Today we’d like to introduce you to Mandy Roberts.
Mandy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Finding yoga in 2004, I had no idea I was embarking on a life-long journey of personal growth and lighting the way for others.
In 2011 my marriage of 16 years ended and I thought my life was over. I was a stay at home mom, neighborhood organizer and school volunteer who ran the back end of my husband’s successful contracting business.
Growing up in poverty and as a survivor of teen pregnancy I never went to college, nor did I ever have a solid career outside the home. My divorce was the catalyst for a complete dissolution of my former life and the beginning of what is now FORM {yoga}.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The past several years have been full of challenges and opportunities to rise. Personally raising two children and living on my own for the first time ever while trying to teach yoga and run the studio was especially challenging. My now ex-husband was also struggling with alcoholism and that put a great strain on the children and myself for the past 7 years, there was a lot of healing that needed to be done.
Both my children had a very hard time with the transition into divorce and the alcoholism, and both went through a period of lashing out and severe rebellion.
At one point just a few months into owning FORM {yoga} I was managing the studio, teaching yoga and home-schooling my then 7-year-old son. To say that was a really tough year was an understatement.
Owning a studio itself was certainly a learning curve for me. Amongst all the chaos in my personal life I had to learn about marketing, social media, finances, software, hiring teachers, payroll and everything that goes along with running a business. Many times I wanted to throw in the towel, but I felt like I didn’t have a choice. This studio had to work, she was what was created out of all my pain and heartbreak.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the FORM {yoga} story. Tell us more about the business.
Our studio specializes in a fun, encouraging and supportive atmosphere for our students and teachers. We are more than a studio, we are a community. While we have classes from beginners to advanced students, all of our classes are welcoming and non-competitive. We play fun music, we explore the body, breath and we play on the mat. We give you permission to show up perfectly imperfect and exactly as you are.
One of the things we are very excited about for is our partnership with Soul Nourish Retreats in which we offer destination Soul Vacations and Sacred Retreats. These events are so much more than your standard yoga retreat, here we take our practices off the mat and into the world of intentional learning, soulful conversations and connections. These offerings are truly transformational experiences.
A typical day on a retreat includes some all levels yoga, meditation, journaling and ritual with plenty of free time to explore your surroundings. In 2017 we have a few local Women’s Weekend Retreats in north Georgia, including our Women’s Weekend New Year’s Retreat January 6-8. We also have our Soul Work + Sacred Yoga Retreat in Maui, Hawaii in October 2017 where will be adding in a Seva or service project to benefit the local community. We are in the process of adding another international destination for a Soul Vacation soon, stay tuned!
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Oh my, SUCH a role! I like to think of luck as more of a noticing off and reaching out for opportunity when it arises.
Let’s go back to when I first started teaching yoga in October 2011. I started as a substitute teacher at the local studio where I had attended classes for years. One of the teachers there was in charge of hiring new teachers for a studio that was about to open nearby and asked if I would like to teach there. I took the opportunity and started teaching first just one class a week, then added a few more. During this time I was homeschooling my then 7-year-old son so when I taught, he would come to work with me and sit in the office.
This studio was FORM {yoga}. The original owner started FORM within the spare space of the building in which her marketing firm was located. I taught at FORM {yoga} for several months before the owner decided that the business model simply wasn’t working and she needed to close the studio. At that point, I was very invested in teaching my students. I had found an outlet for my passion to support others and build community. So I presented the owner with a plan where we could keep the studio open and change the business model. I would act as manager so she didn’t need to be invested in the day to day dealing with the studio. Her response to my plan was that I could have the studio. I became the new owner of FORM {yoga} simply by taking an opportunity to help the studio survive and grow.
Pricing:
- New Students 25 Days Unlimited Classes $25
- Drop In Classes $15
- Monthly Membership $99
- Women’s Weekend Retreats starting at $695
- Maui, Hawaii Soul Work + Sacred Yoga Retreat starting at $2180
Contact Info:
- Address: 2752 East Ponce De Leon Ave
Decatur Ga 30030 - Website: https://formyoga.com
- Email: yogareformers@gmail.com
- Instagram: @formyoga
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/formyoga/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/form-yoga-decatur-2
Image Credit:
Linden Tree Photography
