Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kari Doherty, Owner of Luminous Recovery Yoga, located in Portland, OR, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

My business is called Luminous Recovery Yoga. I teach empowering yoga classes to people in twelve-step recovery or people who are seeking recovery of any kind. I define recovery as calling one's spirit back from the people, places, things, and situations where we've left a piece of ourselves behind. Who among us hasn't left a part of themselves in unresolved relationships, childhood trauma, workplace abuse, addiction, or obsession? My customers/students are people who are seeking yoga and meditation as a way to support their healing from the people, places, things, and situations that keep them stuck. This may include trauma, addiction, eating disorder, codependence, recovering from abusive relationships or situations, struggling to cope with modern life, economic circumstances, health-related issues, the pandemic, or social media obsession.

Tell us about yourself

I began practicing yoga seven years ago out of sheer desperation. I had weight loss surgery and was on a mission to lose 150 pounds. I knew that I needed to find exercise, but I had been sedentary for much of my adult life. Since childhood, I had been bullied by adults and gym teachers about my body, and my relationship to exercise and movement was complicated. I had tried yoga many times before but ended up walking out of more classes than I had ever stayed to take. At the time I discovered yoga, I was desperate to find something that worked. I found a yoga studio through a friend who was teaching her first yoga class and decided to try it. They say when the student is ready, the teacher appears. I must have been ready because I loved it and became very dedicated to the practice. At the same time that I discovered yoga, I got into twelve-step recovery. With my yoga and recovery practices, life started to change rapidly for the better. Both recovery and yoga gave me a set of principles on that I could base my whole life and start living from a place of integrity. This is why I blend the two philosophies together in my business. For me, they have never been separate. Yoga helps me to connect with my body and has taught me to how to become physically present in my life. Recovery helps to keep my mind together and understand myself in a deeper context. I think so many yoga studios keep yoga inaccessible to the average person. I am committed to what I do because people need normal, everyday people to teach yoga. I am not thin, incredibly flexible, or strong. I don't do fancy poses, and I don't teach yoga tricks. I provide a space for people to be themselves and listen to their breath and body with zero judgment or hard-to-understand instructions.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner has two podcasts that I'm proud of. One podcast is called Luminous Recovery Yoga and provides a generous share on a recovery-related topic and a simple yoga practice that compliments the topic. I call this embodied understanding. It's a way to feel the principle in your body and understand the way we can practice principles, not poses. In 2023 I have some really great interviews coming up for my podcast with leading people in the yoga, recovery, and business spaces. My second podcast is based around the Baptiste method, of which I'm a certified yoga teacher. This podcast is a short and powerful yoga practice that gets you present and in your body. Both of these podcasts are available across many different platforms, including YouTube, where you can watch the videos if you need deeper instruction.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

The hardest thing is wearing all of the hats. I do my own content creation, marketing, design, and customer service, I lead classes virtually and in-person, and I manage my website. Entrepreneurship makes you good at all of these things. I had no clue how to do these things when I started running a business five years ago. These are things you learn by trial and error and through experience.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Get some help from a coach or someone who's been doing it longer. It's hard to start on your own, especially when you don't know what you're doing. Investing in some business coaching or having mentors is crucial.
  2. Don't compare yourself to other people. This seems almost stupidly hard to do, but you can't look at other people who have been in the game longer than you and compare yourself to them. You have to stay focused on what you're doing with blinders on.
  3. Establish boundaries for yourself around work. Working for yourself will feel non-stop at times. You will have to decide to put the work down and take time for yourself, even if there's work to do. You must find time to sleep, eat, and take care of yourself because burnout is real, and it happens fast.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.luminousrecoveryyoga.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/luminousrecoveryyoga
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luminousrecoveryyoga/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kari-doherty-20085270/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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