I'm a novelist who got hooked on her phone. My struggle to break free turned into the biggest plot twist of my career.

Now I help others reclaim their time, focus, and creativity from addictive apps.

Becoming an expert on phone addiction was never part of the plan. I spent three decades building a creative career -- I'm the internationally bestselling author of six young adult novels, including the Monument 14 series (translated into nine languages) and Sweet (a Junior Library Guild Award winner and YALSA Quick Pick).

But when I hit rock bottom with a mobile gaming and social media addiction, I stopped everything to figure out what was happening in my brain. Deep research into persuasive design, addiction recovery, and the ways phones are reshaping our minds, bodies, and society turned me into an activist.

I now teach at DePaul University in Chicago, where my course, Attention Grabbed: Mind, Media & Manipulation, draws on the same research that powers the Fight Your Phone program.

I grew up watching my mother, Geraldine Laybourne, build Nickelodeon and Oxygen from the ground up (with plenty of help, of course). She taught me that media shapes culture — and that people who understand how it works have an ethical responsibility to their fellow human beings. That lesson is at the heart of why I take the damage done by addictive apps seriously -- and why I'm not willing to stay quiet about it.

I've also lived a whole other life as a performer. I'm occasionally still recognized as Mary Katherine Gallagher's best friend in the 1999 cult comedy film Superstar. My acting career included film and TV roles (Nancy Drew, The In-Laws, DAG) and years in the improv comedy world. Check out the photos below for some nostalgia!

At the heart of everything I do -- teaching, writing, and helping people break away from their phones -- is my belief that creativity and human connection are what matter most in life.