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

Alright, Bianca thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear stories from your time in school/training/etc.

I think one of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt is to enjoy the moment. It is so simple and may sound cliché but it is such a meaningful thing especially if it is really practiced. It is so easy to get carried away with wishing you were someone else or wishing you were somewhere else instead of enjoying the process of life; of experience.

I grew up in Jamaica and left my home in what was known as the “country” or the “countryside” at 11 years old to go to high school in the city of Kingston, the capital of Jamaica. During my time in high school I recall being quite miserable. I didn’t enjoy school and always wanted it to end. After graduating 11th grade I went to another high school for 2 years for an International Baccalaureate course and also felt miserable in school there. Of course I didn’t feel this way all the time or every day but the feeling was quite strong for me in my memory.

After graduating High School I went to Boston College and the transition from the known into the unknown also had me feeling very sad and “miserable”. I felt a bit unhappy with the cold, the new cultural and social changes. This unhappy feeling sort of permeated my experiences for a lot of my early life. I remember being in a psychology class in college and thanking the professor because he had come to the conclusion that he would have to live with his depression. That it wasn’t something that would go away for him. This made me feel seen, that someone understood me even though I never considered myself as someone with depression.

As I moved into practicing yoga & becoming a teacher I started to learn tools to bring my awareness to the moment, to enjoying the small things in life. Through the process of reflection I realized that all these moments in different schools, different homes and countries they all changed and passed me by and never stayed the same. I realized I would never get them back and will never get them back. Knowing this now has given me a much greater ability to appreciate what I am experiencing right now even if it isn’t always pleasant. Living in the future has never helped relieve any pain. Only living in the now and appreciating the moments with loved ones; loved ones that could leave us tomorrow if the world turned cruel or moments with friends we may ever see again so frequently.

Life can pass us by so quickly that now I have an increased vigor to love it and experience it fully. To embrace all of its parts the sad, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful. Beauty still exists even when terror does. Its messy and chaotic and it is life, just like all of us.

This experience is one of the main reasons I turn to the practices of yoga. As we expand and increase our awareness we realize parts of ourselves we’ve once ignored, hidden or hurt. We grow in knowledge of self as well as knowledge of others and what’s around us.

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.

After college I moved home to Jamaica and completed my 200hr yoga teacher training with Yoga Angels International. This was a beautiful experience. There was so much more to yoga than I had imagined and that I had ever learned in a yoga class before.

I was able to connect with myself on a deeper level. I have always been interested in health & wellness and this was my first big step into that world. I taught group and private yoga classes for a few years in Jamaica while also working as a marketing assistant for a distribution company, Miracle Corporation.

After a few years I moved to the states and I started working as a yoga teacher & Spa Manager in Virginia where I also took my Ayurvedic therapy course. I started to read more about health & wellness and continued to take kickboxing and boxing classes as my preferred form of exercise.

I love all forms of body movement and exploration. Movement is my medicine and I hope to share this love with the world. Making time to do the things you love makes you a fuller, brighter light to be around.

I recently formed my online coaching business called Strength’n Soul Coaching. As a wellness & fitness coach I put together personalized programs for clients to reach their healthy lifestyle goals.

I find I am unique as a wellness & fitness coach as I take a wholistic approach to finding freedom and happiness in your body. I enjoy working personally with clients to create a program specific to their needs. This can include inner child healing techniques, breathwork, mantra, stretching or mobility exercises, strength training, boxing training or more.

My company tenants are:
Authenticity
Bravery
Growth

I value authenticity in my work and with the people I surround myself with. I am true to myself and expect my clients to be honest and true to themselves wherever they are in their process. It takes courage and bravery to step up to the plate daily and make changes that may not feel easy but are necessary for your personal growth & happiness.

Growth: We aren’t searching for perfection but rather progress. Small wins are big wins over time. When we work to create new habits whether to better our physical or mental health I always like to start with things we can keep up with over time. If you are struggling with self-image, self-love, lack of focus in your life around health or fitness it is always a pleasure to help support you on your journey to a freer, more confident you.

I also offer in person yoga classes, ayurvedic therapy sessions such as Abhyanga body massage and personal training sessions for those who are looking to build strength, endurance and feel happier & healthier in their bodies.

I realize now that the more I show up and make mistakes the closer I am to success.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I graduated from Boston College with a bachelor’s in Sociology and International Studies. Right out of college I refused to work a desk job because I was tired of being locked up in room. All the jobs I did before that had me behind a desk for long periods of time made me feel really unhappy. I got a job as a bar-back at a rooftop hotel in Boston. They wouldn’t let me waitress because I had no experience as a waitress. I eventually trained as a bartender and worked my way up to bar tend when the bartenders would call out sick. I remember the manager at the time being shocked to learn I had just graduated from such a great college and taken up a job as a bar- back.

I sometimes felt I was going backwards and over the years I have struggled a lot with knowing where I was going or if I had made the “right” decision. I think yoga has given me a perspective on life that no other thing would have and for that I appreciate that decision in my life.

I also don’t believe there is ever an “end” to our journey. I am happy in the wellness & fitness world and can’t wait to see where I go next.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I have had to unlearn the idea that mistakes or failures are a “bad” thing. I used to be so caught up with getting things perfect that it prevented me from acting. I used to wait until to write papers in college; a typical procrastinator/perfectionist response to work and it has affected how I show up for myself in my personal and business pursuits. I realize now that the more I show up and make mistakes the closer I am to a successes. Mistakes or failures are but a part of the learning process and should be embraced.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: beingwithbee & strengthnsoulcoach
• Facebook: Bianca Ardito https://www.facebook.com/bianca.ardito/