Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to LaToya Cooper. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

LaToya, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

For the first three years of my yoga and wellness business I also worked in marketing. I actually experienced so much growth in that field and I really enjoyed it, but I knew it wasn’t what I was meant to do forever. I recognized that my yoga business wasn’t growing in the way that I knew it could because I didn’t have a lot of time to spend on it. I just didn’t have space in my life to offer more than I had in the previous three years. I knew I had to make a change but I was so afraid to leave my marketing gig. It felt safe and I knew what money I would earn from month-to-month.

I ended up taking a vacation and really taking time to reflect on my goals and what I needed in order to reach them. I needed more space to focus on my own well-being, which I knew would allow me to grow my business. It wasn’t an easy decision, but at that point I decided to bet on myself. I am also a woman of faith, so I took a chance on myself and trusted God. Things aren’t perfect and I’m still learning and growing everyday. But I am now spending my days doing some of the things that I love and really want to do, such as creating a podcast, teaching workshops and creating more value in general for my community.

My podcast, More Than Yoga, launches on June 21st. It focuses on ways to simplify wellness to make it fit into your lifestyle. I’ve interviewed several experts to share their knowledge in different areas of wellness, as well as their own journeys with wellness. This podcast is perfect for anyone who thinks that they don’t have time for wellness.

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?

I am a 500 hour registered yoga instructor and certified meditation & mindfulness teacher. When I was younger, I practiced yoga purely as a way to recover from my workouts. It wasn’t until years later when as a young adult, I experienced that union of mind, body and spirit in my yoga practice. I also began adding other holistic wellness practices into my daily routine. This ended up being the start of a journey leading to genuine happiness, self-love and acceptance.

Although I benefitted so much from my yoga practice, I didn’t really understand how yoga worked. So I took a yoga teacher training in order to learn more about yoga. It was an amazing experience. It wasn’t my intention when I started to become a yoga teacher, but I felt so compelled during training to share what I was learning. It had helped me, and I knew it would help others. So in 2020 I started Asanas & Wellness with the purpose of sharing my on-going journey, and to guide others to find their own inner peace and wholeness through yoga & holistic wellness.

Making yoga accessible is a huge part of my mission for Asanas & Wellness. My classes offer several options so that people who live in larger bodies can also experience yoga in a way that works for them. I also focus on non-physical ways to practice yoga, because yoga truly is a practice that everyone can experience.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Social media allows us to be able to reach people all over the world. But social media can feel like a waste of time, especially if you aren’t getting any clients from your efforts. Social media isn’t as simple as it used to be, creating content can feel like a job in itself now. My most effective strategy for making sure that I’m making the most of social media is to create content that my audience can find value in. Leave them with something that they can take and implement in their own lives. Teach them something new that will make them more comfortable on their yoga mats. I’m not afraid to show my community that I can relate to them. I experience their same issues.

I also feel like just being myself is has been effective. When I first started I was concerned because I really don’t have a good sense of humor. But I knew that people enjoyed funny content sometimes. Rather than trying to do something that I’m not comfortable with, I went with being myself, and this has served me well. If you’re not authentic, people will see right thru it.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Other than training and continuously learning, having a consistent wellness and self-care routine is most helpful for succeeding as a yoga and wellness professional. Our self-care routine is how we keep our cups full and overflowing. We don’t serve others from our cup. That is for us. We serve others from the overflow. Taking time for ourselves keeps us mentally and physically grounded to hold space for others. We have clarity and we understand how poses feel in the body. Plus it prevents burnout.  

Contact Info:

• Website: https://asanasandwellness.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/asanasandwellness
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/asanasandwellness
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/asanasandwellness
• Other: https://asanasandwellness.com/morethanyogapodcast