We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jodie Snyder a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Jodie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
As a society, we are exhausted and overwhelmed. We try to regain balance in our lives, but soon find out we need more support than we thought. I certainly felt this way ten years ago when I asked myself the question: What would it feel like to be back to my original state of health?
So I built the thing I longed for.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Hina Hale, located on the serene east shores of Oahu, Hawaii, is a refuge for our times. In a world where modern stressors are unprecedented, the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda offers a path back to harmony and balance.
Ayurveda, a time-tested and intelligent system of healing, recognizes the impact of stress, unhealthy diets, and environmental factors on our well-being. These influences create imbalances in our bodies and minds—something many of us can deeply relate to. Ayurveda provides a process for eliminating accumulated impurities from the body, helping to restore a natural state of health before it becomes significantly disrupted. With its focus on the body’s innate ability to heal, Ayurvedic remedies serve as a powerful guide to this process.
At Hina Hale, Ayurvedic wellness practices are thoughtfully integrated with my work as a mental health counselor. The mind, like the body, is a powerful force that needs care and attention. I take an intuitive and personalized approach, with deep listening at the heart of my work. I often envision a person’s story as a journey with twists, turns, and spirals. Beneath all that movement lies a deeper resonance—a kind of “dial tone” that reveals where we may be out of alignment with our natural balance.
Hina Hale offers an opportunity to connect with this ancient knowledge through immersive on-site wellness programs. These experiences are designed to help you reclaim your body’s natural intelligence and foster lasting balance and well-being. As one recent client beautifully described it:
“The most surprising thing to me was how much positive energy radiated from the property itself and how deeply that impacted my experience. Every space was accessible, welcoming, and comfortable, but it felt as though each area had its own unique energy—supporting growth, learning, healing, rest, nourishment, joy, and even grief.”
Hina Hale is more than a retreat; it’s a space for transformation, healing, and rediscovery of the balance we all have within.
How’d you meet your business partner?
What are the odds of meeting not just your business partner, but your life partner too? Sky and I first crossed paths in his home state of New Mexico several years ago when I was passing through. From the moment we met, we bonded over our shared passion for Ayurveda and the yogic teachings that accompany this ancient science. It felt like serendipity—and in hindsight, it truly was.
Within a year, we began shaping the vision for Hina Hale, drawing inspiration from a year of transformative travel through India and Indonesia. During one of our many conversations, I asked Sky about his dream job. Without hesitation, he said, “Ayurvedic chef!” It was a perfect fit—he’s been cooking all his life, constantly refining his skills, and it was clear this passion could become a cornerstone of what we wanted to create together.
Today, Sky brings his vision to life by preparing three fresh, lovingly crafted Ayurvedic meals each day and teaching cooking classes to our guests. Meanwhile, I focus on curating wellness programs, yoga and meditation sessions, and Ayurvedic treatments. Together, we’ve built a complementary partnership—though Sky undeniably has the better smile!
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
As a new business owner, I initially believed there was a standard formula for success: build an engaging website, create a robust social media presence (with the help of all those smart algorithms), and watch the clients pour in. So, I hired a marketing agency, set everything up, and waited. While it all looked polished, it didn’t bring the movement I was hoping for.
What truly moved the needle was something much more personal: meeting people face-to-face and sharing the passion I had in my heart for this project. Our very first client was a local woman who shared my enthusiasm for Ayurvedic remedies to bring balance to an often chaotic life. She said “yes” immediately, and from there, the momentum built naturally—one client led to three, to ten, and before we knew it, we were booked months in advance.
Word of mouth quickly became our best ally, supported by targeted marketing to people already seeking a wellness program. I also learned that the thousands of dollars I was spending on social media campaigns that weren’t delivering could be better directed toward paying commissions for actual bookings through platforms with broader client reach.
One rule of thumb that has proven timeless for me—long before social media existed—is this: if you offer a solid product or experience, word will spread, and success will follow. It takes trust and a leap of faith to lean on this strategy, but for us, it’s been invaluable.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hinahale.com
- Instagram: hinahalehawaii
- Facebook: Hina Hale
Image Credits
Jodie Snyder