About Us
Our Commitment to You
We are certified mindfulness teachers with decades of experience in practicing meditation. Our initial interest in mindfulness started almost 10 years after getting married as we grappled with the stress of raising a family while having busy professional lives. We completed our first Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course in 1996 and began our personal meditation practices. Following that we both completed Jon Kabat-Zinn’s training in MBSR for Healthcare Providers. In 2017 we were introduced to the teachings of the Mindful Life Program and chose to embark on their year-long teacher training. The concepts and teachings of the program spoke to each of us as individuals and fulfilled our passion to share the teachings with others. We are now both Mindful Life Program certified teachers based in Sacramento, California.
Our personal practices have been a wonderful journey into self-understanding, growth, and transformation. In addition to helping us cope with stress, mindfulness has helped us have more rewarding relationships, feel more peace, and live more satisfying lives. We are committed to the Mindful Life Program approach because it has had such a profound impact on us personally—and it has been extremely helpful for those we work with.
In addition to our experience with meditation and mindfulness, our background as healthcare practitioners, educators, and organizational leaders provides us with a unique perspective and set of skills. We look forward to sharing our passion and experience with you to help you achieve your goals.
Laura Hess ANP, MS and Kevin Walsh, MD
Laura has over 30 years of experience as a Nurse Practitioner, educator, and leader. After receiving her Masters Degree at UC San Francisco, she was an Assistant Clinical Professor at UCSF and UC Davis teaching Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant students. She was awarded "Teacher of the Year" by her students several times. She later joined Sutter Medical Group in Sacramento, providing comprehensive Primary Care to adults for over 27 years.
Laura has also held leadership positions for Sutter Medical Group as a mentor and lead recruiter for NPs and PAs, and served as a communication coach for new clinicians. She has always been passionate about promoting and meeting the needs of patients through care and compassion. Her mindfulness practice has been a key component of her care.
Laura's passion is being physically active in nature. She also loves reading and knitting. Her favorite activity is spending time connecting with family and friends.
After attending medical school at UC San Francisco and completing his residency in Internal Medicine at UC Davis, Kevin practiced with Kaiser-Permanente in Sacramento for 30 years. He began his career as a Primary Care physician and spent the last 20 years of his career working in the fields of Addiction Medicine and Chronic Pain Management before retiring in 2019.
In addition to his clinical work, Kevin was active as a leader at his medical center. As the lead for the Clinician-Patient Communication Program for 23 years, he has had extensive experience as a teacher and coach for his physician colleagues. From 2000-2005 he served as Chief of Physician Health & Wellness. Before retiring, Kevin also helped develop the Mindfulness Practice Groups, a system for training and supporting Kaiser physicians in the practice of mindfulness.
In his free time, Kevin loves to spend time outdoors. He also enjoys cooking and settling in with a good book.