Empowering leaders to create change.
Science shows that people learn best from those they know and trust. By empowering community leaders to bring mindfulness-based skills, tools, and resources to their networks, we’re helping spread compassion, patience, and resilience across Jackson and beyond.
The Opportunity
We are overwhelmed by everyday stressors, and without adequate coping skills this negative energy and approach can lead to a lack of civility in our daily interactions, which has a toxic effect on our workplaces, institutions, schools, and families.
Research shows that the outcomes of this cycle across a community are demonstrated by a myriad of symptoms – from poor staff morale and employee absenteeism to teen substance abuse, depression, and anxiety.
Mindfulness meets local-ness.
Our community-centric approach to building mindfulness brings Jackson’s committed skill-sharers and resources together to solve problems and collaborate with compassion.
Who We Are
SARA FLITNER, Founder
Sara has more than 25 years of experience in collaborative problem solving, organizational leadership, and resilient communication and business strategies. She is also a trained and certified mediator and a strong believer in the practice of mindfulness at home, in the workplace, and around the community. Her roster includes work for Fortune 500s, state government, nonprofits, and advocacy and policy initiatives.
A former mayor of Jackson Hole, Sara is a native of Shell, Wyoming, and a graduate of University of Wyoming. She is passionate about and deeply connected to the West and the wellbeing of its economy, its wildlife, and her fellow citizens.
She is an avid skier, hiker, and mountain biker, and experienced yogi and mindfulness practitioner. She loves being outside with her sons, Pete and Silas; hiking with friends or her dogs; reading; talking about neuroscience; and working to address the national mental wellness crisis. She is currently working on her first book on mindfulness and compassion as building blocks for thriving communities.
AMISHI JHA, PH.D., Chief Science Advisor
Dr. Amishi Jha is Professor of Psychology and Director of Contemplative Neuroscience for the Mindfulness Research and Practice Initiative at the University of Miami and author of the national bestseller, Peak Mind.
Prior to her current post, she was an Assistant Professor at the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania. She received her Ph.D. from the University of California–Davis and her postdoctoral training at the Brain Imaging and Analysis Center at Duke University in functional neuroimaging.
She studies the neural bases of attention and the effects of mindfulness-based training programs on cognition, emotion, and resilience. With grants from the Department of Defense and several private foundations, she has been systematically investigating the potential applications of mindfulness training in education, corporate, elite sports, and the military contexts.
In addition to her own published body of research, her work has been featured at TED, NATO, the World Economic Forum, SXSW, the Pentagon, and the UK Parliament. She has received coverage in The New York Times, TIME, Forbes, Mindful Magazine, NPR, and more. In addition, she has been interviewed by Joe Rogan, Brené Brown, Deepak Chopra, Dan Harris, Sharon Salzberg, and many others. You can find Dr. Jha at http://amishi.com.
Advisory Board
Jimmy Bartz
Susan Bauer-Wu
Les Brunker
Karen Connelly
Connie Kemmerer
Thom Kinney
Julie O’Halloran
Stacey Morse Robin Riske
Margot Snowdon
Board of Directors
Sara Flitner, President
Amy Lane, Secretary
Dan Baker, Treasurer
Sue Mason
Sheila McMillan
We’re (officially) a Mindful City.
Becoming Jackson Whole is a proud partner of the Mindful Cities Initiative, a project of the Foundation for a Mindful Society. Together with our sister cities, Flint, Mich., and Boston, Mass., we are learning how to think and work across community sectors—and share what works to make mindfulness second nature.