We were lucky to catch up with Alice Toyonaga recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Alice thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

At the core of the different ventures I’m involved in, connection is so deeply embedded into the overall purpose. For example, at Modo Yoga LA, two hot yoga studios based in Los Angeles, we aim to be a catalyst for connection to breath, to body, to mind, to community and to the planet. At the Self-Healing Toolkit, we want to empower and inspire individuals to connect to their own resilience and wisdom in order to move from a place of surviving to thriving, and connect with a community of womxn on the same journey.

In a world of unrest, addictions to screens and social media, AI, and coming out of an isolating pandemic, I feel we are seeing time and time again the power of connection, and that with it, we move closer to our authentic self and toward creating more peace in the world.

Alice, 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?

The past two decades of my professional life have taken on many different paths – from working in the not-for-profit dance and theatre sectors to the public sector for the Canadian government, and ultimately to the never boring world of entrepreneurship! As I think back to what got me to where I am today, a few trends keep popping up: 1) I never lacked of courage or gumption in trying something new, even if the dream felt like a reach; 2) I trusted my purpose of healing/teaching/creating community and let that be a North Star for me; and 3) I’ve always leaned into the journey over the destination – eager to be humbled, learn and be inspired along the way. Since the pandemic, I’ve definitely re-assessed what I commit to since I now have a toddler to chase around. I’m now working at simplifying and finding ease in what I am immersed in, and ensure there is a resounding yes in my body before I start something new.

I’m so proud to a co-founder of the Modo Yoga LA community. While no trajectory is ever easy or a direct path, I have learned so much about myself and the power of slowing down and community from the amazing staff and students at MYLA. To see these studios standing after the pandemic (which still feels miraculous as a small business owner in LA), and the community come out stronger than ever, has been so beautiful to witness. We really now understand that being together in a room, connecting through the power of movement, breath, and being human, is not something that screens/computers can replace. Now that we are back on our feet, being able to get back to hosting community events, philanthropic work and doing even more of our yoga “off the mat” are all things I’m excited for because these are some of the things that set us apart.

As for the Self-Healing Toolkit, I’m proud that it blossomed as a product of the pandemic and how we began to think differently about access. To be able to create a virtual learning platform yet still be IN community allowing individuals to do some deep dive work into themselves in the privacy of their own home, and in their own time, while being part of something bigger and greater, is a way that we’ve taken some of what came out of surviving the pandemic and made access to therapeutic and healing practices more accessible.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

While Modo Yoga LA is made up of a myriad of amazing partners and investors of friends and family, how I met Emily Morwen, who is one of the original co-founders and owners of MYLA, is a story I like to tell people – especially in terms of trusting your gut when it tells you something that might not seem to make sense at the time.

Emily and I met at a yoga teacher training in Toronto in 2012. We ended up taking the same subway home and over no more than 5 subway stops, both came to the realization that we would end up working together someday, without exactly knowing when or how since we lived in different countries, on different coasts, and in different chapters in our lives. That very strong pull and feeling that there was something there to explore is something that we both leaned into instead of ignoring. What I found is that the people who share the deepest values you do – integrity, humility and placing importance on the “how” rather than the “what” – will be in your court and you in theirs when it comes to aligning  – everything from your friendship to your business ethics.

It’s a similar story for the Self-Healing Toolkit, and, actually, for many of the people who I’ve forged strong professional and personal relationships with.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

There are two big lessons I often think about when I reflect on the building of these studios and where I am today. The first is always to lead with heart and compassion, and the second is to not sweat the small stuff (which is ironic, since we’re a hot yoga studio and what we do really well is sweat!)

As a younger woman taking on infrastructure projects of building bricks and mortar studios, I was dealing with a lot of what are typically male-dominated industries. I often felt in the early days I had to act tougher or put up a front, in order to be taken more seriously and not taken advantage of. By doing this, I was losing the opportunity to connect and forge relationships – which is the whole raison d’être of these spaces I was building! So I had to trust that I could be myself – lead with heart and compassion, while still standing up for my (and the studios) needs – and in the end, by being true to who I was, it was so much less exhausting and much more productive.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.modoyogala.com, https://www.theselfhealingtoolkit.com/
• Instagram: @alicesadae

Image Credits
Sarah Williams @sarahskyann on IG