Teaching age-appropriate mindfulness through sports
From our headquarters in Brooklyn, NY, Mindful Sports offers after-school programs and summer camps for children; and provides online courses for young athletes on how to learn mindfulness that is directly applicable to their sport.
Whether your child is playing a sport for the first time or is competing at a travel or showcase level, Mindful Sports is a great way for them to learn valuable emotional regulation skills and have a ton of fun!
Meet the Team
Dr. Sam Faeder
Founder/Managing Director
Sam (he/him) is the Managing Director of Mindful Sports. Sam grew up in Manhattan, playing baseball for Stuyvesant High School. He played college baseball for Swarthmore and professionally in Europe and Australia from 2007-2010. Sam holds a PhD (2022) in Psychology. His research explores how mindfulness training affects stress perception in preadolescent children playing sports. He has run youth sports programs and summer camps professionally for fifteen years. Sam is an avid Knicks and Yankees fan, loves Korean food, and has been thrilled at Jon Stewart’s return to the Daily Show!
Gwen Boniface
Program Manager
Gwen (they/them) is the Program Manager at Mindful Sports. Gwen grew up thinking that sports weren’t for them, but has discovered tremendous joy in mindful movement as an adult. Now they’re passionate about creating welcoming, accessible environments where they can help young people discover that same joy! Gwen has more than a decade of experience as an educator and administrator working in after-school programs, summer camps, and NYC public schools. They also hold a masters degree in applied theatre from the CUNY school of professional studies, where they learned to bring theatre techniques into non-traditional spaces to enrich education of all kinds. In their free time, they enjoy swimming, reading, crafting, hanging out with their tiny orange cat, and cheerleading for the local roller derby league.
Jas Christopher
Associate Program Coordinator
Jas (she/her) is the Associate Program Coordinator at Mindful Sports. Jasmine, preferably known as Jas, was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. She loves writing and playing sports, especially football and soccer. She played soccer for four years in high school and was awarded the New Era Pinstripe Bowl 2019 MVP Scholar Athlete before continuing to play in college. After graduating with her B.A. in Psychology, her main goal was to inspire kids and teach them how to be emotionally intelligent through the art of creativity. As Jas believes herself to be a kid at heart, she puts herself in the shoes of each and every child in order to become the best role model possible. In her free time, she can usually be found making music, writing poetry, drawing, or eating.
Full-Time Seasonal Team
Will Sistrom
Will Sistrom (he/him) is a Lead Coach at Mindful Sports. He was born and raised in Park Slope and is a proud PS321 alumni! He recently graduated from the University of Toronto with a B.A. in Environmental Studies. He started ice skating when he was four years old and played ice hockey throughout his childhood. Will went on to play at the AA and AAA level for Aviator Hockey Club. He has lots of experience as a youth hockey coach and a summer camp counselor. Will loves nature and the outdoors and completed a thirty-six-day canoe trip and fifty-day canoe trip when he was in high school. More recently, he has guided many canoe trips through summer camp, including both another thirty-six and another fifty-day trip. He’s passionate about passing on his love for sports, team work, and nature to children.
Briyanna Baron
Briyanna Baron (she/her) is a Lead Coach at Mindful Sports. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. Basketball has been a huge part of her life, and she most recently played on the women’s basketball team at the University at Buffalo for two years. While at Buffalo, Briyanna earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Public Health, which fueled her interest in supporting communities and making a difference. She’s always had a love for working with children and helping them grow. Briyanna was most recently an elementary school teacher at a local charter school before joining Mindful Sports, merging her passions of education and athletics. Briyanna loves listening to all types of music, especially 2000s R&B, drawing, watching TV, and staying busy with fun activities. Briyanna is very family-oriented, and her close relationships are what keeps her grounded and motivated every day!
Mindful Sports believes in the importance of teaching mindfulness and self-regulation while helping kids have fun and learn how to play sports. Mindfulness practice is a research-proven method of helping children learn to manage stress and anxiety, improve focus, and increase their overall resilience. Teaching mindfulness through sports helps children:
Mindfulness is paying attention to the present moment, without judgment, and the continuous return to that moment. Breathing and awareness exercises help children learn to be okay with how they feel. Mindfulness can help with stress, fear, and anxiety. Mindful skills can also improve focus and strengthen overall resilience. Research on children’s mindfulness on and off the field of play shows positive and promising results.
