A family and child development specialist, human behavior expert, author and lecturer, Gail Gross, PhD, EdD, MEd, has always loved children and has always been emphatic. As a young woman in high school, she knew that she was interested in education and psychology. She always followed the path that she knew she was interested in. There were three main areas of focus in her life – finding her passion, raising her family and doing service. Dr. Gross is in the service period now and she wants to keep her life very orientated towards that.
As a family and child development and human behavior expert, Dr. Gross has appeared in numerous national print and television media outlets since 1975. Additionally, she has excelled as a blogger since 2013 for the Huffington Post, EmpowHer.com and Thrive Global writing about women, children, relationships, and families’ mental and physical health. In like manner, Dr. Gross has held many other supplementary roles throughout her long career. She chaired the March of Dimes Gourmet Gala in 1980, as well as co-chaired the Jack Benny Juvenile Diabetes Tennis Tournament and chaired the Houston Grand Opera Ball in 1982. A founding board member of the Aspen Institute for Integrated Medicine, she has also served on multiple boards for various organizations, both related and unrelated to her primary trade.
Prior to the start of her professional career, Dr. Gross pursued a formal education at the University of Houston in Texas, graduating with a Bachelor of Education with a minor in psychology in 1972. She then earned a Master of Education with specialties in both psychology and advanced English from the University of Saint Thomas in 1989. She continued her studies with a PhD at Saybrook University and, in 1995, she received an EdD with a specialty in curriculum and instruction from the University of Houston. Finally, in 2012, she received a PhD in psychology with a specialty in Jungian studies from Saybrook University. Dr. Gross is a very spiritual person and she always follows her heart. She stays where she is needed and always listens to her own inner voice.
Active on the board of directors of the Dr. Dean Ornish Preventive Medicine Institute, Dr. Gross co-authored the book “Beautiful Skin: The Eight Basic Steps to a Lifetime of Glowing Health,” published in 1985, and authored the books “The Only Way Out is Through: A 10-Step Journey from Grief to Wholeness,” published in 2018, and “How to Build Your Baby’s Brain: A Parent’s Guide to Using New Gene Science to Raise a Smart, Secure and Successful Child,” published in 2019. Dr. Gross is also the creator of eight audiotapes on relaxation and stress reduction.
Dr. Gross also hosted a talk show titled “Let’s Talk” on PBS Networks, where she interviewed people from all walks of life. Notable people from the world of entertainment include Goldie Hawn, Quincy Jones and Peter Guber of Mandalay Entertainment; Richard King of King World Productions; iconic TV producer and writer Norman Lear and his wife Lynn Lear; president of the Huffington Post, Arianna Huffington; Oscar winner Ernest Borgnine with his wife Tova Borgnine; and actor Michael York. From the world of politics, she spoke with HUD secretary Jack Kemp; former Secretary of State James Baker; former Secretary of Education Rod Paige; Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee; New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez; and Alma Powell (wife of Colin Powell). She also hosted former Houston mayor Bill Whites’ final mayoral debate. Additionally, Dr. Gross interviewed several experts in the fields of medicine, self-help and education such as like heart health guru Dr. Dean Ornish; Tibetan Buddhist authority Robert Thurman; psychologist Daniel Goleman, the author of “Emotional Intelligence”; spiritual teacher Sharon Salzberg, the author of “Lovingkindness”; and Tara Guber, founder of the Accelerated School and Yoga Ed.
Dr. Gross has been called upon by top publications all across the country to comment on a wide array of topics. She has contributed to The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Boston Herald, USA Today, Family Circle Magazine, Good Housekeeping Magazine, Parents Magazine, People Magazine, The Washington Post and many more.
Dr. Gross is frequently called upon by national and regional media to offer insight on a wide range of topics involving family relationships, education, behavior and development issues. She has appeared on FOX’s “The O’Reilly Factor,” discussing topics such as “The JonBenét Ramsey Story,” the “Overpass Shooter in Washington, DC,” “How to Talk to Your Child About Terrorism,” the “No Child Left Behind Bill,” “Teen Sex on the Bus,” “The Duke Rape Case,” “Helping Children Deal with Death and Grief,” “Child Abduction” and so forth. Dr. Gross has also appeared on other FOX national programs including “Fox & Friends” discussing “The Psychological Power of Dreams,” as well as many national media outlets, speaking on a wide range of topics having to do with interpersonal and family behavior.
For CNN, Dr. Gross addressed “Talking to Your Kids about Danger,” “Holiday Stress” and “Tracking Your Kids with GPS.” She helped the FOX News Channel in discussions about “High School Hazing,” “Teen Sex” and the “Terrell Owens Suicide Attempt.” For “The Doctors” TV show, she addressed “Patent’s Prosecuted for Child’s Truancy” and “The Negative Effects of Potty Shaming.” On MSNBC, she was called upon to tackle the subject of the “Double Standard in Sex Crimes Against Minors.” Most recently, Dr. Gross appeared on the “Intelligence for Your Life” podcast with host John Tesh to talk about the need to manage stress around the quarantine for your health and your baby’s health, as well as the importance of unstructured time, meditation and limiting screen time in young kids.
In her own hometown of Houston, Dr. Gross appears regularly on the morning talk show “Great Day Houston Show,” delving into such topics as “Why Women Stay with Men Who Stray?,” “Dream Interpretation” and the “Impact of Hurrying Kids Through Childhood.” She is also a regular on local FOX News for Houston. Outside of her main duties, Dr. Gross maintains involvement with several organizations related to her field, including the Dr. Ornish Preventative Medicine Institute, EmpowHer.com, Sentelabs.com, the Aspen Institute for Integrated Medicine, the Aspen Brain Institute for Brain Science, the Aspen Institute Brain Lab, the Greater Houston Partnership, the Executive Women of Harvard Divinity Board, the Omega Institute and the American Psychological Association. She is a lecturer for the Cleveland Clinic Education Program, and is a member of the International English Honor Society, Sigma Tau Delta, and Kappa Delta Pi, an International Honor Society in Education.
In honor of her exceptional undertakings, Dr. Gross received the Perth Amboy High School Hall of Fame Award. She has also had a Houston independent public school, KIPP elementary and secondary school campus in Texas named after her. In 1986, she received the American Diabetes Association Award and the Houston Achievement Place honored her in 1990. She was also honored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Ileitis Colitis Group with the Famous Texas Women’s Award. In 1996, Dr. Gross was given the Woman of Influence Award. Soon after, she was presented with the Spirit of Freedom Award from Hi Holiness, the Dalai Lama, in 1998.
Dr. Gross was inducted into the first year of the Greater Houston Partnership of Executive Women, as well as received the Good Heart Humanitarian Award for Jewish Women International. She was one of eight people inducted into the ANNO Society of Opera Ball Chairs and named among the 15 Most Influential Women in Texas. She has also been awarded the Great Texan of the Year Award, the Trailblazer Award and the Houston Best Dressed Hall of Fame Award. In 2002, she received the Centrum of 100 Women Leaders Appreciation Award. Dr. Gross was notably presented with the Jung Institute Award in 2013 and the Get Real New York City Convention’s 2014 Blogging Award. She has been further recognized among Houston’s Most Influential Women by Houston Women’s Magazine in 2016.
Most recently, Dr. Gross’s book, “The Only Way Out is Through,” was named a Next Generation Indie Book Awards Silver Medal finalist in 2020. Her latest book, “How to Build Your Baby’s Brain,” was the National Parenting Product Awards winner in 2019, the Nautilus Book Awards winner in 2019, ranked the No. 1 Best New Parenting Book in 2019 and listed among the Top 10 Parenting Books to Read in 2020 by BookAuthority, as well as the Next Generation Indie Book Awards Gold Medal winner in 2020.