What does it mean to be creative royalty? In this episode, Rebecca and Cheri Dostal Ryba explore how yoga professionals can tap into curiosity, move past fear, and stay grounded through the ups and downs of creative work. Whether you’re building a yoga business, creating new classes, or just trying to feel brave enough to share your ideas, this episode reminds you that you don’t have to be perfect to create something powerful.

🧘‍♀️ Key Takeaways

1️⃣ Curiosity starts the creative process.
Creativity doesn’t just appear — it begins with curiosity. Ask questions, stay open, and allow yourself to explore without knowing the outcome. In yoga and business, curiosity is the spark that leads to inspired work.

2️⃣ Fear is not the boss of your art.
Fear blocks creativity more than anything else. Remember Seth Godin’s wisdom: art is anything creative, passionate, and personal. Whether you’re designing a new class, writing, or building a business, don’t wait until you feel fearless—create anyway.

3️⃣ You are not your output.
It’s easy to tie our self-worth to how our work is received. But your value doesn’t depend on class sign-ups or Instagram engagement. Detach your identity from outcomes; each iteration teaches you something vital about your creative and professional growth.

4️⃣ Iteration = evolution.
Refining and adjusting your ideas over time is what makes your teaching and business sustainable. Small tweaks can bring your creative vision closer to what your audience truly needs while staying true to your authentic expression.

5️⃣ Creativity is relational.
The best ideas grow from both introspection and connection. Tune inward to discover your inspiration, then share outward with your community. Yoga is, after all, a practice of union — creativity works the same way.

RESOURCES

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Cheri’s Website

SATISFY Retreat

Running a yoga business isn’t all incense and inspiration—sometimes it’s spreadsheets, stress, and shame spirals. In this episode, we dive into what it really takes to lead creatively. From finding the right coach to using AI without guilt, you’ll learn how to free up your mental space, ditch the “I should know better” stories, and reconnect to the spark that made you love this work in the first place.

🧘‍♀️ Key Takeaways

1️⃣ Coaching fuels creativity.
Stepping outside the day-to-day hustle with the support of a coach can reignite your creative energy and help you see your yoga business from a fresh perspective. The right coaching relationship can shift you from reactive problem-solving to intentional, inspired leadership.

2️⃣ Problem-solving is a creative practice.
Just like teaching yoga, creativity in business comes from perspective. Move beyond putting out fires and start zooming out to see patterns, possibilities, and new approaches. The most successful yoga entrepreneurs think like creative problem-solvers—balancing micro, macro, and visionary views.

3️⃣ Release shame to unlock flow.
Shame is one of the biggest creativity blockers for yoga teachers and studio owners. Acknowledge it, feel it, and then let it move through you. Freedom and lightness—hallmarks of creativity—only come when we stop holding ourselves hostage to “getting it right.”

4️⃣ AI isn’t cheating—it’s a tool.
When used with intention, AI can act as your creative assistant. From brainstorming class ideas to managing admin tasks, this tech can support your vision so you can stay focused on your purpose and your students.

RESOURCES

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Bridget’s Website

Ever feel the tug between tradition and innovation in your teaching? In this episode, we get real about creative tension, versatility, and the art of making your yoga practice your own. We’re talking curated inspiration, themed classes, and the power of choosing creativity—on and off the mat.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Creative tension is real — and necessary. Balancing yoga’s roots with personal expression isn’t easy. Honoring lineage, serving your students, and staying true to your creative self can coexist—but not without a little healthy friction.

Versatility feeds inspiration. Whether it’s teaching different styles, exploring new students, or shifting focus, creative growth often lives outside our comfort zone.

Style and emphasis shape your teaching voice. Every teacher brings something unique to

familiar sequences. Instead of “happy accidents,” make your personal style a conscious part of your class design.

Curate your inspiration. Be intentional about where you draw creative energy—online or off. Cook, read, move, explore art—whatever fuels your imagination will fuel your teaching.

Themes give form to freedom. Teaching around an idea, like exploring discomfort vs. suffering, brings depth and cohesion to your work. Creative parameters can actually unlock greater play.

Creativity is a practice, not an accident. You must choose creativity—schedule it, honor it, and make space for it in the middle of real life.

RESOURCES

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Julia’s IG

Welcome to a new series on creativity in the yoga professional space.

We are going to deep-dive for 11 episodes into the creative experience we have as yoga teachers, yoga therapists, and business owners.

I love this topic so much, and I am thrilled that so many other people were enthusiastic to have this conversation with me.

Shelly Auld is up first, and the way she comes out and describes her work in the first five minutes of this chat got me so excited for what was to come.

🎧 KEY TAKEAWAYS

Employee wellbeing is yoga’s next big frontier. From schools to hospitals to corporate offices, yoga professionals can lead programs that support healthier, more grounded workplaces. Why aren’t we talking about this more?

Presence fuels creativity. The moment you look up from your notes and meet your students where they are, that’s when real creativity begins. Responding to the energy in the room is one of the most powerful tools a teacher has.

Social change isn’t a checklist. True transformation—personal or societal—can’t be reduced to “checkbox” activism. We need imagination and courage to create an equitable world, not perfectionism disguised as progress.

Students are co-creators. Yoga is a dialogue, not a performance. Our students bring their own creative intelligence—through their bodies, nervous systems, and hearts—to the practice. As teachers, our job is to hold space for that magic to unfold.

RESOURCES

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Colice Sanders Episode

Shelly’s Website

In this solo episode, Rebecca shares the biggest news yet for Working In Yoga: the launch of a brand-new digital trade magazine for yoga professionals. After years of conversations on the podcast about teaching, therapy, creativity, and the business of yoga, it’s time to create a professional home for our community. Rebecca dives into why the magazine matters, how it carries yoga’s countercultural roots into a modern professional space, and how you can get involved from the very beginning.

RESOURCES

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Pitch A Story for Inside Yoga Magazine

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Offering Tree Discount For Working In Yoga Listeners

✨ Yoga biz isn’t just about mats and malas anymore—it’s about data, confidence, and community. In this episode, we’re diving into why your studio needs a clear point of view, how COVID secretly did us a favor with tech, and why vibes alone won’t keep the lights on (sorry, not sorry). We’ll talk rethinking service, making “giving back” the hottest trend of 2026, and building real business confidence—without ditching the soul of yoga.

🔑 KEY TAKEAWAYS

Studios need a clear point of view. Having a distinct perspective on what kind of yoga you teach and who you’re serving makes marketing easier and business stronger.

People pay for feelings, not just services. Whether it’s yoga or a custom frame, what clients truly value is the way your offering makes them feel—proud, connected, transformed.

Service work needs rethinking. Giving away too much for free or over-discounting hurts your sustainability. True service means supporting your community without sinking your business.

COVID fast-tracked tech growth. Online classes, automations, and digital systems were coming anyway, but the pandemic sped up adoption—and that’s something to embrace.

2026 trend: Giving Back. Imagine if yoga became synonymous with community care—whether through donation nights, local cleanups, or food drives. Giving back can (and should) be an industry standard.

Data > vibes. Real-time data is a must for decision-making in yoga businesses. Intuition is important, but numbers tell the full story.

Business confidence is the goal. Let’s release the false tension between “true yoga” and profitability. The two can co-exist beautifully when we let yoga guide how we lead, serve, and run our businesses.

RESOURCES

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Michael Jay’s Website

✨ What if yoga history forgot half the story? In this episode, we dive into the missing voices of women, the power of everyday acts of resistance, and why who tells the tale of yoga matters just as much as the practice itself. Spoiler: every pebble counts, and radical love is the real revolution. 💥🧘‍♀️

🔑 Key Takeaways

Who tells history matters. When yoga’s history is mostly written by white men, women’s contributions disappear—but they’ve always been here.

Practitioner vs. scholar perspectives. Yoga histories told by scholars may miss the lived depth that practitioner-first writers bring.

Exceptionalism skews narratives. Everyday people, not just “great leaders,” shape yoga and social change.

Change happens in quiet moments. Real transformation often comes from behind-the-scenes work and small acts of care.

Every pebble counts. Small, consistent gestures of radical love build a more just and beautiful world.

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Pre-order Anjali’s Book

Anjali’s Website

Have you ever wondered what those $300 online teacher trainings were like?

Well, I asked someone who both teaches online and also has looked through more than one of these.

What really makes a yoga teacher training “good”? In this episode, we explore the realities of online vs. in-person YTTs, why pacing and feedback matter, and how affordability impacts accessibility in the yoga profession.

Katlyn Greiner and I delve into the myth that higher costs equal higher quality, the role mentorship can play in shaping new teachers, and the financial realities of studios running training sessions. Plus, we unpack the tension between brand cohesion and creativity in the yoga business.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Online vs. in-person training
Asynchronous, low-cost YTTs aren’t inherently “less than.” We need to rethink perceptions of online vs. in-person education.

2. Pacing matters
Dumping all the content at once isn’t effective. Pacing supports integration and embodiment of teachings.

3. Feedback is essential
Integrated feedback—live or asynchronous—is key to learning, relationship-building, and quality in online trainings.

4. Financial accessibility
Low-cost trainings expand access. Eliminating them would reduce opportunities for many aspiring teachers.

5. Mentorship as the missing link
Imagine affordable online YTTs paired with paid local mentorship—a model that supports both new teachers and experienced guides.

6. Rethinking “quality”
High price ≠ high quality. Metrics for strong training should include teaching skill, student engagement, and practical business acumen.

7. Teacher trainings ≠ cash cow
For many studios, YTTs aren’t highly profitable—they’re a labor of love or a way to train new teachers.

8. Creativity vs. brand cohesion
Studios must balance cohesive branding with honoring yoga as a creative practice. Navigating that tension is key to sustainable growth.

RESOURCES

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Katlyn’s IG