This is the story of a simple conversation on a bus.
But it changed the trajectory of my life — and the destiny of my children.
Back in 2015, I was part of the XPRIZE Innovation Board — a small circle of CEOs, engineers, entrepreneurs, and futurists who met once a year to explore the frontiers of technology across the U.S.
On one of those trips, we found ourselves in Boston, visiting cutting-edge robotics labs. And one afternoon, on a bus ride between facilities, I found myself sitting next to Naveen Jain — billionaire entrepreneur, moonshot thinker, and one of the boldest voices I know in education.
But what struck me that day wasn’t what he said about tech or space or AI.
It was what he said about raising his son.
Sitting nearby was his 24-year-old son, Ankur Jain.
Even among this room of accomplished minds, Ankur stood out.
His clarity. His presence. His confidence.
So I asked the obvious question:
“How did you raise a son like that?”
Naveen smiled and said something that would shift the way I viewed parenting forever:
“I exposed my kids to fields of possibility.
Since Ankur was six, I brought him to high-level networking events with me.
He’d sit among CEOs, inventors, and investors.
He didn’t always understand the conversations…
But he absorbed the energy.
And that changed his identity.”
Let that sink in.
Not just classes.
Not tutors.
Not even school.
Environment.
That’s what shapes our children.
Kids rise to the level of the environments we immerse them in.
Yet most parents default to outsourcing their children’s education entirely to traditional schools.
Often well-meaning but disconnected from the needs of the future.
And to be clear — I’m not against schools.
My mother was a public school teacher.
I value the system.
But what Naveen shared showed me something else:
We can do so much more.
What Ankur Jain became will blow your mind
Fast forward ten years…
And the world wouldn’t have guessed who Ankur would ultimately become.
Today, he’s the founder of Bilt Rewards — a company that lets people earn points on rent payments.
That alone is revolutionary.
But get this:
Bilt is now valued at over $4 billion.
And Ankur — still in his 30s — is one of the youngest billionaires in America.
But here’s the mic drop moment:
Naveen didn’t just raise one Ankur.
He raised three remarkable children — each building companies that are making waves in the world.
That’s not luck.
That’s conscious parenting.
That’s what happens when you build environments that stretch a child’s sense of possibility.
The seed that was planted on that bus
That conversation planted a seed.
At the time, my son Hayden was just eight years old.
And I began to wonder:
“What if I could give my son the same kind of exposure?
Not just to information — but to inspiration?
Not just to content — but to context?”
So I started looking for events I could attend with Hayden.
Conferences. Summits. Retreats.
But here’s the thing:
Nothing existed.
There were personal growth seminars, business masterminds, spiritual workshops…
But none welcomed kids.
None were designed for families.
None offered learning that brought parents and children together in the same room.
So we decided to build it.
That’s how Mindvalley University was born
In 2017, we launched the first experimental version of what would become Mindvalley University.
The concept was radical at the time:
What if we created a city-based campus for transformation — for the whole family?
A space where:
- Parents and children could attend together
- The world’s leading teachers could teach both adults and kids
- And learning would be immersive, alive, emotional, and fun — not academic or standardized
So we tried it.
And it worked.
Hayden came every year.
And year after year, I watched him grow — not just academically, but emotionally, socially, spiritually.
Today, he’s applying to Stanford.
He just scored in the top 0.25% of all SAT test-takers.
And yet, when people ask him what his favorite time of year is?
He says:
“Mindvalley University.”
What began as an experiment…has now become a global movement.
The Mindvalley U Revolution
Today, Mindvalley University — now renamed Mindvalley U — happens every year.
And families bring their kids — some as young as six — to explore everything traditional schools never teach:
- Emotional mastery
- Entrepreneurship and investing
- Spirituality and intuition
- Creativity, AI, and future skills
- Conscious relationships
- Resilience and mindset
Because as Naveen showed me…
When you raise children in fields of possibility, they don’t just grow.
They evolve.
They don’t just learn.
They create their future.
What this tells us
Maybe it’s time we stopped outsourcing 100% of our kids’ learning to the school system.
Again — I’m not anti-school.
But schools were designed in a different era.
An era that prized obedience over creativity.
Standardization over self-expression.
And memorization over transformation.
They were built to produce workers.
But what if we’re not here to raise obedient cogs?
What if we’re here to raise visionary creators?
What schools don’t teach (but should)
- How to manage your emotions
- How to bounce back from failure
- How to trust your intuition
- How to build a business
- How to lead with empathy
- How to understand money, investing, and abundance
- How to build a life — not just a résumé
These are the things we teach at Mindvalley U.
Not just for kids.
But for you.
In fact, 70% of attendees come solo, with a partner, or with friends — no kids at all.
This isn’t a “family-only” experience.
It’s a life-university.
What makes Mindvalley U different
It’s not a 3-day seminar or a once-a-year conference.
It’s a 2-week immersive campus in one of the world’s most inspiring cities.
Each day is themed — from consciousness to entrepreneurship to love and leadership.
You’ll experience keynotes, workshops, masterclasses, and deeply connected community gatherings.
Here’s what makes it truly different:
1. You choose your journey.
Come for 3 days. 7 days. Or stay for all 14.
You’re never locked in. You design your path.
2. You don’t just attend. You co-create.
Every participant gets access to the app where you can host your own meetups and sessions.
And from those sessions, we select 50 participants to speak on our main stage.
Yes — you read that right.
Neeraj Naik. Regan Hillyer. Marisa Peer. Jeffrey Allen.
All were first discovered through this community stage.
Today, nearly 50% of Mindvalley’s top teachers were found right here — at Mindvalley U.
This is not just an event. It’s a platform for your voice, your vision, and your next breakthrough.
Join us in Amsterdam
The children’s program is 96% full — with only a few seats left.
The adult program still has tickets available, but they’re moving fast too.
Check availability and apply to attend Mindvalley U.
Whether you’re a parent, a seeker, a teacher, or simply someone reimagining what learning could feel like…
This is the place to be.
Because the future of education is not just about information.
It’s about transformation.
P.S. — What do you think schools should really teach our kids? Leave a comment.
P.P.S. — If you’re a Mindvalley member, check out Naveen Jain’s Quest on Mindvalley, The Power of Boldness. It will really have you thinking bigger about your goals than you ever imagined.
19 Responses
I believe schools should teach all children the power of breathwork. I’m not talking the hour-long lying on a mat releaing trauma type breathwork. I’m talking simple, short, functional breathing exercises. Those that help activate their nervous system when they need energy to get through day’s classes, switching on focus and concentration, and those that down regulate the nervous system to improve sleep, boost digestion and help to manage stress and anxiety. A tool for self-care that they can have whenever they need – falling out with a friend, exam nerves, hormonal mood swings.
Natalie Kitchen – Breath Coach – UK.
I appreciate your offering Mindvalley U to children. Yes! yes! Immersing children in such a rich atmosphere of good vibrations and growth experiences is wonderful.
When you began your story about Boston, I thought you were going to bring up the Sudbury Valley School in Massachusetts, where children literally play their way into adulthood, guiding their own learning, interacting with a variety of people of all ages, and have a say (a vote) in the running of the school.
The man who knows about this the best is Dr. Peter Gray, author of “Free to Learn; Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life.” Do participants a service, invite him to your U.
Finally, I’d love to see this U offered all over the country.
Your Mindvalley U is fantastic, great imparting of knowledge, is futuristic, and you all do great work we can or I cannot fathom much. Unfortunately, many may not be able to go there and learn what is taught.
Back to what schools teach today: Traditional schools teach a totally different curriculum from what they did 10 years ago. Tech knowledge is in almost every classroom.
What our schools lack, let’s look at Pre -schoolers, primary-aged kids, and High school or College goers. Let’s first look at communities and the many different homes, temperaments, and needs of our young and older pupils. If homes are happy, well-paid parents who can afford the needs of their children work and achieve well. If given the chance they can go far, but that warmth for the little ones, needs of our growing teenagers and older learners is more important. respect, gratitude, love and kindness is all there at times, but to go far schools must give more to learners, and learned people like your group could do the job with lower fees.
Hi Vishen,
I believe that schools should instill in students the powerful truth that success, innovation, and accomplishments are not tied to the moment they receive their certificates or degrees or that it’s only for the smart, rich or learned. Instead, the journey begins the moment they set their minds on a goal. With determination, curiosity, and a willingness to learn beyond textbooks—through research, reading, and seeking guidance from those who have walked the path—students can achieve remarkable things even before graduation. Equally important in this fast-paced digital age is the need to stay grounded. Immersing oneself in spirituality and practicing meditation nurtures inner clarity, helping students make sound decisions amidst the overwhelming flood of information. Education must not only sharpen the mind but also strengthen the spirit.
Best regards,
Nalini
After 43 years teaching mathematics, I now have the joy of teaching “Methods for Academic and Personal Success.” My students are 14-15 years old. I borrowed a mantra from our football coaches, “Energy, Attitude, Growth, Success” Some of the topics I teach are listed here. This is a brain-dump, in no particular order.
Goals; Smart Goals
Self-Awareness, Self-Identity, Self-Motivation, Self-Management, Growth Mindset, Curiosity, Visionary Mindset
Critical Thinking, Critical Analysis
The Brain and Learning, Stress and the Brain, Stress Management.
Time Management / Time Thieves
Quality World
The Art of Questioning
Respect, Responsibility, Respectful Behavior, Active Listening
College Sills, Study Strategies, Study Skills, Note Taking, Carnegie Notes, Inquiry
Resilience, in particular Teen Resilience
Teen Mental Health
Service to others, community and the world
How to write a professional email
True Collaboration beyond “Group Work”
Leadership
Effective Communication
Financial Management
Career Cruising
I teach in a large urban public school in Dallas, Tx. USA. The school’s motto is “Access and Opportunity.” We have every sport and activity allowed in a public high school. There are classes in entrepreneurship, finance, budgeting, banking, culinary, and so much more. The opportunities are endless. I teach “college readiness” in the Early College part of the school. Our Early College kids graduate with both a high school diploma and a 2-year college degree. I have turned my college readiness class into more of a life readiness class. Most of our kids are poorly parented. 90% live in poverty. It’s not that the parents do not care. They are uneducated, many without even a high school diploma, and must work long hours just to provide the basic necessities. Most of our students never venture outside the neighborhood, that is riddled with crime. Our teachers take them on field trips to amazing places where the atmosphere is far different then they experience in their neighborhood. In May, the Senior Prom (Formal dinner and dance) was held at the fanciest hotel in Dallas. Sponsors wanted to expose the kids to an atmosphere most wouldn’t even have imagined. The faculty chipped in for tickets, gowns, and suits. 2025-2026 will be my third year in this school. I am willing to commute 40 miles one way to teach in a school where possibilities are endless, diversity is treasured and nurtured, and the faculty really cares. But sadly, our school is not representative of the overall school district.
Resilence and Tolerance are so important for young people. Parents mollycoddle their children too much and life is hard. Because of this we have a generation that “suffer trauma” when really, they are just living LIFE! Wind back a generation or two and our grandparents would be cringeing at how “soft” the kids of today are. I didn’t have Mindvalley University for my kids. I didn’t even have any family to help me raise them. Their dad moved 4000 kms away and I was left on my own to raise three children. I chose my circle very wisely, I knew it was sink or swim and I wanted my children to be just as well balanced, happy and as WHOLE as any of their friends with big families. I did OK. I’m sure my now adult kids will say there were some things that weren’t great but they were bought up to be strong, confident, competent, hard working and likeable people. My son is serving his country in the Army and progressing very well, my middle child is studying communications and working in hospitality and my youngest is studying to be a paramedic and also working as a patient transfer driver. They won’t change the world but they are contributing positively to it and they are all outstanding people. The best thing you can do for youALWAYS tell them the TRUTH, let them know life is hard, at times but it gets better. You get what you give. What you put in you get out. LOVE is the greatest gift in life and your HEALTH is your ultimate wealth! Success can’t be measured by what you have in the bank, but the happiness you hold inside your heart. Money is important but NOT the most important thing in life. Living comfortably is all we need. Do not try to keep up with the Joneses, the only person you need to be better than is the person you were yesterday. Always strive to learn and take the lesson from every knockdown and heart ache. An open mind and an open heart means that YOU are ALWAYS open to the possibilities that come your way! SIMPLE 🙂
I want to see schools introducing community service to students as young as preschool. I believe the earlier we begin, the better. It becomes their personal code of conduct. My daughter began her kind acts of service when she was six weeks old. She was invited to visit a senior living center. She made regular visits until she was in kindergarten. Service became a part of who she is today!
Many of these topics must be mandatory for all school boards to include in their curriculum globally – emotional regulation, self defense: physical & emotional AND spiritual, spirituality & its pervasive validity / potential to success and abundance, financial management, ancestral programming is real – kids should be taught how to identify that in themselves and how to not let it decide who they become or what they make of their life because of it.
Hello Vishen
I agree with what you have created. To gain traction, I have emailed your Media team suggesting MindValley creates a scholarship to raise its profile at a leading global university. Best wishes, Emma
Yes! Yes! Yes! my daughter was right there next to me growing up by my side and has been been very involved in my Mind Valley experience and the conscious communities and all the circle of friends that you guys have. I just really wish I would’ve had the knowledge of communities like what was in this article. I definitely could use that in my growing up. Had to work hard get paid once for not your pay on and on and on. I have been with Mind Valley for pretty much since out of the gate so she grew up I home schooled her for years and we would be on all the events. Then I we had to do the standard stuff(YUCK) just so we wouldn’t get in trouble by the outdated system and people. Now my daughter knows that there are options and has known and loves our vibe a lot better. She went on to go to regular school when she got older she kinda likes a drama of the regular school life. She just showed up very wise, but people really really ask about her and just love the person she has become and that’s all that matters and how they’re treated and how she treats everybody with the upmost respect it’s all about that. And being in service, of course.
I’d like schools to start teaching:
How to cope with uncertainty
How forgiveness works
They can have more than one career path
How to set boundaries with kindness and firmness
How to avoid burnout and people pleasing
There is no such thing as perfection
How to deal with the many different types of loss we experience in a lifetime
Teaching what’s their side of the street to manage, not someone else’s reaction
Learning how uniquely we are built (in all ways)
At this point Waldorf schools are the best.
This is indeed what a school should teach to our kids.As a teacher I’d realized it too! And I think few realized too that at the age of 2.7years old a child can be taught Early Literacy Skills. so that before 4 years old kids are fully equipped ELC skills and they’re ready to aquire complex skills.
I agree with Vishen and Naveen to a point, my wife’s mother was MD in the USA but raised in Cebu Philippines and she away told her children to go and study where the thinkers are, not only study the curriculum but how people think when they teach.
My youngest sons are a the top in HS applying to top universities and also are part of Posse program.
We exposed them to art, science, museums, music, dance, literature, languages, engineering, robotics, traveling, sports, flying lessons, acting, etc
It goes to show definitely exposure to beautiful things, to the best of the best parents can offer their children.
I feel like lot of MindValley University is partying, it should be less of partying more of creative thinking.
I will still attend one of the university summit events, there’s nothing to compare like taking a live event in person.
John Shane Kowalski
Hi Vishen ,
Thanks for sharing the story .
So good to read about son’s story . Well done . Parenting is not easy . I Totally agree on 7 points that should be taught in the school . Children’s mind is like a sponge . They absorb everything, essentially those initial yrs & blue print of their personality is developed within 8 yrs of life . It is crucial to give exposure to right elements. So that one day they could influence the world for better.
Loved reading
Ash (The Apeksha)
I am from Hungary but as soon as my son was born I started to influence him with the English language ( Baby Einstein videos, books, cards, music) I knew it is only temporary living with him in Hungary.
I used live around the Globe before him and when he was 7 we moved to the Netherlands and started international school and picked up the rhythm in couple of months.
Then we moved back to Hungary but to a different town and he went to private British school, then after 1.5 year we moved to New Zealand for 7 months and he was home schooled by me on Australian curriculum and learning about the history and geography of Oceania. Then we moved back to Hungary for a year, new school again. After we moved to London UK. Here he went to public school for the first time which was a real challenge for him to survive (bullies and the harsh environment). With Covid he became homeschooled and never returned to secondary school. I allowed him to work on his YouTube channel , he created and edited daily gaming videos and monetized his channel in 1 year. Then he decided he wants to go to college and study film making. So we prepared for the exams together and he just finished his second year and he loves what he is studying and I know he will be a great film maker, because it is coming from pure passion. He never missed a school day unless he was sick although he is commuting 3 hours per day to get there.
He was also working for my company when I was posting daily videos to my YouTube for more than a year making his own money. I fired him and let him to focus on school only when I started my TV show with a NY based production company.
Now that I was working on my movie script he was the first person I asked for feedback.
And I love that we are synchronized so well in our endeavors.
I don’t like the school system. My mom was a teacher too and I was always the top of my class, but I hated school. Because you have no freedom to think or just be.
My daughter is also homeschooled. She is a visionary artist with extra sensory. Can’t stand the crowded school environment.
I believe schools need to do a better job on how to teach children what it means to be a good human and not bullying other kids in or out of school. It might teach the adults something too!
I agree wholeheartedly that education shouldn’t just be in schools and that in many respects the system is outdated. However, as a primary school teacher in the UK (maybe you were basing these comments on the US), I can tell you for sure that we spend a lot of time teaching children how to manage their emotions especially anxiety (the one everyone is so afraid of now.) We also have many phrases such as ‘i’m not there yet and making marvellous mistakes that we learn and grow from and we try, try and try again to get children to lead with empathy but unfortunately, a lot of what we do in schools is not backed by home which can sometimes make our attempts redundant. I have on many occasions adapted and used things in class that are taught on your platform – meditation, gratitude among others.
I completely agree with you on the money and investment side of things, schools do not do enough. I also ensure when I teach money that I teach about debit and credit and interest (as much as you can to primary school children) but agree it isn’t enough.
Let’s not go to harsh on schools that are underfunded, under supported and underappreciated because there are so many people working hard to improve a child’s opportunities and chance of success in the future. I’ve always wanted to come to Mindvalley university but unfortunately, my choice of career has left me unable to afford it. I do however, try to give my own children experiences that will shape them and their future.
It is truly wonderful that schools are now teaching children about how to manage emotions and how to have a positive mindset. Things have come a long way. It is unfortunate that this is not backed up at home, but I feel schools need to step up and communicate better with parents what is being taught and how these can be reinforced at home. It is not joined up at all. You’ve mentioned underfunding and under-support, but they’re not utilising the best resource – parents – as well as they could. I get that many parents sill say they don’t have time, and it’s not their job – but there are a lot of us who want to be more involved and work as a team. There is much hope for the future based on what you’ve said though!