Dr. Ilana Nankin—the Founder & CEO of Breathe For Change—is an award-winning entrepreneur, teacher educator, and former public school teacher committed to using wellness as a vehicle for healing and social change. Ilana earned degrees in both psychology and education at UC Berkeley, and received her Ph.D. 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, yoga, and social-emotional learning can have on educators 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 the world's only 200-hour Wellness, SEL, and Yoga Teacher Training specifically for educators, and provides wellness and social-emotional learning professional development for schools, districts, and organizations. Since 2015, Breathe For Change has certified 6,000+ educators as yoga teachers through their 200-hour training, who are now positively impacting the lives and well-being of over 1 million students around the country.