How does our inner resilience and well-being reflect that of our communities and of our physical environment and planet?

Large-scale injustices such as racism, gender inequity and lack of equal rights for marginalized people not only erode our individual and collective health and spirit, but are also destructive to the planet. Can emotional resilience in the face of these injustices be the answer on how we build resilience and just practices for the planet? 

Dekila Chungyalpa, Director of the Loka Initiative at the Center for Healthy Minds, Gary Besaw, Ex-Chairman of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, Heather McTeer Toney, Field Director of Moms Clean Air Force and Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, Atmospheric Scientist and Director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University, explore how vulnerability can transform into strength and how internal, community and environmental resilience are all necessary for each one of us to thrive. 

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Gary Besaw

Director of the Department of Agriculture and Food Systems and the ex-chairman of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin

Besaw has been an educator, a vice principal, curriculum director, a superintendent and dean of student services over the years.He is currently focused on stopping the “Back Forty” mine project, an open pit metallic sulfide mine planned at the source of the Menominee River, the sacred place of origin for the Menominee people.

Dekila Chungyalpa

Director, The Loka Initiative, the Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Chungyalpa is the director of the Loka Initiative, a capacity building and outreach platform at the University of Wisconsin–Madison for faith leaders who work on environmental and climate issues. She began her career working extensively on community-based conservation in the Himalayas and led the development of regional climate change adaptation and sustainable solutions for hydropower in the Mekong region for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) from 2001 to 2011. In 2008, she helped His Holiness the Karmapa establish Khoryug, an association of over 50 Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and nunneries implementing environmental projects across the Himalayas.

In 2009, Chungyalpa founded and led WWF Sacred Earth, a 5-year pilot program that built partnerships with faith leaders and religious institutions towards concrete conservation results in the Amazon, East Africa, Himalayas, Mekong, and the United States. She is originally from the Himalayan state of Sikkim in India and speaks Sikkimese, Tibetan, Nepali, Hindi and English fluently. 

Katharine Hayhoe

The Political Science Endowed Professor in Public Policy and Public Law and Co-director of the Climate Center at Texas Tech University

Hayhoe is an accomplished atmospheric scientist who studies climate change and why it matters to us here and now.

She is also a remarkable communicator who has received the American Geophysical Union’s climate communication prize, the Stephen Schneider Climate Communication award, the United Nations Champion of the Earth award, and been named to a number of lists including Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, Foreign Policy’s 100 Leading Thinkers, and FORTUNE Magazine’s World’s Greatest Leaders.

Heather McTeer Toney

National Field Director, Moms Clean Air Force, Activist, Speaker, Writer

McTeer Toney is a self-proclaimed, "recovering politician" who served as Regional Administrator for Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Southeast Region, under President Barack Obama and two term Mayor of Greenville, Mississippi. McTeer Toney is an international figure in the area of environmental policy, public service, diversity and community engagement, advocating and training diverse officials on leadership and climate  in over 15 countries including Kenya, France, Portugal, Nigeria and Senegal. Known for her energetic and genuine commitment to people, her work has made her a renowned leader in the area of public service, environmental justice and community engagement. 

Richard J. Davidson

Founder, Center for Healthy Minds & Healthy Minds Innovations, William James & Vilas Professor of Psychology & Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin–Madison

 Davidson is best known for his groundbreaking work studying emotion and the brain. A friend and confidante of the Dalai Lama, he is a highly sought after expert and speaker, leading conversations on well-being on international stages such as the World Economic Forum, where he serves on the Global Council on Mental Health. Time Magazine named Davidson one of “The 100 Most Influential People in the World” in 2006.

Resilient Minds, Resilient Planet was a part of THE WORLD WE MAKE: 2020, a week-long series of virtual events that included lively conversation, well-being tips and the opportunity to hear from well-being experts and special guests, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama. 

This event and others are supported by the generosity of individuals and organizations who share our vision of a kinder, wiser, more compassionate world.

A significant portion of our funding comes from supporters who give to the Center for Healthy Minds, enabling a variety of projects – whether it’s understanding how the brain works or bringing well-being skills out into the world. 

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