Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Natasha Samson, Founder of Nourish Ayurveda & Yoga, located in Port Moody, BC, Canada.

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

I offer the tools and guidance for people to figure out who they are and how to go from the life they have to the one they innately know is out there for them.

At some point, we often wake up to the knowledge that we may be living a life we do not want, in a job, relationship, or situation that is not serving us. We feel it but don't know where to start or who to turn to when we need to embark on our, unbeknown to us at the time, transformational journey. We realize we need to choose happiness, and work on that through making changes in our life, mindset, sometimes our diet, routines, and movement practice, and sometimes we start a spiritual journey.

Using Ayurveda and Yoga principles, pulling from psychology, philosophy, to daily habits, food choices, and strategic movement practices, meditation, and breathwork: I educate folks and offer the tools and support to move through this season of life gracefully and create a life full of vibrancy that you want to get up for!

Tell us about yourself

My story is an interesting one. I was originally a full-time engineer. I became a team lead, associate, and then a director within ten years of practice. I was a major manifestor, powering through and accomplishing all my career goals just to realize that I was not happy to play that game any longer and that environment was not for me. I was in a job and a relationship I was not happy with, pushed toward the idea of buying a house, marriage, and having children. I was deeply averse to the path I was on and felt like there had to be more happiness in life than this.

Both my grandfathers and one grandmother had passed away from heart or blood circulation issues, and I also had my own circulation issues showing up, not being able to kneel down without my legs falling asleep (among other sprouting health concerns I didn't know about) and at around the age of 30, I had thought that there must be a way to prevent or heal these things earlier through food or create teas or something! I also had a real connection to yoga since I was in university and decided to take my yoga teacher training while still working full time. Through that "hero's journey" experience, I had broken apart and been put back together a much brighter and happier self. I had the "elixir" and wanted to share that with the world. Through this training, I was introduced to Ayurveda which incorporated all the things I wanted to learn about food, herbs, and so much more, like daily rhythms, cleansing, meditation, yoga, and breathwork, and the psychology of it all. I had found what I was looking for and then had to figure out how to learn more and start helping people. As an engineer, I made the big decision to move from a large company to a small one, then from a small one to contracting my time out and starting a business. This gave me the time to get more education in Ayurveda and Yoga and start offering consultations, counseling, and classes to people on the side. I incorporated and created two brands under my corporation to allow the money to flow through both brands. As COVID-19 hit the world, I pivoted to online and took the forced slowdown to really dive deeper into my health and self-study. I am happy to be working back in person and grateful for the push to be online.

My big motivator is that these tools that I was so fortunate to receive have had a profound effect on my life and happiness, and I feel incredibly blessed to have found this. I had to think about what my heart wanted to do and who it wanted to help. Often our clients are versions of ourselves, as we have figured out how to solve our own problems, we want to help others with the solution. I get the most out of teaching folks this stuff and watching in real time the dawning of understanding of how it applies to them and how they can incorporate the knowledge for their own journey right away. Having an opportunity to be in front of people to help them is what motivates me to keep working in both engineering as it supports my heart-centered business of helping people see the potential their life can become.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I realized I needed more funds and went out and applied for grants and loans and got them. I was then able to hire other contractors to help with my business, like websites, social media, video editing, etc. This made me feel like I was taking the steps I needed to really grow.

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

For me, finding time to play. It's "easy" to work all the time. There is always something to do. Also, for some reason, there is still guilt around taking a break or having fun when there are things to accomplish. I am currently working on this and changing my mindset.

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

  1. You are where you need to be, and you don't need to accomplish everything immediately. You are not behind.
  2. Trust in the process.
  3. Know yourself and what your heart wants because offering from your heart attracts people to you.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

I am big on community, meeting folks, and hearing their story so please reach out if you feel called.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://nourishyoufirst.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/natashasamsonyoga/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natashasyoga/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIzu3foAmfXS1r1ms19AHyQ/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natasha-samson-p-eng-91b3045a/

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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