Today we’d like to introduce you to Tara Van Dam.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My journey toward this business started many many years ago, but it got more concrete in 2015. I had just moved to the USA from South Africa. While a move motivated by love, it was incredibly difficult. I couldn’t find work, I suffered through a devastating miscarriage, I knew absolutely no one besides my husband, and my mom, my closest person to me in the world, was going through terrifying health troubles. For reasons that cannot be spoken in words, I found myself drawn to yoga. I rolled my mat out in the backyard and started doing who-knows-what poses.
It wasn’t long before I felt the calling to become a yoga teacher. Yoga had brought me so much peace and grounding, I just knew that I wanted to share it with as many people as I could.
I didn’t know it then, but this was the beginning of my business – a joy that would only formally begin a few years later.
I went on to have two children and threw myself into the role of mom. While changing diapers and wiping noses, I began to dream about the business. What it would be, how I would create it, what I wanted to offer. When my kids were both in preschool, that is when it would begin.
I was so set on this and so excited about it, that I didn’t bat an eyelid at covid, which happened to coincide with my plans.
I completed more studies in life coaching, meditation, took a deeper dive into yoga teaching, and completed my doula training, all while chipping away at the details and passions of my blossoming business, which now had a name: Wholistic Joy Wellness.
My dream was to create a wellness package that explored all aspects of a human’s self – physical, mental, emotional, and subtle/energetic. Put another way, I want to be able to use yoga, meditation, and the tools of life coaching to help others find joy in their lives and mindfully experience the biggest moments within them. From giving birth to navigating anxiety to developing a better relationship with your body – the tools I have studied and practiced can help with it all.
And that is where I am at today. It has been a journey of self-discovery, many setbacks, and a lot of creativity. It is still an evolving being, something that grows and changes as I do, but that is exactly what I believe will guide me toward being a successful vessel for change.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a hard road. The biggest struggle is managing my own expectations. It is so hard when you care so passionately about something that you are willing to put your most vulnerable self forward, only to be met with indifference. I have wanted to give up many times, but I am so so glad that I have not.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
This is an integrative wellness business. I use the tools and practices of yoga, meditation, and life coaching to help people find more joy and peace in their lives, as well as navigate the more challenging seasons and moments of their life.
I teach yoga and meditation that adapts, changes, and evolves with each of my unique clients. From cardio-bursting classes to self-reflective breathwork. From yoga for children to meditation practices to help with anxiety. From prenatal yoga and mindfulness to doula support during labor and birth. I apply the practices and tools in ways that are specifically tailored to meeting each of my client’s desires and goals.
I am most proud of my children’s yoga classes and my doula work.
Yoga for children is so rare and yet can be so powerful. I teach children how to understand their whole being, from body awareness to emotional expression, to the power of stillness. We have so much fun playing games that are actually teaching the most incredible life lessons and tools.
My doula work is something unique as well in that my training in yoga, meditation, and breathwork brings a level of mindfulness and connection to birth that is so often overlooked. It is an immense honor to be a part of this profound day in a birthing person’s life.
My services:
Private and small group yoga classes. These classes can be in person or virtual, 30 or 60 minutes, and in a style that best suits your needs and preferences.
Children’s yoga classes.
Doula support
Prenatal yoga and meditation
Yoga and meditation for anxiety, stress, etc.
Life coaching
What makes you happy?
I find happiness in moments of quiet and peace. Walking outside quietly by myself. Having a long bath. Sipping a glass of wine in the evening while watching TV.
Over the years, I have come to learn that I do not do well with over-stimulation. My brain gets overwhelmed and stressed. As such, I have found that moments of quiet are absolutely crucial for my mental well-being and happiness.
On the other side of the scale, I do love dancing, singing loudly in the car, snowboarding, surfing, and trail running.
Contact Info:
- Email: wholisticjoywellness@gmail.com
- Website: wholisticjoywellness.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wholisticjoywellness/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wholisticjoywellness
