How holistic emotional first aid and Big Sky’s Navigator Network are shaping a culture of care
By Shannon Steele and Mark Schure GUEST COLUMNISTS
Big Sky is a “natural paradise” to the eyes of most beholders. But if you live and work here, you know there’s more to the story. Between seasonal pressures, long winters, housing stress, economic disparities and the ups and downs of life in a fast-growing mountain town, many of us are navigating more than meets the eye. There’s often a steady undercurrent of stress—geographic isolation, working multiple jobs to cover the high cost of living, trying to find balance, and seeking connection in a place where it can be hard to find your people.
In response, community members and organizations across Big Sky have stepped up to create new ways of caring for one another and filling resource gaps. Be Well Big Sky is one of those efforts, working to normalize conversations around mental health and share practical tools for everyday wellbeing.
At the heart of this group’s work is the Navigator Network—a diverse group of local residents trained to offer in-the-moment support and connect people to resources. Navigators come from all walks of life: teachers, hospitality workers, first responders, business owners, retirees and students. They are not “professionals”—they are neighbors, colleagues, and friends volunteering to be part of the solution.
Holistic emotional first aid is the foundation of navigators’ training. It gives navigators the tools to show up for themselves and others—in ways that are embodied, relational and practical. It’s not about fixing people; it’s about helping them feel seen, heard and supported.
Over time, many navigators have also become trained facilitators, bringing workplace-focused HEFA sessions to businesses, schools and community groups across Big Sky. Over the past four years, they’ve reached more than 850 people, helping to embed emotional support into the fabric of daily life here.
This local work aligns with national trends. According to The Workplace Culture and Care Report, 83% of U.S. employees say mental health training is (or would be) important for creating a positive workplace culture—yet only 58% feel comfortable discussing their own mental health at work. Plus, 91% believe mental health care benefits are important, but more than 50% say their employer doesn’t provide enough support.
By contrast, HEFA sessions actively shift that dynamic—equipping people with practice-ready tools and helping normalize conversations about emotional well-being in teams and workplaces. We aren’t just writing about HEFA—we’re living it. And it’s become a core part of how this community is building a culture of care.
Recently, Be Well Big Sky partnered with Montana State University to better understand HEFA’s real impact through community-based participatory research—an approach where those closest to the work lead the learning. Five navigators were trained in CBPR principles, interviewing techniques, and appreciative inquiry—a strengths-based method that focuses on what gives life to people, organizations and communities when they’re at their best.
The navigators interviewed 22 fellow navigators, facilitators and local residents from across the community—including property managers, veterans, ski and bike patrollers, teachers, students, hospitality and culinary workers, administrators, transportation and grocery workers, care providers and retirees. Some had completed HEFA training, while others had simply heard about it through friends or colleagues. The team gathered to analyze the common themes that emerged.
Their findings weren’t just data. They were stories—honest, vulnerable, and full of insight about how this work is helping people and how it can keep evolving. One of the most striking themes was that most people attending HEFA trainings improved not only their personal stress management, but their community of friends, old and new, with whom they can be vulnerable.
In the face of life’s stressors, HEFA provided simple, accessible tools that brought more calm, presence and ability to cope—both in daily life and in harder moments. As one person put it: “Life is heavy… this is how you dump it out.”
HEFA also gave people a way to feel less alone and more supported, offering more trust, compassion and understanding in their social relationships.
Participants loved the simplicity: you don’t need a perfect situation or quiet room. You can use HEFA while sitting in your car, riding a chairlift, or during a quick moment at work.
What stood out in the research was that HEFA was the hook to bring community members into a new way of developing healthy resilient behaviors that enhance both mental and physical health, especially those facing barriers to other health care systems. HEFA is a low-hanging fruit of support to community members.
Of course, it’s not always easy. Some shared barriers, like hesitancy to use tools in public, or self-doubt. One said, “If I struggle with this all the time, who am I to teach it?” But that’s exactly the point: HEFA is not about perfection. It’s about practicing it together.
Based on these insights, Be Well Big Sky will continue to adapt and grow, focusing HEFA practices on peer-to-peer connection, workplace integration, flexible and accessible trainings, and the emphasis that HEFA is not a one-time workshop—it’s a way of living. When these tools are woven into community life—into how we work, play, and care for one another—they help shift the culture of a place. And that’s what we’re seeing here in Big Sky.
As one person shared: “HEFA isn’t something I do anymore. It’s how I live. And I’m still learning.”
Let’s keep talking about mental health. Let’s keep practicing. Together.
Learn more about HEFA online at holisticemotionalfirstaid.org, or by reaching out to Be Well Big Sky via email at hello@bewellbigsky.org.
Shannon Steele has called Big Sky home for seven years. She runs a collaborative business focused on community organizing and creative problem-solving, and serves as the contracted director (and co-creator) of Be Well Big Sky, a grassroots effort to embed care within the community. Shannon finds grounding and play in the outdoors—usually with her griffon, Greta—and draws endless inspiration from nature’s lessons on resilience and joy. She’s also part of Big Sky’s search and rescue community.
Mark Schure was a former Big Sky resident and eventually drifted down the Gallatin River to Bozeman. He is an Associate Professor of Community Health at Montana State University researching alternative ways to leverage mental health resources for rural and Indigenous communities. Mark usually spends his personal time on the streams and rivers casting for serenity.
