The Mentor Sessions

This is a vulnerable episode for me to share, but it was very important to me to record and release this episode because it highlights something I don’t think we see enough: people in positions of power, privilege or leadership openly receiving feedback.

Janie Ganga is a yoga teacher I deeply admire and have worked closely with for nearly a decade. In May of this year, they reached out to tell me something I had posted on social media had upset and hurt them. (Here is the reel that started it all.)

We’ve had several conversations about the situation since, and this episode is the culmination and public sharing of how we worked through that. 

Please listen, share it widely, and let us know how it lands with you.

Janie Ganga (she/they) is an E-RYT 500 Yoga Teacher, social justice activist, and co-owner of Santosha Yoga, an online studio rooted in the Providence, RI community. Certified in I AM Yoga since 2013, Ganga specializes in Private Yoga, Yoga Nidra, and Let Your Yoga Dance, and is completing certification as a Yoga Therapist. Beyond the mat, Janie has organized queer community events for years – creating queer friendly femme-centered spaces in Boston with madFemmePride and co-leading the 2006 Transcending Boundaries Conference, which brought together activists for Transgender, Bisexual, Intersex, Polyamorous, and Kink Rights. As a Professional Member of ASDAH (Association for Size Diversity and Health), Janie is guided by Health at Every Size and is passionate about making yoga accessible to all bodies and identities.

Learn More about:

Janie Ganga 

Santosha Yoga

Let Your Yoga Dance

Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH) 

Health at Every Size 

Resources: 

Loretta Ross TED talk - Don't call people out – call them in

Original idea of “calling in” - 2013 Blog by Ngọc Loan Trần

Loretta J. Ross book - Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You'd Rather Cancel

Renu Diane Zagoria, creator of I AM Yoga Nidra for Kids 

Chandrakant - Yogacharya in the Lineage of I AM Yoga & former resident of Kripalu Center

Swami Kripalu - who followed the Path of Love

Deana Tavares - MultiDisciplinary Artist & Poet who is always Finding Hope

Jacoby Ballard - his talk “Flux & Fracture: an Invitation to Deepen” and his direct encouragement to Ganga to dive into Loretta Ross’s whole amazing book 

Johnny Blazes - Malden Pride speech

Martin Luther King, Jr. and The King Center - “Hate is too great a burden to bear”

Other examples of “calling in” that shaped Ganga’s perspective include:

• Man Changes His Mind on Trans People - a reminder sent over by Deana about the power of listening and shifting perspective.

• Anne Lamott’s son “called on” his mom after a transphobic tweet - Janie stumbled on this story after she questioned a colleague about sharing a Lamott’s quote. Ganga discovered Lamott had publicly apologized, though the apology received little attention compared to the initial harm.

• Public Enemies, Private Friends - recommended by Janie’s friend Marshall Miller, this documentary highlights dialogue between pro-choice and pro-life leaders in 1990s Boston.

• Accessible Yoga Podcast - hearing Jivana Heyman speak about his own activism and yoga inspired Janie to share her own perspective more openly.

Ganga is deeply grateful to the colleagues and friends who supported their growth, including Stacy, Jyotika, Padma, Megha, her Anti-Racism for White Yoga Teachers book club, and all her students.

OfferingTree is a proud sponsor of this episode and I am honored to be an affiliate.  Visit OfferingTree at www.offeringtree.com/mentor and you’ll get 50% off your first three months (or 15% off any annual plan). 

Today we are going to talk about what it really takes to grow your business as a yoga teacher, what kind of support you need, the people you might hire to help, and how I suggest you go about doing that.

And to help us out with this conversation, I have the Operations Manager of my own business, Jessica Gulley!

Jessica Gulley is the founder of Juggling Logistics and a logistics wizard for service-based solopreneurs who are overwhelmed with the details in their business.  

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• why I hired Jess and what the beginning of our partnership was like

• the difference between a virtual assistant and an online business manager 

• how to know when it is time to hire help

• the kinds of projects a virtual assistant could help with

• how the right support can help a yoga teacher grow their business

Jess is offering Francesca’s listeners a discounted 1-hour Clarity Call OR a 3 Clarity Call package that isn’t available to anyone else but you.

To learn more, visit www.jugglinglogistics.com/francesca

This episode is brought to you by OfferingTree, an easy-to-use, all-in-one online platform for yoga teachers that provides a personal website, booking, payment, class scheduling, and many other great features. If you sign up at www.offeringtree.com/mentor, you’ll get 50% off your first three months or 15% off any annual plan! 

I started teaching one private yoga client virtually in 2019 when she left Washington, DC for California. But other than her I had absolutely NO experience teaching online when everything changed on March 13th, 2020.  I was slightly ahead of the curve in understanding that the pandemic would be a life alternating experience and that we wouldn't be teaching yoga in-person for many many months. 

I made really quick work of getting all my in-person private students on board to pivot to virtual private lessons and by Monday March 16th I had everyone set up for the virtual lessons in their normal standing scheduled spot. I did not miss a single day of work, or single private lesson in that transition and that is something I am really proud of. 

Then, at the beginning of 2022 I moved to a new area and had a baby. I kept all my clients virtual through that transition and 95% of my teaching is still virtual. And I LOVE it. 

Today on the podcast I’m making the case for virtual private lessons! 

I’ll tell you:

• why AND how to find virtual private clients

• why they are great for your students

• how they can help support your business

• who they are a good fit for (both student and teacher)

• how to get started in offering virtual private lessons

Resources mentioned in the episode:

• 3 Steps to Teach Better Private Lessons Video Series

• two effective strategies for booking private clients TEMPLATES

• The Science of the Private Lesson online course

• Discounted mentoring sessions

• Camera set up

This episode is brought to you by OfferingTree, an easy-to-use, all-in-one online platform for yoga teachers that provides a personal website, booking, payment, blogging, and many other great features. If you sign up at www.offeringtree.com/mentor, you’ll get 50% off your first three months (or 15% off any annual plan)!  OfferingTree supports me with each sign-up. I’m proud to be supported by a public benefit company whose mission is to further wellness access and education for everyone.

I’ve been teaching yoga full time for 20 years, and most of that time I taught at least 15 private yoga sessions each week; for a decade that number was closer to 25 per week!

I have a lot of experience in teaching private sessions! And when you’ve been doing something that often for that long, you start to develop some specific opinions... or, I certainly did!

Today we are diving into some unexpected hot takes about teaching private clients! 

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• why seeing a student multiple times a week is not great for business

• how encouraging commitment is beneficial for your student AND your business

• why every student should feel like a “difficult” student

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• 3 Steps to Teach Better Private Lessons Video Series

• two effective strategies for booking private clients TEMPLATES

• The Science of the Private Lesson online course

Social media can be a wonderful tool to help us connect with friends, communities or potential students. It can also be a black hole of despair and panic.  Some people say it is necessary to participate and post on social media to be a successful business nowadays.

I don’t think engaging on social media is a requirement for having a thriving yoga teaching business at all, but if you use it right it can be a cheap way to market your services. It is also really easy to waste countless hours creating posts that go nowhere and do nothing for you. This is not what we want!

I’ve been in a good routine with the way I am engaging with social media, and it’s been working for my business without me having to spend hours on the apps. Today on the podcast I’m sharing the things I’ve been doing that make social media both easier for me, and actually useful!

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• why it only makes sense to post on social if it is easy

• how to know your outcome goal

• why you have to pivot to video and some easy ways to do that

• different suggestions for creation schedules 

• my hot take on AI and how I’m using it in my business

Resources and posts mentioned:

• Screen Zen App

• WorkPlay Branding (company that did my photoshoots last year)

• IG post I mentioned

My understanding of the spiritual teachings is that my liberation doesn’t mean anything unless everyone else is free too. The teachings of Buddhism say over and over again that a huge part of our practice is about creating a world where the safety and freedom and happiness of all sentient beings is possible. So from that I take that being engaged in working for a better world is a necessary part of my spiritual practice. 

This is a really dark timeline. The things the American government is doing are truly horrific. I want to stay out of the spiral of despair and overwhelm so that I can be engaged, focused, supportive and actually helpful. 

Today we are taking a deep dive into the 12 things I do regularly to stay engaged without overloading my system, find ways to be helpful and let it all be part of my practice and teaching. Let’s dive in. 

In today’s episode you’ll hear:

• 4 suggestions for staying informed without mainlining the news, because no one’s nervous system is built for that

• a soap box speech about social media and how I recommend you engage with it

• the things I am doing to try and make both my small world and our wider community places better for everyone

• 4 things I do every day to keep my nervous system regulated 

Resources

• Washington Post The Seven Briefing

• New Not Noise, Jessica Yellin’s Substack

• Crooked Media

• Pod Save America

• Pod Save The World

• Screen Zen App

• 5 Calls App

• Journey Into The Bhagavad Gita Book 

• Singing bowl sound bath playlist

In episode 148 I collected all my best advice for new teachers. The episode centered around the idea that the most important thing new teachers can do is start teaching and figure out what kind of teacher they want to be.

But once you’ve started that process, there are some important business foundations you want to have in place so you have solid ground upon which to build. This episode (152)  is a deep dive into those business fundamentals, including lots of recommendations for specific software. 

If you are a new teacher, or an experienced teacher without an online presence, this episode is a must-listen!

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• why you don’t need to worry about social right now

• why you do need liability insurance, but not necessarily an LLC

• my recommendations for online booking for 1x1 sessions

• the software options to have students register for group classes

• where to host your email list, and why you need one

• options for website builders

Resources Mentioned

Liability Insurance:

• https://www.phly.com/productsfw/FWI_YogaIndiv.aspx
• https://yoga.alliant.com/
• https://beyogi.com/
• https://alternativebalance.com/

How to book private lessons:

• Youcanbookme
• Calendly
• Acuity
• OfferingTree

A place for people to register for group classes

• Momence
• Union
• Fit Degree
• Mindbody
• OfferingTree

Email list options:

• Flodesk
• Mailchimp
• Convertkit
• OfferingTree

Website Options:

• Squarespace
• Wix
• Wordpress
• OfferingTree

How do we pour into ourselves so we have enough energy, time and focus for all the people who need us?

How do we stay connected to our practice, since it should be the foundation our whole teaching life is built on?

How do we stay inspired in our teaching without investing thousands of dollars in continuing education each year?

It is not easy! But creating time for our own practice and study is essential.

Today on the podcast I am going to share a story from a retreat I was on in Thailand. I was two weeks into a three-week trip when I realized I was as busy and exhausted as I was at home. The truth hit me like a ton of bricks, and that moment was the beginning of a lot of change for me. 

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• what was happening the moment I realized I needed to make some big changes

• how I think about spiritual study and self care now

• what well digging and well refilling looks like in different seasons

• the difference between being burned out and being overwhelmed

• and how to address each one

• what I’ll be doing at my retreat to address all of these needs!

Resources:

• Refill Your Well Retreat

Being a yoga teacher, heck being a PERSON, is TOUGH right now. But having a job that requires presence and vulnerability and groundedness all the time requires we pour into ourselves so we have something to give. 

I LOVE hearing the behind the scenes details of people’s lives and routines. And I’m so happy to say that after a pretty stressful few years, I have my self care routines DIALED IN right now! In today’s episode of the podcast I am sharing the daily, weekly + monthly routines that make me the teacher I want to be.

It might sound kind of silly, but I treat being a fulltime yoga teacher and parent as a high performance job and it is WORKING for me! 

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• what I do every month (and day)  to keep me connected to my spiritual practice

• how I care for my body with weekly routines

• the ten things I prioritize every day to keep my nervous system healthy

This episode is brought to you by OfferingTree, an easy-to-use, all-in-one online platform for yoga teachers that provides a personal website, booking, payment, blogging, and many other great features. The best thing about OfferingTree is you can get up and running in 10 minutes with no tech skills needed. As an added bonus, If you sign up at www.offeringtree.com/mentor, you’ll get 50% off your first three months (or 15% off any annual plan)!  OfferingTree supports me with each sign-up. I’m proud to be supported by a public benefit company whose mission is to further wellness access and education for everyone.