Welcome
Tom Guarriello is a psychologist, born in The Bronx at the beginning of the Baby Boom. He received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in psychology from the University of Dayton and earned a doctorate in clinical psychology from Duquesne University.
Tom specializes in helping individuals and organizations develop the creative ideas, innovative methods and customer-focused products needed to succeed in rapidly changing environments. He spent the first 20 years of his career working in the public and private mental health system as both a clinician and executive. Since 1989, Tom has focused on helping leaders improve their individual and organizational performance by developing a deep understanding of the cultural context, experience, and behavior of their customers.
From 1994 through 2019, he co-led TrueTalk, Inc., along with his partner, Peggy Kelston. The firm focused on enhancing organizational creativity by strengthening social systems.
Tom has been fascinated with the social/psychological impact of technology since spearheading his first IT project in 1981. He authored The TrueTalk Blog from 2004 - 2016, and has created hundreds of YouTube video blogs. In January, 2006 he was invited by YouTube founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen to be one of five members of the inaugural YouTube Community Council. On November 21, 2006 he became Twitter member #13,512 (@tomguarriello).
Tom now helps organizations of all kinds use modern social technology to change the way business is done. He has worked with a wide variety of companies (from Victoria’s Secret to Harvard Business Review) in the apparel retail, publishing, insurance, health care, transportation, and communication industries.
In late 2009, Tom was invited to become a Founding Faculty Member in the newly launched Masters In Branding program at New York’s School of Visual Arts. He currently teaches “The Meaning of Branded Objects,” a course in the psychology of branding from an experiential standpoint, and mentors students in Honors and Thesis projects.
In 2014, Tom launched RoboPsych.com, a website devoted to exploring the psychology of human-robot interaction. Since then, he and his co-host, Carla Diana, have interviewed scores of industry leaders on the RoboPsych Podcast.
In mid-2020, Tom co-launched BrandBox, “a (playful and thoughtful) podcast on the strategies and effects of brands) with fellow SVA Masters in Branding faculty member, Mark Kingsley, and long-time teaching associate, Melinda Welch. In January, 2022, Tom began writing My Favorite Things, a Substack publication that explores our personal relationships with the objects in our lives.
Tom resides in Princeton, New Jersey with Karen, his wife. He can be reached via email at tom@tomguarriello.com.