First responders, including law enforcement and correctional officers are consistently exposed to elevated levels of work-related stress and trauma. Without ways to manage stress, officers are set up to experience poor physical, mental, and emotional health which impact work performance and increases rates of absenteeism, tardiness, and turnover in correctional settings. Optimizing first responder performance demands a new evidence-based approach to recognizing and regulating stress, heightening awareness and attention, and cultivating more skillful relationships with those they work with and serve.