Meena Srinivasan is an internationally recognized educational leader, speaker, and author dedicated to fostering belonging, emotional well-being, and compassionate leadership in education and communities. For more than two decades, she has championed the vital connection between social and emotional learning (SEL), inclusive leadership, and systemic change to create environments where both young people and adults can thrive.
Meena’s widely viewed TEDx talk on Tenderness—one of the most popular TEDx talks of 2024 with over 2 million views—has elevated her voice as a leading advocate for human connection and healing in these complex and divided times. She explores tenderness as a transformative force that strengthens resilience, deepens relationships, and helps create inclusive, caring communities.
As Executive Director of Transformative Educational Leadership (TEL), Meena leads organizational strategy, programs, fundraising, and impact efforts aimed at preparing equity-conscious leaders to drive meaningful, sustainable change in education systems. Under her leadership, TEL’s groundbreaking Fellowship supports leaders across the country to center belonging and well-being in their work, impacting over 1.5 million students and 116,000 educators to date.
She is also the CEO of Karuna Consulting, LLC, a nationally certified Minority Business Enterprise, through which she offers keynotes, professional learning, and coaching focused on building inclusive communities, cultivating emotional intelligence, and advancing equity.
A National Board Certified Teacher and former district SEL leader, Meena has worked across public, private, urban, and international school contexts, offering deep expertise in creating school cultures that prioritize connection, inclusion, and care.
She is the author of several influential books and resources for educators, including Teach, Breathe, Learn: Mindfulness In and Out of the Classroom and SEL Every Day: Integrating SEL with Instruction in Secondary Classrooms, which was honored by the Greater Good Science Center as one of 2019’s Favorite Books for Educators. She has also taught graduate-level SEL courses at UC Berkeley.
Beyond her professional work, Meena is an ordained Buddhist Dharma Teacher (Dharmacharya) in the tradition of Zen Master and Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, Thich Nhat Hanh and serves on the Board of the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation. As one of the youngest lay Dharma Teachers—and a mother—she brings a rare and deeply grounded perspective to her work, illuminating how tenderness, belonging, and inclusive leadership can reshape communities.
She lives in San Diego County, California.