Building Something That Belongs to Many

By Tessa Karel, Executive Director

Tessa smiles in a tan blazer against a background of trees and greenery.

This spring, I stepped into a new role as Executive Director of Open Up.

Over the past few months, I've realized that becoming Executive Director has felt less like stepping into something new and more like continuing a journey I've been fortunate to be part of for many years.

The role itself came after a season of reflection. Following an interim leadership period, our board and staff together recognized that Open Up had reached a point where having an Executive Director would help support the organization's next chapter. I'm grateful for their trust, and even more grateful for the opportunity to help steward what so many people have built together.

Open Up began long before there was an organization. It started with a simple conviction I had: we all have the capacity to notice, regulate, connect, care for one another, and experience joy.

Yet somewhere along the way, many of us are taught to disconnect from those parts of ourselves. The places where these practices are offered can also come with barriers—financial, physical, cultural, or emotional—that leave people wondering whether they belong there at all.

That belief became a question that still guides us today:

How do we build spaces where everyone can practice caring for themselves and one another—without barriers to belonging?

What I couldn't have imagined then was how many people would help answer that question.

What eventually became Open Up grew through the work of three co-founders and a community of people who believed that wellbeing, belonging, and connection should never depend on someone's ability, background, income, or whether they fit an expected mold.

Students, educators, families, volunteers, staff, board members, community partners, and funders have each shaped Open Up into something far greater than any one person could have designed. That's one of the beautiful things about nonprofit work. You begin with a vision, but if you're doing it well, it eventually belongs to many people.

The organization we have today is better than the one I originally imagined—not because the vision changed, but because so many people have helped shape it.

One of my favorite moments this year was watching our new Ambassadors of Wellness program begin to take on a life of its own. Over a series of weeks, our educators supported middle and high school students in developing mindfulness practices, leadership skills, and confidence. During a culminating leadership event, those students stepped into the role of teacher, leading mindfulness and movement activities with younger peers. They weren't only sharing techniques—they were discovering that they had something meaningful to offer someone else.

In another program, a student noticed a friend becoming overwhelmed and chose to share a regulation strategy they had practiced together. No adult prompted them. They simply recognized someone needed support and responded with care.

Those moments stay with me because people sometimes ask if what we do is about mindfulness or movement. Those are certainly part of it. But they're not the destination. They're invitations—small, practical ways for people to begin caring for themselves differently so they can care for one another differently.

That's the community we're trying to build.

I've seen an educator pause before responding to a challenging interaction with a student. I've watched students discover they can become leaders for younger peers. I've seen teams begin talking differently about how they support one another through difficult days. Those moments may seem small, but I've learned they have a remarkable way of changing classrooms, workplaces, and communities over time.

As Executive Director, I don't see my role as carrying a vision on my own. I see it as helping create the conditions for great people to do meaningful work together, continuing to listen, continuing to learn, and continuing to ask how Open Up can best serve the communities that place their trust in us.

To everyone who has been part of Open Up's story so far—thank you. Your ideas, encouragement, partnership, and belief have shaped who we are today.

And if our paths haven't crossed yet, I'd love to meet you. Whether you're an educator, nonprofit leader, business, community partner, funder, volunteer, or someone who believes we all have a role in building healthier, more connected communities, I hope we'll have the opportunity to learn from one another.