Planting The Seeds of Wellbeing with Alexander Kopelman
Week of January 16, 2027
The Sessions:
Encountering the Authentic Self
We begin at the beginning: with ourselves. Through a guided self-portrait activity, participants explore the gap—and the connection—between their innermost private self and the persona they present to the world. Using a deceptively simple series of reflective questions, we begin to map who we are in our most private inner space, and who we are in the world. The distance between those two portraits tells its own story—and opens a rich, often surprising conversation about what authenticity actually feels like, and why it matters.
Participants leave with their first personal definition of authenticity and a concrete practice: the W.H.O.L.E. framework (see Session 4), introduced briefly as a compass for the week ahead.
Examining Our Social Mirrors
Who shaped the story you tell about yourself? In this session, participants create a personal community map—a visual portrait of the relationships and social environments that have influenced how they see themselves. We explore how socialization, the messages we absorbed from the adults in our own childhoods, and the communities we belong to have functioned as mirrors—some clear, some distorted—through which our self-concepts have formed.
Participants reflect on the ways these same forces are at work in the lives of the children they care for, and consider what it means to be a clearer, more honest, more loving mirror for a young person.
Mapping Our Inner Universes
Each of us contains depths we rarely visit—parts of ourselves that shine brightly, parts we keep carefully in shadow, and parts we have barely begun to explore. In this session, participants create a map of their inner universe: a celestial chart of the self that makes visible what is luminous, what is obscured, and what remains unknown.
This activity, drawn directly from For Real, opens a contemplative space for honest self-inquiry. We explore what it means to choose which parts of ourselves to express—and what the consequences are, for ourselves and for the children watching us, when significant parts of who we are remain in the dark.
Practicing Being W.H.O.L.E.
The series culminates in a full introduction to the W.H.O.L.E. framework—the Children’s Arts Guild’s core practice for lifelong authentic living. Participants explore each of the five dimensions:
- Witness: Being present to your body, mind, and spirit through regular self-check-ins
- Honest: Seeing yourself clearly—your strengths and your struggles—without distortion
- Open: Cultivating genuine curiosity about your own growth and possibility
- Loving: Practicing the kindness and self-compassion that make honest self-examination sustainable
- Expressive: Finding ways to bring the truth of who you are into the world
Participants learn how to practice W.H.O.L.E. in their own lives and how to introduce it to the children in their care—using age-appropriate language, activities, and questions. We close with participants articulating a personal mission statement and a concrete first step for continuing the practice after the week.
Alexander Kopelman is a writer, social entrepreneur, advocate, and coach who has devoted thirty years to advancing social justice and personal empowerment. As Founding President & CEO of the Children’s Arts Guild, he has led the development of nationally recognized programs in authenticity-based social-emotional learning, serving hundreds of educators and thousands of students across the United States. Alex is the author of For Real: Helping Children Remain Their Authentic Selves in a Limiting World (Page Two Books, June 2026), as well as ten previously authored and co-authored books, including The Empress Has No Clothes: Overcoming Self-Doubt to Embrace Success. He is a member of the Authors’ Guild. The Guild’s programs have been presented at South by Southwest EDU, the National School Boards Association Conference, and the National Art Education Association Conference. The Guild is a recognized New York State CTLE Sponsor and an official ASPDP Partner with the NYC Department of Education.
Websites: authenticityworks.org; forrealbook.org
Email: hello@childrensartsguild.org
Instagram / LinkedIn / Substack: @childrensartsguild