The HeyBodhi Story: Why We Became the Digital Bodhi Tree
Meet Sam & Neesha
Samantha Gleisten is an award-winning educator with 25 years of experience. She is the current Head of Innovation at Rogers Park Montessori & is a co-founder of HeyBodhi.
Neesha Nanda is a serial entrepreneur with over two decades of experience reimagining K12 education, specializing in making complex, emerging challenges accessible for schools.
HeyBodhi was born from their deeply personal experiences.
Seven years ago, Sam was sobbing on a staff bathroom floor—crushed under the weight of her students' trauma with nowhere to turn. Years before that, at the beginning of her career, Neesha had fled social work after handling one of Texas's worst child abuse cases. Both had left careers they loved—not from lack of passion, but because these caring professionals were navigating overwhelming emotional weight alone.
In that shared understanding, Sam & Neesha came together to co-found the solution they needed: HeyBodhi
Why "HeyBodhi"?
We chose our name from one of humanity's most profound stories of finding wisdom through the right support.
The Buddha sat beneath the Bodhi tree seeking enlightenment. But here's what matters: the tree didn't give him answers. It gave him shelter—protection from sun, wind, and storm—so he could access the wisdom that was already within him.
The enlightenment was his. The environment was the tree.
A Digital Sanctuary for Educators
HeyBodhi is a sacred space for teachers—not passive, but actively supportive. Just as the Bodhi tree provided real shelter that enabled inner wisdom to emerge, we provide real tools that create the conditions for teachers to rediscover what they already know.
We don't give teachers answers. We give them sanctuary.
Reconnecting with Wisdom
Our digital sanctuary creates a protected space where educators can reconnect with their innate wisdom and passion for teaching.
Providing Shelter
By providing shelter from the storms of the profession, we enable teachers to access their own solutions and insights.
The Teaching Crisis, Decoded
Today's teachers possess extraordinary wisdom—about learning, about children, about the alchemy of inspiration. But they're drowning in a perfect storm:
Secondary trauma
from absorbing their students' pain
Systemic overwhelm
from impossible demands
Professional isolation
in a profession built on relationships
Emotional exhaustion
that buries their natural brilliance
They don't need more training. They need sanctuary.
HeyBodhi: The Digital Bodhi Tree
Just as Buddha's tree provided real, tangible shelter that enabled inner work, HeyBodhi offers active protection from the chaos that suffocates teaching wisdom:
Protection from the Storm
  • Trauma-informed dialogue that validates without judgment
  • Emotional intelligence engine that reads between the lines
  • Crisis-moment interventions when overwhelm threatens to break them
Shelter for Sacred Work
  • 60-second resets that create breathing room in impossible days
  • Career-phase awareness that honors where they are in their journey
  • Conversation frameworks that help them trust their instincts with difficult parents, struggling students, demanding administrators
Environment for Emergence
  • Reflective coaching that asks the questions they need to hear
  • Role-play scenarios where they can practice being their best teaching self
  • Personalized growth pathways that meet them exactly where they are
The Beautiful Paradox
HeyBodhi is simultaneously ancient and cutting-edge. We use the most sophisticated AI to recreate humanity's oldest form of support: a safe space where wisdom can emerge.
We don't give teachers answers—we give them back to themselves.
Our tools don't replace their expertise—they clear away the noise so their brilliance can be heard.
We don't fix what's broken—we shelter what's sacred until it can heal.
Why "Hey"?
Because sanctuary shouldn't feel clinical or distant. When you're drowning, you don't want to "access a support platform"—you want to reach out to someone who immediately understands. Someone who's been there. Someone whose first response is: "Hey, I see you. You're not alone."
Immediate Connection
The simplicity of "Hey" creates an instant bridge between people in need and the support they deserve.
Approachable Support
Our platform feels like a trusted friend rather than a clinical tool, making it easier for educators to reach out when they need help.
The Deeper Truth
Every teacher entered their classroom with fire—the desire to change lives, ignite minds, create magic. That fire isn't gone. It's buried under trauma, overwhelm, and isolation.
HeyBodhi doesn't rekindle the fire. We clear away what's smothering it.
We are the digital Bodhi tree: offering practical protection from the storms that rage around educators, creating the sacred space where their inner teacher—that wise, passionate, brilliant educator they've always been—can finally breathe, remember, and emerge.
The Promise
In your darkest teaching moments—when you're questioning everything, when the weight feels unbearable, when you've forgotten why you became a teacher—HeyBodhi will be your shelter. Not to give you answers you don't have, but to protect the space where your own wisdom can speak.
The enlightenment is yours. We are simply your tree.
Our Invitation: Join Our Summer Pilot Program
This summer, become part of something transformative. Your school isn't just testing a product—you're helping build a sanctuary that truly serves educators.
Early Access
Be among the first to experience our AI-powered teacher mentorship platform before public release.
Shape The Future
Your insights will directly influence how HeyBodhi grows to meet educators' real needs.
Extended Benefit
Pilot participants receive FREE access for a full year after the program concludes.
Innovation Partners
Be acknowledged as pioneers in teacher support innovation (with your permission).
Beyond just features, we're offering a partnership. Together, we'll create the digital Bodhi tree that educators desperately need.
What We're Asking
10 Minutes, 3 Times Weekly
Brief, meaningful interactions with HeyBodhi that fit easily into your schedule.
Quick Pulse Checks
Occasional 5-minute surveys (about twice weekly) to track your experience.
Authentic Feedback
Honest input about what resonates and what needs improvement.
We've intentionally designed this pilot to be low-burden during your summer. Your minimal time investment helps create maximum impact for educators everywhere.
Why This Matters
Self-Funded Mission
We've invested our own resources in HeyBodhi. Our wallets follow our hearts because teachers deserve better.
Addressing Teacher Retention
This isn't just a business. It's our answer to the crisis of educators leaving the profession.
Continuous Evolution
Like the growth mindset we champion, our platform will never stop improving. We're proud of where we are.
Meaningful Impact
Your participation helps us create real support for teachers who carry education's emotional weight.
Thank You
Your partnership this summer will help us ensure we're creating sanctuary for educators everywhere.
We're grateful for your time, insights, and commitment to transforming teacher support.
Questions? Contact us: sam@AIEducators.AI | neesha@AIEducators.AI