We recently connected with Asia Smith and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Asia , thanks for joining us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

In 2018, I found myself struggling with my work/life balance, completing my Master’s program, and desire to enhance and essentially pivot in my professional career. Discovering the benefits of yoga in college, I founded Pearled Buddha, LLC in 2019 and in the midst of the pandemic, began offering virtual classes and outdoor sessions to assist others with mental and physical self-care. Sharing my passion for self-care with others during this particularly scary time literally changed my life and breathed new life into my desire to provide holistic options for others to discover and become their best selves.

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

I’m a Yoga Alliance certified and sponsored Yoga Instructor and Wellness Consultant/Coach, offering Wellness Experiences in both Corporate and Community spaces. I volunteer as a Non-profit Organization Community Outreach Coordinator working with underrepresented populations to include those suffering from anxiety/depression, recovering from addiction, and homelessness. My company, Pearled Buddha, LLC, offers private yoga and flexibility sessions (in-person and virtually) and I also teach group yoga sessions at Strait Bodied, a Black owned private gym and dance studio located in Tempe, AZ

Dedicated to improving birth outcomes for BIPOC and military families, my mother and I founded Sacral Pearls BirthWork in 2021 to provide holistic doula services, childbirth education, pre and postnatal yoga, and mental health resources for our clients and their families. It’s truly a family affair and a labor of love to support our clients here in the Phoenix area and El Paso, TX.

I’m most proud of my recent sponsorship with the Yoga Alliance Foundation. I was selected to be one of 50 instructors worldwide to receive a grant to support the 2022 Teaching for Equity (TFE) Program. TFE allows yoga instructors to share their passion and expertise with those who are either excluded or who face barriers keeping them away from the practice. Communal health and well-being are essential to the sustainment of healthy individuals and families. It’s an honor to be able to support this program primarily at the Spaces of Opportunity (Project Roots AZ) in South Phoenix. My newest endeavor, Pearled Balance Consulting, LLC launches in April 2023 to provide social media brand management, instructional/graphic design, and web design services.

My goal is to create meaningful experiences and provide impactful services for my clients and community.

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

I believe that you must have a connection with the community that you support and/or serve. You have to be a living, breathing ‘billboard’ for your products and services. Creating bonds and forming networks within the community is also vitally important to establish trust with your clientele. I’ve been honored to be invited to participate in various wellness retreats, educational seminars/webinars to promote health and wellness in public and private organizations.

Volunteerism is in my blood. What better way to gain but to give of your time and talents to your community! In order to best serve clients, I believe you have to ‘share space’ in order to truly understand how best to serve them. I’ve established several enduring partnerships by volunteering with organizations with shared purpose. Project Roots AZ, led by former WNBA Phoenix Mercury player and Chicago Sky assistant coach, Bridget Pettis and PBS Arizona-Kids are two organizations where I volunteer to teach yoga and meditation to adults and children. I absolutely love being out and about in the community to share my passion with others. I also serve as the Pacific Regional Wellness Coordinator for Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated.

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

My business partner for Sacral Pearls BirthWork is my mother, Jaynene K. Smith. I’ve known her all of my life (giggles). My military parents instilled the spirit of volunteerism in me as a child. While growing up in Seoul, Republic of Korea in the early 2000s, I accompanied them to volunteer on U.S. military installations and in Korean communities. One of my favorite events was the Community Baby Showers hosted by Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated. I watched and sometimes assisted Zeta Sorors bring so much joy to military families by providing baby shower gifts and vital information resources to assist families. Many times my mother, a now retired senior non-commissioned officer, would accompany her  Soldiers, without available family or friends, in Labor & Delivery to coach and provide emotional support during their delivery. She served as an unofficial Doula even before we decided that we could form a business and provide this service to others. Sacral Pearls BirthWork, established in 2021, offers doula services, childbirth education classes, pre and postnatal yoga and placenta encapsulation services (beginning April 2023). We specialize in service to BIPOC, military, and LGBTQIA+ families by providing evidence-based, holistic, and non judgemental support. Our goal is to change the trajectory and narrative of the disproportionate maternal morbidity rates especially amongst BIPOC.

Contact Info:

• Website: sacralpearlsbirthwork.com pearledbuddha.com
• Instagram: @sacral_pearls_birthwork @pearledbuddha
• Facebook: Sacral Pearls BirthWork Pearled Buddha
• Twitter: @pearledbuddha
• Other: linktr.ee/pearledbuddha

Image Credits
https://instagram.com/nphoto_01?igshid=MjkzY2Y1YTY= (Black dress) https://instagram.com/ee77_mono?igshid=MjkzY2Y1YTY= (Black & white) https://instagram.com/studio55_az?igshid=MjkzY2Y1YTY= (Studio Head Shot)