Dr. Ilana Nankin — Founder and Co-CEO of Breathe for Change — is an award-winning entrepreneur, teacher educator, and former public school teacher. Ilana earned degrees in psychology and education from UC Berkeley and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her dissertation revealed the critical connection between educator well-being and student learning, and the transformative impact of wellness and social-emotional learning on classroom communities.

Inspired by her research, she founded Breathe for Change — a movement dedicated to bringing wellness, inspiration, and community to every educator and student in the world. As one of the lead professors of this Human Intelligence course, Ilana weaves her expertise in embodied awareness, social-emotional learning, and systemic well-being throughout the curriculum. Her leadership and vision ground the course’s theory of change: empowering educators to transform themselves, transform their teaching, and ultimately transform the way students learn. Ilana lives in San Francisco, and is also the proud mother of two precious daughters, Aliya and Zoe, and applies everything she knows from being a pre-k teacher to her role as a parent.

Michael Fenchel, Breathe for Change’s Co-founder and Co-CEO, is a transformative educator and social entrepreneur who has founded four mission-driven organizations at the intersection of education, well-being, and community-building. He brings over two decades of experience designing and leading programs that help individuals and communities develop the inner capacities needed to unleash their potential and foster meaningful impact. His work is grounded in a deep commitment to translating insight into action, supporting leaders in aligning personal purpose with collective transformation.

A lifelong learner of both science and spirit, Michael holds a degree in math and physics from the University of Michigan and has been a dedicated meditation practitioner for over 20 years. He is especially passionate about integrating rigorous analytical thinking with contemplative practice, creative expression, and embodied learning. Outside of work, he is an avid freestyle rapper, using improvisation and rhythm as a playful doorway into presence, creativity, and human connection–core elements of the Human Intelligence framework he brings to this course.

Sam Levine is the Chief Product Officer at Breathe For Change, a member of the founding team, and a Professor of Psychology and Mindfulness. He began his career as an educator, first as an ESL teacher in the Middle East and later as a middle school science teacher in Washington, D.C. Sam holds a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University with a concentration in mind-body and spirituality practices. A longtime mindfulness practitioner, Sam integrates contemplative practice with modern psychological science to cultivate awareness, compassion, and resilience. Over the past decade, he has taught social-emotional learning, wellness, and leadership skills to educators, organizational teams, and business leaders. His interdisciplinary background bridges evidence-based research with practical tools for embodied teaching and personal transformation.