We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Julia Perkins. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Julia below.

Hi Julia, thanks for joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

I happened upon yoga at age fifty after I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis. I was searching for a practice that would still challenge me but not give me cause to worry given my new limitations. Yoga was game changer for me, but I had to travel outside of my South Shore community for classes. “Why,” I thought, “can’t we have a yoga studio right here in the neighborhood?” Thus, my mission started, my “”why” became clear, and concept of Studio Yogi was born.

With this mission in hand, I purchased a vacant property on the 71st business corridor in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood. I assembled a great team, then begin the process of seeking funding. I created a business plan, and along with the help of my development consultant, Prim Lawrence Group, a proforma was developed, architectural drawings were in place and I begin the journey of seeking funding for the project. I used my entire retirement savings, which included the purchase of the building as my equity and begin to seek out lenders for the project. I received a Neighborhood Opportunity Fund grant that I thought could be leveraged when approaching lenders. Then the pandemic hit. Lenders became adverse to providing capital support for the project. I was turned down by at least six lenders. It was a debilitating experience. At the same time, I continued my work as a consultant, which I had been doing for 23 years as my primary source of income. Here I was working two full time jobs – one as a consultant the other as a newbie developer.

Despite these setbacks, I persevered. Finally, a lender understood my vision and decided to support my vision. The Community Reinvestment Fund rallied behind me. Next, I received a grant from We Rise Together, this enable me to finance the redevelopment of the property which was around $1.4 million. But remember were in the throws of COVID. We had funding for project, but then supply and demand chain issues kicked in. The impact on the supply and demand chain was real. There were cost escalations, along with extended wait times for materials. One example of this, was that it took nearly one year for the HVAC system to be installed.

Finally, in February of 2023, Studio Yogi open it doors. I am still running my consultancy practice, along with managing a new studio. This process is a big risk for me, and I know that it is worth it!

Studio Yogi offers women, men, and non-binary members of the community an opportunity to experience yoga on their terms, feel welcomed regardless of their identities, and not be self-conscious about their beautiful, strong, curvaceous, voluptuous, sculptural, and picturesque bodies. Studio Yogi is a place for people to come to as they are, where they are, and how they are.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

As I stated previously, I happened upon yoga at age fifty after I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis. I so enjoyed the practice that I obtain my teaching certification. I taught at a popular national yoga chain, along with teaching classes for private students.

My vision for Studio Yogi was to offer a variety of yoga styles to the community. Currently, we offer vinyasa, kemetic, yin, restorative, sound healing and meditation classes. I was extremely fortunate to identify a wonderful group of instructors, who I consider partners, in this journey to bring yoga to my community.

For many students, this their first yoga experience. We are sensitive to the fact the each student possesses an anatomical uniqueness. So, what works for one student, may not work for another. Yoga is not about getting your body into the pose, but making the pose work for your body. Thus, the instructors always offer customizations for the poses, and we use a lot of props as part of this process. I believe that this sets Studio Yogi apart from other yoga studios.

I have encountered so many people who believe yoga is only for those folks who are already agile and possess an innate sense of movement—those who can glide into Crow (Bakasana) posture (Asana), ease into a bound-angle pose (Baddha Konsana), or walk into a handstand (Adho Mudkha Vrksasana) as easily as opening a door. But I know for sure that that isn’t true. I am always modifying poses. I struggle with many postures due to my physical challenges. What is important to understand is that Yoga embraces the fact that no one body is the same: no one body possesses the same range of motion, no one body is without some type of limitation, no one body feels the same every single day.

At Studio Yogi we on the functionality of yoga, rather than the aesthetics. In addition, we want people to see the meditative benefits that yoga has to offer, as well as the loving relationship that yoga allows people to cultivate with their bodies. Studio Yogi aspires to build a yoga community that inspires, encourages, and enables people to have fun, socialize, and, if possible, rejuvenate their spirits.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Word of mouth has been the most effective tool in building our yoga community since we opened in February of 2023. Out students serve as key ambassadors for getting the word out. Over 75% of our students learn about the studio from others within the community.

With this said, we are still a very young business — six months old. There is much more to be done. We are using social media, identifying partnerships with other businesses, and offering free community classes as part of growing our clientele. We still have a long way to go, but we are making inroads!

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Studio Yogi has 12 phenomenal instructors. As I stated before, I consider each one to be a partner. I valued their ideas and perspectives. We are working side by side to make this studio a success. Just recently, we held a six-month assessment of what is working and what needs to be improved. Several great ideas emerged from the group, that we will be moving forward.

In addition, the partners believe in the mission and vision of studio yogi
Our Vision – All peoples’ well-being is valued.
Our Mission – To amplify the importance of movement as part of our well-being.

They understand that an individual’s well-being is paramount especially for communities of color.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.studioyogi.com/
• Instagram: @studioyogichicago
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StudioYogiChicago
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/studio-yogi/?viewAsMember=true

Image Credits
Michael Wilson and Julia Perkins