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

Hi Jessica, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory of how you established your own practice.

Personally, I come from a background in cancer research, studying Cell and Molecular Biology as an undergraduate student and later working to study cancer, melanoma, mesothelioma, the aging tumor microenvironment, and photodynamic therapy interventions in Phase 1 clinical trials. During my time in research, my mother in law was diagnosed with cancer. It became, in many ways, an overwhelming experience. Studying cancer and seeing a loved one receive a terminal diagnosis was one of the most pivotal, difficult times in my life. This experience pushed me to question a lot of my long-standing beliefs around career and fulfillment. In short, I was inspired to continue my yoga practice as a student and later graduated from a training program. A few short months later, I came to own and operate the same studio space I trained in, under the name of The Yogic Body Studio Co.
I have learned so much starting and establishing my business. I was under the impression I would work fully remote and online teaching yoga and later experienced the incredible connection that comes from operating a brick and mortar space at the studio!
Establishing the studio has opened up many opportunities in my professional and personal life. Professionally, I have trained yoga students to teach yoga in 200 hr yoga teacher trainings, have taught credit-bearing Yoga I at the undergraduate level in Kinesiology departments as an adjunct faculty lecturer, and provided personalized, private sessions to my yoga students with BIG goals. My experience running this business and teaching yoga has allowed me the freedom to work on my schedule and ability to grow personally in managing an incredible team of yoga teachers and virtual assistants. I have grown in ways I couldn’t possibly without my business.

Jessica, 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?

My name is Jessica Palmer and I am the owner of The Yogic Body Studio Co., and have taken on the moniker of Boss of Bliss in my efforts to introduce yoga to our community! You can find me, my team, and our incredible yoga club members moving through Sun Salutations in our cozy studio nook in Exton, Pennsylvania. We aren’t your typical yoga studio; we’re situated in an Edison-bulb lit room, on the second floor of a warehouse gym, Dragon Gym. You can bet, our space is never library quiet and the energy from outside and within the studio is always meant to feel like a mini-party for our yogis. A current yoga teacher trainee of ours brought a quote by Alan Watts to my attention (and I’ve run with it since), “If you can’t meditate in a boiler room, you can’t meditate.” This is the feeling of our yoga studio.

Our approach has always been to provide small group, personalized coaching experiences to our yoga students with big goals. In our nearly five years here, we have met countless students with goals to increase their mobility for longevity as they age, calm their mind in spite of what feels like a never ending to-do list, and for some simply touch their toes! We are results driven yoga practices and by that, we fully support our students in their goals through yoga, whether they be physical or mental.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I’d like to share something very personal to my yoga experience to illustrate having resiliency. My consistent yoga practice supported me through the most transformational experience from maiden to motherhood. In December 2022, I experienced my first labor and delivery during an at home, unmedicated birth. My practice of diaphragmatic breathing and yoga poses allowed me to feel supported and prepared, confident even!, to take on the challenge that is birthing at home (and birthing all together, the process is incredible no matter how you meet baby!). In the blink of an eye, and after many contractions matched with big belly breathing, I met my first baby girl who accomplished the radical, wild dance of birth. Without my yoga practice I know both physically and mentally I would not have been prepared to take on this hill of a challenge!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

In running my yoga studio, I have had to unlearn my money mindset and embrace “sales as service”. For some time, I was under the false impression that contacting yoga students was a bother to them when, in fact, I learned I was keeping my service a secret and raising the barrier to welcome my students fully. I had to unlearn the idea that business should be difficult! I realized, in many ways, I was overthinking the processes to run my business.

At the end of the day, and what I encourage each yoga teacher to do, is to create life long relationships with your clients. It all comes down to relationship building. Your product or service must be stellar first, of course.

Particularly in the service industry, such as running the yoga studio, you must also provide support and individualized attention to drive retention. In a world full of alternative possibilities, no client is guaranteed and for that reason we must go above and beyond in our service to our students! Creating this relationship blooms from the very goal of serving them with the best solution to their pain points – which may or may not be your service. I learned the sales process is your way to serve your clients best. Showcasing and sharing your services, honesty in the sales process, is very powerful for you and your client.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.TheYogicBody.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheYogicBodyStudio
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-appleton-palmer/

Image Credits
Maria Young Photography