Our Mission
We teach children and adults the practical skills and knowledge needed for lifelong mental health and wellbeing.
Mindfulness First is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Our Vision
We envision a cohesive society where humankind is supported by equitable tools for self-efficacy and mental health wellbeing through systemic changes for stronger, safer and more connected communities.
Our Values
Equity: We are committed to every person, and believe in their full potential in our society and their right to be treated with respect and freedom from stigma.
Collaboration: We value all voices and model non-hierarchical structures.
Advocacy: We advocate for the creation of healthy, mindful communities.
Trauma-Informed: We address the fact that what happens to us, influences our wellbeing.
Our Story
Our story began in 2011 when Co-Founders Kimberly Narde and Sunny Wight met at a women’s art group. Kimberly was there for art and Sunny was there to heal from a stress-induced illness. While forming a friendship and sharing their life experiences and that of their children, they recognized a missing piece in education: How to take care of our mental, emotional and social wellbeing.
While “P.E.” was made mandatory in schools in 1911 to support kids’ physical health, they don’t learn how to take care of their mental, emotional and social wellbeing. The good news is that these skills can be taught. By teaching children at a young age, we can proactively combat themental health epidemic in America; helping our future generations to navigate life's challenges, build resilience, and foster emotional well-being.
We serve schools and communities with mental wellbeing tools that last a lifetime.
What Our Mission Encompasses
At Mindfulness First we teach mental health life-skills and education to kids and adults in a variety of settings. Our central teaching pillars are trauma understanding, mindful awareness, and social and emotional life-skills.
Our key service area has always been supporting K-12 schools in grounding their culture in the prioritization of mental health wellness. Over 100 years ago PE was established as a norm in schools, but we are still waiting for mental health education to be routinely adopted. We are driven by distressing and heartbreaking statistics around child and youth mental health - at Mindfulness First we know that ‘Mental Health’ is the missing piece in education. Studies conclusively show that when we ground schools in mental wellness, students are ready to learn and retain knowledge, attendance and grades increase, along with pro-social and good health outcomes.
We collaborate with your organization to serve the needs of your population.
How We Meet Our Mission
How we serve schools and districts: We create customized plans to serve classrooms, schools and districts, depending upon the need. We train staff in trauma/ACEs, mindful awareness and social-emotional lifeskills through Professional Development and online and in-person trainings. We provide students with matching curriculum in age-appropriate languaging. We can model our full curriculum for teachers in training. We offer assemblies, parent education, and so much more. A list of our services is available here, please reach out to talk about customizing a plan for your school or district.
How we serve teachers: Our K-12 teacher trainings are available online to any teacher who might like to take them. These trainings are suitable for anyone who works with children, not just teachers. Participants receive lifetime access to their training and curriculums. Our Teaching Mindfulness 1 training is our go-to for learning a corresponding 16 week curriculum for both teachers/staff and their students. Learn more about our teacher trainings here.
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Get first access to our new classes, specials, & more. Text "MINDFUL” to 844-302-4386.
Here’s What Some of Our Clients Have to Say About Us
“We were fortunate to have Sunny and her team join our staff retreat session to share the healthy benefits of mindfulness with us! It was an informative experience, fun, and the perfect way to start our strategic planning meeting! Getting to our center and focusing on the present helped make our day even more productive.”
-TERRI WOGAN CALDERON, SOCIAL VENTURE PARTNERS, EXEC. DIRECTOR
“The Vitalyst Health Foundation hired Mindfulness First to conduct an in-house training for our staff, and we found it to be a very helpful and rewarding experience. The instructor was both professional and engaging, and it was of real benefit to the staff who participated. I heartily recommend them.”
- SUZANNE PFISTER, PRESIDENT & CEO, VITALYST HEALTH FOUNDATION
“The learning I received through Mindfulness First taught me about the brain and the way I think about student behavior. It taught me how to recognize when I need my own mindful minute as well as be able to offer that as a solution for my students. I owe many thanks to Sunny and the staff of Mindfulness First.”
- MEREDITH HILL, ROOSEVELT SCHOOL DISTRICT, ART TEACHER
Our Past Clients
