Today we’d like to introduce you to Kara Kiefer.
Hi Kara, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m a former math teacher and most recently a stay-at-home mom of two amazing kids! I’ve always loved teaching, whether it be math, how to cook or plan an awesome vacation, so teaching yoga was definitely something I was interested in when I started practicing a little over four years ago. I just didn’t realize I would own my own studio! As I practiced, I kept envisioning what I would do differently, and ultimately, I wanted to be able to walk to a studio to practice and teach because we live in a walkable community in Fayetteville. I felt a calling on my life to share with people in my community how yoga can help with strength, flexibility, balance + coordination because as we age, we lose these four things quickly. I want those that I love and do life with to live their best life for as long as possible. I’ve also noticed how yoga has made me a better person…a more whole version of myself, so I took the obedient risk and jumped all in to open SŌZŌ YOGA in Trilith. It has not been easy, but I believe God has put the right people on my path to help me in every way that I’m deficient so that the studio can be successful. I started out thinking I’d only have three teachers, and after six months, I have 15 incredibly talented teachers!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have been ups and downs along the way, curveballs thrown at me, but I wouldn’t have chosen it any other way because it’s an incredible story to tell and if it had been easy, I wouldn’t feel the gratitude of having to do all the hard work that it took to open the studio. Not knowing how to open and run a business has been very challenging, so I’ve had to be a student again and learn a lot. I had to realize that it was up to me to figure things out and make big decisions.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
SOZO is a Greek word that means mind, body, and spirit wholeness. It means restore to health, and that’s our mission is to help each person who walks through our doors to be whole again through their yoga practice and breath work, so they can move forward in life. The studio has a wide variety of classes… Beginners all the way to advanced, kids, gentle, power, heated, and non-heated, we want to include everyone because yoga is for EVERYBODY!
I believe we are set apart from other studios because the energy of the studio is completely different from others I’ve practiced. There was great intention behind everything that was curated for SOZO so it would be appealing to the senses, but it’s also set apart because it’s a place where we focus on building community. We are a family welcoming + cheering each person on wherever they are in their life, not just in yoga.
I have the most amazing friend who I worked with to create our brand. Caroline Harbin, founder of COR Marketing, is also a teacher at my studio. She believes in what I’m building and is walking alongside me to build the brand. I absolutely love the logo and how she continues to keep me focused on mind, body, and spirit wholeness through our brand awareness and content.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
In life in general, we should treat people how we want to be treated, and that’s no different when it comes to owning your own business. It’s not hard to go out of your way for someone else, but that could make all the difference in that person’s day. I want to be a blessing to others in my lifetime because that brings me ultimate happiness.
Contact Info:
- Website: sozoyoga.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/sozoyogatrilith
- Facebook: facebook.com/sozoyogatrilith
Image Credits
Brooklyn Photography
