Inclusive & Diverse - PIES Fitness Yoga Studio

Team Subkit -

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and fitness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Marsha Banks-Harold, Owner of PIES Fitness Yoga Studio, located in Alexandria, VA, USA.

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

PIES Fitness Yoga Studio is a holistic teaching yoga studio that trains yoga therapists and yoga teachers to create inclusive spaces where all beings impacted by psychological and biomedical conditions are welcomed, heard, valued, and seen while being empowered to achieve physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual health and well-being. Additionally, we professionally apply the principles and practices of yoga to promote health and well-being within a therapeutic relationship that includes personalized assessment, goal setting, lifestyle management, and yoga practices for individuals and groups.

Tell us about yourself

Marsha D. Banks-Harold, BSEE, Director of PIES Fitness Holistic Yoga Therapy and Yoga Teacher Training Programs, owner of PIES Fitness Yoga Studio, creator of My Body Don’t Bend That Way Yoga, executive engineering leader, and co-founder of Awakening Yoga Spaces, is a certified yoga therapist and member of the Board of Directors through the International Association of Yoga Therapists and a Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga Facilitator and Mentor through the Center for Trauma and Embodiment. She is published in Yoga Therapy Today: 1) Building the Business of Yoga Therapy and 2) Reclaiming Humanity & Community: Healing the Trauma, Pain, & Suffering of Prejudice and Disparity and is a contributing author in Yoga Therapy Foundations, Tools, and Practice: a Comprehensive Textbook and inYoga Therapy Across the Cancer Care Continuum. Marsha blossoms in creating supportive, inclusive, diverse, adaptive, and accessible yoga therapy and yoga experiences for all. She is an experienced workshop leader and public speaker.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner was purchasing two commercial spaces to permanently house PIES Fitness Yoga Studio after being negatively impacted by the pandemic.

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

One of the hardest things that come with being a business owner is remembering to do one’s own self-study, build relationships with others, tap into resiliency, and foster compassionate action. These steps serve as a reminder that we have to always be ready to pivot in order to continue to thrive.

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

The three tips I would give to anyone looking to start, run, and grow a business today are:

  1. Make sure you are committed and passionate about the work you want to do.
  2. Be sure to prepare for success.
  3. Up-level as many times as it takes until you exceed your goals.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.piesfitnessyoga.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PIESFitness/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/piesfitnessyoga/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/piesfitnessyoga
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marsha-banks-harold-b10b2b6b/

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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