBC Today. She has been a guest speaker on patient-centered care and health technology innovation at venues such as Stanford University, University of California Los Angeles, Silicon Valley Health Institute, Quantified Self Europe, and The Next Web. She has also been featured in works such as Cal Newport’s So Good They Cannot Ignore You (2012), Fathom Films’ Smart Drugs (2018), and Charlene Wang’s Model Breakers (2021).

As a survivor of Lyme disease & babesiosis, selective mutism, and psychological abuse from an unconventional and dehumanizing childhood linked to China’s Cultural Revolution, Ember Zhang has dedicated their life’s work to inspiring unwavering hope, healing, and personal empowerment in others.

In a past life, Ember served as an entrepreneur-apprentice to Derek Sivers and competed in Olympic short-track speedskating and the Ironman triathlon, and once rode a bicycle 3,800 miles from the West Coast to the East Coast of the United States for charity. She has traveled to 25+ countries and graduated with a Sci.B. in Cognitive Neuroscience from Brown University. Zhang is the granddaughter of music composer, 张文纲 (Zhang Wen Gang).