We were lucky to catch up with Brooke Margherone recently and have shared our conversation below.
Brooke, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Folks often look at a successful business and imagine it was an overnight success, but from what we’ve seen this is often far from the truth. We’d love to hear your scaling up story – walk us through how you grew over time – what were some of the big things you had to do to grow and what was that scaling up journey like?
This is an excellent question because business owners don’t get the opportunity to share the nitty gritty part of their story too often. The process of executing a business plan and then eventually scaling up, definitely cannot happen over night. Just as in my personal Yoga practice, my business efforts require the same ingredients in order to expand and grow. Consistency no matter what, faith in my own abilities and trust in what is unfolding, is key.
My story of scaling up began with me just teaching on local beaches, to opening a tiny yoga space, to purchasing an 60-year old drive-in hamburger joint, to renovating the entire space while building a two-story addition, to launching a world wide virtual studio platform and introducing a new business inside of our brick and mortar space in Saint Joseph, MI.
At the beginning of shifting from only a brick and mortar studio to teaching online, I cannot honestly say I was strategizing. At the time it seemed like I was just surviving because of the pandemic and being forced to shut my studio doors. Opening up a virtual studio felt like a huge obstacle to overcome. Not just because I had never taught virtually, but also because I had never once used Zoom! There were many mistakes made along the way, but we flowed through and kept trying our best. I have so much appreciation to our students who stayed and practiced online with us, even while working out the kinks.
It was so sad to walk into that empty studio month and after month, but it gave me fuel to make those hard decisions and move us forward. I had tremendous resistance to continue teaching online even after we were back in the physical space together, but those students who grew to love the ease, comfort, and convenience that virtual practice offered, kept me going. This was a positive that we were still existing and coming together as a community, but the quantity of weekly classes we had were cut in half due to losing teachers and consistent students.
I still had my regular bouts of creativity and inspiration, but not enough slots teaching to express all of my ideas. I felt like my impact was diminishing. So, I slowly began recording specialized classes and practices geared towards individual needs like: anxiety, depression, sciatica, congestion, self-doubt, overall balance, beginning a yoga practice, and building confidence, to name a few. This then turned into a library of videos and I took the leap to purchase an online platform specifically for students practicing outside the physical studio. YogaLifeStudioOnline.com was born!
Today we have a monthly and annual subscription which gives subscribers full access to our entire catalog where they can practice meditation, breath work, and physical yoga postures on demand. They can also participate in monthly challenges and chat with our online community via Yoga Life Studio Online. It’s been amazing and not only do I have an additional creative outlet, but my reach has expanded worldwide.
In addition to having both an in-person studio and a 100% online studio, OM IV Wellness & Hydration began renting space at Yoga Life because, we had plenty of it! This means we have an in-house IV Therapy Clinic plus a massage therapist on staff!
I am excited about what the future brings. My goal is always to guide people back to their true, peaceful nature. Now students right here in my local community and all over the world can come together through the peaceful practices of Yoga while making their own health and wellbeing a convenient and easy priority.
Brooke, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Brooke began her yogic journey in the beginning of 2009 and immediately fell in love with the lifestyle. After just three short months of maintaining a daily yoga practice and experiencing all the benefits yoga has to offer both physically and mentally, she was approached by the studio owner who advised her to become certified and teach. Coming from an athletic background and on the verge of becoming a personal trainer, Brooke decided to leave the gym behind. Under the guidance of the renowned Hilaire Lockwood at Hilltop Yoga in Lansing, Brooke completed her 200-hour all-level power teacher training immediately followed by an extra 100-hour hands-on training . Brooke then felt very prepared to share the gift of yoga with everyone around her. She moved to Tempe, Arizona and received her Bachelor’s of Science in Dietetics while continuing to teach Yin, Slow Flow, Power and Ashtanga Yoga. She believes in a balanced, holistic lifestyle consisting of mental clarity through Yoga and healthy eating.
With years of travel and teaching under her belt along the west coast of the US, Brooke moved back to her hometown of St. Joseph, MI in 2013 and completed her 500-hour advanced teacher training. After teaching around St. Joseph in gyms and on beaches for two years, she decided the town needed somewhere people can come together and practice in a beautiful space dedicated to the Yoga tradition and a holistic approach to health and wellness; a place where community can grow and nurture its students by supporting and encouraging each other. Through this approach, Yoga Life was born.
At Yoga Life Studio and online, Brooke teaches safe and alignment-based, Ashtanga-inspired, eclectic flows, linking breath to movement. Each class is unique and geared toward the energy level of everyone present and their needs for the day, including her guided mediation classes. She loves incorporating yogic philosophy into her classes and holds strong interest in the chakras, or energy centers, of the body. In addition to teaching Yoga, she also offers nutritional consultation and healthy lifestyle coaching for many of her students privately or through workshops and series classes.
You can catch her in-person every week at Yoga Life Studio in Saint Joseph, MI. On demand via YogaLifeStudioOnline.com. Or, in Chicago at the All Things Yoga Conference October 6-8th, 2023.
YogaLifeMichigan.com
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Meeting them exactly where they are. My biggest priority as a teacher is student safety. Seeing the student, reading their energy, and teaching them according to their needs EVERY day is huge. They feel seen, heard, more confident, and I find you can guide them to their edge when this trust is built. This allows them to shift beyond self-imposed limitation and surprise themselves with how powerful they realize they are.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
As my teacher Hilaire Lockwood says, “You’re never above. Always among.” Keep that in your heart. We’re stronger together.
Contact Info:
- Website: yogalifemichgan.com, yogalifestudioonline.com
- Instagram: @yogalifemichigan, @yogalifestudioonline_
- Facebook: Yoga Life Studio Michigan
- Youtube: @yogalifestudioonline
Image Credits
Nicole Bates Photography