I've always loved to move. As a kid I can remember choosing to sit on the floor to watch cartoons so that I could contort myself into different shapes and stretches. I would use the back of the couch to align my spine just so, and I would spend countless hours exploring different stretches and balancing acts. I joke with people now that I was a yogi long before I ever knew what yoga was.
In middle school I started tumbling. My friends and I would compete to see how many back handsprings we could do in a row. My personal best was 12!! I gravitated toward gymnastics and dance, avoiding more formal classes like tap and ballet. Looking back I attribute this to my innate desire to move in my own way, free from other people telling me what to do and how to do it! I never did like rules or authority!
In high school I cheered. I loved the high energy and enthusiasm it offered. I also genuinely enjoyed rooting for other people. And, again looking back, this is probably where I got my first taste of how gratifying it is to support and empower others, something I still find incredibly satisfying today. I also loved school. I loved learning and I made good grades.
In college I took my first official yoga class. I remember feeling confused about what I had just experienced. I didn't love it, but there was also something there that I couldn't quite put my finger on that compelled me to go back. And I did go back, again and again without ever really knowing why.
After I graduated from the University of Georgia with my two fancy degrees in psychology and criminal justice I was ready to take on the world! I moved to Atlanta and fumbled around until I found a job that kind of aligned with my education. I began working for the United States District Court system as a docket clerk. The year was 2002 and federal cases were all moving to an electronic filing system. Which basically meant that attorneys would upload their motions and supporting documents online, as opposed to in paper. My job involved making sure the e-filed documents in a case were filed correctly hence triggering the necessary deadlines and such. This looked like me sitting at a desk all day staring at a computer, typing. Thus beginning my initial disdain for the modern work force.
I worked for the Federal Court System for 5 years until moving over to the private sector in the hopes that it would provide me a little more opportunity for movement, financially and physically. In 2007 I started working as an operations manager for SunTrust Bank in their Institutional Equity Sales Department. With no education in finance or banking I had no idea what I was getting myself into. But the Head of Sales ensured me that my interpersonal skills were enough for me to excel and the rest I could learn on the fly. It was new and exciting and there was plenty of opportunity to move and grow!
Within the year I passed my series 7 and 23 exams becoming a licensed broker and principal. Once again, I was ready to take on the world! In September of 2008, Labor Day weekend to be exact, I made the move to New York City. Having traded the security of my salaried job as Operations Manager, I had accepted a Sales Assistant position (essentially a demotion) in the hopes of climbing the corporate ladder and earning some big commissions. Bright eyed and bushy tailed I had no idea how quickly things could turn sour.
That same week Lehman Brothers collapsed marking the climax of the subprime mortgage crisis and sparking the biggest commercial collapse in history aka the "the Crash of 08". Despite how ominous this all sounds, somehow I managed to survive and in some ways thrive in NYC. I learned some really valuable insights about myself during my time there, that I wouldn't trade for the world. The bright lights of the big city were tantalizing! I drank too much, I ate too much, I worked and played way too much! I overindulged in just about every aspect of my life, manifesting in a lifestyle that was probably the most unhealthy and out of balance I have experienced to this day.
It didn't take me long to realize that my new found career in Institutional Equity Sales left me feeling pretty unfulfilled. Once the novelty wore off and the learning curve stabilized, I realized that I just wasn't passionate about the work I was doing. I longed for more meaningful work and a deeper sense of purpose in life. Interestingly, It was right around this time that I found my way back to the yoga mat. I started practicing regularly at Laughing Lotus which was totally different than my big box gym yoga from school! I loved it. My favorite teacher played the harmonium and sang beautifully. I moved and stretched and strengthened myself physically and mentally. I started feeling inspired and hopeful.
I hired a life coach. We worked together to make a plan - an exit strategy if you will. I loved the coaching framework so much that I enrolled in a ten month Certification program to become one myself. I started to see a new way forward. Maybe I could have a career as a life coach AND a yoga instructor? Maybe this was the career that I was longing for that would give me the heart centered work and purpose I desperately wanted.