This session offers a gentle space to meet the emotions we often avoid—fear, anxiety, anger, grief, or shame—with curiosity and care. Rather than pushing them away, we’ll practice turning toward these visitors with mindfulness and compassion. Through guided inner work, we’ll explore how feeling, without rejection or attachment, can lead to greater resilience, self-understanding, and emotional freedom.

Emiliana Rodríguez is Co-founder and Chief Content Officer at Made for Joy. Her main field of expertise is the intersection between Neuroscience, Education, Contemplative practices and Technology. She has a background in Physics, a Master’s degree in Mind, Brain and Education from Harvard University and more than 20 years of intensive training on contemplative practices. Emiliana is also the co-founder and former Education Director of AtentaMente, a not-for-profit organization that has developed impactful social and emotional learning (SEL) programs for corporate settings, government, and education. She collaborated with the Ministry of Education in Mexico, designing SEL programs and imparting workshops that have impacted more than 80,000 teachers and more than 25 million children in Mexico. She has co-authored seven books on Social and Emotional Learning skills and ethics, delivered more than 300 key-notes conferences and served previously as a consultant for organizations such as the Mind and Life Institute, Research Schools International, UNDP, UNESCO, and many others. Finally, Emiliana is Chair of Mexico for Global Dignity, part of the Steering Committee of Karanga, the Global Alliance for Social and Emotional Learning, teacher at Universidad Iberoamericana, and a consultant for the World Bank.

This session is part of the FREE Contemplation by Design Summit, Oct. 15-27, 2025.

The full summit schedule is posted at: https://med.stanford.edu/contemplation/summit.html.

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stanford-contemplation-by-design-summit-2025-online-oct-15-27-registration-1520413249959