Kevin J. Payne PhD

Dr. Kevin J. Payne is a social psychologist, entrepreneur, author & skydiver — and he’s doing it all with MS. When he lost everything he cared about, he decided to rebuild his life by facing the fear of his uncooperative body in the air and becoming a skydiver. 600 jumps later (and counting), he found his home in the sky.

Born from a decade of research, Your Life, Lived Well is his labor of love: a book, a podcast, a curriculum of classes, organizational services, and a technology — they all support those whose lives have been touched by chronic illness. There’s no one answer to living well, but Dr. Payne is committed to showing you the practical tools you can use to build the life you want. We may be sick, but we can still live well.

Dr. Kevin J. Payne

•             Ph.D. in Sociology and Psychology, specializing in research methods, statistics, and data science.

•             15 years as a professor

•             left the academy a decade ago for the life of a startup tech entrepreneur and consulting data scientist

•             still consulting and advising

•             living with Multiple Sclerosis (first symptomatic in 1989, correctly diagnosed in 2006)

•             skydiver (D license, coach rating, 600+ jumps)

•             current labor of love is Your Life Lived Well (book, podcast, seminar curriculum & technology)

Over half of all Americans live with a chronic health condition (like me). This is far more than a medical diagnosis. It affects how we think, feel, act, and operate in the world. It affects how we see ourselves and how others see us. Our healthcare system is reactive and built on an acute care model that is often at a loss to support our chronic needs. We deliver cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and social tools to improve quality of life.

YLLW supports you, your loved ones, caregivers, and support personnel on the path from pain to comfort, fear to hope, fatigue to energy, failure to functioning, being sick to living well. YLLW is your guide to better living with, and caring for, the challenges of chronic illness: grounded in science, driven by data, shaped by experience, delivered with compassion, and personalized for each of us.

The story behind YLLW