"The Key" — My Yoga Mix story
HEY THERE! I’M NICOLE,
…the owner and founder of Yoga Mix. My yoga journey began in 2007 when I stepped into my first yoga class at the Y. I was intrigued by how quickly not only my body felt but how I began to feel a shift in my mind shift as well. At that time in my life I was a wife, stay at home mom by day to a 17mo and 3-year-old, and an NFL Cheerleader by night. I quickly found that this practice not only helped me train athletically but also made me a more mindful Mom and person as a whole.
After having a taste of yoga in a gym, I began searching for a deeper experience and started exploring studio atmospheres. I continued on this journey for two years while I balanced changing diapers by day and getting to be with my sisterhood at night, living out my dream of being a part of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
After the completion of my second season, it was time to hang up the poms and move onto new adventures. In the summer of 2009, I completed my Yoga Teacher Training and fell in love with sharing the practice. Fresh out of training, it is very easy to get caught up in worrying what other people think and the judgment of doing it the “right way.” From the very beginning, I wanted to offer a version of the practice that was authentic in my heart. I taught at local colleges and out of a dance studio for two years before Yoga Mix was born. I’m grateful for those years as it taught me so much about leading, teaching, and growing an organic following. When the time came for our youngest to enter Kindergarten, I had an itch that just wouldn't go away. Actually, let’s back up to a year before our little went to Kindergarten…
I was a year into teaching when I received a phone call from a family friend. “Hey, I know you have been teaching yoga and I have commercial space at the beach that would be perfect for a yoga studio.” Hmmmm...it perked my ears enough to look into it further. I always dreamed of opening my vision of a studio but didn't ever know when, how, or if I ever would. He gave me the key. I walked through the space, thought it over and decided it just didn't make sense. Partly because I still had a preschooler at home and now looking back, perhaps partly because of fear. Would you know that I never returned the key? Not on purpose, but it lived in my purse, our family friend never asked for it back. Jump back to the summer before Kindergarten for our youngest and I looked at the key as I did every time I opened my purse, but this time it felt different. I reached out to our friend and asked, “is that space at the beach still available?” His answer was, “yes.”
Fear crept up. What if I fail? How embarrassing if I put myself out there and it doesn't work. Why me? I don't know the first thing about running a business. All the things. With a lot of love and encouragement from my husband, family, and friends I decided to move forward. City council meetings for rezoning, paint parties with the kindest of souls, stalking craigslist for lobby essentials, and our first computer was an old tv from my mother in laws closet that I was able to hook up through a mac mini! I had friends sit with me creating our logo & name. We did photo shoots and designed the website in my girlfriend’s apartment while my then 8-year-old daughter played dress up with her wigs. Pinterest wasn't a thing back then and I’m kind of thankful for that. It was all a dream in our heads that we made come to life. I was determined that as long as the space was authentic and down to earth, the magic would emerge.
We opened in October 2011 with 10 classes on the schedule and I taught them all. One class at a time, one student at a time, I started to see it. Eventually, I hired a teacher and another and another. One by one we added classes over a long period of time. Never forced, never rushed. We spent 6 amazing years in that shala. We ended up taking walls down twice and acquiring the space next store to expand. If those walls could talk it would tell amazing stories. In December of 2017, we moved just 2 blocks north, where our current yoga home is.
Every single day I wake up, I think about Yoga Mix. It truly is my third child. Owning a business is not easy and I am far from perfect. Actually, I mess up often. I am human. I live, learn, and grow. I think that is what pulls folks to our studio. It is human. It is real. It is loving. It is forgiving. It is raw. It is a place where all are welcome. A place where anyone can practice. With the dream of 2 studios under one roof, we now offer over 10 styles of yoga and 40+ classes every week. I hope my journey inspires your journey. I hope to one day give you a hug, a high five and a sweet Namaste bow. I hope to one day welcome you home.
xoxo,
Nic
