We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Whitney Pyles. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Whitney below.

Whitney, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

My mother raised me to be kind to everyone. From the time I was little girl she has always made it a point to talk to strangers. Whether it’s the customer service person on the other end of the phone call, the folks working or shopping at the grocery store or whoever sits next to us on a plane – she always makes it a priority say hello, ask them thoughtful questions and make sure they feel heard, seen, and appreciated. Even though it used to embarrass me, I think that has made a huge impact on me and what I hope to bring into this world – connection and community. She definitely has that (and most things) right.

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?

After the storm that was the past few years, many of us are still relearning how to be in community, how to let ourselves feel joy again, and how to curate our lives so they allow us to show up authentically. I support people in trusting their unique inner compass so they can make empowered and embodied decisions that allow them to create space for joy, self-care, success, and community.

Both 1 on 1 and in groups, I use the unique combination of Somatic Coaching, Human Design, and dance/movement to help leaders, entrepreneurs, and seekers to navigate challenging decisions, bypass limiting beliefs, honor their uniqueness, and embody their most authentic selves. I lead weekly movement opportunities online and in-person in Grand Rapids that weave together somatic awareness techniques, gently guided movement, and intuitive dance.

As much as my work is about individual wants, needs, and desires, it is also about building authentic community. Looking back at the past few years, I am most proud of the communities that have sprung up out of my work. People truly connecting – sharing space, sharing meals, sharing hopes, intentions and dreams; allowing themselves to be seen, without the armor we often put on each morning.

What I want most for people is to know that they don’t have to do it alone – healing, building, rectifying, releasing, celebrating, any of it. I fully believe we have the resources and the answers within us. I also believe that humans are meant to be in community… in connection with one another. We are meant to guide one another and help each other access the strength, joy, and wisdom that lives within us. That’s what I hope to do in this lifetime.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

“One size fits all”. In our society – in business, in parenthood, on social media, we see people prescribing what worked for them like it is the end all, be all. Preaching that what worked for them will work for everyone in the exact same way. In my opinion, this couldn’t be more false. Without getting too deep into the Human Design of it all, I’ll say this – we are all unique beings. Different strokes for different folks. Different paths to the top of the mountain. For years and years, I tried to emulate the things I saw working for others and they just wouldn’t work for me. It was frustrating, disheartening, and deflating – it left me bitter and lost. My “failure” to do business, sales, or life like others were doing it made me feel small, less than. Then I learned about Human Design and even though, in my core, I always knew that we are all different, this proof, this validation was enough for me to lean into my own strengths, bring awareness to my blind spots, and create ways of being, working, and living that were and are more aligned for me as a unique individual.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Last year I was teaching at a music festival, I was right at the beginning of my third trimester of pregnancy and my sciatic pain was so bad that I could not walk. I’m very used to doing it all when I’m teaching and facilitating but I couldn’t do that. I could barely stand let alone practice yoga, dance, and stretch. So, I had to trust that holding the space was enough. I had to trust other people to demonstrate the movements. I had to trust that I could be clear enough with my words that people would get what they needed to get out of the experience. I had to surrender. That was a very important lesson for me – I don’t have to do it all and exert myself to the point of exhaustion to be valuable as a teacher, a facilitator, or human.

Contact Info:

• Website: whitneydawn.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whitneydawnpyles/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whitneydawnpyles

Image Credits
Vane Fortaleza Bethann Morgan