# Tania Luna

> Tania Luna is a psychology researcher, author, filmmaker, and co-founder and former co-CEO of LifeLabs Learning. Her work connects the psychology of surprise with practical leadership skills and shared power. She is now a co-founder, consultant, and coach at Scarlet Spark, which supports animal advocacy organizations, and is the author of Lead Together and co-author, with LeeAnn Renninger, of Surprise and The Leader Lab.

- **Role:** Co-Founder, Consultant, Coach at Scarlet Spark
- **Organizations:** Scarlet Spark, LifeLabs Learning, Surprise Industries, Scarlet Heart, Scarlet Moon Sanctuary, eLab, Hunter College, Talk Psych to Me
- **Education:** City University of New York - Hunter College
- **Known for:** Co-founded LifeLabs Learning and served as co-CEO., Co-authored Surprise and The Leader Lab with LeeAnn Renninger., Authored Lead Together, recognized in the 2023 Porchlight Business Book Awards Leadership & Strategy selections.

## Career timeline

- **Childhood** — Moved from Ukraine to the United States at age six with her family; lived in a New York homeless shelter.
- **2008** — Graduated from Hunter College, began teaching there, and co-founded Surprise Industries.
- **2008-2014** — Taught at Hunter College while developing businesses and other work.
- **2012** — Delivered How a penny made me feel like a millionaire at TED@New York; TED dates the talk July 2012.
- **2015** — Published Surprise: Embrace the Unpredictable and Engineer the Unexpected with LeeAnn Renninger on April 7.
- **2021** — Published The Leader Lab: Core Skills to Become a Great Manager, Faster with LeeAnn Renninger.
- **2023** — LifeLabs Learning announced an agreement to be acquired by Atairos on March 6; financial terms were not disclosed.
- **2023** — Published Lead Together: Stop Squirreling Away Power and Build a Better Team on September 19.

## Achievements

- Co-founded LifeLabs Learning and served as co-CEO.
- Co-authored Surprise and The Leader Lab with LeeAnn Renninger.
- Authored Lead Together, recognized in the 2023 Porchlight Business Book Awards Leadership & Strategy selections.
- Delivered the TED talk How a penny made me feel like a millionaire.
- Co-founded Scarlet Spark to support organizations helping animals.
- Wrote and directed shorts; her mockumentary The Last Rodriguez streams on Amazon, according to her Film Fatales profile.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Research snapshot: Scarlet Spark’s current team page lists Luna as Co-Founder, Consultant, Coach; her personal site continues to feature Lead Together and directs all book proceeds to Scarlet Spark.
- **2024-04** — An April 17 Thrive Global interview discusses Lead Together, collaborative leadership, and her hopes for shared power.
- **2023-12** — Porchlight featured Lead Together in its 2023 Leadership & Strategy award selections on December 7.

## Links

- Website: https://www.tanialuna.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taniadluna/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laniatuna/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/tania-luna
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-22