JG Larochette

Founder and Executive Director, Mindful Life Project

JG Larochette is a graduate of Saint Mary's College of California where he received his B.S. in Psychology and was a 4-year scholarship player on the baseball team. After graduating from SMC, he felt a deep desire to work with children. At Age 22, he was hired to work as a Site Coordinator for Sports4Kids (now Playworks) at Laurel Elementary in Oakland and then Coronado Elementary in Richmond. In these early years, he built a strong connection with the communities he served, and was focused on equity and creating a safe, fun, and engaging playground. After seeing immediate results on the playground and in seeing the effect it had on the school climate, he wanted to innovate as an educator to make the classroom a place where every child would feel a deep sense of belonging.

He received his Bilingual Teaching credential, and was highly motivated to bring the fun and engagement back into learning. His work in and out of the classroom was driven by the focus on social and emotional learning and the need to have high expectations for his students, and guide them into being leaders in their the community. He built an invaluable relationship with the students, families and community. 

In the last 9 years, he has led Mindful Life Project into being the biggest direct service mindfulness non-profit in the country. Mindful Life Project is highly regarded for its innovative direct service programs that specifically have been created to support students who have been exposed to high levels of adverse childhood experiences. 

JG brings a passion for providing youth deeply impactful services and programs that support student and educators mental and emotional well-being so that students can thrive socially and academically both at school and beyond. He is driven to work from a strong equity, social justice, and holistic lens in all the work he does. He is honored to have opportunities to work with schools, students and families. In creating Mindful Life Project he had the vision to provide programs in the lowest income and under-served schools, so that all students feel valued, empowered and given equitable educational opportunities. He is joined by an amazing and dynamic team that serves over 11,000 students in 9 Cities across the Bay Area and leads trainings and supports for schools across the nation.