The Transformative Power of Online Yoga - Episode 116

Hello everyone, welcome to the Yoga Liberty Podcast. My name is Angelica Govard and I am super excited to be joined by someone who took my 300-hour online course and became a really like inner circle friend of everyone in, um, on my team. We all absolutely love her. Her name is Valerie Guadagno. Guadagno, how say your last name?

My whole life it was like that. It's okay, it's Guadagno.

Guedagno. It's all right, my last name is Govert, and I think like people are really like, go over it, go over it, you know, like, like whatever you want to say.

Sure.

Yeah, I'm all like, no, it's Govert, okay? Just, it really bothers me. It's Guedagno.

Guedagno. I tell people, because the G, you know, on the end, I tell people it's similar to like gnocchi, like Guedagno. Oh, okay.

Oh, I'm sure that Francesca got it right because she's Italian and you're Italian. Italian, and it's an Italian thing.

It is. It's like, you know, that little inner Italian. We know, we know those words.

I love it. I want to move to Italy. I really do. Honestly, it's like on my list of places, so, um, that I would really like to, to live in because, you know, it just, it's such a— I love pasta. Let's just be real.

And it's good pasta out there. I've never been.

I've heard it's good. Oh my gosh, you haven't?

No, I actually haven't.

I wanted to.

Sending me these things because now, like, I guess they're trying to build their economy. And like, so my sister keeps getting these things online of like, you can move to Italy for a dollar if you start a family or if you read, you know, build a business or something. And she's like, let's just move. And I'm just like, should we? Like, would you really? Because I would. You are the one that has like 3 kids and a husband and everything like that. I'm like, I'll get up and move. Yeah, I could teach yoga anywhere in the world.

So that's actually really, that's actually really true, which is why you took my 300-hour, and we'll talk about that later. And you, you had amazing results. Um, so I do want to share with that because it is like that. It's so amazing how there's so much freedom now because of the internet. Like, we can literally live anywhere we want. We can literally do anything we want. Like, there are so many opportunities for me to make money online that I'm almost overwhelmed with the opportunities, you know, like it's, it's crazy. And it doesn't happen right away. Like, people think like, oh, I'm gonna go online and then, um, you know, they put in like a couple weeks of work. No, we're talking about a couple years of work, and then you start getting a lot of opportunities. But, um, anyhow, let's start, um, somewhere else though. Let's not start at the end, let's start at the beginning. So, um, you decided to become a yoga teacher, and what is it that really drove you to becoming a yoga teacher? Why did you want to start teaching yoga?

Yeah. Well, I became a yoga teacher in 2018, and I started practicing in 2015. And really, I just like began the practice because that's when I started getting more familiar with social media, and I started seeing these posts of like women in splits and like headstands and handstands. And I was like, oh my God, like I want to do that. Like if they could do that, I could do that. And like, So I just started kind of getting really interested in like, what is yoga? Like, how, how do you begin? And, um, at the time I, uh, the hashtag challenges were really popular.

Yeah.

I remember that. And, um, Kino Yoga or Kino McGregor.

Kino.

Yeah.

Kino McGregor. I've studied with her. She's amazing. We, cuz I'm from Florida. Uh-huh. Well, not, I'm not from Florida. I lived in Florida for 5 years. That's where I got certified to teach yoga was in Florida.

Okay.

In Miami.

Yeah, she's over on the East Coast.

And, um, I, I was lucky enough to practice with Kino. Um, and yeah, no, she's, she's the real deal. Like, Kino's the real deal. Like, Kino is good at teaching yoga, practicing yoga, and living yoga.

Yes.

Like, she's, she's one of the only teachers I know that really, like, embodies the fullness of it. And I'm not saying Kino's perfect. There's definitely things that I disagree with her about. Yeah. Um, but she, she's like a super, you know, like, you know, in, in like, um, in theater they call it like a triple threat, you know? Like, Kino's a triple threat.

Oh yeah, yeah. In the yoga world, don't mess with her. No.

Um, we all wouldn't be sitting here if it wasn't for Kino, honestly. Like, I would like I would lay in my bed at night. I think I'd been certified for maybe like 5 years at the time, and I would lay in my bed and just watch YouTubes of Kino teaching yoga. And I was just so inspired. Like, she definitely inspired all of us. Yeah. Yeah.

Honestly, I feel like I wouldn't be— I mean, I could be, but like, that was like my huge introduction into yoga because she—

in—

it was May of 2015 and she did a hashtag May I Begin Yoga challenge. And I was like, you know what, I'm just going to do it. I'm gonna end. Like, every day you had to take a picture of down dog, upward dog, child's pose. So like, I would set up my camera and like, I would run in front of it because like, at the time, like, technology really wasn't that great. So I had like a 10-second timer, or I would put it on a video and like, go do a child's pose. I wouldn't do anything else except the pose. And then I would like run back and end it and then just snap a picture of the pose and I would post it. And like, that's how I became familiar with most of like the basic postures and, um, physically, you know, asanas And, um, after that challenge, I was like, oh, that was fun. Like, I, I'm starting to learn more. But then I started to take more yoga classes at studios and get familiarized with like studio yoga. And then I, when I was home, I would do, uh, Yoga with Adriene was really popular. So I would do yoga classes on YouTube and I just fell in love with it. And then, um, fast forward to like 2 years later, my, one of my friends from school is actually more of like my sister's friend from school. She like saw me doing all these challenges and posting like yoga poses and she was like, hey girl, I don't know if you'd be interested, but like, do you want to travel to the Philippines and go to a yoga retreat with me? Like, there's this girl, Kayla Nielsen, who's also incredible. She's an amazing yogi and she's doing this 7-day retreat. And I had recently gone to Thailand and I had like the travel bug. I was like, oh my gosh, I love traveling. Like, this is my life now. Like, I don't want to do anything but travel. And like do yoga. And, um, so I was like, you know what, screw it, why not, let's do it. And so we did. And it was in the midst of— it was like a chakra workshop retreat. So it was every day we focus on a different chakra. And I'll never forget, it was for the heart. We were in a, um, shavasana in this beautiful villa in Puerto Galera. And she had mentioned how everything, like the color green, like I was starting to resonate green with the heart. And like I couldn't stop looking at the trees and the leaves. And like, it was a soft rain that evening, and I heard everything. Like, I heard the rain on the leaves. We had the windows open. And in shavasana, I was just like, I want to do this. I want to be up there providing the feeling for other people like that I have right now. And like, it was in that moment, I will never forget, is like a core memory of like this— I'm going home and I'm going to find a yoga studio or something, a training. I just want to get my teacher certification. So, um, I did. In 2018, I went back to Florida, Fort Myers, and I found a studio that I loved, and I got my training there, and, um, it was great. And I, I've been teaching ever since. In September of 20— or was it July of 2018? I got my certification and started teaching at the studio and spread out to country clubs because there's so many down here. So, um, yeah. And, and my whole thing too is is like, I knew that I was going into a yoga certification to teach, right? Some people just go for the knowledge, um, and I knew that I wanted to teach. However, I was not in a rush. Like, I am one of those people that like needs time to digest things. Like, the training was perfect because it was over the course of like 3 months, so I like knew I would have weeks in between of like, okay, let me practice this, let me feel this in my body, let me like, you know, get accustomed to this. This new lifestyle basically. And, um, and yeah, so like my whole thing is like, this is a lifelong journey, right? So I'll have ups, downs, ebbs, flows. I like to think of it as like peaks and valleys along the journey. And, um, and yeah, so like, uh, I, I wasn't in a rush to like, okay, get my 200-hour and then right away I want my 300-hour and then I just wanna get all these certifications under my belt. So, um, I gave myself a few years and here I am and I just got my 300-hour with you and I'm now a 500-hour yoga teacher.

Yeah, that's really exciting. I love how I feel like you very eloquently encapsulated why it is that a lot of us become yoga teachers. And I never really realized until you just said it in this moment, even though I've been teaching for like 20 years, was that you enjoyed that experience so much. It was so ethereal that you wanted to facilitate that feeling for others. And I too remember having a moment like that. I was in Arizona at At One Yoga, which is the home of where Spiritual Gangster began. And that clothing line was— one of the co-owners of At One also started that clothing line there. And I remember going to that studio and there was this one day and I just remember like being there and I don't know what pose I was in. I think it was Setu Bandhasana, bridge pose. And I'm looking up at the ceiling and they have this skylight and it was like this like kind of dim light in the room and it was in the evening and we had all just had this like great practice. And I just remember thinking like how incredible it felt, like how much happiness I felt in that moment, you know? And I had always wanted to open my own business. I just didn't know what kind of business I wanted to open. And I remember looking at that studio and just being like, you know, this is really low overhead as far as business goes. Like, you have to pay for a floor, you got to paint some walls, and maybe you have a retail area. But like, cost-wise, like, compared to like other kinds of businesses, starting a yoga studio has a very low cost. I started my first studio with $5,000. You know, so like I wouldn't have been able to do that with other kinds of businesses. But yeah, like just that feeling that you want to share it, you feel so good. Like I always say that yoga for me, it's not about, it's not about the yoga, it's about the, it's about the happiness that we get from yoga, you know, the feeling that it brings, like I love asking people like, what is yoga to you?

And you never get just a solid, like, one answer. It's like you have millions of responses because yoga means so many different things to people. It could mean peace, bliss, happiness, joy, community, like, you know, so, but just having this space to offer that, like, that openness of like, whatever you want it to be, you can. And I just wanna hold that space for you. To feel that.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I love that. I love that about it. I feel like we, we're like kind of kindred spirits on the way we think about that. There's a lot that we have in common and I love you.

Anyhow.

Um, so one of the things that you mentioned is something that a lot of us struggle with is that, you know, you're driving all over town, you're teaching at a bunch of different places and you gotta have a second job in order to make it, you know? So give us a little bit about like what that feels like?

Yeah, um, so I waitress as well. Um, I'm originally from Jersey, so when I moved down to Florida, like, my goal was— well, that was kind of also like steaming a little bit back to, um, you know, what made me want to teach yoga is like Jersey, growing up in Jersey with a family of— it was like me, my mom, and my sister growing up, and we're all fire signs, we're all different fire signs. So like there was a lot of tension in the house at times, there was a lot of stubbornness and like, you know, bickering. Like me and my sister were 3 and a half years apart, we hated hated each other and loved each other and hated each other.

And like, fire sign Italians. Yes, yes, imagine that. Oh my gosh, anyone that spent like 10 minutes with Francesca.

Yeah, so, um, so like, I don't know, to me, I love Jersey, but there— it's so— it's such a small state. It's so popular. Why can't I say this word? The population, it's dense. Like, it's really like, there's a lot of energy up there. And I feel like I was always stressed, I was always anxious, I was always like in a rush to get nowhere, and I was always trying to keep up with every like new trend. And like, that made me feel so like in a box. So when I would come to Florida to visit family, I would always be like, this is peace, like this is amazing, I need to move down here. So, um, yeah, so I was like, you know what, I have family I can live down here with and see if I even like it. Um, I'll do some yoga, I'll go on my retreats, I'll work season because it's busy here working season for, um, you know, serving. So I would do that and then I would go on vacation off season. And like those vacations were like yoga retreats and like, you know, intentional things. So yes, I, you know, I knew that yoga, like, if right off the bat wasn't going to be like my moneymaker, like it was gonna be a side thing. But like in the midst of that, I would have another job. And I would, you know, start to get an idea of like where my niche was and like what I truly wanted to do within the yoga realm. And, um, so, so yeah, so I do that. So it's, it's a little hard managing, like I, I waitress, teach yoga, and then on the side I also, um, am like a pet sitter, house sitter, which I love because I'm not allowed to have animals where I live. So I like get my animal fix in, but at the same time I also like have the space to myself and like, it's just like cool to like like, you know, feel different places out and like see, do I want to live here? Where do I want to settle? And like, yeah, just kind of, kind of figure that out.

So yeah, but you don't even have to settle really.

I don't. I really don't.

Everywhere.

And yeah, I learned that a lot along the way. The people that I meet along the way too, like within all of my jobs, it's just like I can like harness different, you know, potential opportunities from, from these things. So it's really, you know, I feel really blessed for what I do even though sometimes it is very overwhelming. Um, yeah.

What is your sign?

I'm an Aries.

Oh, okay. That's why we get along, because I'm Sagittarius, and Aries and Sagittarius are like super friends.

Oh yeah, that's— yeah, so like, yeah, we'd like— like, I bet if we lived with each other though, we would have our moment.

Oh yeah, right, definitely fire signs. Yeah, definitely. The— well, the fire is good. I think the fire is good. I like the fire. It's hard for people to deal with the fire sometimes. I always hear like people say like, oh, I'm, uh, I'm afraid of confrontation. And I'm like, well, that's just, you're actually just afraid of that you can't have a conversation with someone that's respectful. Mm-hmm. But also confronts issues and also at the same time honors your boundaries. Yeah. You know, like I think there's a way of saying everything that doesn't have to be lighting it on fire, you know.

Um, it's just kind of knowing like yourself and like how you— like, I know I'm a bold person. I can speak very bluntly sometimes. And like, I know that, you know, sometimes my weaknesses with being this Aries fire sign is that like, you know, I, I'm a little too in your face sometimes. And like, I try and pull it back. Like, had I not—

I don't try anymore, girl.

I don't try.

No, I'm not even— I'm not pulling it back. I'm 50.

Depends on the situation and like, you know, but like just kind of having that idea of like, okay, this is me, this is how I approach situations. Like maybe someone who is more of like, um, tapped into their emotions, like a Cancer. Like my aunt is a Cancer and she's like very— Cancer, that's so funny. It's like, I know you're super emotional, so like maybe when I talk to you I'll like pull it back a tiny bit. Yeah, because like you're gonna like feel like I'm like jumping down your throat and I don't mean it.

Like that's just like, that's me, you know, like I have no problems with confrontation. Yeah, it's not an issue. So you decided that you wanted to level it up and you wanted to start building your yoga empire, and so you decided to join my course, but almost, almost, almost didn't. So share a little bit about that experience.

That's so funny. Um, yeah, so I saw like an ad for 3— so I've been thinking, let me— I really want to get into a 300-hour yoga teacher training And I knew that I wanted to do one that want— like would give me the freedom to not just go to a weekend or like a month and just like get it done and over with. And like your ads kept popping up on my social media feed and I was like, who is this lady? I like her. Like, I like her energy. Like, yeah, let me fill out one of these, um, uh, things for her to like have a Zoom meeting where we meet for 15 minutes. And I was like, okay. So, um, I did it. I think I like did it for like a week in advance and or like maybe like 2 weeks. I was like, let me give myself time to really think about this. And then I did. And that day I almost didn't show up. I'm like sitting outside meditating and like I have a little rebounder. So I was like jumping on my rebounder, doing some stretches, and I was like, yeah, like I'm going to do it. And then like, that was like an hour before the, before the phone call. I was like, I'm excited, but I'm nervous. And like, do I want to do this? And like, you know, all the thoughts are coming in, all the self-sabotage is like slowly starting to creep in because like 20 minutes before the phone call, I'm like, nope, I'm not doing it. I'm not. I just like, I know I'm not gonna wanna do it. I'm gonna fail. I can't afford it. I don't have the time. Like every single excuse I could have made up, I made up. And I like am telling myself these stories and then I'm like, no. And then like finally another like voice came in my head and I was like, Val, just do it. Just get on that damn phone call. Like what do you have to lose? It's like, I didn't even know you. Like for all, like if I felt like I like needed to hang up in that moment, like truly, like I I could have hung up and like never seen you in my life again, you know, like, but I didn't. And I was like, just, just get on the freaking phone call.

Dude, if somebody just hung up, like, I'd be like, okay, all right.

I would never do that, like, realistically. But like, let's say I felt so anxious in the midst of it, or I was like, this isn't for me, I can't do it, you know, like, yeah.

So, um, It's interesting to me that people feel anxious about getting on a call.

Yeah.

And I think, I think there's some— there's multiple reasons for that. Like, one, I think that people are afraid of being called out for not following their dreams, because it's not me that's selling you something that you're afraid of. It's that, you know, that deep down in your heart you, you wanted this call because you know that what you're doing isn't working and you want to do more. But now this is calling into light. Yeah, that, and it's all a personal reflection. It has nothing to do with me.

Yeah, that's so true. And it's like, do I want to call myself out at this point? Like, do I want to like hear the truth of things? And, um, and yeah, so I was like, you know what, what do I have to lose? Like, I know I want this so badly, and like, no one's gonna do it for me except me. Like, I'm the only one that can make it happen. So, um, so yeah, I got on the phone call with you, and like, you, you made it feel so like, like the universe is working for me, and like everything's happening at the right time. Like, truly, the universe does happen when things work in divine timing, and it was just like had I had not taken that phone call, I would've never gotten my 300-hour. And, you know, and it was just great because all of my doubts that I was thinking in my head, like you had, you had responses for and like intentional caring responses. Like you weren't just trying to sell, like you just said, you're not trying to sell me your training. You're trying to help me become my best self of like what I wanna do. And you see that potential and you saw that in me. And, um, and yeah, I was just like, you know what? Let's do it, let's do it. All of the issues that I thought were issues really aren't, or they're like minor issues that can, can be solved and, you know, worked through. So, um, yeah, so I started it and here I am. I'm on the outside, I'm on the end line. I finished it and I'm so happy I did because it really opened up so— it opened my eyes to so much potential in myself and like also in like the online yoga realm, which is vast and endless and endless.

Yeah. You know what's really interesting too, is that like people sometimes will no-show for calls and they don't realize that there's another person on the other side of that that has like a whole life. Like I actually rearrange— my dog has a tumor in his heart and that day I had rearranged a veterinarian appointment just so I could meet with you. For my dog who, you know, has a heart tumor, you know? So like if you hadn't have shown up, that would've affected my life like super negatively. And I think people don't think about that when they schedule these calls and stuff, that there's like somebody on the other side that also has a life too. And so I'm always just like, if you're not gonna show, at least let me know with like a decent amount of time so that I can reschedule my life too, you know? And I think it's, it's, it's a consideration and it's something that we don't, we're only thinking about ourselves. We're never thinking about other people, but that's what we have to, if we want to be successful online, that's the main thing that people need to shift is that we're not thinking about ourselves primarily. We're thinking about other people when we create content. And your YouTube channel is a shining example of you thinking about other people and creating content for them. So I'd love if you could share a little bit, because you have a really great YouTube channel and we'll leave a link to it in the description below. But, um, everyone should go and subscribe because it is a shining example of getting started and being consistent and then seeing consistent results because YouTube is much more challenging to grow than say like Instagram. Yeah, but over time, YouTube is also much more profitable because people really get to know you in a way that they would not have done if they hadn't had, um, spent that much time with you in a class with you. So talk a little bit about your journey into YouTube and, you know, some of the things that you struggled with and, and then some of the triumphs and, you know, um, and your channel and what you're creating on there.

Yeah, so I, um, go by— my name is Valerie, but I go by The Healing Home Journey for my yoga, meditation, mindfulness kind of teachings. And, um, I knew I wanted to create a space for, uh, students across the world to like build a larger audience than just here in Southwest Florida. Um, so I wanted to create this, and I want to say it was like 3 or 4 months before I even considered your training that I like made, or I turned my YouTube into The Healing Home Journey. And I had no idea what I was doing with it. I had no idea how I would record videos and, and all of like the ins and outs of like SEO, search engine optimization, and how to like make my YouTube more like present for other people. And that I needed a microphone and all these things like to make it more professional, right? So I just made it and then I kept it there. And, um, a lot of, we have snowbirds here in Florida. So as all of the snowbirds were heading back home for the summer, they were like, oh, I wanna take you with me. How can I practice with you? And I was like, I'm gonna, I'm got, I got it. I got you guys. I'm gonna make a YouTube channel. I have a YouTube channel. I'm gonna start uploading videos. And like, I feel like that really like made me truly like be like, okay, well light the fire under you now. You gotta do it because you can't promise people things and not offer it. And you know, so, um, so that's what I really liked about your training is that like from day one, from the start, it's like, okay, here's how we optimize your YouTube channel and like get you growing. And this is like the consistency, your homework is gonna be videos. And like, I loved that. So I, you know, thought about, okay, what is the vision that I want to provide for students and how can I like integrate that into what I'm learning here and now in the training? So. Um, the Healing Home journey is a space where you— where— so I love to think of it as like journeying towards the light within, right? We all have this light within us, and a lot of our external forces in today's society dim that light. Stress, anxiety, um, you know, like negative patterns and habits for us. Like, we're all guilty of it. It's like, it's inevitable. We're human. And through yoga, meditation, and mindfulness, I truly feel that you have that capacity to find that light, to connect to it, and to allow it to shine more vibrantly. Because when it's vibrant, we feel our best self. We feel our most whole and true and pure self. And when we like feel that sense of self, I kind of relate back to like how I was feeling when I was laying down in that shavasana, like, this is it. And I just want to provide classes. And you know, whether it's like a yoga class or a meditation or just like me chatting about something just so people can kind of get more aligned with like, all right, let's veer away from that dim light and let me like truly embody who I am. So that's how the Healing Home Journey was born and a little bit about why it is what it is. Um, and yeah, so I think some of the struggles is for me was really finding like my niche of like, what do I want to narrow in on? And your training was beautiful because it provided me the opportunity to really like mix and match, uh, the, the second half of your training with, um, you know, what I thought like would be more of a niche for me. So, you know, chair yoga, restorative yoga, gentle yoga is what I veer towards. So I knew I wanted my channel to be more of that energy, that like nourishing, comforting energy. Any, any level, any age could really practice it. However, I target more of like an older crowd, like, you know, older adults. And, um, I wa— I knew I wasn't gonna be doing like major arm balances, inversions, all that crazy stuff. Yes, I might pop in every once in a while and do that. Um, but yeah, so some of the struggles I, I guess would just be like finding that niche because I love I love so many aspects of yoga. It's like, who do I truly want to target? And I think that was my hardest thing was like, what, what is my audience? Like, who is my audience? So, um, not to say that that can't evolve ever, but I really think just the older, older community, like older adults, um, you know, it's good because like as we age, so do our bodies, our joints, our muscles and everything like that. And it's really important to keep them as optimal. And as healthy as possible so you can feel your best.

Yeah, I love that you serve that community because, you know, we lived in an RV for a long time and then we lived on a sailboat. And so the most of the people that can afford to do that are people who are older. Yeah, and retired.

It's true.

So my best friend was like 88. Um, and, um, but it's really great to work with people like that because they have wisdom and they see, they have perspective of a lifetime and they don't take life for granted, you know. And they really live, a lot of them really live their best life. But you can also really see the difference between people who have maintained some level of activity and people who don't and the quality of their life.

Yeah, that's very true. Yeah, I see that like with my, in And I teach at a country club and when I see the students, I have students ranging, I would say from, I don't know if it's 55, I'm sure, I'm sure it is 55 and older, but I think my typical range is about 58 to like 72. And, um, there's, well, I have a woman who is 80 and she, before class, she's not on her mat. She's walking around. She's trying to get, she gets about 20,000 steps a day.

Oh my gosh. Good for her.

Holy cow. Like props to you, girl. Like, uh, she's always moving. She's— and you can see, like, she's happy. She's, she's at peace. Like, she doesn't look any bit stressed. Like, and it's just, like, so beautiful. Like, and when she told me her age, I was like, oh my gosh. Like, I literally thought you were in your, like, late 60s. Like, you know, and not to— like, I'm not saying this, like, toot my own horn or anything, but, like, a lot of my tables will be like, oh, I'm about to be 32 in March. And, like, people will, like, make comments, oh, you must still be in college. Oh, I had a comment the other day like, are you in high school? And I was like, okay, are you really messing with me? Or like, do I? And, um, or like this morning I got my teeth cleaned and the woman's like, are you still doing your yoga? Oh, that's why you look so relaxed. And it's like, I feel like when I get those comments, like, I don't want to like feel like, but at the same time I'm like, I truly give that energy to like my yoga practice. Like yoga keeps you youthful, it keeps you happy and like, who doesn't want to be youthful and happy nowadays? Like, I know.

Well, just, just, it's about quality of life, you know. I, like I said, I just turned 50, and my uncle passed away at 55, and my mom passed away at 61.

Okay.

And, um, it's about quality of life. Like, that's what I'm really realizing. When I was younger, it was always about staying thin. But now for me, it's really about, can I reach things? You know, do I get exhausted easily? You know, and I see my friends really struggling, and I'm so grateful that I chose yoga as a career in my early 30s because my whole life has had exercise as a natural part of what I do every day. You know, like right now I'm sitting cross-legged.

Yeah.

You know, like, I— and that's not painful to me. That's actually like a more comfortable position than, than, you know, I can sit in like a hero's pose all the time, right? Like, I naturally sit up straight because that's just like posture is a part of doing the yoga asanas all the time. And we actually have a— I don't know if it's going to come out before this video or after, but we're going to be doing kind of an exposé on yoga posture because I learned something that I had suspected and known, but now I really got the evidence for it. And so I have yoga journal backlogs from like the 1990s. So I'm going to go into my Yoga Journal archives because there's an article in there that mentions this, and in November, I think, of 2010. So I'm going to go back and see if I can find that article. And it's very fascinating, and it's going to be an explosive episode. So I don't know if it'll come out before or after this. I think it actually will come out before, but Um, anyhow, so, um, but you know, and it's specifically about yoga asana. But anyhow, I'm really glad that you created your YouTube channel because I think that you have done an incredible job of creating a very polished, professional YouTube, and it has grown exponentially in a very short period of time. And I know that, like, like I talked about this last night in my stories, because I'm growing my YouTube now as well. I never really focused on YouTube, but I recently have been. And, you know, I'm getting like a few followers every day. And I had initially the feeling of like, feeling like, oh, that's not very many, you know. And because I have like 30,000 on Instagram, right? So I'm like, oh, you know, just over 1,000 on YouTube, that's not very many. But really, because I'm putting in some effort, it's more than zero, which is what I was getting before. And a little bit every day ends up being a lot at the end of the year. We always underestimate what we can do in a year and overestimate what we can do in a week, you know.

I like that a lot.

Oh yeah, it's so—

so even, you know, it's kind of— and I never read the book fully, but I've read bits and pieces of Atomic Habits.

Oh, and it's just like, I haven't read it either.

1% better. Like my aunt, she's a huge, she's read that book probably like 10 times and like is always like, oh, you should read that book. And like, I'll like open it to a page and yeah. And it's just like the, the overall gist is like 1% better if you're one. I love that as a theme in class too, that I, I weave that a lot. It's like today you get on your mat, if you feel 1% better by the end of the class, hopefully you feel more than that. But if you feel 1% better, like you are doing something good for yourself. Like you're doing something good for your body, your mind, or your spirit. And it's like, and we can kind of take that into like the broader picture of, yeah, like YouTube. I made that YouTube months ago when I wouldn't even thought I would have like 50 people subscribe to me. Like, you know, it's like, if you think about that, like you're over 1,000 people, a little over 1,000 people. Imagine a room that you're teaching of over 1,000 people. Like that's a lot of people.

Yeah.

And, and it's like, we sometimes like, we like beat ourselves up over like smaller classes, but it's like, like, imagine your subscribers as your class, and like, wow, that would be a big class. So yeah, just kind of like putting it into different perspectives is like really fulfilling too.

Yeah, yeah. No, I always think about too, I was at a Christopher Cross concert, you know, sailing takes me away to where I've always heard it. You know that song?

Yes. I don't know.

So that's Christopher Cross. So he, as a sailor. Um, I know his music. Uh, anyhow, um, I was— I counted the number of people in the room and I was like, wow, like, this is it. This is an average reel for me. Like, an average Instagram reel, this is the amount of people that I get in views just on any given day.

Yeah.

And then I was at the Rolling Stones concert and I was like, this is the number of people that one of my more popular Instagram Reels gets views, like, as much as the people that were in the Rolling Stones concert. Like, that's insane.

That's insane. And then that person tells another person how the concert was, and then someone who watched your Reel tells another person how the Reel was. Like, I've told people about you, and like, you know, I've sent your things to other people, and it's just like, that's how we grow, is like community, word of mouth, like just continuously, you know, staying on top of things. And I think it's coming to that realization isn't like a snap of a finger. It's like you need to like remind yourself that a lot. I think with consistency and posting, like I've had moments throughout the training where I was like, okay, like no one's gonna follow my YouTube channel, or like I only have like 100 views on this reel, but like, I know like a year from now or 2 years from now that'll look so different. And it's just like staying in that mindset of like, be consistent with it, because we, we're always like our worst enemies. And it's like, well, I only have 100 people, like, I'm never going to post again, shame on me. And like, that's such a disadvantage to so many people who really actually watch those videos.

So yeah, yeah, yeah, totally. And to you. Yeah, because if you build it, eventually it will be something big. But you have to push through those times when it's not, you know, you're looking, you're comparing yourself to, like, it's like comparing yourself to, I don't know, Fergie and being like, why am I not Fergie? Well, that doesn't—

it's like, why am I not Kino?

Yeah, that's a better, it's a better example. But if you think about Kino, yeah, how long has Kino been doing this?

Long time. Time. Let's—

and long, like 20 years at least. Yeah, 20 years. So how can you compete? Well, how can you be Kino, you know? And then the other thing that I think people don't understand is that you might see somebody that has 100,000 followers, right?

Right.

And I was just looking at one of my peers the other day, and she has like 80,000 followers on Instagram, but she can't monetize her audience because the people are there to look at her do fancy poses is, they're not there to purchase from her. Yeah, she's not providing them with value in her content. She's just providing pictures of her doing pretty poses, and no one wants to purchase that. So you can't make a living off of you being pretty, right? You can make a living off of providing value for people.

Yeah, that's so true, right?

That's what I teach everybody that takes my course, and that's what I've taught you, and that's why you've done really well, and I'm really proud of you. And I'm glad that you have that perspective, that you know that in a year and in 2 years and in 3 years and in 4 years and in 5 years— I think from what I understand from other people, the magic really starts to happen around year 7, where it like is explosive. Now, that's not to say you don't make good money before that, right? Because I'm in year 3 and a half, approaching year 4, and I'm— I just told Paul this morning, I was like, oh my gosh, babe, I've made, you know, $150,000 this year. And then I was like, that's just a lot of money, you know?

You probably wouldn't have thought that like, yeah, years ago, like year 3, you know?

And by the time this course launches, I will— or by the time this video, this, uh, podcast airs, I will have launched my new version of my course, um, which is even more in-depth. And you have to have that— those experiences before. Like, I had to have the experiences of creating the other trainings that I've created and learning how to make content the way that I have to get to the point that I am today, and then to get to this point that I'm going into in 2025.

Yeah, you know, I had a teacher once, you know, tell, tell me— and like in the yoga teacher trainings often— that like, give yourself the space to begin beginner. Be a beginner. And it's like, when you do that, you're not like worrying about it being perfect and like nailed on the head your first round. Like, you're like, okay, I have lessons to learn and I have growth. And like, that's so beautiful to see and to experience. So yeah, I've learned that in so many of your, um, like within your course, like so many of like the modules. Like, I've learned that it's like, okay, like I can be a perfectionist. I'm not gonna lie, I've mentioned that to you. I was like, oh I gotta, I wanna just like, I want this to be perfect. But at the same time, it's like, I also want to just produce like what is best for me in this moment. And like, there's not to say like I can't ever go back and adjust things. I'm actually doing that right now with something. So, um, yeah, I think that it's really great to, to know that, to have that like mindset and like wisdom within.

Yeah. No, my first 300-hour training was totally different than the training that you YouTube. Yeah, totally different.

You know, it was on like a different platform too, or it was on it. I know, like, you've mentioned multiple times like that you've had to move everything over.

So like, just twice I've moved everything twice. Can you imagine?

Yeah, it's extensive course, so that in itself is a huge project.

It took me almost a year to move everything from ClickFunnels 1.0 to ClickFunnels 2.0. You know, shh. Yeah, it's finally all over there.

Um, but, well, it's very easy to navigate and I, I like, I, I don't know, you know, what the platform was before me taking the course, but I really enjoyed, you know, how to navigate the course and everything.

So I'm glad, I'm glad, I'm glad. And I'm glad you got great results and I'm glad that you are continuing to do it. Um, and I know that we talked about, uh, you joining the mastermind And so continuing to like be a part of the circle and, um, you know, we just, we love you, we're obsessed with you, and we fight over— every week we would fight over who was going to work with you. And, um, we also, because each week it's like in, at our team meeting we decide like who's going to work with what client that week. And, um, and that's, that's also something that's shifting a little bit in the new year. Uh, people are going to be scheduling, um, their meetings trainings and choosing who they want to work with. So if they want to work with more diversity in their training, they can. And if, you know, if it fits with their schedule or whatever. So we'll kind of— we're going to test that out and see how that works. And the other thing is that I never wanted to let you go. Like, I'd always be like, I think that you have another week.

That's so funny because like 2 nights ago I was like, I wonder if Angelica would let me like take another module. Like, I don't want to be done. And then I was like, well, I could just sign up for another course. And then I was like, well, I'm going to sign up for the mastermind. So it's like, I don't want to leave. Um, I loved like the weekly check-ins and everything.

Speaking of the mastermind, the mastermind has courses in it. There's like multiple courses. So in, I don't let anybody join my mastermind unless they've already taken a course from me because I wanna know that they have like a, a level of professionalism that they're at. I wanna know what their content creation game is like. I wanna know like, you know, where are they at with that? And I don't wanna explain things in the mastermind that should have been explained in the course because it's just so much.

Yeah.

Like you went through like basically 6 months of intensive work in your 100-hour. So I don't think, you know, if you didn't have that background, you could just jump into the Mastermind, you know.

I'd feel so lost, probably, right?

But the Mastermind has additional courses that are like next, like your next levels, you know. So, um, and every month I put out a new course. I'm working on one right now. I'm recording this afternoon. I actually gave up a dinner with a friend to record more for the course. But, um, but you know, I loved— I love doing that. Like, I love recording and I love like creating content and, and building for my, my circle. And I love being around everyone. And you know, I always say like, um, my retreats and stuff, I do them because I want to be around you all, not because they're— they make me so much money, because they don't. Like, like basically a retreat, like a long weekend in a retreat, is like a sale and a half or one sale to me, like financial-wise. Okay. After costs. So it's really not worth it to do a retreat financially. The reason why I do retreats is because I want to hang out with all of you, and that's why I only allow yoga teachers in my retreats. I don't, you know, like like. I mean, every once in a while somebody that's not a yoga teacher but they're like really on the path can come. Yeah, but I really want to mastermind and commune and be around people who share my vision. And what I want more than anything is for everybody who takes my courses to be at the point where they're so profitable that it's not a no-brainer like for them to come to these weekends. And what I'd really like to do my vision for 2026 is that so many people are successful in 2025 because they've kept doing the things that we did in our courses, that they have enough financially to, you know, be in the Mastermind. And then I want to do like every quarter a weekend that's like included with your Mastermind mind, but you come and then we like all like go to a different place. Like maybe we go to Sedona, maybe we go to Denver, maybe we go to Montana, whatever. And I just rent a big house for the weekend. We all get together and, um, we just like spend a weekend together every quarter and whoever wants to come can. It's included in your mastermind. You just have to pay your expenses.

Okay. Love that idea.

Right?

I love that idea so much because like my only, like my only con and negative of your training, which it really isn't even like, it isn't even like a, a good one because like I knew going into the training it was all online, but like my biggest thing was like, I didn't get to see you guys in person. Like we didn't meet in person. I was like, that's my only like negative of the thing. But it's like, but I knew that wasn't going to happen, so it's not even like, uh, it makes no sense. But at the same time, I was like, I just wish, like, I could, like, sit down face to face with you, like, in person, in, like, a physical realm, not just over the computer. So I think that would be— I think that would be, like, the icing on the cake for the—

for the retreat.

Yeah.

Well, we do have a retreat coming up in Sedona, and I have 5 spots left right now. I don't know how many I'll have left when this— when this airs, but, um, they do fill up pretty quickly. Um, and, um, But I will tell you that everyone— I've met a lot of people who took the online training now because I just had a weekend intensive in Vegas, the Adjustments and Assists weekend, and a lot of people came to that, which was like mind-blowing for me because I was like, wow, all these people literally flew into Las Vegas on their own dime. They paid for their own hotel. They paid for all of their stuff. Off and came and spent this weekend with me. Yeah, you know, like, were you—

you—

that's like mind-blowing. I mean, we gave them a good weekend, I'll tell you. We worked. I, I kept them there all day long, and then I got them tickets to front row to a Cirque du Soleil show on the Strip, and, uh, we, we got them dinner on Friday night. Like, we Royalty. We treated them so good. Like, my shit is good. I always treat people really good, but, um, because I'm so grateful, yeah, you know. But also because, like, I just have a standard that's really high for myself. I have set the highest standards for myself possible so that people who are in my circle will also set those standards for themselves, you know.

That's important because especially, like, nowadays there's so many— like, in the yoga world, it's so saturated with retreats, and like, how do you— how does your retreat shine differently and like really like want people to come back and like take more of them? So yeah, and it sounds like—

and everything, everything is like that. How are your YouTube classes better? How are your, your Reels better? How are your TikToks better? You know, what are you providing for other people? How are you making this place, this planet better? Because we all have a limited time here, you know.

Very true.

So anyhow, um, tell us a little bit about— you created a course during your 300-hour training.

Yes.

And you're actually offering everyone who— all of our listeners— a 50% off on your course. And you can get the link to that in the description, um, below. Um, but I'm pretty excited about your course. I think that you came up with an incredible idea. And so, um, share with us about your course and what is it that people get from the course. And then also it's evolving. So give us a little bit of information on that.

That is evolving. Um, so my course that I created is called Astrological Alignment, and it's a course to help rebalance your spirit through zodiac practices. And like, I love like new moons, full moons. I love like gazing at the stars. I always did my whole life. And I, when I, you know, I, I'm sure I'm not the only one who can attest to this, but like when you look up at the sky at night or like when you see a full moon, it's It's like, wow, I know I'm part of something bigger. And like the galaxies that we have out there, it's just like, that fascinates me so much. And over the years I've learned like each, you know, as we were talking about it before, Aries and Sagittarius, like every zodiac embodies different traits, different characteristics, different energies. Like some are more, some are in winter, some are in fall, and I'm in spring. Like I'm the start of the zodiac. So like I know I'm an initiator and a cardinal sign. And, um, what I really love to do is, as I've like learned more about zodiac signs over the years, is like, wow, when we're currently right now during this podcast— I'm sure it'll be, it'll be different when it loads, but, um, right now we're in Sagittarius season, and Sagittarius season is your season. Happy birthday! Yeah, like, we all have every sign within in us. Like, right when we're born, we have this— like, I'm sure many people looked up their charts. It's gotten really popular over the years of, like, finding your sun sign, your moon sign, your rising sign, where the planets were and everything. And, like, all of that has really, really deeper meaning.

My moon is Aries.

Your moon is Aries? Oh, I love that. Yeah, I love that.

So my rising is Capricorn.

Okay.

That's why I'm so good with money.

And you're ground— you seem very grounded. Like, Capricorn is really grounding, secure, financially stable energy. And Yeah, when we like, when we look up our signs and like read about it, we're like, oh my God, that's so me, like that makes so much sense. And, and, um, like my moon is, uh, Cancer. I'm a Cancer moon. I'm emotional as fuck.

Excuse me, I am so Cancer in me.

And my rising sign is Taurus, so like I feel like I love being barefoot, like that is my thing. And it just makes so much So when we're in those seasons, like when we're in Sagittarius season, it's a lot of like a Sagittarius are very adventurous, very optimistic, you know, very truth-seeking and like wise and intelligent and like want to get deeper meanings of things. And so when we're in that sun sign, right, because the sun is in Sagittarius for like 29.5 days, we have so much power to really tap into those energies that are in our universal energetic space, and we all embody different qualities of that. But I love to allow the yoga practices and meditations to really harness you into that energy so you can really work with— like, I like to think about it as like, let's say we all have 12 doors within us, right? And we open that door and we peek in, and it's like, oh, like, let me— like, let me explore that realm of Sagittarius and like how I can embody that. So in this course, you'll learn different yoga practices, different, um, meditations, mudras. Mudras are hand gestures that call in certain energies. Um, and then you'll just like learn a basis. It's, it's skimming the surface, I would say, on the 12 zodiac signs. However, I— it is evolving. So, um, if you purchase it now, you'll— if it evolves over the year, you'll still get those updated, um, um, like changes and adjustments on it, but you'll get it for the beginning price, the original price. So 50% off is on that, and it just really allows you to work with the zodiac signs and like really rebalance your spirit to work towards that light within, right? That light that shines. Maybe you have those like 12 prisms of light and they're all different zodiacs. And, um, you don't have to be a Sagittarius to practice Sagittarius energy. right, and, and different practices and qualities. So I wanted to create this course, uh, especially because I'm a huge fan of doing like new moon and full moon practices. So when we have— when we're in a sun season, the new moon will be in Sagittarius. We just had a Sagittarius new moon, and it's like within—

that is why I'm doing really big things right now.

Yeah, you set intentions. Like, new moons are all about like going inward and like setting the intention of what the energy of that sign embodies. So like, and then during the full moon, we deal with the oppositional, uh, side of it. So Gemini is your opposing sign, so we have a lot of those friction.

My mom was a Gemini.

I don't know a lot of Gemini.

Oh girl, I do. It's— they're scary.

I, uh, yeah, very like, um, wishy-washy and like out.

But well, they just, they really do have two personalities. I'm sorry to any Geminis listening. I'm frightened of you. I'm frightened of you. I am. One of my good friends is Ari Traverso, and she's the owner of the yoga expo that I'm actually going to be teaching at in January. And in Pasadena, she owns the Pasadena Expo and the one in Florida. Florida, and she's a Gemini. But, you know, we're like friends but competitive.

Okay.

Because that's how Geminis are.

Yeah.

You know, you can, you can only give them so much.

Yeah. Because they're takers too. They are. They're, they're always like on to the next, like, what's next? Where can I— where's my, where's my mind going?

You know who really trips me up, but I love them? I love them. I have never met an Aquarian that I wasn't obsessed with. Okay, yeah, I love them. They just like— they're, they're the kind of people that I could never be. They come from their soul, they come from like deep purpose, they're in touch with like generations of generations of generations before them, you know. They're in touch with the deepest parts of philosophy and stoicism and ancient Greece, you know. Like, I feel like they like go back to creativity when creativity was born.

Yep, love that. I love that. And I think it's really interesting too, because like we're in the age of Aquarians right now. Like we're in the age of Aquarius. So like, I wonder if that's why you're so interested in them, because I'm sure other people aren't. Other people are probably like, oh, they're too good, or like, you know, like, yeah, I, I don't know a lot of— yes, like I don't really know a lot of Aquarians.

So when I was younger, I had a lot more Aquarian friends that I do now. I would say right now my main crew is Sag.

Okay, okay.

Francesca's Scorpio, but she's November 11th.

Ah, I know someone on 11/11, born on 11/11.

She's like close— she's close to Sag energy. I bet she got some Sag in her chart.

Oh, totally. Yeah. And that's like the whole thing too, is like when you look at your chart, and a lot of people like think that's kind of like woo-woo but really it's our birthright. Like, it's like, it's what we were born into this world as. And going back to like, you know, we are all interconnected, like everything is connected. So why wouldn't you want to learn a little bit more or a lot more about like the depths of your soul and how you can really work with the zodiac to align with like your true essence, right? Because like we have all these external forces trying to pull us in different directions, and, and when we can really connect to those different kinds of energies, like we just learn more about ourselves. And when we learn more about ourselves, we truly learn more about each other because we really are just all reflections. And, and so like, that's what I really wanted to, like, what I had visioned as I was creating this course is like, we are all more connected than we think we are. And some people probably more than we want to be. But, um, yeah, there's ways to, there's ways to harness that. Yeah.

Oh, I'm really excited. It's a great course. Um, and, um, Valerie created it while she was in my course, so I know that she's working on it and making it even more incredible. But it, it is a fantastic course right now. So definitely go to the link in the description, get the course, get started today, get your 50% off because you are a listener of the Yoga Liberty podcast. Um, well, thank you so much, Valerie, for joining us today. I really appreciate you. And, um, I'm glad to have spent another hour of my life with you.

You.

It's always an absolute joy to be with you. We love you, we appreciate you, and we're so grateful to you. And I'm so glad that you took that step and got off the rebounder and bounced into the Zoom call with me and joined my training.

And you're not done with me. I'm signing up for your mastermind course, so you'll have me forever.

And then—

hey, good!

That's what I want. I want to have people like you around me all the time. Like, I feel like we really elevate each other. And like I said before we started this podcast, like, your YouTube is so good and it's so well put together that really inspires me to create another channel where I just teach classes, because I feel like you've done such a beautiful job. And, you know, um, you've done it without— like, you watch those videos and they're, they're so professional looking and they're so well put together, but people wouldn't even know that's just like a corner of your dining room, like right next to your window. Like, you— it's amazing what you can do when you just put your mind to it. I don't know if you saw my stories. I have like, instead of close friends in my stories, it's just people who have taken my course. I make them my close friend, and then I give you guys extra stories sometimes. But I had this TikTok that I downloaded a while ago, and it's this guy, and he's like, you just make content. Yo, people, people in jail are making more content than you. People who have, you know, have feet on their wall, dirty feet on their wall, are making content while you're worried about your aesthetic. You don't need, you don't need more cameras. You don't need another microphone. You don't even know how to use the phone you got. Just make more content.

It's so funny because when I saw that, I was like, I hadn't posted in a few days and I was like I was like, she's talking about me, she's talking about me. I was like, and you wanna know what I did? I pulled my laptop out and I started going and I made a video and I posted it and I was like, yeah. I was like, I don't need it to be pretty. And like, it's so true. And like, that's what I love about being like in that inner circle is like, it's just little nudges and gentle reminders. Like, hey girl, you're badass. Like, come on, put some work out there. And it's like, it's fun and it's loving and it really is not as serious as we make life out to be. And it— thank you, and thank you for helping me realize that, because without you I wouldn't be here. And, uh, and yeah, I love this, I love this little journey I'm on, and I'm happy that I'm a part of yours. And, uh, and yeah, thank you for letting me see my potential and what's to come.

Yeah, I wish that, uh, I wish I'd started working online back when I really wanted to, you know, because I am so grateful to be around people like you, you know, and, and to have an incredible circle. And I'm sure that there's somebody that's listening right now to this podcast who is going to join our circle, who's going to be a part of our programs, who's going to connect with all of us. And, um, we're going to love them. Yes, we're going to love you, whoever you are. We're going to love you just as much as we love each other. And we're all going to sit together and have a cup of tea in Montana at the hot springs where we have a retreat when one day. So, um, I have good things planned for you. Um, anyhow, thank you for joining us, Valerie. I do have to go to my trainer. I have an appointment with my trainer. I gotta leave because traffic is tight. But thank you for coming today, and I so appreciate you. Uh, those of you who are listening, please do connect with Valerie in the description below. Uh, there is a link to her social media, to her YouTube channel. Definitely give her a subscribe. It definitely helps her to grow and it helps all of us. And you know, when you're liking and subscribing to people in your niche, it actually helps you to grow as well. And if you would like to come into one of my programs, all the links are below in the description if you want to join and be a part of our circle of fabulous yogis making social media fantastic for hundreds of years to come. And also, um, we would love it if you would subscribe to the podcast, share it with your friends, and give us a 5-star review wherever you listen to the podcast so that it grows and gets bigger and we can help more people sharing the love of yoga as a way to happiness. So thank you again, Valerie, for coming.

Have a beautiful day.

I appreciate you. Appreciate you.