The celebration of influential women quietly and consistently reshaping leadership does not begin or end with Women’s History Month. In this spring season of regeneration and rebirth, the spotlight now turns to Dr. Denise Joseph, founder of Open Sea Institute (OSI), the principals-led psychiatry and executive advisory serving a select group of senior leaders, founders, investors, and institutions internationally.
Open Sea Institute’s proprietary OSI-type Portfolio Psychotechnology focuses on advanced psychological optimization, leadership resilience under complexity, and cognitive-ecological and prosocial approaches to mental health and performance. The Institute maintains a long-horizon focus on cognitive sustainability and systemic impact through leadership-level intervention.
Guiding some of the world’s most powerful decision-makers, Denise Joseph’s career highlights the fact that when women are given the space to care for their minds, they do not simply succeed—they reshape families, institutions, and futures.
In this candid conversation, as she looks forward to the launch of her maiden podcast, “Pause for Precision” and new research program, Open Sea Institute Strategic Research Initiative System or OSIRIS, Denise sits down with us to reflect on her ambition and grace, beauty and self-care, the weight and wonder of womanhood, and the future she hopes for the next generation of women.
Women of the Hour: Dr. Denise Joseph
Denise, can you give us a little background about your career and how you came into the world of psychiatry and coaching? When did you first know that you wanted to be in the health and wellness industry? Was this always your first choice, or did your path change along the way?
Denise: I hail from diverse backgrounds in every sense, and I have lived a relatively atypical life from childhood onwards. I have enjoyed careers in fields as varied as law and politics, fine art, entrepreneurship, and mental health. I have always eschewed academic and occupational cloister. This is a reflection of my atypical mind, characterized by accelerated early brain development, distinctive intelligence, neurodivergence, and ADHD.
I cannot tell you what, in particular, prompted my interest in the mind any more than I could tell you what prompted my interest in art. My curiosity about so many things is so longstanding that I suppose I have lost track of genesis. To provide texture, I was speaking coherently, as an adult would, with proper pronunciation, at six months of age.
What I can tell you is that during graduate coursework in Clinical Mental Health, I became acutely aware that my goal in life and best use of my longstanding difference was to meaningfully contribute to the advancement of civilization in whatever way I could. Thus, Open Sea Institute became the nexus of my creativity, my means to my end. My work at OSI is the grand culmination of a lifetime rich in education, contemplation, and experience, aimed at Philosophy and Public Health.
Leadership at Open Sea Institute
You have talked and worked with many high-performing women through the Open Sea Institute (OSI). In general, what struggles or issues do they usually share with you behind closed doors?
Denise: Most of our clients at OSI are either senior decision-makers or former senior decision-makers. There are common threads in what prompts women who have achieved certain milestones to seek my partnership, as well as in what they discover about themselves as we journey together.
My female clients will often seek me out for relief from addictions or unfulfilling relationships. Infidelity at home or sexism at work are common complaints. Recently, Belle Burden’s dramatic memoir of her marriage, Strangers, has been a hot topic amongst female clientele. Perhaps surprisingly, many women struggle with strained relationships with growing grandchildren, and similar to men, women in senior positions either at home or at work, are often preoccupied by the concept of legacy—what particular mark they will leave on their successors and how well that mark will be received by said successors.
As the founder of OSI, together with your partner, Dr. Louis Joseph, how does it feel to be a woman whose work directly shapes how leaders think, feel, and make decisions? How does OSI play a role in this moment for women?
Denise: It feels absolutely fantastic.
I have always been clear in my belief that subjugation is not limited to any particular group of people. We, all of us, in imperfect circumstances, ethics, and mental health, can find ourselves victims, jailors, and heroes. However, to pretend that women, in general, have not been a population with experience of historic, systemic disadvantage is folly.
Regardless of how, when, and where women have experienced sexism, it is likely that we have, at least once in our lives, experienced it. It is important to remember that women are not alone in the experience of negative prejudicial treatment and the ensuing fallout that can and does occur. It is also vital that we recall that women can often be the most cruel and reliable perpetrators of stereotypes and prejudice against their sisters, daughters, and colleagues. We must keep in mind that optimal satisfaction and survival require cooperation between all the sexes, peoples, and species of this world.
The work that Dr. Joseph and I do at our Open Sea Institute, under my leadership, is in part dedicated to eradicating undue prejudice against all people. Mental health is the vehicle to accomplish this. OSI-type Psychotechnology is the vehicle to achieve this. OSI is not simply an executive advisory firm but a prosocial public health movement dedicated to positive, sustainable, and ethical change.
Open Sea Institute was founded to introduce the concept of mental health as an economic indicator that can and should be used to gauge societies’ potential for growth or decline, just as education, innovation, and military prowess are.
That a woman is proffering this thesis and leading the charge is hopefully inspiring to women and the image of women at large. That I am doing it not only for the empowerment of women, but for the empowerment of all people, in amiable partnership with a man, so that we can become better stewards of each other and the natural world we inhabit, is hopefully deeply satisfying. The work is, at least, deeply satisfying to me.
As a woman leading an institute that advises global decision-makers, have you ever felt underestimated or second-guessed because of your gender? How did you choose to respond in those moments?
Denise: When I said above that women can often be the most cruel and reliable perpetrators of stereotypes and prejudice against their sisters, daughters, and colleagues, I was not postulating. A question like this highlights the intersection of sociologically defined prejudice, which must itself be deconstructed psychologically, and say, rank envy. For instance, members of both sexes can look at a beautiful, happy, youthful, and elegantly dressed woman and immediately dismiss any possibility of her intellect or fortitude. Those who say they “love” or “like” her can do this. Those who brand themselves “feminists” and “women who support women” can do this. This is why I insist that prejudice cannot be cured with a straightforward screed requiring, for instance, the dispossession of men. I have responded to the prejudice I have encountered in my life by being myself with vehemence.
Open Sea Institute was built on the central conviction that internal regulation is not ancillary to anything. It is foundational to individuals and to society at large. Prejudice isn’t just political or social. Prejudice is psychological. It thrives in fear, scarcity, and nervous systems that feel threatened. When mental health strengthens, perception expands, defensiveness softens, and people become less reactive and more curious. If we want a more open-minded society, we must start by stabilizing the minds that shape it.
When you think about your life’s work, what is the deepest “why” that gets you out of bed in the morning, especially on the difficult days?
Denise: This is a really fantastic question. When you have had the experience of what some call “oneness” with the universe, you can become something of an automaton in the very best way. I could say that I am in love with my life, but then I would imply that I experience life as something external to myself. I could say that I experience a constant, baseline bliss and ease, but the truth is that neither word accurately describes the enduring impression of alignment I have become even when experiencing the full spectrum of human emotion. You can exist as a human in the universe or you can embody the universe in human form. Whether in the bed or out of it, I am the latter.
Denise Joseph on Beauty & Self-Care
What is your go-to skincare or beauty product? Do you have a skincare routine or ritual that you follow?
Denise: My skincare and beauty routines are very simple. On almost all occasions, including formal occasions, I wear only the most minimal makeup–lip tint that serves as blush or vice versa. In terms of skincare, as long as I am not having an allergic reaction or other skin irritation, I can get by with almost any quality body soap on my face. My husband and I share a tub of Nivea that we buy from Amazon, and it usually lasts us quite a while. That is the extent of my routine. As I often say, internal resolution of conflict, stability, inner calm, and genuine (not pretended) joy are reflected chemically in the body and have effects down to genetic expression. So too do their opposites. I will always say that inner peace is the ultimate adornment.
I do love playing with scent, however. We keep a veritable perfumery in our bathroom. My favorites are anything from Santa Maria Novella, and when I’m in Palm Beach, Aerin Lauder’s Tuberose Gardenia. Aerin Lauder lives locally, and her Tuberose really encapsulates, for me, the easy, ethereal feeling of life in Palm Beach, Florida.
How do you personally care for your mind and body amid the demands of working with high-profile clients?
Denise: I think any demands I face are, on some level, similar to those of any other working person. The best combatant for stress is optimal mental health. At OSI, we develop in our clients the state of what we term, “Superior Human Functioning,” which allows them to reliably weather life’s storms with grace. At OSI, this state of functioning is encoded into the human and governs all internal human systems, while effectively influencing external events
I also believe that the human being, in a state of mental, physical, and spiritual health, will long for and prioritize meaningful physical engagement with nature. To aid with the demands of stress, a level of vigorousness in engagement should be achieved. This can take the form of a sustained rise in heart rate on a walk or a deep stretch during yoga. This can take the form of breath. There are seemingly endless options available and availing oneself of any of them for even 5 minutes can spur revolutionary change in a person.
What is your favorite thing in your closet? Why?
Denise: Right now, my silver strap metallic pumps a la Roger Vivier. They fascinate me because they absorb, bend, and reflect all the images they encounter. To me, footwear with a side of Federico Fellini is the ultimate flex. Roger Vivier is my favorite shoe designer, and I love my ever-expanding collection. Roger Vivier shoes are the only shoes my husband likes for me to wear.
How has your definition of beauty evolved over the years? What misconceptions about beauty and womanhood would you most like to debunk?
Denise: Early on, my parents taught me that beauty is inseparable from goodness. I’ve never believed anything else. Even steeped in the trillion-dollar makeup and plastic surgery industries, we can’t seem to discover how to truly imitate natural physical beauty. Something always seems “off” or fake. We can all, however, control what we exude.
Value of Family Life and Womanhood
Who is your female role model, either in your family or in public life, and why does she matter so much to you?
Denise: I had the life-altering experience of working with Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity during high school. There, I met a woman whom I will call Sister “M.” She changed my life forever. She was a woman who exuded the very real love of Jesus; she could inspire tears at the faint sight of her, 50 feet away across an inner-city parking lot. It is hard to describe her, so I will not try very hard. In summary, she was sort of entirely non-descript. She was not particularly attractive, but she was always adequately groomed. She was quiet, but always heard when she intended to be. Because I distinctly remember looking down at her, she could not have been far more than 5 feet tall. Yet, she brimmed and towered with the power of Christ. She had devoted her life to Jesus, but never even asked anyone to bow or pray, much less in accordance with her religion, even when her Sisters chided her for not doing so. Prior to meeting her, I had always believed in God, but sometimes even referred to myself as an atheist because I despised the conflict religion seemed to inspire. While I considered religion an excellent theoretical vehicle for the exercise of bhakti, or devotion, I also considered it arbitrary. Consciously, I never thought much about Jesus, and if I ever did, I probably thought of him as a “nice guy”.
I have also known other nuns who I would consider role models. To me, the best of them exude such fortitude in the pursuit of a great mystery and possess enviable discipline and dignity in selfless service and restraint. To me, there is gargantuan beauty in all of that. Sister M, however, achieved the miraculous, and achieved the miraculous in me. I will think of her with gratitude until I die. Certainly, the certainty she bore in me is with me, night and day. I say, if you are hopeless, bored, confused, sad, tired, or simply looking to enjoy a meditation, try praying the Rosary. Regardless of background, it will do you no harm.
In a world that constantly tells women to be more, do more, and look better, what practices or rituals help you stay grounded in your own sense of worth?
Denise: Optimal mental health bestows a delicious sense of satisfaction with yourself, flaws and all. The hard-won acquisition of it allows for the efficient evaluation of society and its intentional or unintentional expectations. You must learn yourself in order to unapologetically take your place in this world. You must learn yourself in order to unapologetically enjoy your place in the universe.
Can you share a moment in your career when you felt torn between professional ambition and your personal or family life, and how you navigated that tension?
Denise: I don’t have one. I have intentionally structured a lifestyle of curiosity, discovery, freedom, joy, and purpose woven together. I have not failed in my endeavor thus far. One of the advantages of working with OSI-type psychotechnology is the inevitable achievement of a sense of balance that clients previously believed was unattainable. Optimal mental health is a key that unlocks a healthy sense of freedom, flexibility, and control over one’s circumstances.
Are you and your husband, Louis, the couple that really takes holidays seriously? Also, if you are comfortable sharing, what is one thing you find attractive about your husband, Louis?
Denise: Absolutely. Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t need a holiday to celebrate. When I am presented with an actual holiday, especially one involving gifts, I don’t take it for granted.
I am, of course, attracted to Louis because he is brilliant and beautiful and good. He is also rare. Louis comes from an old bloodline, and his genes have converged upon him in the most interesting ways. His eyes change color. Sometimes, both at the same time. Sometimes, one and not the other. Sometimes, I will come into his office and see the neon green eyes of a dragon inadvertently piercing me, and then later, the gleaming yellow eyes of a cat. The next day, one eye will be a bullfrog’s green and the other, brown. Many days, both eyes are different shades of hazel, and rarely, both are amber or cognac. Today, for instance, they appeared to be a dark and stormy violet-blue. I always mean to take data on the more radical shifts, but then I look at him, and I am always sort of mesmerized into forgetting to do so. Louis has no idea when it happens and rarely notices that the changes temporarily stun me.
To be sure, there are other very tall, very well-built, very chiseled men in this world. Perhaps, some also move with the grace of a swan. Perhaps some even have skin that can showcase the richest alabaster in the morning and burnt sienna after a day in the sun. But there is only one man I have seen who looks as if he were plucked directly from a snow globe, Tchaikovsky twinkling as his friend, the great dancing bear, greets him for eternity. Round and round it gently goes, snow falling in an old-growth European birch forest. When I look at Louis, this is what I see. I have never been so much attracted to Louis as I am captivated by him.
If you could speak directly to your younger self, what would you tell her?
Denise: Honestly, I would tell her to ignore, pity, and run as fast and far as possible from all those who discourage her deeply held inner convictions, regardless of their relationship to her and authority over her. There is prime-mover level wisdom in children that, when dashed through the trials of life that begin almost immediately, must be retrieved to accomplish self-actualization.
What are you still learning about yourself as a woman?
Denise: I am still learning how not to over-give. So many of us, men and women both, are born with such generous spirits. In the process of learning our “manners”, the lines of our instinctual boundaries can become obscured. Something as seemingly simple as excusing myself from a conversation I do not want to be party to can feel like a challenge for me at times. Women, especially, often internalize the role of “good hostess” regardless of setting.
What is your dream for the next generation of women? How do you use your platform to amplify other women’s voices?
Denise: I hope for generations of women raised increasingly in a milieu of psychological safety and trained in self-trust as much as academics. I hope for future generations of women steady enough to lead without apology and whose ambitions are anchored in the wisdom of the natural world. Then, women will not simply rise to power but will also add to our canonical understanding of power itself. I use my platform at Open Sea Institute to lead by example. I am my theory in practice.
