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

Aubrey , appreciate you joining us today. Some of the most interesting parts of our journey emerge from areas where we believe something that most people in our industry do not – do you have something like that?

I will admit that for the majority of my career in business I have based my model of success on a very straightforward capitalist strategy. You present a good, it has a price, people pay that price, the end. Sometimes, you give the customer an incentive to buy said good, maybe a discount on quantity or free something with a purchase of an item. It’s pretty basic. If your customer cannot afford the good well then there is no purchase. After all there is a cost of goods.

Recently, I started collaboratively managing a yoga space. In this space, the goal is to actively undermine the capitalist model of how people pay for goods and services. What if you ask people to locate themselves by how much power and privilege that they hold? What if you ask the people with the most power and privilege to voluntarily pay more for goods and services so that people with less power and privilege can pay less?

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Over the past decade I have run, managed and operated my own businesses and several other businesses. In 2016, I expanded my restaurant group to include 4 different restaurants. Each one had its own identity and its own clientele all within Durham, NC. Over the years, each of the General Managers were able to purchase the business on their own. In March 2021, as my last restaurant turned 5 years old, 3 of my business partners were able to purchase my portion to make it theirs. We learned a lot during the first year of Covid. We had to tighten up our budget, think of new ways to communicate with our clients and our staff, and most importantly learn how to work better as a team.

In January of 2019, the owner of Piedmont Wine Imports asked me if I would be interested in consulting for him by offering a few training sessions for his sales staff on communication and efficiency. As the year continued on, we decided that I would come on board in a permanent way. In the summer of 2019, I began working as the Marketing and Sales Director. I was able to use my fluency in French to travel and work to France with the French producers. The leadership team (Jay, Kate and I) meet once a week to pour over the finances, individual and group goals and to talk about the health and wellbeing of the staff and company. The company began working in a business management structure called “Entrepreneurial Operating System” which encourages accountability on every level. It was a highly collaborative work environment. I was inspired and motivated by my team members especially by my co-worker Kate Elia.

At the end of November 2022 I decided that my career path was ready for another change. While working at Piedmont Wine Imports I learned a very important term: Unique Abilities. Your Unique Abilities are your talents that you are not only good at but that you enjoy doing. In digging deeply into what I feel are my Unique Abilities I decided that moving forward I wanted to work in ways that creatively inspire me and ways that I feel are giving back to my community. My true passion is in holding and making space for the stages of our lives where the largest transformations occur. I decided that I wanted to work more with people in the perinatal phase and other phases of transitions.

Some of my favorite recent experiences are teaching prenatal yoga classes, mindfulness workshops for corporate retreats and putting together learning modules for yoga teacher trainings on history and philosophy. Each of these practices gives me the opportunity to engage with other people who are interested in learning or experiencing something new or different or perhaps going through a change in their own lives.

I currently teach several classes at Global Breath Yoga and Meditation Center.

Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays at 10:30am I teach a class called Yoga for Awareness.
Yoga is so much more than a set of bendy Asanas or postures. Yoga presents a framework for self-realization and is a guide to becoming more authentically true to ourselves. During each class practitioners are invited to explore what it means to truly live their yoga on and off the mat and to dive deep into the space of the spiritual heart.

Yoga for Awareness presents a tri-fold approach to practice, using devotion (secular or non-secular), movement to increase energy and vitality, meditation and concentration to help still the chatter of the mind. The result is a subtle shift in mind, body and spirit. No experience is required for this class, beginners to seasoned practitioners are welcome. No flexibility of the body is necessary, and all instructions are suggestions to invite each person to explore. All levels of ability are welcome and chairs are provided.

On Sundays I teach a class at 9am called Sunday Sadhana: Finding Devotion through Movement
Sadhana can be defined as a search for knowledge, a spiritual practice, a refinement of the self. Dedication to a spiritual practice whether non-secular or secular can lead to greater awareness of reality, to the experience of life. On Sundays we explore how the idea of devotion whether to one’s self, a personal deity or form, a larger concept or something undefined can lead to liberation.

Starting in January of 2023 I will begin offering regular Prenatal classes on Wednesdays and Fridays at 9am.
The perinatal phase takes the human body and mind through a range of experiences and transformations. The practices and philosophies of yoga can help the pregnant person find inner strength and resilience through each phase of pregnancy, into the post-natal phase and beyond.

Prenatal movement + meditation is specifically tailored to the changes and transformations which happen to bodies, minds and spirits during pregnancy. In this class special attention will be paid toward developing strength in the core, pelvic floor and to connecting deeply to the sensations of the body with an increasing amount of equanimity. Explore mindfulness techniques which encourage the pregnant person to stay present with themselves and their babies throughout all stages of pregnancy and beyond with compassion and loving-kindness.

Suitable for all levels, no experience required. All beings welcome.

I lead classes with humor and playfulness, and I invite each person to explore what is true for them and their bodies. Classes include breathing practices (Pranayama), movement (Asanas), chanting, singing, concentration and meditation to encourage each person to become more aware of their own true essence and to recognize that the other person is us.

Classes are be grounded with readings from multiple traditions including: The Bhagavad Gita, The Upanishads & Japji Sahib.

In addition to my regular classes I offer Mindfulness and Meditation classes for corporate and group retreats as well as private sessions. For yoga teacher trainings I offer modules on prenatal yoga, mindfulness and meditation, yoga history and philosophy.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Over the past few years, I have come to understand that changing the hierarchical structure of a team is important for the health and wellbeing of the team members. I used to manage teams with a very top down approach. I would make decisions, and then I would implement them within the team. I was completely wrong. Teams work best with a collaborative approach where everyone on the team gets to have a voice, and where each member is able to use their skills to participate in the ways that make them feel fulfilled. If a team member is filling a role that is not suited to both what they are good at and what they like they will not be happy on that team. Regular individual check-ins where feedback can be given in both direction is important. Fostering an environment of respect where team members have the space to express themselves and to feel validated is important.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

In all my endeavors I aim to be authentic. I try to approach problem solving and conversations with sincerity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://aubreyzinaich.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aubrey.zinaich/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aubrey-zinaich-814a7024b/

Image Credits
Hillary Honeck