Unlikely Collaborators Deepens Partnership with Holistic Life Foundation, Supporting Mindful Moment Program Expansion and Hosting Trauma-Informed Yoga & Mindfulness Certification Retreat in LA

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Unlikely Collaborators has expanded its support of the Holistic Life Foundation (HLF), a Baltimore-based, BIPOC-led nonprofit dedicated to bringing yoga, mindfulness, and trauma-informed practices to schools and communities for more than two decades. With a new grant, Unlikely Collaborators will support the expansion of the Holistic Life Foundation's Mindful Moment Program, an evidence-based initiative empowering students and educators with mindfulness tools, across Milwaukee, Chicago, and Denver as part of the Foundation's Clinton Global Initiative partnership.

Having already transformed more than 100 schools and communities, the Mindful Moment Program provides safe, restorative spaces for emotional regulation, stress reduction, and holistic well-being. This new funding will enable the Holistic Life Foundation to reach even more students and educators, further extending its legacy of impact nationwide.

The Mindful Moment Program integrates mindfulness, yoga, and meditation into the school day to enhance mental health, reduce conflict, heal trauma, and foster positive changes in emotions, attendance, and overall school climate. Students and staff have reported a 99% positive impact rate, with 89% experiencing a decrease in anger, stress, confusion, and sadness. The program has led to a 72% decrease in suspensions and a 76% increase in students feeling calmer and more at ease. Participants also show improved attendance, higher GPAs, and gains in emotional well-being, focus, resiliency, optimism, empathy, and compassion, while supporting healing from both primary and intergenerational trauma.

As part of this partnership, Unlikely Collaborators will also host the Holistic Life Foundation's Trauma-Informed Yoga & Mindfulness Certification Program at their Santa Monica headquarters from October 24-26, 2025. This immersive retreat is a key component of the year-long certification, designed to equip educators, wellness practitioners, and community leaders with the skills to foster healing and resilience in their communities. The program includes 11 monthly online modules covering trauma-informed practices, yoga, meditation, breathwork, and the anatomy and physiology of trauma; monthly live sessions and bi-weekly discussion groups; a three-day in-person retreat; and mentorship-supported teaching experience. Participants gain the knowledge and practical tools to create safe, restorative environments that address the impacts of trauma while strengthening social-emotional and physical well-being.

Founded in 2001 by Ali Smith, Atman Smith, and Andres González, the Holistic Life Foundation has served more than 200,000 students and adults across schools and communities nationwide, delivering over 150,000 hours of training. The organization was a driving force behind the trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness framework that informed Baltimore's Healing City Act, establishing the nation's first trauma-informed city. Backed by research from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Penn State, and Baltimore City Schools, the Holistic Life Foundation's work has been shown to reduce stress, improve emotional regulation, and build resilience in students and educators alike.

The Holistic Life Foundation's programming has been recognized nationally and internationally, including features on BBC, Good Morning America, CNN, NBC Nightly News, PBS, and in Oprah Magazine and The Washington Post. Its founders have also co-authored the book Let Your Light Shine and continue to develop best practices for mindfulness and healing used worldwide.

Unlikely Collaborators is a nonprofit organization, founded and chaired by Elizabeth R. Koch, dedicated to fostering transformative storytelling, developing human connection, and resolving internal conflict. UC's perspective is that external conflict arises from unconscious, unresolved internal conflict within each of us. Founded on the belief that the way we perceive the world is highly subjective, Unlikely Collaborators supports projects that challenge assumptions, spark meaningful dialogue, and invite people into deeper self-awareness in community.

Central to this mission is the groundbreaking Perception Box™ framework developed by Koch. More than just a metaphor, it represents the often unseen matrix of biases, beliefs, and personal narratives that influence how we interpret reality. Rooted in cognitive science and psychological research, this framework illustrates how each person's unique mental model shapes their understanding of the world, often limiting their ability to connect with new perspectives and ideas. By investigating and untangling our Perception Box beliefs, individuals and communities can unlock compassion, creativity, and new ways of thinking.

"Expanding the Mindful Moment Program through our partnership with Unlikely Collaborators allows us to reach even more communities with tools for healing and resilience," said Ali Smith, CEO and Co-Founder of the Holistic Life Foundation. "We're also excited to bring our certification retreat to LA, offering a powerful in-person experience to deepen this important work."

"We absolutely love this organization and the tireless, transformative work they do. We're proud to continue supporting them as they expand access to trauma-informed training that is changing classrooms and communities," said Elizabeth R. Koch, Founder and CEO of Unlikely Collaborators. "Their mission deeply aligns with ours in breaking down mental barriers. And, the fact that they're doing this work with children at the earliest stages makes it even more powerful."

For more information about Holistic Life, please visit https://holisticlifefoundation.org/. To learn more about the certification program, please visit https://www.hlfcertification.com. And, for more information about Unlikely Collaborators, check out https://www.unlikelycollaborators.com/.

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SOURCE Unlikely Collaborators