A Leader through Action ~ Meghan Pappenheim
Meghan Pappenheim at the 2012 BaliSpirit Festival
The BaliSpirit Festival mission is rooted in the Balinese Hindu concept of Tri Hita Karana:
Harmony with God
Harmony in Community
Harmony with Nature
Festival Co-Founder, Meghan Pappenheim is a true social entrepreneur who lives the mission of the festival through Karma Yoga ~ selfless service.
Along with her life partner and festival Co-Founder, Kadek Gunarta, Meghan has spearheaded an abundant list of companies and non-for-profits to include the BaliSpirit Festival, Bali ReGreen, a bamboo reforestation program in East Bali; and Ayo! Kita Bicara HIV/AIDS, an awareness program for Balinese youth that focuses on the realities of HIV and AIDS.
Read on for insight into this amazing woman, her life accomplishments and her values.
Bring yourself to the BaliSpirit Festival to experience Tri Hita Karana.
The following bio was extracted from:
https://balispiritfestival.com/about#aboutfounders_anchor
Meghan Pappenheim, Director of the BaliSpirit Group & Executive Producer of the BaliSpirit Festival, is originally from New York City, where she started her first business at the age of 9 selling plant seedlings to her neighbors and handcrafted silver and beaded jewelry to the mothers of her friends.
Meg arrived in Bali circa 1992 at the ripe age of 20 to complete her BA in Art History, Anthropology and Asian Studies with a focus on Indonesian Arts and Culture and the Indigenous Folk Art of Bali; it was then that she met the man who became her life partner, Kadek Gunarta. During 20 years of partnership Meg and Dek have birthed two adorable children, as well as a vibrant group of companies based in Ubud, including Balispirit.com, the definitive website for Bali’s growing holistic scene and the Internationally known BaliSpirit Festival, now in its 6th year.
Although certified to teach in 2002, Meghan never materialized as a yoga instructor, but feels strongly that the practice of yoga greatly enhances people’s lives on every level. This realization was a driving force behind the creation of the annual BaliSpirit Festival.
Meghan’s list of projects go on and on. The list of companies and non-for-profits that she and her husband birthed and continue to manage, include the two mentioned above, as well as: Tegun Folk Art Galeri, The BaliSpirit Yoga Shop, The Yoga Barn, Kush Ayurvedic Rejvenation Center as well as the restaurants Kafe (a health food restaurant) and Kebun (a Bistro inspired by the South of France). Meg’s non-for-profit endeavors include the creation Bali ReGreen, a bamboo reforestation program in East Bali; Ayo! Kita Bicara HIV/AIDS, an awareness program for Balinese youth that focuses on the realities of HIV and AIDS; the Say NO! To Plastics Campaign, a plastic bag reduction program for Ubud (no longer operating). Meg is also on the board of directors for Yayasan Cahaya Pelangi, better known as Pelangi School, and on the board of Yayasan Kryasta Guna, a non-for-profit arts and culture organization founded by her husband whose mission is to inspire local kids from Padangtegal, Ubud to continue studying about their traditions. Meg is also well known for producing unique and fun fundraising events for a variety of organizations around Bali such as Bumi Sehat Clinic, Rotary and more.
Meghan believes wholly in the theory that one should make money in order to give it away, or, rather, invest it in others who have the need. She believes that generosity makes the world go round and that people who practice the art of giving will have endless gifts given to them in return.
For more information about meghan, you can google her and see what crazy stories come up.
Written by : Jocelyn Gordon