Meet Michelle: Little Yogis
I am honored that Michelle chose The Everyday Series to share a piece of her heart with! She is generous and transparent about why she does what she does and employees female yoga teachers to share the love with children at 40+ schools around Canada. As the CEO & Founder of Little Yogis, Michelle echoes what many female entrepreneurs on our platform have shared- surround yourself with women that lift you up and generate positivism into your daily work routine. I love that they are empowering the next generation of little ones to better manage their emotions and bodies through yoga. I highly encourage you to download their brochure from their website to share with schools that need a program like this! Thank you Michelle for giving us a glimpse into your yogi world!
Tell us about who you are and your journey to where you are now!
Where do I begin? Well let’s start here, Hi I’m Michelle! The founder and CEO of Little Yogis, a mobile yoga & mindfulness program for kids based in Canada. I have had quite the interesting career path starting as a model/actress, to hosting my own sports show on GolTV, to studying wine and becoming a wine marketer for major wine/spirits brands. I have always been quite the gypsy when it comes to my career. I am a lifelong student; I love to learn new things and when I find a new subject/topic that sparks my interest I’m there! I spent over 10 years in corporate marketing in the alcohol/beverage world managing big name brands. While I learned so much about business and marketing, I always felt like something was missing. A little piece of me always felt like an impostor in these roles that brought me no contentment. I knew something was wrong when I was being sent to Germany, Budapest and California to taste wine and I was still unhappy. I knew I found my calling once I became a mother to two wildly energetic boys. For the past 20 years, I’ve used yoga as a means to find inner peace and center myself during times of anxiety or stress. I brought all that I learned during my time on the mat into our home and helped my older son through his emotional highs and lows. I started with one school and quickly grew to 40+ schools in just a few short months. It is a dream to work for myself and bring yoga & mindfulness to every school in Canada.
2. What is the mission of your brand? How does it empower women?
Our mission is to make yoga accessible and to bring yoga & mindfulness to every school/daycare in Ontario. I have a team of 10 amazing, smart, kind women under my belt that work hard everyday to change the lives of their students. My teachers can live their dreams everyday by being children’s yoga teachers and leaving the 9-5 for a more fulfilling and flexible lifestyle.
3. How do you collaborate with women working towards a better world?
As mentioned, I have the pleasure of working with a team of amazing women everyday to empower young students through yoga. I feel honored to be able to mentor these women while also learning from them every single day. Through this journey I have also been able to meet some amazing female entrepreneurs that are also in the children’s wellness industry. Through social platforms like Instagram I have collaborated with countless women who share the same values as I do – empowering children to accept and love themselves for who they are, to see the good in others, to focus and calm their minds, and to be aware of their innate capabilities. Its incredible what we can accomplish when women lift each other up rather than put each other down.
4. What is the biggest challenge you’ve had to press through as a female entrepreneur and what are the steps you’ve taken to overcome it?
What hasn’t been a challenge!? It has been a huge learning curve to say the least! However, the biggest challenge I’ve had to overcome is letting go of control and allowing others to support me. Little Yogis is my baby; I’ve built it from the ground up through a lot of hard work and passion. I got to a point where my business was getting too big for me to handle on my own. I was making mistakes and getting overwhelmed with daily admin work. I decided to let go of some control when I brought on Nikki Seaton who is my COO and all-around rock. I couldn’t do this without her. Through this journey I’ve learned that when you feel supported, you allow for more positivism and growth not only in life but in business.
5. What advice would you give to a female entrepreneur in the beginning stages of launching her brand or business?
Sit down and really ask yourself what you want to accomplish. Look at the big picture but know that you won’t get there overnight. We are bombarded everyday with success stories through social media claiming these overnight success stories when in fact there were years of hard work that no one sees. Know that the first year is going to be tough, but if you truly want it and put your passion and hard work into something-you will succeed. Being a female entrepreneur can sometimes feel lonely, especially if you are used to working with a team or in an office environment. Join groups/clubs that can offer you mentorship and support on your journey. There are tons out there that can help with many challenges that you face as an entrepreneur. Not only that, it allows you to collaborate with other female entrepreneurs and helps build awareness about your brand amongst your community.
6. What sets your brand apart from others?
Our program is a non-traditional yoga program where we put an emphasis on fun! We are an active program that has been developed to be kid friendly. We use stories and games to introduce yoga to these young students while also incorporating resilience tools to help them navigate life’s twist’s and turns. Our goal is to build a foundation of yoga and mindfulness tools for these children so that they are better equipped to handle anything that is thrown at them as they enter their teen years. When I look at kids today, I see an incredible amount of stress caused by the busy world around them. I believe that yoga holds the magic that will allow them to be healthy in mind, body, and spirit, and to believe in themselves above all else.