Tenderness is rarely named in science, leadership, or education, yet it quietly shapes how we care, connect, and lead. In this transformative conversation, speaker, author, and education leader Meena Srinivasan explores tenderness as an affective quality that supports co-regulation through connection, strengthens caring adults, and helps heal disconnection.

Drawing on her TEDx talk on unlocking the hidden powers of tenderness and emerging research, Meena invites educators into a deeper understanding of how tenderness is not weak or sentimental, but connective, sustaining, and essential for cultivating belonging and Beloved Community.

Together we will:

• Understand tenderness as a unique experience, distinct from compassion, and why it plays a vital role in responding to burnout, loneliness, and disconnection
• Explore how tenderness supports co-regulation through connection by fostering emotional availability and attunement, allowing connection itself to become the pathway to regulation, resilience, and trust
• Discover how cultivating tenderness in ourselves and in our relationships creates the conditions for belonging, nonviolence, and collective flourishing in a Beloved Community

At a time when many educators are carrying invisible strain, this session allows us to view tenderness not as a weakness, but as a skillful way of staying connected in hard moments. Designed for educators and open to all, participants will leave with practical ways to cultivate tenderness as a sustaining force for relationships, leadership, and community.