History

A group of concerned parents and educators in the Wood River Valley asked Ryan Redman to teach mindfulness to students in the Wood River Valley.

With over 9 years of experience in teaching meditation, three years of intensive study of contemplative practices in India, and a strong desire to serve the community that shaped his childhood, Ryan began designing a three-month program for 5th-grade students at Bellevue Elementary.

Ryan entered one fifth grade classroom and for 30 minutes a week introduced children to secular mindfulness practices that supported the cultivation of attention, stress reduction, and kindness.

To everyone’s great surprise, the students were deeply interested in exploring their inner-life and appreciated the time to relax and steady their minds. Within two years this program expanded into 22 classrooms.

Flourish Foundation was co-founded by Ryan Redman, Katie Corkery, and Eryn Michaud, and the initial in-class instruction evolved into what is now our Mindful Awareness Program (MAP).

Flourish launches its flagship Compassionate Leaders Program, with the first international immersion to Ladakh, India.

The Mindful Awareness Program expands into middle and high schools.

Flourish offers its first Mindfulness-Based Childbirth & Parenting series as well as prenatal yoga.

Flourish expands the Mindful Awareness Program from the Wood River Valley to schools in Boise, Idaho and Jackson, WY.

Flourish invites teens to join Environmental Stewardship Retreats in partnership with the Pulaski Users Group.

The first Teacher Rest & Renewal cohort gathers for 9-months to nurture a deep sense of relaxation, renew a mindset of empathy, compassion and joy, as well as to build deeper connections with fellow educators.

The emergence of consistent adult community offerings (Five Gates Grief Vigils, Art of Dying, Breathwork, Community Sing, etc.) reveals Flourish as a community fulcrum for multigenerational collective wellbeing.

Flourish leads its first Teen Vision Fast — a wilderness rite of passage that invites young people to step away from the noise of everyday life, listen more deeply, and discover a fuller sense of who they are and how they belong to the world.

Flourish invests in a brand refresh process to bring greater alignment to its visual identity, messaging, and mission—revealing the interconnected, intergenerational nature of its work and the community it serves.