The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
Time poverty, exhaustion, daycare viruses, a crashing website payment gateway and limited time for my own yoga practice. You name it.
I have learned to keep going even when things do not go to plan. There are so many moving parts to running a business, and balancing that alongside motherhood can be a challenge.
I am still very much in the thick of it, learning how to navigate the unpredictability while continuing to show up for the parents and babies who come to my classes. That has required a lot of resilience, adaptability and letting go of the idea that everything needs to run perfectly.
I am also trying to take time to reflect and celebrate how far I have come and how much I have learned. It is very easy to just keep pushing forward without appreciating the journey.
I hope that one day I can be a role model for my son, showing him that it is possible to carve your own path by pursuing something you are passionate about, and developing the persistence needed to achieve your goals.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
I love the flexibility. The standard 9 to 5 job stopped working for me a long time ago, especially now as a mum and stepmum. Most work environments are not designed well for neurodivergent people like myself. If I need to go for a walk, I can do that. I wanted to create my own job description and set clear boundaries around what I will and will not do, so that I do not burn out.
Even though running a business is hard work and often unpredictable, it is also deeply meaningful. At the end of the day, it is my “baby”, and I have the love, energy and intrinsic motivation to nurture it. I have chosen to serve a demographic that really needs this kind of support and community, and I can do that through my own lived experience as a mother. That resonates deeply with me and makes me very excited for what comes next.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
As a former educator and learning designer by trade, I am also planning to expand online with course offerings that help parents carve out time for their home yoga practice. These will include accessible practices that meet you where you are in your parenthood journey, along with accountability and an online community to support you.
I have one small online offering so far called Postnatal Yoga: Calm and Restore, which is designed for the early postnatal period to help safely reintroduce movement and support calm through breathing and meditation.
This year and next year, I plan to create more online offerings for pregnancy, postnatal recovery and the wider motherhood journey. I may even develop a course in yoga for fertility, as someone who went through IVF myself.
I will always offer in-person classes as well because I love the connection that comes from practising together in a room. I am beginning to collaborate with birth educators, coming to teach the people they support. Maybe I’ll eventually run yoga retreats for parents; the options are endless really!
I would love to see you in a class here in Auckland or online, whether you’re pregnant or have a little one, where you can move, breathe and connect while your baby enjoys gentle movement and sensory play. I’ll happily cuddle your little one while you rest in savasana. You can find all the details for joining in person or online below.
Visit everybodyflow.co.nz to find out more, and connect with them on Instagram and Facebook.
