We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Corbin Stacy a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Corbin , appreciate you joining us today. One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.
Our cOMmUNITY is our top priority at yoga hOMe®!! Not many people put a connection to my Non-Profit 501(c)(3), NamaStacy Yoga Corporation® (www.namastacyyoga.org) and my yoga studio, yoga hOMe® (www.hotyogahome.com) together anymore, but I am here to tell you that without NamaStacy, there would have never been a successful “yoga hOMe®” of Pompano Beach, FL … When you think about it, we kind of did it backwards … While most cOMpanies start as a for profit business and then spin off into Non-Profit endeavors, we started NamaStacy Yoga® first and then organically opened yoga hOMe® to cOMpliment our successful philanthropy efforts; serving the underserved. We envisioned a modern yoga studio for our grant recipients to always call “hOMe” and it has worked!! Fast forward 10 years later, NamaStacy Yoga Corporation® continues to collaborate with other local Non-Profits to provide yoga education to undeserved youth and teens. We work closely with Mahashakti Foundation to bring YogaFestFL to Fort Lauderdale every year (www.yogafestfl.com), to then take children on a service mission to Costa Rica. We are also very proud to “Do Business With” Student Body Health™ as a Non-Profit in training. It is extremely important to us that we keep giving back!!!!

Corbin , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
A native of Fredericksburg, VA, I fell in love with yoga over 20 years ago. Looking for a way to balance my rigorous schedule as a full time Leader at jetBlue®, I stepped into my first Vinyasa class because Madonna said it was cool in Fort Lauderdale, FL back in 2002. Yoga quickly became an integral tool for me to stay healthy in mind, body and Spirit. I received my 200-hour Yoga Alliance® Certification through Master Teacher Jimmy Barkan at The Barkan Method of Fort Lauderdale in 2011 and strengthened my knowledge with their Level II/III teacher training by 2012. I am currently a registered and insured 500 hour E-RYT, YACEP® facilitator, and owner of our hOMe School U™; our 200-hour Yoga Alliance® Teacher Training curriculum at yoga hOMe®. Blessed to have been able to continue my yoga education but realizing that so many of my yoga teacher friends, students and colleagues found it difficult to afford quality yoga training and education, I felt cOMpelled to create a forward thinking scholarship program. The NamaStacy Yoga Corporation® (www.namastacyyoga.org), a recognized international 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2012 with 3 Proclamations under their belt – 2 frOM Boca Raton & 1 frOM pOMpano Beach – was created to support yoga teachers, students and now teens with continual learning and development in the yoga of their choice. I am passionate about helping others reach their fullest potential and deeply cOMmitted to “paying it forward, one hOMie at a time.” I have made pOMpano Beach, Florida my hOMe and am the owner of “yoga hOMe®”(www.hotyogahOMe.cOM) in the Pompano Citi Centre of Pompano Beach, FL! Diverse experience in martial arts, professional dance, acting, modeling, gymnastics, and cheerleading have all contributed to my unique style of teaching. I have been recognized for my ability to craft challenging and fun yoga classes and have created a partnership with various South Florida Yoga Studio Owners with guest teaching appearances, fundraising events, retreats and more. Named a Brand Ambassador to MindBody®, lululemon, Manduka, Mantra Health & BodyArmor®, I use my strong presence in the local South Florida Yoga cOMmunity to continue to expand the reach and contribution of the NamaStacy Yoga Corporation®. To date, over sixty-five scholarships have been awarded since December 2012 to local South Florida applicants as well as Nevada, New York and Colorado recipients. Even the U.K.! yoga hOMe® is now in its fifth year of service!! If you’re looking for a fiery and fierce Vinyasa class, find me at yoga hOMe® and see how NamaStacy Yoga Corporation® continues to keep “paying it forward, one hOMie at a time”.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Not many people realize this about me, but I underwent an L4/L5 Spinal Fusion in January of 2019. I have degenerative disc disease coupled with an unstable spondylolisthesis. There were years of tearing it down, with numerous treatments, injections, manual manipulations, and yoga, but the pain got so unbearable that I had to eventually turn to surgery. I have two rods and four screws in my L4/L5 area today … What a journey!!! I am a total advocate for Spine Health and take time to counsel as many injured yogis as I can. It’s good for me to pay it forward and help anyone I can who is going through it!!! You can not understand the pain unless you’ve been through it!!! Hang in there, y’all!!!!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
COVID-19 has forced us all to pivot. While most business cut costs, I actually expanded mine by opening a second location in Boca Raton … WOW, did I learn so much!!! To make a looooooong story short, I was approached by my Landlords to actually EXPAND my business model during the height of the pandemic into a pre-established space that I personally had history with. It initially seemed like a dream come true … Same landlords with a large open hot room that had plenty of space to spread out during social distancing, etc. but the momentum just wasn’t there. I stayed open for about 9 months before I realized I would end up having to close both locations if I pursued this growth mentality any longer. Talk about a huge detour from my flagship, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I now know what my brand is, and what it isn’t. I know where my clientele is and isn’t. I know I only need ONE truly successful yoga studio to feel whole, not numerous to do so. I feel SO MUCH BETTER!!!! Expensive lesson learned, but totally worth it!!!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.hotyogahome.com
• Instagram: @corbinstacyyogashuff
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CorbinStayC/
• Twitter: @corbinstacyc

Image Credits
Main Photo – Slightly Skewed Photography Studio Photos – Eat Drink Be Local®