We recently connected with Angela Perger and have shared our conversation below.

Angela, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

A series of steps led to the defining moment when I decided to make the leap into something big.

I say that because while the defining moment stands out, there were hints and nudges that pushed me along toward that exact moment of clarity and action.

While in graduate school for education, I received an intuitive message that I would be a professor one day. I laughed at the time, not knowing what subject I would be teaching.

Meanwhile, I fell in love with yoga when I was teaching first grade in West Philadelphia. A series of life events came along and I ended up as a new mother immersed in yoga. I struggled with health challenges and went through years of both Western and holistic treatments. I knew yoga was an incredible force in my life, so I began to study yoga’s sister science Ayurveda.

Simple Ayurveda started as a passion project in 2018. I held low-cost workshops and live online courses as well as publishing weekly podcast episodes interviewing my favorite authors and experts from around the world.

In 2022 I started to feel burnt out, but I also wondered if I could turn this passion project into a legitimate career. I hired a business coach. She suggested niching down. My heart wasn’t in it, but I wanted to stay open and receptive to her expertise.

I followed all of the steps and recommendations. I gained more confidence and organization, but I wasn’t getting anywhere with building a sustainable business. In our final week together, I had my “aha” moment. All along I wanted to start my own certification training program. My heart has always been in education- and in fact during these years I had been invited to teach Ayurveda at a public university. I now had college level teaching experience as a holistic health professor in the department of science, Ayurveda practitioner credentials, and most importantly- life experience of motherhood and chronic illness.

The moment I decided to create a training program, all of the pieces fell into place. A previous podcast guest connected me to an accrediting organization. Another guest was both an Ayurveda and marketing expert. I used all of the knowledge gained from various connections and experiences and directed it toward this true passion.

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

I work with small groups to teach embodied Ayurveda- how to live a lifestyle connected to the rhythms of nature, rooted in ancient wisdom and timeless truth.

My own path of overwhelm and chronic illness led me toward in-depth studies of Yoga and Ayurveda. Ayurveda is the real-life application of living in alignment with the elements and qualities all around us. Ayurveda originated in India and is the world’s oldest continually practiced wellness system.

My background includes a bachelor of arts in journalism and graduate studies of special education. I am endlessly curious and believe in supporting my students to access childlike wonder and awe. My professional teaching experience spans 20 years and includes preschool through college and adults into their 70’s.

At Simple Ayurveda I teach students to understand the essence of the ancient teachings, so that the lessons can be applied to modern day life in easy, realistic ways. I don’t tell students what to do, but rather teach them how to ask bigger questions that will lead toward deeper wisdom.

I guess I’m most proud of the consistent feedback from students and podcast listeners that I’m open about my own journey and prioritize creating a teacher/student relationship without needing to be on some sort of pedestal. The Simple Ayurveda Podcast has 1.3M downloads and the listeners continue to share their thoughts and questions, making it an ongoing interactive conversation.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

I think that truly listening is an underrated skill.

It’s an amazing time to be alive- to be able to take a class or learn about any topic. With that, there are many experts that have knowledge yet forget that the people they are working with are not blank slates.

The best wellness practitioners and teachers see the value and life experiences that their students and clients bring to the conversation. Every session or class is a co-creation.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

It was a winding, difficult road but I couldn’t imagine doing anything else now.

I’d love to tell my younger self that she will take on many variations of teacher and not to become too attached to any one expression.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://simpleayurveda.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angela.perger/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simpleayurvedacommunity/

Image Credits

Kristen Spang Photography