My Story
Hello, I’m Menka Sanghvi. 👋🏽
I’m passionate about finding ways to nurture our human capacities for mindfulness, curiosity and wonder in this Digital Age.
I was born at a time when there was only 341.50 ppm CO² in the atmosphere, and the internet had not yet been invented. My childhood was happy and safe, although I grew up in the Middle East through the turbulence of the Gulf War.
Later I graduated with honours as a Physicist from Cambridge University, and my thesis was on the role of bias in seeing clearly. I became fascinated with how to understand complex challenges and did a second Masters in Sustainable Development with Forum for the Future, where we studied with a radical mix of faculty, including environmentalists, corporate leaders, policy experts, and monks.
For over 15 years, I worked as an innovation specialist in the social sector on problems such as climate change, access to water, and the refugee crisis. I was a senior consultant and advisor to the UN, Oxfam, WaterAid, and other global non-profits, co-founder of the award-winning Impact Hub, and a partner of the systems change consultancy Reos. During this time, I had the opportunity to teach and mentor widely. In 2011 the British Council recognised me as a “significant force in the creative economy”.
My biggest insight from these experiences at the frontline of social change – which seems so obvious in retrospect – was that for any of us to truly care for our communities and our planet, we must feel care inside ourselves. I decided to shift my work and contribution to explore this. Building on my personal meditation practice in the Jain wisdom tradition, I undertook further training in modern mindfulness, yoga and breathwork, neuroscience, and mental wellbeing. I studied with inspiring teachers at institutes such as the Greater Good Science Centre.
In 2017 I founded Just Looking: a creative project to share ideas and practices around mindful curiosity. I also work with a few organisations as an independent consultant, including Mind Over Tech, the Mindfulness Initiative, and the UNDP, on what I call “inside-out” projects. All of these endeavours treat cultivating capacities of the heart and mind as the starting point for personal, societal, and systemic change.
The role of technology in being mindful is a major focus of my current work. There is a lot to be concerned about, but equally, it is exciting to reimagine how technology (especially AI and wearables) can deeply support us to be more fully human. This is why I am a founding investor of Stix a design company that is making mindfulness training fun for children. I’m also writing a book about how to make our digital habits more intentional.
When not surrounded by post-it notes, or trying to meditate, I’m likely found on long muddy walks – often with my camera or binoculars serving as physical reminders for me to slow down and pay attention. I live just outside London with my husband and son, very close to a rare community of down shieldbugs.
I appreciate your interest in my work. If you’ve read this far, please feel free to get in touch to say hello. Or come find me on Instagram.
