The Hustle
Years in Tampa Bay
20+ years. Born-and-raised St. Petersburger.
Hustle (job)
Studio Owner & Manager of SunState Yoga
What do you do?
Help people to be the best versions of themselves through yoga.
Why do you do it?
My intention is to be a forklift for others and help them find happiness, confidence, inspiration and see how much they truly are capable of. I want people to have a place where they can walk in and feel like they’re coming home.
What was your Catalyst? (How did you get started?)
After a traditional college experience and time away from home working for a marketing firm in Atlanta, I found my passion outside of my career. It all started at a young age with classes for stress release and exercise, but it rapidly became an obsession and exercise that I would do due to injuries from playing volleyball. Shortly after attending yoga regularly, I was ready to take my practice to the next level with teaching. After years of reinvesting in my own training and certifications, I was finally ready to open my own practice in my hometown. It really says something about a studio when you can tell that the people working there care if I’m there or not, and that’s what I wanted to build.
What’s a common misconception or unknown aspect of what you do?
Yoga is for everyone. You don’t need experience, fancy postures or expensive gear to be a yogi. All you need is to say “yes,” and make it to a yoga class.
What’s the most challenging part of your Hustle?
The most challenging part of the hustle is getting people in Florida to embrace hot yoga … just kidding (kind of). It’s probably trying to educate our audience on what power yoga is and why it’s accessible to everyone. When people think yoga, they think just stretching and balancing on one foot. When people hear power yoga, they sometimes assume that means it’s so difficult they can’t do it. Really, all it takes is coming to the studio for one class to see that people of all physical fitness levels are capable of doing the practice, and all levels are being challenged to grow in both strength and flexibility.
What’s the most valuable piece of business advice/insight that’s helped you?
The best advice I’ve ever received is to do what we do REALLY WELL and don’t try to please everyone.
