@HeartOfMeena

At the Inaugural SEL Exchange I gave a plenary talk introducing Interbeing into SEL. When one part of the ecosystem is diminished, the whole system feels it. The same is true in our communities. And this International Women’s Day, this rings true. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3_EzIwnLfE

At the Inaugural SEL Exchange I gave a plenary talk introducing Interbeing into SEL. When one part of the ecosystem is diminished, the whole system feels it. The same is true in our communities. And this International Women’s Day, this rings true. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3_EzIwnLfE

Expanding the Vision of SEL to Cultivate Beloved Community  - CASEL Key Points Back to top This blog post is an adapted excerpt. You can access the full article here. Social and emotional learning (SEL) must ultimately focus on creating the future, not just fixing the present. I am an educator because education is at the heart of social change. I firmly believe that transforming education […]

Lately, I’ve been thinking about what it means to bring Beloved Community into the work of Social and Emotional Learning. Beloved Community asks us to hold both emotional and spiritual intelligence and to act with empathy. This work is not easy, and it is not immediate. But it is essential.

If you want to help me celebrate my Continuation Day, supporting the school’s mission would mean so much to me. Your contribution helps us bring mindfulness and connection to life for our inaugural families and builds a foundation for generations to come. 💖

This perspective invites me to see each year not as a checkpoint, but as an opportunity to recommit to life, learning, and the work I am called to do. For me, that work includes co-founding the Thich Nhat Hanh School of Interbeing.

Donate to the Thich Nhat Hanh School of Interbeing Your gift will do more than build a school — it will plant the seeds of peace for generations to come.

Today, I'm celebrating my birthday, but I like to call it Continuation Day. Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us that birthdays are a recognition of continuity, of life flowing through each moment. “The day of birth is also a day of continuation… we die and are reborn every day,” he says. 🧵

On this International Social Emotional Learning Day, I find myself reflecting on what SEL has always meant to me. To me, I see it as a thread that weaves us into a larger, living whole. I am grateful to all the educators, researchers, and practitioners who bring SEL to life every day. 🙏🏽✨

On this International Social Emotional Learning Day, I find myself reflecting on what SEL has always meant to me. To me, I see it as a thread that weaves us into a larger, living whole. I am grateful to all the educators, researchers, and practitioners who bring SEL to life every day. 🙏🏽✨

If you’re drawn to this vision, you can follow the link to donate on our site. 🙏🏽💖

• Hire our Head of School and founding teachers
• Build and furnish essential school facilities
• Recruit the first families and offer scholarships
• Develop curriculum and teacher training aligned with the school’s mission

We’re inviting you to be part of our Planting Seeds Campaign, a collective effort to raise $1 million by June 2026 to open our inaugural year. Your gift will help:

Donate to the Thich Nhat Hanh School of Interbeing Your gift will do more than build a school — it will plant the seeds of peace for generations to come.

For me, the Thich Nhat Hanh School of Interbeing is more than a school. It’s a living expression of interconnectedness, a place where children, teachers, and families can grow together.

These days, I move between tenderness research, co-founding the School of Interbeing, and leading TEL. Different spaces, one practice. But they all revolve around my 3 T’s: tenderness, Thich Nhat Hanh's teachings, and transformation. In fragmented times, I’m leaning into coherence.

These days, I move between tenderness research, co-founding the School of Interbeing, and leading TEL. Different spaces, one practice. But they all revolve around my 3 T’s: tenderness, Thich Nhat Hanh's teachings, and transformation. In fragmented times, I’m leaning into coherence.

If this resonates, I invite you to explore the fellowship and consider applying: https://www.teleadership.org/fellowship

So much of learning in education happens in isolation. But the reason I love TEL is that it offers something totally unique and different. You move, reflect, and learn in community with other educators and system leaders. Applications for the 2026–27 cohort are open now.

Journey Inn

Today I feel moved to shine a light on someone who creates sacred, transformative spaces wherever they go, Mychal Mills. I work closely with Mychal, and his presence is quietly revolutionary. I invite you to learn more about who he is!

Her ability to hold space comes from a deep, lived wisdom. She is an embodiment of deep wisdom, faith, and resilience. I invite you to explore her incredible work here: https://www.artesianwellcoaching.com/about

Aija started Artesian Well Consulting because she saw that true learning and transformation often happen after the workshop ends: when we sit one-on-one, are truly seen, and our hopes and desires are honored. Her coaching is an extension of her work as a powerful, contemplative leader.

I'm taking a moment to shine a light on some of the incredible Black leaders and friends whose work and spirit has touched my heart & soul. This week, I want to honor Aija Simmons... Because more people in the world need to experience Aija Simmons! 🧵

What happens when you finally put the luggage down? As we arrive at the close of another year, I find myself reflecting on how tenderness helps soften our grip on what we have been carrying…

Over the years, I’ve learned that freedom is not the absence of responsibility. It's all about moving through responsibility differently. I've been intentional about choosing moments of pause. And I've found the most peace when I let the world flow through me in.

🔗 https://ggie.berkeley.edu/event/why-tenderness-matters-now/

Tenderness moves quietly beneath the surface of our lives shaping how we listen, how we repair, how we stay human with one another in uncertain times. On February 23rd at 3:30 PST, join me for “Why Tenderness Matters Now” with the Greater Good Science Center. I'll also be sharing research insights!

Tenderness moves quietly beneath the surface of our lives shaping how we listen, how we repair, how we stay human with one another in uncertain times. On February 23rd at 3:30 PST, join me for “Why Tenderness Matters Now” with the Greater Good Science Center. I'll also be sharing research insights!

SEL in Asia: Expanding the Field – Deadline: 30 September 2026.
🔗 https://www.sciencedirect.com/special-issue/329295/social-and-emotional-learning-in-asia-expanding-the-field

SEL and Artificial Intelligence: Transformative Potential, Promises, and Risks – Deadline: 30 September 2026.
🔗 https://www.sciencedirect.com/special-issue/326525/social-and-emotional-learning-and-artificial-intelligence-transformative-potential-promises-and-risks

Attending to Learner Variability to Advance SEL Research and Practice – Deadline: 1 May 2026.
🔗 https://www.sciencedirect.com/special-issue/326279/attending-to-learner-variability-to-advance-the-social-and-emotional-learning-research-and-practice

As a member of the SEL Journal editorial board, I’m reaching out for your help in sharing calls for 3 upcoming issues. Our goal is to reach scholars, practitioners, and communities... and your networks are key for that. Current Special Issue Calls for Papers:

Leadership in education often feels like a balance between urgency and impossibility. The Transformative Educational Leadership Fellowship offers something different: a space to name the hard things, to sit with the contradictions, and to open yourself to what’s true without rushing past it.

I invite you to explore Michelle’s work, witness the transformative spaces she holds, and let her example inspire you in your own life and leadership. 💖 Discover what she’s been creating: gawdmovement.com

Her work has shaped TEL in deep and profound ways, reminding us that the work of transformation is both personal and collective. She's a mentor/model for me on how to be a powerful, loving, identity rooted women of color leader.

This Black History Month, I want to take a moment to shine a light on some of the most phenomenal, inspiring and loving Black women in my life. One of these remarkable friends is Dr. Michelle Chapman: a wise contemplative leader and speaker who transforms any space she's in with her embodied love.

Meena's Newsletter Feb 2026 Meena's Feb 2026 Newsletter - A Question I Can't Shake

What does it mean to hold the ultimate and the relative at the same time?

In contemplative practice we speak of interbeing.
In daily life we also navigate power, identity, and real conditions that shape belonging.

More in my Feb newsletter. ❤️

bit.ly/4tsJ7zO

I’m honored to join Brother Pháp Lưu for a virtual guest lecture at the University of Toronto hosted by Dr. Elli Weisbaum. Together, we’ll explore Bringing Buddhist Perspectives & Mindfulness into Education: a conversation about how mindfulness can support students, educators, and communities.

I’m honored to join Brother Pháp Lưu for a virtual guest lecture at the University of Toronto hosted by Dr. Elli Weisbaum. Together, we’ll explore Bringing Buddhist Perspectives & Mindfulness into Education: a conversation about how mindfulness can support students, educators, and communities.