I was born in the small coastal town of Cádiz, Spain, and moved to the U.S. at the age of four when my father, a Navy man, was stationed stateside. I grew up in Virginia Beach and stayed active through school, cheerleading, student government, tutoring athletes to make ends meet. Yoga found me in college, not through a deep spiritual calling, but because the lacrosse coach needed someone certified to teach his team. It was the 90s, before Yoga Alliance, and for me, yoga was just another hustle. I taught classes, waited tables at Hooters, worked retail, nannied—whatever it took to stay afloat after I emancipated myself at sixteen due to a difficult home life. For years, yoga was fitness and income. That changed after the birth of my daughter.

Healing postpartum, I turned to yoga not just for my body, but for my spirit. I began meditating and studying yogic texts more deeply. Then came my own health battles, Crohn’s disease, a major surgery, and later colon cancer at 39. I survived, turning to holistic methods, and that was the moment yoga stopped being a job and became my way of life.

Building a Life and Business Rooted in Healing

Today I live on a 15 acre homestead in central Florida with my husband, our kids, and five cows, one of them expecting. We run a toy store in town, and for a time, I taught mindfulness classes for moms and kids in its back room, just because it felt right. That grew into something bigger.

After studying for a year with a local shaman, everything opened up. I stepped more fully into who I am: bold, fluid, and unafraid. That energy began attracting others who needed guidance. I started leading retreats and classes across the Tampa Bay Area. I now teach at House of Light and Mind Body Spirit Wellness. My classes include hot yoga, fertility yoga, and meditation. I also lead family yoga for local homeschooling groups, something close to my heart since I homeschool my own two youngest kids. This business wasn’t planned. It was lived.

Lessons I’ve Learned

Yoga, for me, didn’t start with purpose. It found purpose as I evolved. I’ve learned that we are meant to be expressive, fluid beings. Life challenges can harden us, but they can also open portals.

Spending time with a shaman and running our butterfly sanctuary taught me something simple but profound: change is not a breakdown. It’s a breakthrough.

Love everything about yourself. Be the same person in your class that you are on your porch. Laugh loud. Be real. Let your light take up space.

My Message to Founders

You don’t have to be anyone else’s idea of a yoga teacher. Don’t filter your voice to fit in. Show up exactly as you are, even if that’s messy or loud or outside the mold. You’ll attract the people who need you. That’s what makes it sustainable. That’s what makes it sacred.

Business Takeaways from Yoga Founders Magazine

Honor Your Roots

Your past doesn’t disqualify you. It makes your voice more powerful.

Live Your Practice

Don’t just teach yoga. Embody it. Let it show up in your parenting, your health, your humor.

Serve First

Let service come before structure. Teach for free if your heart says yes. The business will follow.

Create Safe Space

People crave realness. Make your classes feel like home, not a performance.

Trust Your Season

Your business doesn’t have to scale fast. Let it unfold at your soul’s pace.