Monica Graham of Suwanee and Tucker on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Monica Graham and have shared our conversation below.

Monica, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
After waking up and brushing my teeth, I see my granddaughter off to school and then practice yoga and meditation to reset a positive mindset.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Monica Graham and many people know me as MG or MGDoesYoga. I started practicing yoga after dealing with pain in my body that doctors could not seem to figure out why I was experiencing so much pain all over my body. A co-worker recommended that I try yoga as she felt my muscles were not receiving proper oxygen which was resulting in lactic acid build up throughout my body. The first yoga class I tried was a hot yoga class and I thought it was the dumbest thing known to mankind. Why would anyone stay in 100 degree temperature with 60% humidity for 75 minutes. I could not do 95% of the class so I mostly laid in the heat trying to figure out how not to die. I decided I would never do that again. Surprisingly, I got the best sleep of my life at that time. So I went back every day for 2 weeks just to be able to get great sleep. At the end of those 2 weeks, I no longer had all the pain I had been experiencing for months. I was blown away. It was at that moment that I decided to shift from lifting heavy weights to practicing a lot of yoga. That decision changed my life in the best way possible.

For the past few years, it has been my personal mission to spread knowledge about yoga, stretching and meditating. There are so many people that have no idea about the health and mental benefits. Just like someone introduced it to me and helped me, I pay it forward.

I am now a Master Yoga Trainer and own 2 yoga studios in the Atlanta Metropolitan area. One is located in Suwanee and is a luxury hot yoga studio. The second one focuses on recovery and personal training using yoga therapy. My long term goal is to own a yoga studio in every major city within the USA.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
The moment I felt powerful was when I taught my first fitness class and realized that I was different from most people and that many people loved learning from me. I never set out to be a fitness professional so I had no idea what came with it and just how powerful it could be. Once I discovered my power, I decided to use it to inspire and motivate the world.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
In 2020, I nearly gave everything up including life. I was married to whom I thought was the love of my life. After finding out that my husband was an alcoholic, I spent a lot of time, energy and money to help him get clean. No matter what I did, he always went back to alcohol. I thought my love would be enough for him to get sober. One day he left home and never came back. He literally ghosted me. After months of not hearing from him, I thought he was dead. I was a complete mess. I slipped into a major depression and I had no desire to live any longer. Months later, I learned that he was shacked up with another woman completely opposite of me. My depression went deeper and I literally said I give up. GOD had a different plan for me though. He sent me an angel that helped me to see just who I was and the power I still had. I came out of that situation stronger, bolder, and even more inspired to change the world.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
The biggest lie that my industry tells is that muscle weighs more than fat. OMG this burns a hole in my soul and is the dumbest thing a person can say. A pound is a pound!! So a pound of fat weighs the exact same as a pound of muscle. What people need to understand is that a pound of fat is much bigger than a pound of muscle. That means you can compact more muscle in the same space as one pound of fat. So 7 pounds of muscle can take the exact same space as 1 pound of fat. This is why you have people that weigh the exact same but are obviously different sizes and shapes. Instead of saying muscle weighs more than fat, a person should simply say a pound of fat is much bigger than a pound of muscle.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. When do you feel most at peace?
I feel most at peace when I am practicing and teaching yoga. When I am in that zone, nothing else matters. My mind is clear, there is no stress, there are no worries. I get lost in the moment and healing consumes me. People that truly know me will tell you that when I step in front of people to teach, I turn into another person.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.mgyogaexperience.com
• Instagram: @mlgraham62
• Linkedin: Monica Graham
• Facebook: Monica.Graham1
• Youtube: @mlgraham62
• Other: TikTok: @MGDoesYoga