Mastering The Business Of Yoga

When Jenny Parum first discovered yoga, she was dealing with rheumatoid arthritis, and with the first few years of her practice her symptoms completely disappeared. The change she experienced in her own body through yoga inspired her to become a yoga teacher. For Jenny, teaching yoga was an opportunity to share her love of helping people and to inspire people to feel better in their bodies. Jenny loved being a teacher, but was uncertain about opening a yoga studio. She ended up taking a leap of faith and following her entrepreneurial spirit and opening a yoga studio with her partner. Jenny went through the process of opening a yoga studio as a single mom with 3 pre-teen children, and after she opened her studio she sought out yoga teachers who were looking to be entrepreneurial and bring their own style to the space. On this episode, Jenny shares what she learned through opening a yoga studio, what she has learned over the years as a studio owner, how she has balanced being a mom with being an entrepreneur an

I met Brittney Hiller at Wigwam Festival in Atlanta last year, and I had the privilege of taking a laughing yoga class with her. It was my first experience with laughing yoga, and it was both awkward + fun. I immediately signed up for Brittney's newsletter and I've been following her along ever since. On this episode, Brittney shares how she got into laughing yoga (it's different than you would expect!), how she expanded her teaching from laughing yoga, to teaching children, to teaching chair yoga, to offering entirely donation based classes. Brittney and I also chat about moving from being strictly a yoga employee to being a yoga entrepreneur. She shares how she has built her own business, how she has differentiated her business, and has created a successful newsletter, book and online business. Enjoy! Do you enjoy the podcast? Join the community on Facebook, Instagram + join the newsletter. Also, a quick reminder about the webinar with Julie Zuzek from RetreatU on the 5 steps for planning a successful retre

Nearly one year ago, I had a fabulous conversation with Julie Zuzek from The Corporate Yogi about creating a brand and running yoga retreats. When Julie and I chatted last year, she had just launched her online platform for creating retreats, RetreatU. A year later, RetreatU is growing a ton and Julie is back to share the 5 steps for planning a retreat. On this episode, we talk about being held back by fear and to develop more confidence before you begin. From there, Julie dives into the 5 steps to planning a retreat, including: Visioneering Validating Creating Marketing Selling Are you feeling inspired yet? I left this episode feeling inspired to launch my first retreat. Julie is full of knowledge and she shares openly how to get started launching your first retreat, leaving you feeling like you can confidently lead a successful retreat. Enjoy! Did you miss the first episode that Julie did with M.B.Om? Listen to it here. Do you want to learn more about RetreatU and the 5 Step Process to Creating Retreats?

On the 3rd part of the marketing series, we're chatting about authenticity on social media. It can be really easy to start a social media account and not know what to say, or how to say it. Finding your authentic voice is really important, and it takes time, dedication and practice to really discover this. It takes posting over and over again and seeing what feels right and what doesn't before you discover your authentic voice. On this episode, I also share a few tips + tricks to ensure that you are gaining an organic following and being your most authentic self through your social media channels. Enjoy! Did you miss marketing part 1 + part 2? You can listen to part 1 here and part 2 here! Speaking of social media, join the M.B.Om community on Facebook, Instagram + sign up for the newsletter here!

o I need to be on social media? Similar to what I discussed in last week's episode on websites, you never need to do anything. When it comes to social media, it's really important to consider your intention. What is your intention for your business? For your career as a yoga teacher? What are you looking to achieve? Having an intention can be really helpful when you decide whether or not you want to put your business on social media. The second thing to consider, based on your intention, is what forms of social media will work best for you. The reason that social media is so overwhelming are that there are so many different options and managing each can be a full-time job in and of itself. How can I be a good yoga teacher when I spend all my time on social media? Plain and simple, you can't. All platforms serve a different purpose so do some research on what social media platforms will serve you best before starting. Choose 1-3 platforms that will serve the needs of your business best. From there, you've got

One of the questions I most commonly hear from yoga teachers is "do I need a website?". We finish teacher training and are unleashed into the yoga world feeling confused about what we need to do in order to be successful. Of course, you don't need to have a website, but if you want to be a successful, sustainable full-time teacher, I would highly recommend it. Why? Because it's a place + space where your students can find you. They can follow you if you move, they can find out more about your offerings (cue sales funnel), such as workshops or retreats or trainings. It's another space to advertise + sell yourself to your students. On this episode, I walk you thorough the top 6 steps that you need to know to start a website, and why you should create one. I often hear that websites are too expensive + too hard to set up, which is why yoga teachers don't do it. These are fallacies, and I share how you can set up a website while on a budget + with very little hassle. If I can do it, you can too! Enjoy! If you enj

Joslynn Boyce is a registered personal trainer and a small business owner in Calgary, Alberta. She is also one of my good friends, and has been for over 10 years. Every time Joslynn and I get together we end up talking about fitness and working in the fitness industry as entrepreneurs, so I wanted to actually capture one of our conversations for the podcast. On this episode, Joslynn shares some of the most important lessons that she's learned as a contractor and a business owner, including how to balance making money and taking caring of yourself. We chat about how to prevent burnout while still being profitable, and why you should be selfish once in a while. We also chat about some of the biggest struggles and learnings that Joslynn experienced while starting her own business, among other things. Enjoy! I'm test piloting a new portion of my business where I'm offering complimentary 30 minute coaching sessions. Whether you want to chat about getting a job as a yoga teacher, running a retreat, or starting / ex

David Moreno is a California based yoga teacher who has been in and around the yoga industry for over 30 years. David came to yoga from a dance background and fell in love with it to the point that he knew he needed to teach. David and I start out the interview by chatting about how the yoga industry has changed over the last few years. We chat about how when he started teaching, it was much easier to become an international yoga teacher. Now, the market is much more saturated and you have to sell people on why they should pay you for your offering. David gives a few tips on how to expand your offerings to international trips, and shares how he has transitioned from the traditional yoga retreat offering to what he calls "travel trips". David is currently offering his next travel trip in Petra, so he shares the planning is like for a trip like, the marketing process, and how to ensure that everything goes smoothly in a developing country. Enjoy! I'm test piloting a new portion of my business where I'm offering

On this episode of the podcast, entrepreneur + self employed podcast host, writer and advisor, Ryan Ferguson, is coming on the podcast to talk about the yoga sales funnel and how to apply it. This is a massively important concept to be talking about in the business of yoga, because as yoga teachers we have the opportunity to think of ourselves as "employees" or as "entrepreneurs". As employees, we work for someone else at their yoga studio, and as entrepreneurs we work for ourselves, and we use the space of yoga studios to get people into the top of the sales funnel. Classes are the top of our sales funnel, as we move down, the other parts of the sales funnel are the offerings that you provide that are worth more - workshops, private classes, retreats, trainings, etc. If someone is picking up what you're putting down, you should probably be selling them on the other offerings you provide as a yoga teacher. This episode is all about how to apply this sales funnel to your persona yogi business. Enjoy! If you en

Danielle Joseph is a yoga teacher and the founder of Function Creative Co. and Your Yoga Brand. Danielle specializes in design + branding, and she also does branding specifically for yoga teachers. She also runs an awesome Facebook community for yoga teachers who are looking to build their your brand. On this episode, Danielle and I are chatting about all things branding. We cover developing your website + logo, suggestions for social media, how to work with an evolving brand,  how to develop a brand when you have more than one passion, as well as tips + tricks for allowing your brand to truly represent yourself. Danielle is full of knowledge from her years working as both a yoga teacher + helping yoga teachers develop their yoga brands, so don't miss this episode! Enjoy! If you enjoy the podcast, join the community on Facebook, Instagram + sign up for the monthly newsletter.

Have you stepped into the studio and thought to yourself "I can't do this", "I'm a fake", "I have no idea what I'm doing", or some version of that? That's imposter syndrome, and almost all of us have had it at some point. Wikipedia defines imposter syndrome as "the persistent fear of being exposed as a fraud". It's when we talk about something that we don't feel like an expert in, or when other people believe that we are something that we don't feel like we are. It's that moment when we teach our first yoga class and our students think that we are better or more experienced than we are. I don't believe that imposter syndrome is helpful for us to become better yoga teachers though. I believe we should do everything in our power to eliminate imposter syndrome from our lives. On this episode, I share 7 tips to overcoming imposter syndrome, including: Acknowledging where you are at in your career with yourself and your students (ie. tell your students if your new + nervous) Giving yourself credit for your succes

Randelle Lusk is a Calgary-based yoga teacher, a yoga studio owner, and a lululemon ambassador. After getting her yoga teacher training, Randelle knew that she wanted to bring yoga to her hometown of Fort St. John, BC. She was turned down for a loan to start her yoga studio, so she looked to her community, her friends, and other like-minded entrepreneurs to find a way to start her yoga studio. Years later, Randelle still owns the yoga studio in Fort St. John although she’s based out of Calgary. Since starting a yoga studio, Randelle has taught at various studios in Calgary, and worked her way towards becoming a lululemon ambassador for the 4th Street lululemon store in downtown Calgary. Randelle also runs workshops, retreats, teacher trainings, and is beginning to teach at festivals. On this episode, Randelle shares the business lessons she’s learned through owning a yoga studio, being a career yoga teacher, and running workshops, retreats and trainings. Randelle doesn’t describe herself as an expert on the b

Have you struggled with the balance between spirituality and business? Do you wonder how you can be a yogi, yet still be a successful business owner? Sometimes finding the balance between humility and business can be difficult, and Reno Muenz has found that balance. Reno is the founder of The Dharma Temple in Vancouver. He is a successful business owner, and teacher of kundalini and meditation. During the episode, Reno says "The world doesn't need more people who can do the splits. The world needs more people who love and forgive themselves", and this sums up what this episode is all about. We discuss the concept of learning + teaching yoga, setting up a daily self-practice, the importance of going deeper than the physical practice, and finding balance between your spirituality and your business. Enjoy! If you enjoy the podcast, join the community on Facebook, Instagram + sign up for the monthly newsletter.

On season 1 of the podcast, Tara Koenig shared her passion + involvement in the Africa Yoga Project. Now she's back for season 2 to talk about her experiences teaching in a saturated market. Tara is based out of Banff, Alberta, which is an extremely saturated market (hundreds of yoga teachers and only a few yoga studios). We talk about finding your niche in a saturated teaching market, how to make yourself stand out as a new yoga teacher, and strategies for getting a job in a saturated market. Also, be sure to check out Tara's first episode on the podcast here! If you enjoy the show, join the community on Facebook + Instagram, and sign up for the newsletter!

Andrew Misle is a Sattva yoga teacher based out of Edmonton, Alberta, and he joined me on the podcast to talk about his journey to becoming a full-time yoga teacher. Andrew discovered yoga at a time when he needed to heal his body, and he realized that yoga was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. On this episode, Andrew and I dive into the importance of a beginner's mindset, creating your own opportunities as a teacher + how to find a sustainable way to make a living as a full-time yoga teacher. Andrew has successfully created a sustainable full-time career through a combination of teaching in studios, his own individual offerings in Edmonton, as well as offering retreats, workshops and trainings. Enjoy! If you enjoy the podcast, join the community on Facebook, Instagram + sign up for the newsletter!

Do you work as a yoga teacher entrepreneur and have control over your schedule outside of the classes you teach? Have you ever struggled with productivity, discipline, or managing your time? I have too, and the habit that has a game changer for me was creating a morning routine that is non-negotiable for myself. So, on this episode, we are talking about the importance of a morning routine - why you should create one for yourself, what to include in it, and how to make it a habit that you do everyday. It sounds like a simple, unimportant habit, but it isn't. Getting up every morning and clearing your head sets you up for success, and as entrepreneurs, we need this because no one else will do it for us! Enjoy the episode + good luck creating your morning routine! If you enjoy the show, join the community on Facebook, Instagram + sign up for the newsletter.    

Laura Fraser is a yoga teacher for Power Yoga Canada, works in marketing, and is passionate about calligraphy. She also runs a website called Little Black Leggings, where she explores the marketing + business side of yoga. On this episode, Laura shares her journey as a yoga teacher, and how because she never felt like teaching a ton of classes was right for her, she's branched out to pursue her other passions alongside yoga - marketing + calligraphy. We also dive deep into the business of yoga, from finding your rate as a private yoga teacher, to getting comfortable asking for money, to developing your authentic brand online and learning to turn your social media into a story of who you are.  If you enjoy the podcast, join the community on Facebook, Instagram + sign up for the newsletter! 

Jeff Mah + I had a great conversation in season 1 on his journey as a yoga teacher + to becoming a studio owner. It was a fabulous conversation, so if you haven't listened to it yet, give it a listen here before listening to this episode. I'm super excited to have Jeff back on the show to continue the conversation of the business of owning a yoga studio. We talk about everything from charging less as a yoga teacher, teaching for free, valuing yourself as a yoga teacher, setting prices for your yoga studio, running a successful small business, and much more. Jeff has been a yoga studio owner for 5+ years and he is super candid when he shares his advice on the business of owning a yoga studio. Enjoy! If you enjoy the podcast, join the community on Facebook, Instagram + sign up for the newsletter. We also have a great promotion going on with Ceterus, where you can receive your first 3 months of cloud-based accounting + book keeping for free. Click here to learn more.

Are you interested in leading a yoga retreat, but don't really know where to start? WeTravel is a platform for retreat leaders that will help you from start to finish to create a great retreat. On this episode of the podcast, Jen Corley from WeTravel is joining me to talk about how to lead a great retreat. Jen shares her background as a yoga teacher and how she came to be working at WeTravel helping yoga teachers create great retreats. We discuss choosing a retreat location, pricing, best practices for retreat leaders, marketing, and much more. Don't miss out on the awesome promotion we have going on with Ceterus! Ceterus does cloud-based accounting + book keeping and is offering the first 3 months free (with no strings attached) to listeners of M.B.Om. Sign up here. If you enjoy the podcast, join the community on Facebook and Instagram + sign up for the newsletter!

On the first solo episode of this season, we're talking about yoga + self esteem. This episode is based off the principles of self esteem discussed in Nathaniel Branden's "The Six Pillars of Self Esteem". I discuss how yoga can improve self esteem + how the principles of self esteem are largely linked to the practice of yoga. I analyze each pillar one at a time, and they each build off one another to make up the big picture of a strong self esteem. I begin by defining self esteem, and then moving through the pillars in the following order: Living consciously Self Acceptance Self Responsibility Self Assertiveness Living Purposefully Integrity I believe that having a strong sense of self + a good self esteem is key to a happy life, and I truly believe that yoga can have a profound effect on how we feel about ourselves. Get a free trial using Audible + download the Six Pillars of Self Esteem now! If you enjoy the podcast, join the community on Facebook + Instagram, and sign up for the newsletter. Still struggl