What does it mean to grow fiercely?

To celebrate my 43rd birthday our family took a trip to Joshua Tree National Park. It was my first visit there and I was just in awe. My husband, a die hard U2 fan, had us listening to their Joshua Tree album as we basked in the landscape.

The Joshua Tree is a powerful source of inspiration and contemplation.

Each tree grows fiercely in harsh conditions. Every tree is incredibly unique with their own story to tell, serving as symbols of hope amidst the dry landscape.

Growing fiercely for me means:

• Even when it’s hard — be dedicated to my evolution.
• Embrace this lifelong journey of ten thousand joys and ten thousand sorrows.
• Grow in a way that’s passionate and robust.

What does growing fiercely mean to you?

This time in Joshua Tree National Park has invited me into a deeper exploration of how nature is a teacher and it is in that spirit that I share one of my favorite quotes from Robin Wall Kimmerer:

Honoring Mother Earth

Finally, as we explore how nature can be a teacher I offer three powerful guiding questions from my mentor John Bell to help us reflect more deeply on our relationship with our beloved Mother Earth. It was these questions in his 2021 Earth Day Sermon that inspired me to write Transformative SEL as a Catalyst for Climate Action. May these questions be a source of inspiration and reflection.

Author Bio: Meena Srinivasan is a contemplative leader, celebrated speaker, accomplished author, and visionary edupreneur. She is an educator-activist at heart, consistently championing the fusion of Mindfulness, Emotional Intelligence, and Belonging. Meena was featured as one of 2022’s 10 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement in Mindful Magazine and is the Executive Director of Transformative Educational Leadership (TEL)™ an organization that supports educational leaders in building more compassionate and just schools. A former public school administrator and National Board Certified Teacher, Meena is the creative force behind the SEL Every Day Online Courses, an instructor of graduate level Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) courses at UC Berkeley and the CEO of Karuna Consulting, LLC, an organization that takes its name from the Sanskrit word ‘Karuna,’ signifying compassion. Karuna Consulting is a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) driven by a profound mission: to foster a more compassionate world through Meena’s keynotes, professional learning, coaching, and consulting services. She is the author of numerous publications including Teach, Breathe, Learn and SEL Every Day. The latter was honored as one of 2019’s Favorite Books for Educators by the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. Her TEDx talk on Tenderness is one of the most popular TEDx talks of 2024 (with over 2 million views). Meena has been practicing yoga and meditation for over 25 years, is an ordained Zen Buddhist and serves on the Board of the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation. Learn more at meenasrinivasan.com.