Date July 7, 2025
All News

‘The breathing lady’: Rachel Jones’ mission to bring mindfulness to Missouri’s mental health workforce

What began as Rachel Jones’ personal journey to manage stress has evolved into a transformative effort to bring mindfulness to Missouri’s Department of Mental Health workforce. Through her leadership, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction is now reaching hundreds of state employees, helping to reduce burnout and improve well-being.

Rachel Jones never expected to be a champion of mindfulness. In fact, when she was first introduced to the practice 23 years ago, she dismissed it outright. "I thought it was a huge joke," she admitted with a laugh. At the time, she was juggling graduate school, single parenthood and postpartum depression. The idea that breathing and being present could solve her problems seemed unrealistic.

Everything shifted about a decade ago when overwhelming stress landed her in the emergency room. That experience led Jones to rediscover mindfulness — from student to practitioner, and now as a leader integrating mindfulness training into Missouri’s Department of Mental Health.

A journey back to mindfulness

Jones' formal mindfulness training began in 2021 when she took the eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program through Brown University.

“The first class I took had people from around the world,” Jones said. “I was actually quite surprised that some of the things that I naively thought were just U.S. culture turned out to be this worldwide human experience.”

“ I remember thinking how sad it was that everyone all around the world feels distracted, overwhelmed and guilty to take care of themselves. I said to myself: this just needs to be general health. ”

That’s when she saw an opportunity: Could this training help not just her but the entire Missouri mental health workforce?

Building a mindfulness movement in Missouri

Jones worked with Chief Medical Director, Dr. Angeline Stanislaus, and Missouri’s Department of Health and Senior Services to secure funding to implement MBSR training for state mental health workers. Over the past three years, she and a cohort of colleagues completed facilitator training, and now they are rolling out mindfulness sessions for the Department of Mental Health workforce.

The demand has been overwhelming. When Jones announced a series of introductory mindfulness sessions, they filled up in just eight hours, with 50 people landing on the waitlist.

With a workforce of 6,000 to 7,000 employees spread across 28 sites, the training is now being delivered in multiple formats — virtual sessions, in-person workshops and short guided exercises in clinical settings. For frontline workers in high-stress environments, mindfulness training is being integrated into daily routines with the goal of reducing burnout, improving attention and even helping clients with chronic conditions manage pain and anxiety.

One of her most successful initiatives has been a weekly wellness webinar, which she started during the height of the pandemic. Now, five years later, the webinar averages 250 attendees, and the mindfulness segment consistently receives the most positive feedback. Employees affectionately refer to her as "the breathing lady" — a title she embraces, considering how far she has come from her early skepticism.

“ I think it’s valuable to create a space at work where everyone is learning it together, you're protecting the time you're teaching them and you're checking in afterwards. Over time, you realize you’ve created a workplace culture of people learning to breathe and to be aware of themselves. I think it's been really powerful for a lot of people. ”

A vision for the future

Jones and her team are continuing their education, with the goal of becoming certified MBSR teachers and expanding the programs they offer. Looking ahead, she hopes to integrate mindfulness training into crisis response teams and use data to track its impact on employee well-being.

She believes mindfulness should be as fundamental as brushing your teeth — something everyone learns, not just those in crisis. "People need this in their everyday lives," she says. "We need to generalize it so that mindfulness becomes a part of normal health and well-being."

Her advice for anyone considering mindfulness training? 

"If you're thinking about it, it's because something inside you is telling you that you need it. Lean into that."

In Missouri, thanks to Jones’ leadership, hundreds of mental health professionals are doing just that — one breath at a time.

Improve Your Well-Being with Mindfulness-Based Programs

We offer a variety of evidence-based mindfulness programs for newcomers, seasoned practitioners and teachers in-training.

Discover our courses

Related News

News & Stories from SPS

The practice of appreciative joy

How can we truly celebrate another’s good fortune? And how can we allow ourselves to fully appreciate our own good fortune? This practice explores moving beyond the superficial smile to genuinely share in others’ joy and authentically embrace our own.
Read Article
News & Stories from SPS

Comparing evidence-based mindfulness programs: MBSR vs. MBCT

Delve into the differences between Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy to find the perfect instructor-led program for your mindfulness journey.
Read Article