My Red Couch Talk with Dr. Rebecca Lesan

Rebecca Lesan is a Swiss-Canadian-American practitioner and researcher whose work spans health, innovation, and communication. Having lived and worked across Europe and North America, she brings a deep appreciation for the opportunities and challenges of cross-cultural life and the ways international experiences shape both people and purpose. 

Rebecca’s path has woven between art and service throughout her education and career: from arts-integrated learning in Kingston, Ontario, to Advanced Placement academics in Connecticut, to Tufts University in Boston, where she studied Biology while also exploring green urban design and education policy. She later worked in cancer research in South Dakota before receiving a full fellowship from the National Institutes of Health to the Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of Iowa, where she completed the medical curriculum and earned a doctorate (PhD) in Biomedical Sciences. 

Her subsequent work in nonprofit organizations and the cultural sector brought into focus a growing commitment to harm prevention and to helping shift today’s “sick care” system toward true health care. Today, she volunteers through her local church, contributes to education at the University of Zürich, and supports sustainability efforts in Zürich, where she bridges cultures and translates between disciplines to turn research into action. 

Having returned last year to her native Zürich, Rebecca Lesan is building a new chapter that integrates her research background, creative interests, and international perspective.  Her long-term work focuses on prevention-oriented innovation at the intersection of indoor environmental quality, healthy longevity, and creative communication through music and the arts. She welcomes collaborations with musicians, producers, artists, researchers, educators, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and public institutions around the world who share a commitment to helping people thrive. 

Connect with Dr. Rebecca Lesan via

Substack: @RebeccaLesan 

LinkedIn: Dr. Rebecca Lesan, PhD https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccalesan/

Website: jrl-art.square.site 

Instagram: @JRLesan 

ORCiD: 0000-0001-7286-9678

🛋️ My Red Couch Talk with Dr. Rebecca Lesan: Science, Art, and the Air We Breathe

Dr. Rebecca Lesan is a biomedical researcher, environmental health innovator, and the co-founder of JRL Art and Ecology. After growing up in Zurich and spending years navigating the research and academic landscapes of Canada and the United States, Rebecca Lesan returned to Switzerland a year ago. Today, she is bridging the gap between rigorous scientific research, community art, and preventative wellness.

In this episode, Rebecca Lesan steps outside her comfort zone to talk about a hidden health epidemic: indoor air quality and mold. We discuss her upcoming showcase at the prestigious Falling Walls pitch competition in Zurich, the cultural shock of reintegrating into Swiss rigidity after years in North America, and why relationship-building has officially replaced time management as the number-one professional skill in the age of AI.

Key Talk Takeaways:

• The “Knotted Ball of Yarn”: Why we need to stop treating career growth or scientific research like a linear staircase and embrace the beautiful, messy twists of innovation.
• JRL Art and Ecology: How Rebecca and her husband use artistic expression to raise public awareness about environmental toxins, agricultural chemicals, and immune system health.
• The AI Connection Premium: Why AI-driven hyper-productivity makes deep, cross-cultural relationship-building the ultimate currency for modern leaders.
• Clearing the Air: A look at her revolutionary real-time sensing technology and mobile app designed to track how indoor environmental exposures trigger physical symptoms.
• Falling Walls 2026: Rebecca’s mission to find visionary co-founders dedicated to building “win-win-win” solutions in the prevention-tech space. Rebecca’s excited to be speaking at Falling Walls Lab Zürich on 25 August—a showcase of breakthrough ideas where researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs present bold solutions to some of society’s biggest challenges. Learn more about the event or apply at: https://falling-walls.com/falling-walls-lab-zurich-switzerland