Dr. Marlena Kruger is a Digital Well-being and Neuro-integrative Health Coach, Trainer and Speaker.

She is the CEO and founder of MindUnique Education and its corporate social responsibility partner, the TechnoLife Wise Foundation.

She is a qualified radiographer who studied further in Education and Psychology. She received her doctoral degree in the Psychology of Education from the Rand Afrikaans University (University of Johannesburg).

During Marlena’s career in different roles with various tertiary institutions in South Africa spanning more than 25 years, she has realised how the overuse of the internet and social media destroys children’s happy and healthy-balanced development and learning. Since leaving the formal world of work in 2015, she has been studying the damaging effects that too much screen time and technology, especially manmade EMFs from cell phones, towers, Wi-Fi routers, smart meters and watches, and other wireless devices, have on our brain and body.

She is a multiple international and national award winner, a TEDx speaker and speaker at various events to inform, educate and empower parents, educators and children. She has authored many scientific articles as well as several books and training programmes. She has many different media engagements on a regular basis, focusing on a wide range of screen addiction challenges and related digital well-being topics.

The focus of her work is to empower parents, educators and children to go FORWARD TOGETHER! To rather put our phones and screens away and play joyfully together. A holistic approach is crucial to protect and nurture our vulnerable children from babies, toddlers, as well as older children and screenagers (teenagers). Also, to develop our children’s unique potential optimally to flourish in our digital-driven world.

The campaigns of the Foundation: “Wait until Grade 8 and No cell phones at school” is her brainchild. The focus of the “Wait until Grade 8” challenge is to empower parents to move FORWARD TOGETHER! To say YES to waiting for the smartphone. This entails that parents delay giving children a smartphone until at least grade 8. We facilitate the linking of like-minded parents to support each other. These actions decrease the pressure felt by kids and parents alike over the kids having a smartphone with access to the internet and social media before they are eligible. All social media apps have age restrictions for their use until at least the age of 13 years for e.g., Facebook and even 16 years for WhatsApp.

The TechnoLife Wise Foundation launched the No cell phones at School campaign in September 2022 in partnership with Roosevelt High School. This initiative is also supported by UNESCO and is aligned with other countries in the world, e.g., France, Netherlands, Finland, Australia and China.

She is also a building biologist (advisor) who focuses on measuring Electrosmog levels in our work, school and living environments with recommended mitigation strategies to improve overall health and a holistic approach to digital well-being.

She has developed and produced since 2019 a world-class range of high-quality and high-density EMF protective products, called WoWe® to create a World of Well-being (including Wellness). Proudly South African!

International awards and participation in 2023 include the following:

• An invited expert panel member who contributed to the Global Digital Wellbeing Index and Report (to be published in December 2023/January 2024)
• Nominee for Global Corporate Live Wire Awards (adjudication still in process)
• 2023 Influential Business Woman Award by Acquisition International:
• Best Digital Wellness Enterprise Founder 2023 (May 2023). https://www.acquisition-international.com/winners/mindunique-education/
• Global Woman Leader by World Women Leadership Congress (Feb 2023) Click here to view the acceptance video.
• South Africa’s Women Leaders – 19 April 2024
• South Africa’s Most Inspiring Leaders in the Healthcare Sector: Cover page article of World Care Magazine – November 2024