ABOUT US

Aims

We aim to help first responders cultivate skills for:

• Stress management

• Situational awareness

• Interpersonal relations

• Responding vs reacting

• Mind state regulation

Mission

Our mission is to empower first responders with mindfulness strategies to be safe, healthy, and emotionally regulated. We give first responders tools to deal with stress and trauma, as well as increase compassion and empathy. We teach first responders how to manage reactions, notice impulses, and work through emotions - on the job and when they go home.

Where We Came From

Founder Gina Rollo White, creator of Tactical Brain Training®, Mindfulness for First Responders, has spent the last seven years developing and leading mindfulness workshops for first responders and medical professionals.  A long time mind-body practitioner, Gina received a Masters Degree in Mindfulness from Lesley University, the nation's only university that offers graduate programs in mindfulness. While in university, Gina conducted studies on the benefits of mindfulness for first responders.  Her research found that mindfulness can measurably reduce stress and increase wellness for this population.

But Gina’s interest in mindfulness for first responders did not begin in the laboratory. As the daughter of two first responders, Gina has seen first hand how chronic stress impacts first responders and their families. As a child, she saw how the sacrifices her parents made for their communities not only took a toll on their physical and mental health but also created strain at home and in the family. Years later, in university, she learned about the connections between trauma, the brain, and emotional regulation. Mindfulness, she learned, could help reverse the negative consequences of  sleep deprivation, exposure to violence, and physical injuries by changing the brain itself.

This ability -- to positively change the brain through mindfulness --  is important for everyone, but Gina realized these skills are especially critical for one population in particular:  the individuals who put their lives on the line to ensure public safety. Gina created Mindful Junkie to empower first responders with mindfulness strategies to be healthier, safer, and more emotionally regulated  - both on the job, and at home.

Gina Rollo White, MA Mindfulness Studies, is the founder and director of Mindful Junkie Outreach.  A mind body teacher, educator, and author of thesis Mindfulness and Law Enforcement, An Effective Approach to Implementing Mindfulness for First Responders, she has spent over fifteen years teaching mind body interventions. Gina has spent the last four years developing and leading mindfulness workshops for first responders (law enforcement, correctional, fire, etc.).

Gina received a Masters Degree in Mindfulness from Lesley University, the nation's only university that offers graduate programs in mindfulness. While in university, Gina conducted studies on the benefits of mindfulness for first responders.  Her research found that mindfulness can measurably reduce stress and increase wellness for this population.

Gina has worked with leadership from police departments (CA: Manhattan Beach, Pasadena, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, VA; Alexandria PD, Alexandria Sheriff’s Alexandria), fire departments (CA: El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Pasadena, San Gabriel, Torrance), and special task force detectives (VA), delivering curriculum specifically tailored to those working in high trauma environments. The Criminal Justice Mindfulness Training Curriculum authored by Gina Rollo White was DCJS approved and has been used as the backbone for all the mindfulness workshops for first responders.

Gina is also an experienced Pilates  instructor. Gina has been training with techniques passed down from Joseph Pilates for over 10 years. She believes in the mind body connection, and she felt a strong pull to incorporate training the mind as part of her physical training efforts.  Gina believes that for optimum health, it is important to train your body and mind together.