Through yoga, mindfulness and birth support, Erin Elizabeth Grant is on a mission to improve mental health, especially for women going through times of change. If you are approaching birth and motherhood, navigating challenging circumstances or wanting to adjust to a healthier lifestyle, she will help you to feel relaxed, confident and resilient.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
Growing up, I experienced a season of pretty debilitating social anxiety, low self-esteem and body dysmorphia. It took a while for me to overcome that stage of my life but I’m forever grateful, as it led me to yoga and the wonderful healing qualities that breathwork has on the nervous system. After practising for a few years, I completed my teacher training with the Australian Yoga Academy in Melbourne and began teaching in studios, gyms, schools and workplaces across Victoria.
It has taken me many years to find clarity around how I exactly want to show up and serve women in my business, and it wasn’t until I had my baby in 2019 that I realised what I was truly inspired to pursue. Giving birth was a challenging yet transformational life event for me. Through that experience, I discovered that I wanted to devote my life to supporting women through pregnancy, birth and motherhood. Since having my first baby and navigating the uncertainty as a first-time parent, I knew that a shift in my business was inevitable – and it led me to weave together my love for teaching yoga and mindfulness with birth work as a doula. My mission is to facilitate a holistic approach to improving mental health, especially for women in times of change – like becoming a new mumma!
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
My business has organically evolved over the years. I began teaching yoga classes in a beautiful studio based in Geelong, Victoria about eight years ago and then incorporated pilates classes in 2016, teaching in schools, studios, local businesses, gyms and privately one-on-one with clients. I’ve always been fascinated with psychology and mental health and wanted to bring depth to the services I offered women, so in 2017 I began studying a Bachelors in Psychological Science, which I expect to finish early next year.
It’s very easy for people on the outside to look at someone running a business and think it was such a linear path – for me this was definitely not the case. I’ve always had a desire to start a business, but as an introverted (and multi-passionate) soul, I’ve found it incredibly hard to stay grounded and put myself out there. I’m very passionate about child psychology and inner-child work and for me, I think my deeply rooted fears of being ‘seen’ stems from the insecurities I had as a child. A vivid memory I have was as a little girl around ten years old sitting on the side of the road selling my toys. I turned away my first ever “customer” – a boy from down the road – because I felt that wave of vulnerability wash over me. I told him that my “for sale” sign was just pretend! I feel to some extent I played out this pattern in the early years of running my business and it’s taken a lot of mindset shifting and inner work to move through my fears of being seen and not being good enough to be a successful business owner.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
Having my baby was by far the biggest turning point for me, both personally and professionally. I found labour and birth extremely long, draining and emotionally challenging. I thought I had it in the bag and was well prepared for what awaited me, but I seriously underestimated just how long it would take to meet my little boy. I gave birth at the Murwillumbah Birth Centre in New South Wales and was inspired to have an active and natural birth. With no access to pain relief other than gas, I remember feeling quite overwhelmed and scared that the experience would never end – that my baby was never coming!
