Yoga Teacher Resource Podcast

Is my niche too narrow? [on air coaching call]

Kate Lynch is a long time yoga practitioner, yoga teacher, and mother of a special needs child. While she has a lot of clarity about exactly who she wants to work with, she also has concerns that her niche is too specific and that it could make things difficult in terms of growing her yoga business. Listen to this on-air coaching call to find out what advice Mado offers about Kate’s niche, how to make more money as a yoga teacher, and getting over the fear of taking big steps.    Episode highlights:   How having a more narrow niche usually plays out in a fledgling business  Dealing with fear and anxiety as it relates to business and making big decisions  Overcoming the obstacle of asking for money for services in markets that are resistant or uninformed as to the value you offer The pros and cons of in-person or online options pros and cons  Strategizing and prioritizing larger projects like writing a book, blogging, podcasting, and planning retreats.  Links & Resources   Schedule a Strategy Session with Mado Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group Sign up for the email list and get 100 yoga class themes 

How to balance being real vs. being positive

Yoga teachers experience difficulties in life like anyone else but how much of our personal challenges should we bring into our classes? In this episode, Mado shares how we can find a balance between giving our students the positive experience they seek while also being honest about our personal struggles.    Episode highlights:   Using a dharma talk or introducing a topic or deeper teaching at the beginning of your classes  The difference between oversharing and acknowledging challenges in your own life Three techniques you can use to discuss challenging topics in a yoga class so that it feels authentic without being self indulgent or burdening your students  Specific examples of how to implement these three techniques  Questions you can ask yourself when your feeling conflicted about whether or not to share an idea or challenge with your students    Links & Resources   Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group Sign up for the email list and get 100 yoga class themes 

The Art and Business of Teaching Yoga with Amy Ippoliti

Teacher’s teacher, Amy Ippoliti joins Mado for a conversation about the gifts and challenges of teaching yoga as a career. They discuss and dissect the many layers of what makes an effective yoga teacher and a successful yoga business.    Episode highlights:   How to cultivate a sustainable and fulfilling yoga teaching career for yourself  Amy’s personal rituals and strategies for staying in a place of passion and inspiration and avoiding burnout Specific ways to help make sure you succeed in your business and balance all of the many priorities a yoga teacher might have How learning about business can help you serve your students better  How to support new teachers and elevate the entire yoga community including the veteran teachers and yoga studios   Links & Resources   Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Email List 90monkeys.com  Buy the Book: The Art and Business of Teaching Yoga 

How to scale yourself (on-air coaching call)

Angel Coughlin’s yoga studio is expanding. Along with this extra growth comes the increasing demands on her time and attention. In this on-air coaching call, Mado talks with Angel about ways she can balance her larger vision for her studio with the realities of running (and growing) a business and while continuing to being there for her yoga students who adore her. Mado also guides her with some actionable steps she can take and information about how best to utilize tools like email marketing and videos to essentially “scale” herself and communicate her vision more effectively.  Episode highlights: What to do when there is a disconnect between what you know your message to be and what your students understand it to be.  How to meet your students’ needs through a medium that reaches more people at once Using your email list as an opportunity to get the word out about your larger vision and message. Avenues for building your email list through partnerships.  How to segment your email list and why. Differences between yoga studio email lists and independent yoga teachers   Links & Resources Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Email List

Leslie Kaminoff on the rise of fitness yoga

Leslie Kaminoff is a straight talking yoga teacher who has been around long enough to have seen the tremendous shift in how yoga is practiced and perceived in the US. In this follow up to their previous conversation about the history and future of the Yoga Alliance, Leslie shares his background and yoga origin story. He and Mado also discuss the ways in which the birth of the fitness industry paved the way for what we in the west know yoga to be today.   Episode Highlights:   Leslie’s recommendations for people looking to work as a full-time yoga teacher Leslie’s personal yoga story  How the rise of the fitness industry directly influenced yoga as we know it in the US  Whether someone is or isn’t doing “real yoga” if they came to yoga through fitness  Thoughts on the Yoga Alliance’s new standards  The origin of the Leslie’s esutra email list and the original dialogue he started around the Yoga Alliance standards years ago  Links & Resources   Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Email List and Get 100 Yoga Class Themes Free Leslie Kaminoff’s Yoga Anatomy website  Episode 46: Leslie Kaminoff on Teaching Standards and the Yoga Alliance Episode 60: Yoga Alliance CEO on their new standards with Shannon Roche Leslie’s public statement after new standards announced E-sutra post with original Yoga Alliance dialogue 

5 Steps to (Re)claim your personal practice

Maintaining a consistent home yoga practice is one of the most common challenges for yoga teachers. In this episode, Mado shares the strategies she is currently using to re-establish the habit of home yoga practice after her recent travels. She also talks in detail about the science-based reasons why we struggle with our personal practice, even if we have a ton of integrity in other areas of our lives. Also included are some techniques you can easily implement to reclaim your personal practice.     Episode Highlights:   Mado’s definition of a home yoga practice The true value of home practice for yoga teachers  Why maintaining a personal practice is such a challenge for teachers 5 steps you can take to establish or re-establish the habit of home practice Information and resources about the human brain and how it applies to having a consistent home practice  Links & Resources   Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Email List and Get 100 Yoga Class Themes Free The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg Atomic Habits by James Clere The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal 

5 lessons I learned from filming a video series

Mado steps outside of her comfort zone to film a video series and then goes behind the scenes to share the lessons she learned while shooting the videos. If you’ve been thinking about creating videos of your own, this episode will help you get through the learning curve of using a new technology with less stress and more success.    Episode Highlights:   The thought process and intention behind the video series.  The 5 main lessons I learned from the experience The things I plan to do differently in the future Equipment used to film the videos  The process for editing and releasing the videos   Stay tuned to the very end of the episode where I share one bonus lesson that applies to any project you might undertake for your business. Links & resources Get the video series sent to your inbox Sign up for the mastermind group   Technology I recommend Neewer Ring Light Neewer Ring light; The cheaper version ATR USB 2100 Microphone

Building a following as an introvert (on air coaching call)

Introverts make fantastic yoga teachers, but we have a few extra challenges to face when it comes to building a following.  New Zealand based yoga teacher Dayna Edge is wondering whether she should open her own yoga studio or focus more on private and corporate classes. She recently resigned from her administrative job and is now looking to pursue her passion and teach yoga full time. She wants to have access to a wider range of people she can work with than she had at her previous job, but she is new to the area and an introvert to boot. Episode Highlights: Building a student base as an independent teacher (and an introvert) Tips for teaching yoga when you move to a new city.  Strategies for gaining corporate clients and how to market to that group of people. Specific action items for networking and building relationships in a local yoga community.  What level of importance social media play in establishing a private, one-on-one yoga business.   Links and Resources:  Individual and group coaching with Mado Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group  Get on the Yoga Teacher Resource Email List  

Beyond Mailchimp; advanced email marketing for yoga teachers.

Mado shares her experience with switching email marketing service providers, why she made the change from Mailchimp to Convert Kit, and her tips and recommendations for yoga teachers looking to begin using an email service as well as those who are ready to maximize their email marketing.    Episode Highlights:   Why and how yoga teachers might want to use email marketing Mailchimp’s limitations and reasons for switching to ConvertKit  What the process of switching was like including migrating a contact list  Mistakes Mado made along the way and what she wishes she I had done differently Recommendations for the less tech savvy yoga teachers   Links and Resources:   Individual and group coaching with Mado Episode 16 “Email Newsletters Are Dead, Long Live Email Marketing.” Episode 66 “Recent MailChimp Changes with Peter Akkies” Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group  Get on the Yoga Teacher Resource Email List

Recent MailChimp Changes with Peter Akkies

Mailchimp is the most popular email marketing platform for yoga teachers. In this week’s episode, email marketing expert Peter Akkies joins Mado to talk about how Mailchimp’s recent changes to their platform will impact yoga teachers specifically.  Episode highlights: Overview of email marketing, how it has changed, and what is currently trending and effective.  How yoga teachers can utilize email marketing to grow their classes.   What the recent changes to Mailchimp’s services mean for yoga teachers.  Ideas for partnering with yoga studios in your marketing efforts.   Email marketing tips for the less tech-savvy yoga teachers.  The long term thinking needed for building your yoga business and how it applies to email marketing  Alternatives to email marketing and why you might choose not to use email in your marketing efforts Tune in for next week’s episode for information on switching to another email provider if you’ve outgrown Mailchimp.  Links and Resources  Episode 16 “Email Newsletters Are Dead, Long Live Email Marketing.” Email Marketing for Yoga Teachers Course with Peter Akkies  Book: The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal  Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group  Get on the Yoga Teacher Resource Email List