Speaker 1: 0:09

All right, Welcome back to episode number two with Amanda from the Level Yoga Studio. We're going to get into the day-to-day what the day-to-day looks like for you, Amanda. So what does it look like running a yoga studio or studios?

Speaker 2: 0:23

Well, I still teach yoga. So, even though I am the founder of the studio, I do still currently teach. I teach about four classes a week and practice as well. It's super important to, as a yoga teacher, to make sure you maintain your yoga practices. And then, if I'm not at the studio, I'm usually home working, creating yoga retreats or creating reels for Instagram.

Speaker 3: 0:49

So I've always wondered that about yoga instructors. I didn't realize that you would also like maintain a practice the way you said. But is that because you're not breathing properly when you're teaching? Is that the reason why you?

Speaker 2: 1:02

maintain I don't look at when I'm teaching. I don't look at that as my yoga practice. I'm there, so I'm there teaching for my students. I'm not usually demoing on my mat. I'm usually walking around keeping an eye on everybody, making sure everyone is safe in their bodies, and so teaching is not something that I look at as like my practice. But as a yoga teacher, I do feel like it's super important to keep up with your practice, and I know what it's done for me in my life, so it's something that I'll probably never walk away from. So I do make sure that I get to a class practicing with my teachers at the studio too, which I love them all.

Speaker 1: 1:46

So you mentioned something, too, about a retreat. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Speaker 2: 1:49

Yes, so we? This is our third retreat at Indigo Nature Center in North Carolina. Supposed to be our fourth one, but last year, because of Hurricane Helene, it got canceled, unfortunately. So we are going again this year. It is such a beautiful spot. I feel so fortunate that I found it and we go for basically like three days. We are in the woods, in the mountains, and we have wonderful vegetarian food that is prepared for us. This year we are going on a waterfall hike and it's just a time to get away from your day-to-day and just be together in an intimate setting and basically just retreating. It's very grounding, a nice way to just kind of take some time for yourself.

Speaker 3: 2:38

That's the best thing about living by the beach, because in a lot of places in Florida you can't really walk in the grass. I mean you can, but then you're going to get stung or bitten Like fire ants find me no matter where I'm at. So, like when we first moved to Lake Wales, I kept going out in the grass and getting stung and I was like I need to be in the grass, what am I going to do? So we just moved over here and now we just walk through the sand.

Speaker 3: 3:00

Yeah, it's a lot safer.

Speaker 1: 3:02

So you also said that you mentioned that some of your day to day is making reels. I think you mentioned beforehand, before we recorded, you had like background in broadcasting too, so stepping into running a business, did you ever see yourself actually having to make videos like that all the time?

Speaker 2: 3:19

No, I, you know, I, when I was in college and at Flagler college I was a broadcasting student and I never liked being in front of the camera. I always liked doing the editing, the more creative side of things. So when I left college I thought maybe I'll go on and do this, and then I ended up falling in love with my husband and we got married and things changed.

Speaker 2: 3:40

So, it is kind of cool that I am doing this now with Instagram. For a while I had somebody doing her Instagram and then she moved away, so I just kind of took it back over and, um, it's fun, it's time consuming, but it's fun, so okay.

Speaker 1: 3:56

So now, how did you record yourself getting out of the box?

Speaker 2: 3:59

My friend Dawn, and she's the assistant studio director here at the studio. Um, she was filming and um, there the girls are always telling me Amanda, you have to, you have to show yourself, you have to be in front of the camera. And I never liked, I don't know.

Speaker 1: 4:13

I never liked to do it.

Speaker 2: 4:15

So I said, okay, I'll do that. And I was like I'll just put the shirt on and you guys can just take a picture of me in it. And then the other, amanda, who's the studio director, she's like no, get in the box.

Speaker 2: 4:24

And I was like oh, okay, All right, and I mean we took like three or four takes. So I would say my neck did hurt a little bit, but I did round. So there is a posture that kind of reminded me of being in that box either child's pose or rabbit pose and I could only get in that box because of my yoga.

Speaker 1: 4:42

Yeah, you're going to have to check it out. What's your Instagram?

Speaker 2: 4:45

Level Yoga.

Speaker 1: 4:47

Level Yoga. Yes, yeah, definitely check it out. It was really cool because it caught my eye, because you guys were highlighting merch that you guys were selling, right, so they were pulling out different merches. Then all of a sudden she popped out of the box. I'm like, okay, this is probably edited, but that's still Nope, I was in the box. Don't worry everybody, I'm going to move past this, but it's just mind-blowing.

Speaker 1: 5:07

I can't believe that. So you do a really good job with your Instagram, so thank you. Are there any funny or surprising moments that have happened?

Speaker 3: 5:58

in your 10 years of business. You know, if I had to get in a box, that would be one. You're about to add a new one to your memories but what do you not like?

Speaker 1: 6:02

run about the business.

Speaker 2: 6:03

That's an easier question. I don't know if it's funny, but, um, the schedule stresses me out the most. I get that Trying to make sure that there's something for everybody and then having two spaces to try to manage and figure out the schedule and that is probably one of my biggest stressors is trying to figure out the perfect schedule, Because there is never going to be a perfect schedule. We try not to change it very often, but we do a seasonal schedule and we do a summer schedule. I think the schedule is something I think about probably on a weekly basis.

Speaker 3: 6:39

That should be your next hire.

Speaker 2: 6:43

Yeah, and we do the other, amanda. I call her AP. She is really good at scheduling, so we work well together. But it's, you know it, definitely it's.

Speaker 1: 6:57

It's a lot of work, trying to make sure that you know all the teachers are in the right spots and are there different types of yoga.

Speaker 2: 7:02

When it comes to yoga, yes, so we are a vinyasa based studio and so we have vinyasa classes. We have different levels. So we have like a level one which is beginner friendly. We have a level two. That's a bit more intermediate. We have different levels. So we have like a level one which is beginner friendly. We have a level two. That's a bit more intermediate. We have hot power. Hot yoga is a very popular class as well, and then we have yin yoga, which is like a deep stretch, so somebody that's looking just to stretch there's not really any muscle engagement whatsoever Interesting.

Speaker 1: 7:32

Which yoga level gets you to the point where you can get out of the box? I'm curious with yoga because I've done like workouts and stuff like that, the gym and stuff to lose weight.

Speaker 2: 7:45

But can you lose weight doing yoga? Yes, the yoga practice actually kind of changed my body. You know, I think, what happens when you start practicing yoga. You start thinking about your lifestyle. You start thinking about the things you're eating, things you're putting in your body by drinking. You know things like that. So you mentally start to kind of rethink okay, is this French fry going to be good for me? Or you know, so that is a way to kind of change our bodies. When um, with yoga. Then there's other styles of yoga, like my hot power class that I teach that you know we're in a hot room, we're sweating, you know that can help us lose weight.

Speaker 1: 8:26

And you've always said, Shauna, it's like what you're like, the big part is what you're eating. That's going to make the difference.

Speaker 3: 8:32

It's all in balance. I think it's all in balance?

Speaker 2: 8:35

yes, I do love french fries.

Speaker 3: 8:37

I do love myself some french fries. Yeah, Some nice beach walks, that's all you have to do?

Speaker 1: 8:42

Yes, yes, yes. As we wrap up this episode, Amanda, what would you say has been the biggest thing that you learned about yourself since starting and launching the business?

Speaker 2: 8:52

That I am capable to run a business, because it's definitely something that I, in the beginning, I wasn't sure I would know how to do, and every little hurdle, every little thing that I've gone through with this just shows me that I can do it.

Speaker 3: 9:11

Foster syndrome is a real thing. And especially with business owners right.

Speaker 1: 9:15

All right, well, next episode, we're going to sit down and we're going to continue our conversation with Amanda and learn why Vero Beach. Why Vero Beach? Well, we knew she grew up here, so I'm sure that's a big part of it. She's already here, but we want to learn more about why Vero and what does she love about V.