Meghan Pappenheim, Co-Founder, BaliSpirit
We live in a world dominated by screens, notifications, and endless streams of content, where the search for meaning, authentic connection, and inner calm has become its own quiet crisis. Despite the constant connectivity, there’s a quiet emptiness — a yearning for moments that feel real, for spaces where people can breathe, reflect, and truly connect. It is precisely this feeling—this profound human need for sanctuary—that has been the guiding force behind Meghan Pappenheim’s life and work. It all began with a spark of that very feeling, ignited in a quiet room when she was just a child. Meg still remembers that moment, the very first time she felt completely relaxed and at peace. She was barely twelve when her mother took her to meet an Indian guru who was offering individual sound healing sessions.
During a session, he placed crystal bowls on her stomach and guided her through a sound meditation. That experience was unlike anything she had ever known — deeply peaceful, strange, and quietly transformative. It was the moment she first glimpsed the vast potential of healing, energy, and spirituality. Not long after, she found yoga. At thirteen, Meg was the youngest participant in Hatha classes at New York’s Open Center, surrounded by adults twice her age. But she loved every minute of it. She even saved money in secret to take private Iyengar lessons. Those early sessions shaped how she related to her body, mind, and spirit, planting the seeds of self-awareness and inner strength that would stay with her for life.
But the place that truly shaped her worldview was the United Nations International School. In a time when divisions in the U.S. feel increasingly stark, she often reflects on how fortunate she was to grow up in a community where her closest friends came from every culture, faith, and colour. They weren’t just classmates, they were her family. That environment taught her to appreciate people from all walks of life, to see people for who they are, not where they come from. It shaped her into someone who sees herself as part of a larger world, not just one country. It was also during those years that she fell in love with the musical traditions her friends introduced her to, eventually exploring Cuban percussion, Salsa, and Afro-Haitian dance.
By seventeen, Meg had traveled to the Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy in Pennsylvania. She volunteered in kitchens, scrubbed bathrooms, and did every chore imaginable in exchange for the chance to study. Immersed in daily practice, meditation, and stretches of silence, she began to understand yoga not just as a practice, but as a way of life — a framework for living with discipline, awareness, and intention. Those formative months laid the foundation for everything that came after. Spiritually, they set her on a path Meg continues to follow today, while also reinforcing a quiet, early instinct to create and build. Entrepreneurship had always been part of her story. At eight, she started a small business — selling flower bulbs to her neighbors so they could all plant them in the front to make the building prettier. The practice of daily yoga didn’t ignite that drive, but they taught her how to merge purpose, creativity, and service — a blend that remains the cornerstone of everything she does.
A Sanctuary for Spiritual and Physical Renewal
As a college student, Meg spent a year traveling through Italy and Greece before landing in Bali. Immersed in the island’s language, art, and traditions, she completed her degree in Art History, Anthropology, and Asian Studies with a focus on Bali’s Indigenous Folk Art. On that trip, she fell in love with the island, its rich culture, way of life, and spiritual energy. That same year, Meg met ‘Dekgun’ Gunarta, her partner. Together, Meg and Dek went on to build a family and a community of businesses that continue to support local culture, wellness, and social development across Bali.
In 2007, Meg and Dek opened The Yoga Barn in Ubud, in collaboration with a close friend, Charley Patton. What started as a simple idea — to create a space for practice and community quickly grew into a renowned wellness center, offering yoga, dance, meditation, sound healing, and many other healing modalities. But Meg felt a calling to expand this sense of community beyond the studio walls. Inspired by her global upbringing and a trip to WOMAD, the world music festival, she wondered why not bring that same multi-cultural energy to Bali?
This vision led to the birth of BaliSpirit Festival: a purposeful celebration rooted in the Balinese philosophy of Tri Hita Karana—harmony with nature, people, and spirit. Launched in 2008 with co-founders, Dekgun and Robert Weber, the festival grew from a single gathering into a global phenomenon, drawing thousands of international participants from more than 60 countries each year. And while it has expanded in scale and recognition, the festival has remained true to its origins: a platform for healing, cultural exchange, and community-building, supporting initiatives like HIV/AIDS awareness and bamboo reforestation, while continuing Meg’s mission to help Bali thrive sustainably and mindfully. “My driving motivation and vision have always been to create moments for human connection, whether through environments, programs, physical experiences, heart-centered relationship building, or by simply having a good time,” asserts Meg.
Rising Through Adversity
From building The Yoga Barn and launching the BaliSpirit Festival to nurturing a growing community in Ubud, Meg’s journey is nothing short of inspiring. But it hasn’t been all glossy milestones and smooth sailing. She had to navigate countless hurdles to get to where she is today. From financial crises in 1998 and 2008 to the Bali bombings, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and the global pandemic, each challenge tested her resilience, her commitment to community, and, at times, her sanity. The volcanic eruption of 2017 was one of the hardest. She was in New York, caring for her seriously ill mother, while her team in Bali faced constant tremors, eruptions, and fear. Yet, every day, the teachers and staff showed up, keeping the community together. Watching their perseverance reminded her why she does what she does. Then the pandemic hit — maybe the toughest test of all. In early 2022, they were just weeks away from bankruptcy. But what she learned through that experience was invaluable: how to dismantle, restructure, and rebuild a business with integrity. “It was like a real-world MBA. I learned that growth isn’t just about expansion — it’s also about knowing how to contract, adapt, and regenerate,” she shares.
It also showed her how real burnout can be, not just for her, but for the whole team. She realized that balance isn’t about checking boxes — it’s about knowing when to push, when to pause, and when to let go. “Businesses, like people, must evolve. The Yoga Barn, and Bali itself, today doesn’t look and feel like it did twenty years ago — everything has evolved. Change is growth, which, ultimately, is a good thing,” adds Meg.
Cultivating a Collaborative, Empowering Culture
Initially, as a leader, Meg was extremely hands-on — some might even call it micromanaging. She wanted every detail to perfectly reflect her vision. Over time, she learned to step back, trust her team more, and let people bring their own creativity and ideas into the process. Today, her leadership is more collaborative and fluid, sometimes even a little laissez faire. For Meg, it’s never about controlling how people get from A to B, but about ensuring they reach the goal with integrity, enthusiasm, and joy. She understands that everyone works differently — some thrive on structure, others on intuition — and her role is to create an environment where all those approaches are valued. “I’ve also learned that perfection isn’t the goal — impact is. My role is to create a culture where people feel empowered to experiment, make mistakes, and grow. Leadership, for me, has become less about control and more about cultivating trust and shared purpose,” opines Meg.
Finding Calm amid Life’s Demands
For Meg, balance hasn’t always looked the same. In her earlier years, she was always on the move —running businesses, raising a family, and building community — all at once. Back then, she could juggle it all without stopping to think much about balance. But over the years, that’s changed. These days, she’s learned to slow down and allow herself to rest. She loves long, easy conversations and time spent laughing with people she cares about. When she needs quiet, she’ll sit by the ocean or among the trees and just breathe. That’s her way of finding calm. Her biggest source of balance, though, comes from her family, community, and the people she’s built her life around in Bali. As she puts it, “Love, laughter, and meaningful connection are the real anchors in my life.”
Meghan’s Guide to Meaningful Entrepreneurship
For Meg, building a business has never been just about profits — it’s always been about people. She encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to start by looking both inward and outward: to understand what truly moves them, and at the same time, pay close attention to what their community needs. Meaningful ventures, she says, are born at that intersection. “It’s not about chasing trends. It’s about creating something that genuinely adds value, something that matters,” she explains.
She’s also quick to point out that a model that works in Bali might not work elsewhere. The key is to tune into the specific rhythms and needs of your own environment. Most importantly, she advises entrepreneurs to trust their gut and do what they love. “When founders are genuinely passionate about what they do, that energy radiates to their team, their clients, and their entire community,” she emphasizes.
From Bali to the World: Leading the Next Wave of Healing
As Meg looks toward the future, her vision extends far beyond Bali. She observes that in today’s fast-paced and often overwhelming world, people are craving a deeper kind of healing through emotional release, trauma resolution, and a renewed sense of connection and a return to community. “We’re living in a world that’s collectively traumatized — by politics, media, conflict, and uncertainty. Even when we’re not personally affected by war or crisis, we’re constantly witnessing it through our screens,” she elaborates. In response, she sees the wellness movement evolving toward more somatic and expressive practices, modalities that help people release what they’re carrying rather than just manage it. This shift is already visible in the expanding programs at The Yoga Barn and the BaliSpirit Festival, which now feature somatic release, trauma-informed healing, and dance therapy. Globally, she supports emerging approaches to self-development, including plant medicine and microdosing, recognizing their potential to spark conscious transformation. Though these practices aren’t legal in Indonesia, she sees their promise elsewhere. Today, Meg’s focus is increasingly on mentorship and consulting. “I see myself as a ‘fire starter’ — I’ve lit many sparks here in Bali, and I’m thrilled to see similar movements spreading worldwide. My greatest joy now is helping others create their own spaces and experiences for wellness, transformation, and community,” she muses with quiet conviction.