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

Shyrea, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Your ability to build a team is often a key determinant of your success as a business owner and so we’d love to get a conversation going with successful entrepreneurs like yourself around what your recruiting process was like -especially early on. How did you build your team?

Hedera Yoga started in 2022 as a mobile yoga studio. I was the only instructor. I was the only employee. I would pull up with yoga mats and a speaker almost anywhere. I would lead yoga classes in parks, community centers, backyards, parking lots, pool decks; you name it. In 2025, Hedera Yoga Studio started with myself and 2 instructors from another studio that closed. It was a Facebook post that helped me find the administrative assistant. I asked Facebook for help and the emails started coming in. With three instructors and an administrative assistant, we opened our doors on January 1, 2025. After the amazing response we received while looking for an assistant, I went back to social media for assistance finding yoga and dance instructors. Each interview included a live demo and q&a sessions. Ultimately, I chose instructors that wanted to grow with me. As I grow the business, they will grow their personal brands.

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’m Shyrea and yoga saved my life. Yoga found me in 2012 while combating grief, depression, and alcoholism. I began my journey with meditation and then started attending yoga classes regularly. Sometimes I was consistent in my practice and other times I was not as consistent. Regardless, I could not find a yoga instructor that was relatable. I am curvy black girl from the city with some quirkiness. I was looking for someone who spoke like me. Someone who moved like me. Maybe even someone with similar trauma. I decided to become that yoga instructor that I was looking for. After practicing for over 10 years, I completely my RYT 200 Certification. I also completed Continuing Education Certifications in Meditation, Yin Yoga, and Yoga for Student Athletes and Trauma Informed Yoga Training with the Prison Yoga Project. It is important that my approach to leading yoga sessions is authentic to me and my team. When someone walks into Hedera Yoga Studio for the first time, they are greeted with art, hot tea, sweet smells and love. I proud of the community that we are building. Currently, we have 5 active yoga instructors and 3 in the reserves. I am most proud of the community yoga classes we host monthly to continue the promotion of yoga being accessible to all. Recently, we placed 2nd in Pitch competition. I am so grateful that the judges understood my vision and wanted to pour into us.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

My advice to someone managing team would be to stay focused on your goal. When you are focused on the goal every decision you make will reflect that idea. It is important to meet with your team often so that they understand the goal an the plan to complete it. Communication is key! constant communication with your team will keep morale high. Communication is about listening just as much as it is about speaking. Celebrate every milestone. Lastly, understand that everyone is an individual and may not process information that same.

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

Coming from the Hospitality Industry, I have a team driven work ethic. When I first started my business, I wanted to collaborate with everyone. While working on an event, I started to notice how much effort I was putting into the project. I also noticed the lack of effort from the collaborator. I was engaging with venues, vendors, and other yoga instructors. I was sending emails and hosting meetings. The collaborator barely made a Instagram post about the event. I did not learn from this right away. I learned my lesson when the financial compensation did not warrant the amount of work. Profits were split 50/50 even though the work load was not. This taught me the importance of clear roles and contributions while working with others. It also taught me the importance of contracts.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hederayoga.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hederayogastudio
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hederayogastudio

Image Credits

Joshua Hollingsworth