The Mind & Heart Institute
Bridging Science and Practice to Cultivate Presence, Clarity, and Care
Learning Pathways for Presence, Clarity, & Care
The Mind & Heart Institute offers science-based courses and trainings that integrate psychology and neuroscience, contemplative practice, and real-world application. Founded by Jordan Quaglia, PhD, the institute explores how presence, care, and clarity can transform the way we live and relate. Our offerings draw from contemplative science and lived experience to bridge understanding and practice in meaningful, accessible ways.
The first program—Healthy Boundaries from the Inside Out: The Science and Practice of Mindful Boundaries—launches in 2026.
Healthy Boundaries from the Inside Out
This foundational course is built around The Mindful Boundaries Method, a practical and science-based approach developed by Dr. Jordan Quaglia through decades of research, teaching, and lived experience—including key insights from his book From Self-Care to We-Care.
Designed for helping professionals, caregivers, and anyone seeking to cultivate boundaries that both protect and connect, the course blends core teachings and practices with applied insights and practical resources—supporting meaningful, lasting change from the inside out.
Continue below to explore:
Meet Your Course Instructors
What You’ll Gain
Course Outline
FAQs
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Meet Your Instructors
Drawing on decades of boundary research, clinical wisdom, and contemplative practice, Dr. Quaglia and Dr. Cigrand offer a uniquely transformative approach that helps you build effective boundaries from the inside out.
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Associate Professor of Psychology and Research Director, Naropa University; Director, Cognitive & Affective Science Laboratory; Author, From Self-Care to We-Care
Course Creator & Primary Instructor. Jordan is an author, professor, and public speaker whose work bridges cutting-edge science with contemplative practice. He’s the author of From Self-Care to We-Care: The New Science of Mindful Boundaries and Caring from an Undivided Heart (Shambhala, 2025), and the developer of the Mindful Boundaries Method featured in this course.
He serves as Associate Professor of Psychology at Naropa University, where he directs the Cognitive and Affective Science Lab and researches mindfulness, compassion, and boundaries with support from the John Templeton Foundation and the Mind & Life Institute. Jordan is known for translating deep scientific and contemplative insights into practical tools that are both accessible and transformative.
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Core Assistant Professor, Naropa University; Educator; Researcher; Mental Health Counselor; Content Expert, the Awake Network
Core Instructor & Integration Lead. Clarissa is a Core Assistant Professor at Naropa University in the Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling program, where she specializes in counselor development, contemplative pedagogy, and liberatory education. She is also a licensed professional counselor, researcher, and content expert with the Awake Network.
Her work explores how contemplative methods—such as ritual, embodied movement, meditation, and connection in nature—can expand conventional ways of knowing and support greater levels of liberatory consciousness. Clarissa’s presence in this course brings a grounded, heart-centered perspective to boundaries that honors both inner wisdom and embodied connection.
What You’ll Gain
Clarity from the Inside Out
A practical, science-based framework for understanding and creating boundaries that are both protective and connective.
A new relationship to boundaries that centers care and compassion—for yourself and others.
Research-backed insights into why boundaries are essential and how to make them more effective.
Confident, Effective Communication
Tools to navigate common inner barriers like guilt, fear, or people-pleasing that can arise when setting boundaries.
Practice templates and scripts to help you express boundaries clearly and authentically, even in tough moments.
Step-by-step guidance for responding to real-life boundary challenges, whether in work, family, or friendships.
Sustainable Support & Growth
A deeper alignment with your values and a boundary practice that reflects you, woven into the fabric of your everyday life.
Ongoing resources and practices to revisit as life situations evolve, because healthy boundaries grow with you.
Connection with a growing movement of people rethinking boundaries not as walls, but as ways of cultivating deeper, healthier relationships.
Module 1: Foundations of Healthy Boundaries
This opening module introduces what boundaries truly are, and why cultivating them from the inside out can be deeply transformative. You’ll explore the essential qualities of healthy boundaries, the distinction between inner and outer boundaries, and the foundational insight at the heart of this work.
What boundaries actually are, and why most definitions fall short
What makes a boundary healthy (and how to spot the difference)
The key insight that transforms how you think about boundaries
Understanding inner vs. outer boundaries—and how they interact
Introduction to The Mindful Boundaries Method, the core framework for the course
Module 2: The Mindful Boundaries Method in Practice
We dive deep into The Mindful Boundaries Method, with a practical focus on setting effective, care-based boundaries. Through step-by-step guidance and real-world examples, you’ll learn how to bring the method to life—grounding it in clarity, compassion, and confidence.
Why most approaches to setting boundaries fail—and what’s missing
The core method for setting mindful boundaries from the inside out
Practical exercises and deeper cultivation practices for mastering the method
Example scripts for real-life boundary conversations
How to navigate boundary setting in “toxic” dynamics—and beyond
Module 3: Embodying Mindful Boundaries
In this final module, we explore the deeper dimensions of truly healthy boundaries—beyond simple rules or surface-level strategies. You'll be introduced to seven core ingredients that help you embody boundaries as dynamic, responsive expressions of care, not fixed defenses. We’ll explore how boundaries can adapt across roles, relationships, and life seasons, and how to cultivate the inner resilience and discernment needed to live them with clarity and integrity.
A more flexible and empowering metaphor for thinking about boundaries
Why it’s more helpful to see boundaries as ongoing journeys, not one-time events
The seven key ingredients that support truly healthy, resilient boundaries
Common challenges that arise—and how to meet them with clarity and care
How to cultivate a deeper layer of boundary resilience that can adapt to life’s complexity
FAQs
Who is this course for?
This course is for anyone who wants to build healthier, more effective boundaries, from the inside out. It’s especially supportive for helping professionals, caregivers, educators, and related roles, but it’s equally relevant for anyone navigating the complexities of relationships, responsibilities, and self-care.
Whether you're setting boundaries for the first time or refining a long-standing practice, this course will meet you where you are.
What’s the expected time commitment for this course—and will I have lifetime access?
The core course includes three in-depth modules, each with video/audio teachings, written reflections, and optional guided practices. Many people find that 2–4 hours total per module allows time to absorb, reflect, and apply the material. You can revisit the course at any time to go deeper.
The course is fully self-paced, so you can move through the modules on your own schedule. Some participants complete it in a week or two; others take their time to integrate each lesson. There’s no rush—and the practices are designed to grow with you.
You’ll also have lifetime access to the core course content, including any updates or additions made over time. This allows you to return to the material whenever you need a reset, reflection, or re-centering in your boundaries practice.
Do I need to read From Self-Care to We-Care before taking this course?
Nope! While the course and book are deeply connected, the course offers distinct material and is fully self-contained. You don’t need to read Jordan’s book, From Self-Care to We-Care: The New Science of Mindful Boundaries and Caring from an Undivided Heart, to benefit from the material here.
That said, the book is a great companion if you want to go deeper. It offers additional stories, scientific context, and practices that complement the course and can enrich your understanding. Many people choose to read it before, alongside, or after the course as a way to expand and integrate the learning.
And if you're already reading the book, this course will help you bring the ideas to life in a more structured, practice-based way.
Do I need any prior experience in mindfulness or psychology?
Not at all. The course is designed to be fully accessible, even if you’ve never practiced mindfulness or taken a psychology course. All concepts are clearly explained, and you’ll be guided step-by-step through practices that are simple, grounded, and adaptable to your everyday life.
If you're already familiar with these areas, the course will deepen and expand your understanding in fresh, practical ways.
Is this course trauma-informed?
While this course is not a substitute for trauma therapy, it is designed with a trauma-sensitive approach. The practices are grounded in mindful awareness, choice, and pacing. You are always encouraged to engage with the material in a way that feels safe and supportive for your own process—and we recommend consulting with a therapist, counselor, or trusted support person if you have questions or concerns about how to apply this work in your unique context.
I’m worried that approaching boundaries in a care-based way will make me too soft or cause me to collapse my boundaries. How does the Mindful Boundaries Method address that?
This is a common concern—and an important one. Many of us have been conditioned to believe that care and clarity are in conflict, or that being compassionate means giving up ground. But that’s not what care-based boundary work is about.
The Mindful Boundaries Method helps you build boundaries that are firm and kind, clear and compassionate. It doesn’t ask you to soften your truth—it teaches you how to stand in your truth without hardening your heart.
At the heart of this method is the understanding that true care includes you. It helps you strengthen your ability to recognize, honor, and protect your needs from the inside out—so that your boundaries arise from clarity, not collapse or overcorrection.
You’ll learn how to:
Hold your ground without losing connection
Speak your boundaries with confidence and clarity
Navigate guilt, fear, or people-pleasing patterns without falling into them
Cultivate a boundary practice that reflects you and your values
I’ve previously worked on boundaries through a different lens or approach—will this course still be useful?
Absolutely. Many participants find that the course complements related work and professional development beautifully. It offers fresh insights, frameworks, and practices that can bridge with existing understanding to better support personal healing, strengthen professional boundaries, and enhance your capacity to show up for others without burning out.
For professionals, this course may also lay the foundation for future advanced trainings or continuing education.