Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brenda Umana. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Brenda, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

So there I was at 23 years old, working as an accountant in San Francisco, CA. Just a few years prior, I graduated with a Business Degree from UC Santa Cruz. At the time I thought everyone hated their jobs. It sounds trivial to me now but I didn’t realize that I had a choice. It seemed like you graduated college, get a job, wore office clothes and high heels, and spent time in a cubicle. As a child of immigrant parents, that personification of work felt like “success.” I didn’t have role models who took risks, made creative decisions, or took on different styles of work. Because my family’s baseline was purely survival — they worked for shelter, food, and to sustain a comfortable life.

I kept going on my days working a job I didn’t particularly like, dating people who mistreated me, and acting out in behavior that wasn’t pleasant like over-drinking and getting wasted. One day the office announced it was going to offer “wellness classes” on-site. Everything from boot camp classes, to yoga, and meditation. I’ve always been curious about yoga but never had the opportunity to step into a studio. Either I didn’t know where they were or I just didn’t know how to even start. But because this yoga class was in the office building, I walked downstairs and took the class. Perhaps a small risk at this point of embarrassing myself or wasting my time. But in this small risk, something completely shifted inside me. Not only did I feel happier after class, waltz back upstairs to my dimly lit cubicle to continue working, but something ignited me. As I reflect I can say this must’ve been an awakening to my intuition or my higher self.

And so little by little things started to shift inside me, I became more curious about the power of myself, my thoughts, and my behavior. I let go of awful relationships. And ultimately quit that accounting job, stopped studying for the CPA exam. All without a next-step plan. I took a huge risk and a big leap of faith.

I moved back to LA to my hometown and immediately began looking for yoga teacher training. I found YogaWorks, a well-known LA-based school and studio at the time. Naively, I did not know any of the teachers there or anyone else who signed up. I was doing this adventure solo.

And now fast forward 12 years later — I’ve lived and worked so many different lives! After completing my YTT, I then moved to NYC to attend grad school, I met my now fiance at this school, I explored all types of jobs in NYC including at one point becoming a full-time yoga teacher. We then moved to Seattle. I taught all over Seattle, started freelancing as a business and marketing consultant to wellness companies, and organically grew my health & wellness marketing consulting business. I continue to take risks like moving to Mexico City after the pandemic, and now newly residing in Chicago.

Now as a yogi, meditation teacher, poet, Vedic Psychology educator, and entrepreneur, I’ve dedicated years to exploring the
profound realms of self-discovery. Through my journey, I’ve come to realize that living an authentic life is about achieving balance and harmony in all aspects of your life — ensuring that your personal and professional aspirations align with your core values.

My first love in the vast world of “practice” is yoga and I wholeheartedly believe that the yoga practice is what continues to inspire me to explore, to take risks, and to cultivate a relationship with myself and those around me while continuing to live a creative life.

Brenda, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I would say my journey has been an unwavering quest to understand and transcend my internal struggles. Like I mentioned, early in my life, I felt the pressure to prioritize the happiness of others over my own. Considering myself a highly sensitive person, I initially lacked the necessary tools to channel and harness it effectively. And that’s where I found solace and inspiration in the yoga practice, allowing me to explore beyond societal norms and start living life on my terms.

I have over 10+ years of experience as a dedicated practitioner, teacher, and yoga/meditation educator. I love to learn and hold certifications totaling over 500 hours, including Restorative Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Vedic Psychology, and Meditation, and a Master’s of Public Health from Columbia University. I bring a wealth of knowledge to my teachings. I’m a very curious person and just love exploring whatever topics or courses I’m curious about in that moment.

In addition to my teaching, I’m also a dedicated writer, poet, and founder of OM Marketing. I would say that my combination of business, health, and wellness is what really sets me apart in my offerings. On the one hand there’s so many yoga teachers that want to understand more of the business side of things or how to make this a living career, I can step in as a mentor in that way and show the ways that I have found success. And on the other hand, there are many businesses that need heart-centered marketing and communication, and I can bring in my strengths that way.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

I love keeping in touch with clients through an email newsletter. It’s a way for me to share my writing, stay top of mind, but not necessarily sell anything in particular. I would say so much of what I see “wrong” in getting new clients, building relationships or even a misconception about what marketing is — is selling or pitching your services too often. People want value, to feel important, to feel like they are learning and so I really love email for that.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Working for yourself is the ultimate form of resilience, I would say! I did not realize that when I decided to work for myself. Sure many people say it but it’s not until you’re living it can you see all the challenges and self-reliance that’s needed.

At every moment you wake up to work for yourself or own your business, you need to self-motivate because no one else can get certain work done, you need to bring in your own money because no one is sending you biweekly paychecks, you need to be your own champion because no one else is closing deals. Also be your own marketer, accountant, and so much more! There are not only mental challenges, but also client challenges, or revenue/cash flow challenges.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.beeuman.com
• Instagram: beeumana
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bumana/
• Other: www.om.marketing

Image Credits
Some of the photography is by Marcella Lane.