JG LAROCHETTE
FOUNDER MINDFUL RISING AND MINDFUL LIFE PROJECT
JG Larochette is an educational pioneer and innovator in transforming how schools approach mental health, social-emotional learning (SEL), and mindfulness. With a B.S. in Psychology, recognition as an award-winning teacher, and extensive training in mindfulness practices, JG has become a driving force behind comprehensive Tier 1 and Tier 2 mindfulness-based SEL programming that measurably improves both student and educator well-being.
From the start of his career at Playworks in Oakland and Richmond, JG was driven by a passion for equity, belonging, and empowerment for youth. Nearly a decade as a teacher at Coronado Elementary School in Richmond, CA deepened his commitment—and in 2012, in collaboration with his own 3rd graders, he founded Mindful Life Project (MLP). What began as a classroom-based pilot has grown into the largest direct-service mindfulness organization in the world, with full-time MLP Coaches embedded in schools to create lasting cultural shifts. Under JG’s leadership, MLP has served up to 40,000 students and educators a week implemented by MLP Coaches, delivering measurable gains in mental health, emotional resilience, and a positive school climate.
In 2025, recognizing a nationwide need for sustainable, high-fidelity mindfulness integration, JG launched Mindful Rising. The organization addresses a critical challenge: while mindfulness is recognized as transformative, it is far too often underutilized or implemented in ways that fail to take root. Mindful Rising partners with schools, districts, county offices of education, nonprofits, and foundations nationwide, leveraging JG’s deep expertise and lived experience to make mindfulness, SEL, and mental health foundational pillars of the American education system.
My Journey and the Creation of Mindful Life Project and Mindful Rising
The First Mindful Sit – 2012, Room 18 at Coronado Elementary, Richmond, CA
After the Winter vacation in 2011-2012 school year, I went into my classroom and said, “Boys and girls, it’s so good to see you. It's a new year, and a new me. I feel so much better and it's because of mindfulness. I would love to share what I have learned” I had them sit in a mindful posture and explained, “We’re going to practice listening to sound and focusing on our breath for two minutes.” All thirty of my third graders looked at me like, "Wait... this is what you left for? So we could sit quietly and breathe?" I rang the bell. Suddenly, they became still and silent. For one minute, we focused on breath. For another, we focused on sound. Then I rang the bell again. No one opened their eyes, like I had asked. They remained still. The energy in the room started to shift—it got lighter anf you could feel the collective relaxation. By the fourth minute, I thought they might be playing a trick on me. But then came the fifth... and the sixth. Slowly, a few eyes began to open. By the seventh minute, the room was calm and silent. I rang the bell to close the practice. I finally said, “I want to hear your voices. What did that feel like?” Their responses where so powerful and every student shared something:
“I felt the safest I’ve ever felt.”
“I felt a peace I’ve never felt before.”
“I felt like I was floating like a cloud”
We immediately knew that what we were discovering was something that could change education. It
was in that moment that Mindful Life Project was born. With the support of
my third graders in Room 18 at Coronado Elementary, along with former
students and their families, we brought the vision of
Mindful Life Project (MLP) to life.
The students played a key role in selecting the organization’s name, and they
even approved the logo—an image inspired by our journey. The logo, a dove
flying from an open hand, was created by my mother, Yael Lurie-Larochette,
a world-renowned artist. It symbolizes how my students and I spent five months
cultivating mindfulness and other transformative practices, building both inner
and outer peace. That journey gave us the wings to rise up and build a powerful
nonprofit from the ground up.
Since then, while becoming the largest nonprofit of its kind, Mindful Life Project continues to remain rooted in community, student-centered values, and continuous innovation inspired by student voice and agency.
From Early Growth to Sustained Impact
JG took the leap of faith and established Mindful Life Project on May 1, 2012, following over a decade of service to South Richmond, CA youth and their families as a coach, award winning teacher, leader, and community advocate. As a passionate elementary school teacher, he deeply cared for my students. Like many educators, he carried the emotional weight of their trauma and burned out in the Fall of 2011. he became overwhelmed by anxiety and depression, he could no longer be fully present for his students. Despite months of trying the solutions several doctors prescribed, nothing truly helped—until he discovered mindfulness. Committing to daily practice, I experienced firsthand how mindfulness could rewire the brain toward resilience and mental wellness.
When I returned to the classroom, I introduced mindfulness
to his students—and saw an immediate shift. My students,
many of whom had experienced significant trauma, began to
show increased self-awareness, emotional regulation, and focus.
Where once conflict and dysregulation had taken up an hour
or more each day, within six weeks, those disruptions became
rare. The classroom transformed into a space of peace
and learning.
From January to May 2012, My students and I piloted and
co-created the foundation of Mindful Life Project— 3 of my students from Room 18 dropping dropping into incorporating daily mindfulness, along with into mindful sit during the chaos of recess recess (2012) weekly yoga, expressive arts, and performing arts.
United in purpose, we agreed that this work had to reach beyond their classroom—to schools, communities, and children everywhere. Originally, the work focused within our community in South Richmond at 3 schools. Within the following couple of years I was able to hire more coaches and continued to grow the organization to serve schools in Central and North Richmond as well as San Pablo. By year 3 we reached West Oakland. By year 5, word spread, and we began following our youth as more and more families were pushed out by rising housing costs, starting with schools in Antioch. Fast forward to now and MLP serves schools across the Bay Area, the central coast, and central valley. What started as a team of 5 working part time on a shoestring budget in 3 schools with one program is now a very mature organization that has had up to 70 staff members and a 5-million-dollar budget serving over 40,000 students and their educators a year.
Mindful Rising
With a strong foundation built over 13 years at Mindful Life Project, he has been able to grow his passion and expertise for mindfulness in education exponentially. This is his purpose. He will continue to champion and support MLP but in order to focus on supporting the overall growth of mindfulness in education, he felt highly motivated to found Mindful Rising. He is thrilled to be able to “spread my wings” and do all he can in this pivotal time in education to help build a wider movement of mindfulness education. Mindful Rising offers consulting services to schools, districts, county offices of education, and organizations, along with professional trainings, student assemblies, and classroom demonstrations. Drawing on his deep expertise in the field, he provides motivational and impactful support that prioritizes both individual and community well-being. If you're seeking to make mental and emotional health the cornerstone of your educational ecosystem, he is here to help lead that transformation.
