Over the past couple of years, Padma has taken a step back from the Halio School and has passed the principal’s reins into the capable hands of Mr Vincent, enabling what she terms her “semi-retirement”. She still manages the school finances, looks after new student enrolments and is of course on hand for any potential crisis management, but she has stepped back from the day-to-day running of the school, confident that it will continue to flourish without her, a bit like a child who has reached adulthood, as has Padma’s son, who is now studying and living independently in Colorado.  The school was “born” in 2006 with eight children in a single room in Padma’s home, in 2010 it took over a whole house with its 28 children, and by 2013, a decade ago now, it was in its present location, catering for children from kindergarten up to their primary school graduation.  Today, the school has even extended a further year, at the request of its oldest cohort, and Padma fields enrolment request for more children than the school can accommodate.

Padma was born in Miami, USA, 49 years ago.  The family moved to Nepal when she was 7 years old.  Although this journey was supposedly for a single year, it involved many changes and required many adaptations from family members, yet Padma embraced the opportunity with open arms.  She recalls her first “paid” job at the age of 7 was conducting conversations with the children of the local shopkeepers, who were keen for their children to acquire more English. As payment for her “lessons”, Padma received candy, which supplemented what she was able to purchase with her limited allowance. At the conclusion of the year in Nepal, the family of 3, Padma being an only-child, returned to the United States, but found themselves yearning for Nepal.  Padma’s father, a social worker by profession, managed to save USD 100,000 in a period of only 2 years, selling used cars, a remarkable feat in the 1980s, to enable the family’s return to Nepal.

Padma has always had a strong affinity with the natural world, as well as with her family. She recalls idyllic holidays in her father’s native Maui, where she received lots of love and attention from his friends and got to swim naked under beautiful waterfalls.  Nepal, as well, was able to provide this feeling of immersion in nature that Padma finds so attractive. Padma is very close to her elderly mother, who has lived with her in a multigenerational family unit for the last twenty years.

Her father’s early passing and the inheritance he left her gave Padma the ability to try out a variety of endeavours when she graduated from high school before she committed to her university studies.  She volunteered in 5 completely different settings, before deciding to pursue a degree in psychology, majoring in childhood development as she had always had more than a passing fondness for education.  However, studying a teaching degree was not an option as it was not available at her chosen tertiary establishment. Padma met John, her husband of 28 years, who she says “is always fanning her flame” at a meditation retreat when she was only 21. He works in relationship counselling and it is with him that she learnt to function well in an intimate relationship.

As a student herself, Padma was very much a “people-pleaser” who put considerable effort into her studies, was adept at assisting others with conflict resolution strategies and was considered by teachers as a “defender of the underdog”. All this rings true with the person you meet today, though Padma has also continued to add to her strengths and capabilities.  Her spoken Thai is now so fluent that Thai people who encounter her first through a phone call can be quite taken-aback when they meet this petite, vivacious redhead in person, having assumed they were speaking to a Thai national. Padma is also impressed when people compliment her on the school.  She is proud of being able to help children who are fearful, stifled or shut-down to heal in the positive, friendly and joyful learning environment she has created. But she was most proud when her son told her he wanted to be more like her.

When the family decided to call Thailand home in 2002, they made an extensive search for a town that would meet all their requirements.  For John to have a suitable English-speaking client base for his skills, the pair settled here in Hua Hin after looking at a number of places, including Padma’s favourite, Chiang Mai.  Although she has come to really appreciate all that Hua Hin offers her family, she still perceives a lack of a defined spiritual community in the area, so would still like to see Hua Hin grow in the diversity of its populace.

Padma remains optimistic about where our world is headed, despite conceding that in some areas there are some dark clouds looming.  Although it would be easy to allow negativity to grow, Padma prefers to seek out improvements being made, such as is the case with the Hudson River.  Previously so polluted that it had been known to catch on fire, it is now clear and blue and its biodiversity is showing significant improvement.

Padma pointed to two things as her most significant life achievements.  Naturally, the first one is the Halio School. A second project was some years ago in Colorado where she was able to secure investors in a property purchase, to enable the establishment of a meditation centre.  Raising $40,000 dollars that way, the meditation group paid down the mortgage and had a secure home base, and when the building was eventually sold, investors made a capital gain.  With this tenacious and energetic woman at the helm, a win/win situation is a common event, it would seem.

Few locals would know that Padma’s move away from full-time involvement in the school less than 2 years ago was driven by a diagnosis of cervical cancer that she believed gave her a life-expectancy of just 6 months.  At the time she was grateful to have such a dedicated, capable staff who could carry on her legacy.  Padma, a devout Buddhist, didn’t and doesn’t have “a bucket list”. She faced her imminent death without genuine fear, because she was satisfied with the life she had lived. To find meaning and tranquillity in the time she believed she had left, with her family’s blessing, she travelled to live on Koh Phangan, eschewing the radical surgery plans of her diagnosing physician, and causing some consternation in her family who were more concerned than she was about the possibility of her death. Many people travel to Koh Phangan for periods of healing and spiritual nourishment, but Padma stayed a surprisingly long 10 months. One program Padma attended was ISTA, or International School of Temple Arts, a decentralised organisation that works within the field of embodied spirituality. At the core of its values, it serves transformation, freedom, love, and self-empowerment. ISTA works with emotions, the body, shamanic tools, ritual, and it acknowledges and respects the healing power of Eros. When she returned to Hua Hin, having lived past the 6 months she had expected, Padma was no longer afflicted by cancer.  Whether this was the power of spiritual healing, or simply a case of misdiagnosis, Padma doesn’t know for certain, though she feels she experienced significant spiritual growth over this time.

Meditation, yoga and eating healthy grilled salads are an integral part of Padma’s typical day. One pleasure, for which she is not at all guilty, is the occasional watching of trash TV, one of her only times of what others would term relaxation. Padma loves to hear children laughing and playing creatively, seeking out insects in the environment to show her proudly. She is enjoying each day as it comes, whatever part of the world she is currently in being her favourite.

If able to give sage advice to her teenage self, Padma would tell her not to stress or worry about other people’s opinions, because they aren’t really looking at you, they are too worried about what other people think of them to notice you.  Padma’s greatest hopes for the future are that she will be able to continue to contribute to the greater good, and that people will be freed of suffering to enjoy life in all its glory.