Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Austeen Heeney. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Austeen, 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.

This past January I opened up my second physical business location. It was the biggest leap of trust and faith I had yet to experience being a business owner. I’m going to be honest, the only thing I knew for certain was that it felt right, and it felt like I couldn’t say no. This second location, if I were to say no to it, it felt like one of those things that I would have regretted the rest of my life. And I don’t want to be on my deathbed regretting, I wanna be on my deathbed knowing that I tried, I may have failed, and I may have succeeded, but that I tried at this life. I also tried at my dreams. So with that in mind, I put on ushers, “Don’t look down” song and I went for it. Don’t look down was my anthem for January, February and March. I knew that the space I currently had and all that I was trying to fit into it wasn’t working for me, it wasn’t working for my team, my service providers, and my community. We needed space and I needed to trust in timing. I didn’t know how the funds were going to workout, I didn’t know if I was going to be able to rent out all the rooms to make rent. I have to say that being a business owner, I wouldn’t recommend moving forward with things if the finances don’t make sense. I definitely did not follow this advice, but I couldn’t ignore the scary right feeling I was getting when I thought about opening up my second location. My second location was for my service providers and for me. It was so our yoga studio could have space to breathe. This move split our yoga studio and massage clinic into two different locations. And it’s been the best decision I have ever made. The defining moment was the trust in myself, and in my gut feeling, and in faith that I can trust and surrender to what is right in front of me and what is obvious. I definitely and easily could have passed up this opportunity. I didn’t know how it was going to work out, But I knew I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t even try. This was the biggest and most scariest, riskiest adventure I have been on with my business. And I would do it all over again.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hey all, I’m Austeen and I own a massage and yoga clinic. I am from Central Michigan and have always fascinated with the body. I have my masters degree in Athletic Training, a license and massage therapy, certification in yoga and Thai fusion body work. I also own a yoga school that teaches other peers how to be yoga teachers. There’s a long story about how all this came together. But what it comes down to is that I provide customized body work for my clients. My business is founded on 5 core values expertise, service, sovereignty, I make all of my decisions based on these five core values. And each one of our service providers and yoga instructors also align with these core values. I am most proud of our brand with our intentionality of our clients and students time. We do not take it for granted that they have chosen to use their resources with us and they trust us with their time and with their bodies. I am proud that each one of us that are a part of free to be, understands this important factor. That allows us to care deeply about our clients and provide outstanding service. Our whole brand is surrounded by the premise of being. How can we be in this life, what do you want to be like, and have you allowed yourself to simply be. To let go of all the doing and find a way to be in this life. We offer yoga retreats, yoga teacher trainings, different events and workshops, an exceptional massage and body work.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

As a body worker, trainings that have helped me the most are trainings that teach me how to use other parts of my body to massage. Things like Thai fusion, fascial stretch therapy, cupping, adhesion breakers, and sports massage. These all helped save my body and use it in different ways so that I can have a long and healthy career. I highly recommend finding alternative modalities and investing in the period most of these modalities are expensive, but is worth the longevity of your career.

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

Owning a yoga studio has taught me a lot. One thing that I really wanted to do was solidify a yoga schedule. I wanted there to be reliability in our schedule for our community members and for myself. I wanted to schedule that didn’t change that was an all time standing schedule. However this does not work as there are things in life that constantly change. There are seasons and my yoga schedule has to change with this seasons. I had to learn this the hard way. I would be stubborn and keep classes on the schedule even though they were not well attended during that season. it cost the studio money, and it cost us some success. So what I’ve learned is that the schedule is allowed to change, it has to change with the seasons and with the seasons of our community and members. I learned to not be afraid of changing things up, and continue to put the studio stewardship first period. To let the stubbornness go and CHANGE.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://freetobeyogamassage.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freetobe_yoga_massage/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freetobeyogamassage
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyxdsHobDhbx7OaHB7biwAQ