Welcome. I’m John Engle.
For more than 45 years, one question has quietly shaped my life: How do we live, and ultimately die, well?
I don’t pretend to have tidy answers, only a commitment to keep learning and acting on my convictions. I’m co-founder and co-director of Haiti Partners with my wife, Merline, and together we’re writing Our Moment Is Now, a book about what a lifetime of relationships and shared work has taught us.
This space is an invitation to reflect, explore, and connect, because I believe we’re at a crossroads and our moment is now. One simple place to begin is GRIT Groups: regular, caring conversations that deepen our relationships and strengthen our collective resilience.
With my wife Merline and me with friends at Haiti Partners Annual Student Benefit in San Francisco.
About
Leaning In: A work in progress…
We are facing existential challenges. Climate. Technology. Inequality. Violence. Disconnection.
This is not a time for spectators.
It is a time to reflect deeply on who we are, how we live, and what responsibility our lives are asking of us. The work I share here grows out of a conviction that clarity, courage, and care for one another are not luxuries, but necessities for this moment.
If you’re on this site reading these words, your access to resources is likely greater than that of more than five billion people worldwide. Merline and I both grew up hearing the saying, “To those who have received much, much is expected.” That conviction continues to shape how we try to live.
I’m deeply indebted to all who are part of our lives. Merline and I are profoundly grateful to all who have invested in the education of students in Haiti. Thank you for inspiring hope through your support, trust, and encouragement.
Bio
John Engle is a social entrepreneur and nonprofit leader. He is a recipient of WorldBlu’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his work advancing democratic practice and freedom-centered leadership. For more than three decades, John has been deeply engaged in Haiti, where he co-founded Haiti Partners in the U.S. and The Children’s Academy and Learning Center in Haiti, serving over 500 students from PreK through high school.
John’s journey has been shaped by early lessons in usefulness, responsibility, and service, values he continues to explore through his writing, coaching, and speaking. He and his wife, Merline, are currently working on a book together that weaves together personal stories, leadership reflections, and questions of legacy in a rapidly changing world.
John has been contracted by the World Bank, USAID, and others on multiple occasions to facilitate large-group meetings and conferences using the Open Space method. He and his wife, Merline, also a social entrepreneur (visit merlines.com) and co-founder of Haiti Partners and The Children’s Academy, reside in Delray Beach, Florida, and have two children in college. Click here for John’s Story
A book in progress
Our Moment Is Now
Hershey to Haiti: Lessons for Living
Merline and I reflect on what a lifetime of relationships, struggles, failures, unexpected turns, and shared work has taught us about what matters most. At a time of uncertainty, anxiety, and disconnection, the book’s invitation is simple: our moment is now to connect more deeply, grow in wisdom and love, and strengthen our collective resilience.
Through stories and reflection, the book explores how caring conversations deepen relationships, how deeper relationships foster belonging and meaning, and how the ways we show up for one another can nurture cultures of dignity in which people flourish. It’s an invitation to consider your own life and the future you’re helping to shape.
The book ends with a call to action we call GRIT Groups: a simple practice in which two or more people meet regularly to Graciously Remember and Imagine Together. You don’t need to wait for the book to begin. Visit gritgroups.org for a free guide and start a conversation this week.