We recently connected with Grace Millsap and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Grace, thanks for joining us today. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

This question brings up more than just one job that I’ve had over my life, but rather a realization of how all the seemingly random jobs (and detours) that feed into my current life. First, I worked in restaurants for many years and pretty much had every job (minus kitchen duties) that one could have. I started out being a hostess and eventually agreed to waiting tables and then was soon promoted to bartender and eventually assistant manager. From that I learned people skills, how to maintain my wits when under pressure, and how to not take things personally. But most importantly, I gained a motley crew of friends who feel like family that I’m very much still connected with today. I talk a lot about the 5-years I spent as a research assistant in the intersections of nutrition, genetics and brain science and I often call it my “dream job”. And what I learned there is research life is HARD and the folks at the top of the food chain don’t actually get to do too much science – most of their time is spent writing papers and grants for funding. Once I got an insider’s perspective, I politely decided “never-mind”. I also spent years as a gymnastics and acrobatics teachers, both in a noncompetitive gymnastics gym setting (with all the bars and beams, but no trampolines) and dance studio with mats on a solid floor. I learned how to watch bodies, give cues and most importantly, keep things fun and safe while using gymnastics skills as a way to build confidence and self-esteem in kids. I love witnessing how all these roads converge as a yoga teacher and wellness center owner. People often ask me how I got to where I am, and my honest answer is that I simply kept following the things that brought me me joy. And sure, a lot of determination!

Grace, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’ve been teaching yoga full-time for 10 years (officially July 1st) when I got laid off from my dream job in research. Through a wildly synchronistic trip to Nicaragua, I wasn’t able to plan ahead for my lay-off. Instead, I was forced to trust that whatever was on the other side would somehow magically fall into place…and I’ve been riding that wave ever since! While abroad, I was offered a yoga studio management position and spent the next 3ish years learning the ins and outs of the business while having opportunities to hone my teaching skills. Fast forward to today and I co-own a wellness center that features multiple forms of movement, meditation and massage, lead yoga teacher trainings, and curate yoga retreats all around the world. My trainings (and teachings) center accessibility and equality, and invite in multiple teachers with different perspectives and lived experiences. We offer scholarships and sliding scale pricing which reduces competition and gives more folks an opportunity to join. My retreats work with the local communities to offer cultural experiences that respect traditions, and give back. I honor the stewards of the practices of yoga, and of the land that we visit.
Yoga is a microcosm of the larger world and all the issues that exist outside, also exist inside the yoga spaces. I am committed to doing my part to not use these amazing tools to bypass our current situations, rather as a way through – both personal and collective real life -ish.
Opening a brick and mortar in the last year has been quite the journey! It’s something I had wanted for awhile but the opportunities that presented themselves were never quite right. And when the Universe says it’s time you best be ready!! I went from abruptly losing my main source of weekly income in July 2025 to opening my own version in the same building by November 2025 – Moon Wolf was built and supported by the community, for the community. And it most certainly has taken on a life of its own. Learning to step back and let magic unfold has been my greatest lesson, and I’m still learning.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I think anyone who was a wellness/fitness instructor and/or in the travel business and made it through 2020+ deserves a medal. Double bonus medals for those of us that were both. Triple medals for those of us who decided to start their own retreat business this year after spending several years assisting others without the financial risk. Yep, 2020 was the year I decided was going to be “my” year and i took some BIG risks, that didn’t quite pan out as planned.
I vividly remember the day that Costa Rica decided to shut down their borders and my agonizing over what to do about the upcoming retreat was suddenly solved. Both relief at having to NOT make such a big decision and absolutely devastated that a country that relies on tourism made such a bold decision to shut down.
What followed in the those next few months was a total loss of identity and purpose. If I wasn’t a yoga teacher, then who was I? My stress only elevated as long-standing yoga institutions in my city began to shut down for good.
This was also going to be my first year leading my own yoga teacher training and I had been sitting with whether or not to even move forward. Online felt so impersonal and almost impossible – especially for Yoga teacher training that relied so much on being in the same room together. In the pit of my questioning, I had 2 students reach out and inquire about my training. Their messages gave me the spark to keep going and I ended up with 6 students that year from all over the country who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to attend!! Those 2 messages were exactly what I needed to move forward and I’ve been going ever since.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

I think the best thing we can always do is remember that we are all human – I sometimes like to take this a step further and make it a verb: human-ing. It can be easy to forget, especially when so much of our communication and connections happen via screens, that there’s a real person sending those messages. I have found myself in minor conflict with long-time friends over mistranslated texts and missing (or implied) tone that were quickly cleared up by a phone call or in-person meeting. I find so much value in taking time to connect in person, not just for me but for the whole team. My teachers feel seen and hard and I know what’s going on in their worlds. In a world of screens, face to face time feels like such a treat!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gracemillsapyoga.com
• Instagram: @gracemillsapmagic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@gracemillsapyoga

Image Credits

Photos by Phillip Gripper of Vivid Visuals Production