Dr. Ilana Nankin
Dr. Ilana Nankin—the Founder & CEO of Breathe For Change—is an award-winning entrepreneur, teacher educator, and former San Francisco pre-k teacher committed to using wellness as a vehicle for healing and social change. Ilana received her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction at University of Wisconsin. Her dissertation revealed the critical connection between educator well-being and student learning, and the positive impact that wellness and social-emotional learning can have on teachers and students’ lives. Inspired by her research, Ilana founded Breathe For Change, a movement on a mission to enhance the health and well-being of educators, students, and entire communities. Breathe For Change offers mind-body wellness, social-emotional learning, and yoga teacher trainings for educators and community leaders, and provides wellness and SEL professional development for schools, districts, and organizations. Since 2015, Breathe For Change has certified 4,000+ educators through their 200-hour training, and positively impacted the lives of 500,000+ students. Ilana and Breathe For Change will continue strengthening and caring for educators, students, and communities until individual and collective well-being becomes a reality for all human beings.