We were lucky to catch up with Jessica Winderl recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jessica thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you share a story about the kindest thing someone has done for you and why it mattered so much or was so meaningful to you?

Oh boy. This story takes place in October 2020, when the world was still in the middle of the Covid pandemic. I have experienced many kind words and actions from people in my life, but this particular event is one that I think about often, and that will stay for me for the rest of my life. It is a powerful reminder of how we are all connected, and how small acts of kindness to (or from) strangers can have a big impact.

In July 2020 I gave birth to my only child, a son named Oliver. I am American, but currently live in Norway. It was unfortunately a traumatic birth, which resulted in my son being admitted to the ICU and me staying in the hospital for five days. Giving birth during the pandemic was isolating, due to hospital infection controls, understaffing, and no visitors allowed. After we went home from the hospital, the isolation continued, along with ongoing health issues related to the delivery for me. Becoming a first-time mother is shocking and life-altering for every woman, but add trauma, a global pandemic, and giving birth in a foreign country into the mix, and things get wild very fast!

My mother had planned to visit from the US to attend my birth and stay after, but of course, could not travel internationally during that time as Norway had closed borders. So three months after my son was born, I decided to travel to the US to visit my family and introduce my (amazing) baby to them. What I didn’t know at the time was that I was deep in a severe post-partum depression.

I share these details to provide context for where I was in my life — and to illustrate exactly why the act of kindness I experienced from a stranger was so meaningful to me. For me, post-partum depression was like existing within a space of the darkest and loneliest fog, where you feel nothing but sheer anxiety and a crushing heaviness. I went through treatment for a rare and aggressive cancer in 2016, and I would rather do that over again than be in the pain of post-partum depression. Side note: there is a social stigma and shame around experiencing PPD/PPA, which is also why I want to share this story in support of any women who are suffering in silence.

To travel from Norway to my parents’ house in the US takes almost 24 hours of travel, and 2-3 planes (depending on my route). I was traveling internationally alone, with a 3 month old baby who exclusively bottle fed, and: a stroller, a car seat, diapers and enough clean bottles and formula for a day, and all of our bags for a 3-week trip. It was a lot to manage, and very stressful to navigate traveling with all of the extra Covid protocols (masks, social distancing, advanced screenings, etc.).

I did not receive any help for airport or airline staff, and by the time we arrived at our final destination, both my son and I were exhausted, jet-lagged, stressed, and overwhelmed. I was struggling to juggle carrying my wailing baby, his car seat, and my carry-on bags as I got off the plane, only to find that my stroller had not been gate-checked, but instead stowed under the plane. This meant I had to walk through the airport and get to the regular baggage area. I lost it and started crying. I felt so defeated.

Just then, a middle aged man asked if he could help me carry my bags. I said no, I’m fine (hyper-independence is a trauma response), even though I was clearly not. This very kind man (truly an angel! Maybe sent by my grandmother who passed away while I was in the hospital after giving birth?) did not take no for an answer. He helped me with my bags and walked with me all the way to the baggage claim on the other end of the airport. He told me that he had 3 teenage boys, and his wife would never forgive him for not helping a mom who is traveling alone with a baby.

We made it to the baggage claim, and my stroller had been lost. I had no idea what to do, because I hadn’t slept or really eaten anything in almost 24 hours, and my stressed nervous system wasn’t working. This kind man said “lets get you a trolley to put your bag and stroller on”, and came with me to the trolley bay. My hand was shaking so badly as I was trying to put my credit card in to pay the $7 to rent a trolley (free in Europe!) that I couldn’t make the payment. He pulled out his own card, and made the payment for me, and then waited with me until my stroller was located.

I thanked him, and we said goodbye. I don’t know this man’s name, but I really wish I did. I am truly, forever, grateful to him. His kindness and humanity in that moment came at a time when I really needed it, and his legacy in my life reminds me to look for the good in others, and to help strangers when I can. Look for the moms in the airport traveling alone with kids!

This kindness might seem small, but to me, it was the brightest light in a very dark time of my life.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

As the founder of the Atman Yoga School, my main business is offering yoga teacher trainings and mentorships. My school offers 200 hour and 300 hour Vinyasa + Ayurveda Yoga Teacher Trainings in Norway and the US, as well as weekend trainings in: Restorative Yoga + Yoga Nidra, Advanced Vinyasa Teaching Skills, and Ayurveda.

I created my business to exist without a brick-and-mortar location, so that I can bring my training curriculum and certifications to any studio in any city. Since founding my school in 2015, we have offered almost 50 trainings, and built a reputation of providing a quality yoga education that graduates confident and knowledgeable students. More than 30 different nationalities are represented by our graduates. And many of our graduates have gone on to open yoga studios, start yoga apps, run retreats, and teach classes and workshops all over the world.

My next step is licensing the AYS curriculum to other facilitators around the world, who want to offer a high level of yoga teacher training to their communities.

In addition to running the Atman Yoga School, I am a published author and a podcast host. My ayurvedic lifestyle book, Holistisk Livsstil, came out in Norway in 2023, and I am in the process of having it published in English. My podcast, One Sacred Pause, began in 2018 and features inspiring conversations on topics related to yoga, wellness, and spirituality.

One of the things that I am the most proud of is that I bootstrapped my business, and have successfully run my business for almost a decade in the notoriously difficult yoga industry. I think my authenticity and passion shine through, and this is one of the reasons my business continues to grow.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

A couple of things. First, I dedicated my life to studying and practicing yoga, so that when I started teaching yoga I was very knowledgeable and understood how to communicate the subject matter. I said yes to every opportunity, and sacrificed a lot to build up my reputation as a teacher. Yoga teachers have a stereotype of being flaky, unreliable, and bad at business. I combatted that by taking my job seriously, and always being professional. I showed up when I said I would, and always took the initiative to create new opportunities for myself to grow my personal brand. I treated it as a business from day 1.

I also networked a lot, kept up on news within the yoga industry, and was pro-actively involved in the yoga community. Yoga teachers are a dime-a-dozen, and you have to really want it and work for it if you want to make a career out of teaching yoga and stand out. You have to get creative with how you design your path forward. I also had a personal website early on, used a brand kit to promote myself, and did a lot of cold-emailing to ask for opportunities. Looking back, I think I was pretty brave with how much I put myself out there!

Before the age of instagram influencers, brand ambassadors were the hot thing, and I worked as a brand ambassador for several large yoga brands. I also taught at many yoga festivals and conferences around the US and Europe, and was involved with a lot of collaborations.

When I realized that leading yoga teacher trainings is my real passion within teaching, I created my yoga school. I care deeply about the quality of yoga education that my students receive, and that they are prepared to get teaching jobs. Unfortunately, there is a wide disparity between yoga teacher training programs, and some of them are not that great. So I set out to do things differently, and I think that shows through the teaching ability of the AYS graduates.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Word of mouth and SEO. The majority of my students come to the Atman Yoga School from recommendations from previous graduates who are teaching, and from google searches.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.atmanyogaschool.com
• Instagram: @jessicawinderl
• Facebook: @atmanyogaschool
• Youtube: Jessica Winderl
• Other: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/one-sacred-pause/id1421406577

Image Credits

Elise Gulestøl, Mila Milano, Lisa-Marie Hoelstad, Nicola Paulukat