Shakin' Hands
Welcome to 'Shakin' Hands,' the podcast where entrepreneurship meets fascinating stories from the most intriguing minds today. From proven business practices to groundbreaking ideas that challenge the status quo, Shakin' Hands' is not just about the handshake that seals a deal but about the shared experiences and values that unite us all. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a seasoned business owner, or someone who loves a good story about overcoming odds, Shakin' Hands' promises to deliver compelling content that shakes up the conventional and celebrates the extraordinary.
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Host: Jack Moran
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Shakin' Hands
Ep. 43 | Creating A Sanctuary for Transformation - Meghan Rubinstein
What if business wasn’t about competition but about true community? In this episode, Jack Moran sits down with the founder of Sakala Community, a sanctuary built on inclusivity, healing, and authentic connection. They explore the raw reality of entrepreneurship—balancing purpose with sustainability, challenging traditional business models, and redefining success through accessibility and collaboration. From overcoming personal struggles to creating a space without hierarchy, this conversation is a blueprint for merging intention, mindfulness, and business in a way that transforms lives.
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Host: Jack Moran
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Welcome to Shakin’ Hands, where we provide the platform for entrepreneurs and thought leaders to share their stories in order to hopefully influence others to get out of the rat race and chase their own dreams. If you have any recommendations for guests or questions that you want to be asked, please don't hesitate to reach out. Anyways, if you enjoy the podcast, please like, comment, subscribe and share in order to keep the podcast growing. Otherwise, I'm your host, Jack Moran and this is Shakin’ Hands. If you're looking for business mentorship, I have a place where you can get feedback on your unique personal development and business growth challenges. Over the last year, I've brought together a group of impact driven thought leaders where we meet every single day to discuss psychology, communication, mindset, and business case studies. We have people who have made millions of dollars, lost millions of dollars, Harvard MBAs and new entrepreneurs like you and I. Entrepreneurship can be lonely. So if you're looking for a support system, please follow the link in the description below for some more information. What do you got going on right now? Like, what's, what's your business? What are you up to? So Sekolah is, above and beyond, like, built on a foundation of, community. And we our priority is to have a diverse and inclusive community. So we create accessible space for everyone. And that doesn't mean the same thing for everyone. So we're super flexible with what that looks like based on, you know, who's using the space. And so it does have currently it does have four walls. And I would almost say the headquarters is in Denver because I think it I have big plans because I'm a manager. And so I, you know, I just, I think I'm trying to think how to describe it. I mean, here existing as it is in Denver, it is a space where guys can rent out the space to offer their gifts to their clients. So we have two healing rooms, and then we have a larger community space that people use for like events and workshops and classes and trainings and all kinds of things. You, you name it. As far as like the we will healing alternative modalities world goes and somebody is offering it in Scala. I the space was created to allow people autonomy and to allow them to show up authentically. So I'm not interested in micromanage. Everyone has a code. The space belongs to them. I don't believe in ownership. I think we all should feel ownership over that space. And it's important that people do, because we also expect the community members to be caretakers. We don't have employees, which is one of the ways we're able to keep the rights really accessible. So we just ask everyone to be a caretaker of each other and the space we do offer free community events to bring everyone together. We don't call them networking, but of course, that kind of thing happens. What we're really trying to create is family and, you know, really shift the paradigm of what it looks like to show up in community and allow everyone to just be who they authentically are. Because that's definitely what's missing in our society right now. So, yeah, that's kind of a big concept. And I think, you know, we've just been fed this divisiveness by our leadership for so long that that's how we move through the world. And, I really want to change that. And this is sort of the first that's a great mission step. And I'm going to definitely dig through this a little bit. But, so just it's a little scary to start to start off, just to get a better understanding. Is, is your client the guides or the, the, their products or the people that are the guides? But that's okay. They pay for the space and they bring their own audiences, and then they do their, their own, like solo, solo spiritual entrepreneurs. So you're almost like a, like a co-work for these this kind of. That's really cool. So we do have we have a lot of people who rent very regularly. We have two full time spaces that are upstairs, and we have two downstairs that again, super flexible with how people use that. There are people who want off rent because that's the space that they're in with their business. So they need to know that they have a client and that they're going to get paid to be able to rent the space. And then there are people who rent part time. So we have a couple of part time practitioners that are there the same days. Every week or every other week. And we automatically offer discounts for Bipoc, LGBTQIa plus, and nonprofits. We offer recurring booking discounts, all kinds of stuff. Someone recently asked me if we were doing something for Black Friday, and I was like, every day is Black Friday. It's. I mean, basically we try we try really hard to create that accessibility so that because without it, it's difficult to have a space where, you know, we can cultivate this community that's really diverse and inclusive. What are the most popular, like, events or classes that you offer? I'm curious to see like, kind of what that people offer in the space that they offer or what do the most people come to? I'm trying to see like, what is the like? Where is there the most interest within, like your niche? I mean, it's like I said, it's really all over the place. I would say in general, we have these very multifaceted events. That's what most people are offering in the space, because hardly anyone at this point only has one modality that they practice. So if you ask somebody like, oh, what do you do? They're probably not going to say, I'm a masseuse and that's it. They're going to tell you, you know, I do sound healing, I do breathwork, I teach yoga, I, you know, I do ancestral medicine, I do womb healing, I do yoni steams. And one of the beautiful things that happens when we have these larger community, the free community events is afterwards I'll see, like a reservation come through for two people who didn't even know each other before. And now they're combining their gifts to create this really cool, unique offering. So I would say most of them are very multifaceted, and they combine all of their guests that they have into like one big event. But there is a lot of sound healing. There's a lot of breathwork. There are, there's a lot of like training, yoga, teacher training, breathwork training. Psychedelics. You guys are doing psychedelic, events there. Well, I'm not, but yes, people are like ayahuasca or something, you know, ayahuasca. Yet, but it could happen. It could have it. Yeah. I mean, as long as, there aren't any laws being broken and people are doing things the way that it's supposed to be done, and, you know, we do ask for, like, certification for these things and all of that or, just to make sure. So we do have that policy, but yeah, there's a lot of, I would say mostly like microdosing with breathwork or something like that. Oh, interesting. Yeah. We do have a few facilitators in the space that do ketamine assisted therapy. We have a lot of sober, specific events, which was definitely one of my intentions going in because for me, psychology and creating this community, like one of the best part of my healing journey from addiction. And so that was important to me, that people had that space where they felt safe and held is that wasn't necessarily a church basement where they had to introduce themselves as whatever somebody says, but they are so, yeah, I know that's a really long answer, but no, like, there's a lot of attractants in that space. And we're, we've been for like a little over two years old. And, there are definitely I have not even counted lately, but there are definitely over 50 different guides offering things in that space at this point. And it ebbs and flows, because when you're doing energy work, oftentimes, you need a break. Yeah. And and you are tend to be really open to messages from the universe. Right. And downloads that you receive. And so people also pivot and they shift what their offerings look like. And so they have to do a little bit of that hermit thing so they can figure out like what's next for them. So a lot of really highly intuitive people working in the space. And I've learned a lot just having it like what? I mean, just lots of different modalities that I don't think I even knew existed. Mud and I modalities. What do you mean by that? Well, when I say modality so like one would be breathwork, one would be yoga, one would be yes. Different practice. Yes. Cool. I guess I call them modalities but yeah, no difference. The I guess I call them modalities because in my mind there are different ways of healing. Right. And I think it's so amazing to have all of it in this space. And, I try all of it. I do attend a lot of people's events, like personally, and I pay to go to them. I don't like have any expectation around that because I it's really important to me to support the community that's in that space. And, I do that in many different ways. But one of them is attending people's events as well. So yeah, I hope that I don't know for sure. What has been your favorite event thus far? Oh, that's hard. Or newest modality that you've implemented into your life? You've that's a hard one. I recently I had tried breathwork previously, and there are a lot there are a lot of different breathwork guides and often they have like their own sort of little, you know, flavor to what they do. And so I've been trying different, practitioners, breathwork styles just to see because I for a while I had a lot of resistance to breathwork waza because it's hard, okay. And it brings a lot up. Like if you're not ready for it, I think, it can take you by surprise. I mean, sure, you can also have that, like, sort of like psychedelic breathwork experience where you end up like laughing and whatever, but that's not what I have applied to it. So, I, I'm trying to get back into doing breathwork because I think it's, the things that it brings up are important. I absolutely love sound healing because it's sweet, it's gentle, it holds you. It's like a warm hug. Breathwork is is work. And so it's something that I've had to push myself a little bit more to do. And some of the guides that I have done breathwork recently, like, I just really appreciate how they hold space for it. And it's been really beautiful. But I often am the one crying during breath, not laughing. And I get technique, which is not my favorite. So technique is when your hands kind of see well, I guess it can happen in other parts of your body too. But like for me, my hands seize up. It's almost like they've cramped and, normally what they would tell you is like, you've got to figure out a way through that to, like, that's part of it. Like you've got to figure out your way through. Right. And previously I've been like, oh no, this is not. And then I'll stop doing the breathwork so it'll go away because it made me really anxious. Yeah. And the last time I did it, I was able to push myself to just keep going and breathe through it. And it felt like, a breakthrough, like a lot of things came through for me. And oftentimes, as with all of the events, there's like a different focus too. So it helps to sort of know sometimes what that's going to be, because then it might be something that, you know, that you're really being called to work on in your life. Is there anything that you've learned through these events or maybe, before you started the business that you implement on a daily basis or, that's become a habit for you, that you find to be beneficial and maybe it's not on a daily basis, maybe it's a weekly basis or a monthly, but something that you have found that needs to be routine in your life because of the benefit that it has. Daily meditation, for sure. What does that look like for you? It changes. But right now I am practicing a daily Kriya meditation, and this has been so I let's say a year after I got sober, I decided to do a yoga teacher training, and, yoga had always been a big part of my life. But I really wanted to dive deeper. I didn't know if I was going to teach or what I was going to do with it, but I wanted to find some spirituality in on my sober journey. And so I did this yoga teacher training. And since then I've done a multitude of other yoga specific trainings, and Kriya was one of them. And when you go through a career training you, there's a practice that you have to do for a certain amount of days. And then your teacher initiates you into having your own mantra that they, intuitively download while they're working with you after you've completed this other practice. And then there's like a whole sequence of things that you do, and it's about a half an hour meditation. I mean, obviously it can be longer, but it has to be a half an hour at least. So I do that every morning. It has to be a half an hour at least, or exactly half an hour at least. Okay. So and when I skip it, I, I know it just meditation in general, not just the Kriya specific meditation, but like I can tell. So even if it's a day where I'm like, I might not be able to get meditation and today because of travel or whatever is happening, I at least go in front of my altar and make some offerings and say, just like a little something to the to the angels and archangels and deities and, my spirit team. So, so in this Kriya meditation is the only box that you have to check that it's 30 minutes or whatever. No, it has a sequence to it, but I'm not allowed to tell you what it is. Really? Nope. So I have to go. Is it different to you or it is different to me because of the mantra part? The the other part, is taught to everyone, and that's the part that you do for the, I feel like I was 20 days, but now I'm not remembering 100%, so I'd have to go. My teacher would be like, come on, Meghan. So she, my teacher taught us the basics of it. And then once you complete the practice for a certain amount of days, then you get to have your own mantra that's downloaded. And one of the things about Kriya is when they when you do mantra, they always try to remind you because, taking Sanskrit and turning it, translating it to English is never quite right. So one of the things that they always tell you is like, it doesn't, it actually doesn't matter. It's about the vibration of it all. So like, I don't even know what my mantra means. I just say it. So it's like, well, in my mind, but it's about the vibration that it creates and like the ripple effect of it essentially. So that's one of the things that they definitely talk about and create yoga in general. But Kriya Yoga is Is just fascinating to me. You know, that it's similar to Kundalini in some ways. Right? But it was sort of like there was this root and then it went two directions, kriya and Kundalini. And so there are a lot of similarities. So they also will say things like call it like yoga technology, right. Because what they're talking about really is which sounds really weird to people who aren't like yogis at all. But what they're really talking about is like the benefits that it has for you, which are scientifically proven. Right? So there are obviously physical benefits, but there are also these like emotional, emotional, mental, like spiritual components to it. And so there is science behind it all. This is what I tell my kids all the time because they're always like, you're so we were mom and I'm like, I actually my background is all in science. Like I have a very science focused mind. So some of the things that are fascinating to me about these different modalities we're talking about is all of the science that backs up what we're saying about the benefits that you can get from practicing these different things. So science is magic, and magic is science as far as I'm concerned. Tiger. That and it's impossible to obtain all the knowledge. So yeah, we're kind of all just shooting in the dark anyway. So yeah, I like rely on that intuition. For the common man who has not crossed over into this world yet. Where would you say is a good place to start? I know the is a secret. So what I've created itself is not a secret. You could go to a Kriya yoga class. Okay. Your specific. My specific meditation? Yes. That's a really hard question to answer. I mean, my path definitely started with yoga. Felt I think what I would say is what feels accessible to you. Right. I think the same things are inaccessible to everyone. Really lucky that I live in a place like Denver, which is it has a huge spiritual community, and we have so much access to all the different things that you could possibly want to try. And, there are so it's within the spiritual community, there's actually a lot more diversity, I feel like, than in Denver in general. So you are able to even experience other, more ancient ancestral practices that people are using that are from their own personal lineages, which I think is such a gift. But yeah, I mean, I grew up in rural Ohio. If somebody from rural Ohio asked me where to start, I'd say like, get an app on your phone, maybe, and do some meditation or some yoga because there's not a whole lot out there. Maybe like drinking a cup of tea into ceremony each day and meditation, I mean, it doesn't have to be big, like the walk that you go on can be meditation. I think people are afraid of meditation because they think you have to sit for a half an hour or whatever and not move, and your feet fall asleep and you might fall asleep and whatever. Like none of it is wrong. Like nothing. Meditation can be anything. You can turn washing the dishes into meditation, folding the laundry. I mean, I can't personally, I, you know, I read the book by tech, not Han, where he encourages you to do that and like it just doesn't work for me. But like you, meditation can be anything. It's really mostly about being mindful. And so I think incorporating little things into your day that are mindful practices. What does that mean? Mindfulness. Okay. So let's say you are rushing around throughout your day from one thing to the next. And the only time that you have is to pause, close your eyes for a moment and take three deep breaths. That was mindful you were present in that very moment. You stopped. You paused. Perhaps it's like eating your lunch instead of like what I do half the time. Where I like, grab a bar and an apple and I throw it in the car and I eat on my way to the next thing instead. Like, you know, putting together a somewhat decent meal, sitting down, not looking at your phone. Just like eating, noticing. It's really about noticing, right? Like, how do you feel right now? Do you notice the chair beneath your seat? Not until you mention to the floor that your feet are touching like the sun coming in through the window. I mean, noticing right? Being a witness to things because I think we and I am 100% guilty of this. This is like progress, not perfection, right? It is a practice for a reason. You have to practice. And I can get very lost in like my go go go go go and forget to do those things often. But you know, it could be 30s. And just like taking a moment to like, be mindful and be really present in the now, in the moment, it's hard. That's not how we're programed. So it's like turning off that autopilot and becoming conscious in the moment. Yeah. That's interesting. And like what I mentioned to you, like that's an easy one just okay, let me notice all the places, all the points that my body is touching another object. What do I hear? What do I smell. You can like just tap into your five senses for a few minutes and like, it really can completely change your mood. Like, calms your nervous system. I think one of our one two, I should say my I should speak for myself. Really? I think one of my biggest issues with the day to day in general is just like not allowing those moments for my nervous system to regulate, because when you go out there, it's all like chaos and energy. And, you know, we live in a city that just keeps getting bigger. And after Covid, like the energy really shifted a lot in Denver. Like I could feel it. And so, like those moments have become even more important. And so I try to start every day with meditation so that I can go into my day already feeling a little more present, so that hopefully I will then remind myself throughout the day to pause. I mean, that's why I like, our phones, our watches, like all those things have apps on them now that will remind you to breathe. Like you can set all of that stuff. It's trying to make us more mindful, but also perhaps more attached to our electronics. Yeah, I mean, it's kind of like it feels sort of like an oxymoron, but yeah, yeah. How did you embark on this journey? I was actually just sitting and thinking about this last night. Like how many lifetimes I already feel like I've lived, which is just crazy. Like all the different things that I've done, the different places that I've been. But I think that with the intention behind what Sakala is, there are a couple of different things that came together that, you know, got me to the point where I was like, all right, I guess I'm doing this. Let's see what happens. And one of them was my experience with addiction, and my process of recovery and trying to find community within that which Covid did impact as well. So I think, I guess I could take over it was a part of it too. But and then this other piece, which I guess was also part of, you know, my journey into sobriety is, yoga teacher training and what I wanted to do with that afterwards. And so after, like during Covid, I thought a lot about what community looks like. And I thought, you know, there's going to be this huge awakening when we get out of Covid and people are really going to realize, like, just how judgmental we are and how poorly we treat each other and how little space we give each other to not be perfect all the time. And that just didn't happen. Like we we came back from Covid and I was like, all right, business as usual. And I was like, what? So I was really looking for what community meant to me, and I didn't feel like I was finding it. So I had a couple of different experiences within the yoga community of like, being like all into one particular studio and loving going there. And, you know, then sometimes things fall apart and, those thing, you know, communities disband and whatever happens. And so, I found myself being like, okay, now what's my yoga community as well? And I was teaching a little bit, and I was teaching online. And then I also had quite a few friends who were teaching yoga, and I watched them like hustling around Denver, going to like 4 or 5 different studios, teaching 12 to 15 classes a week, and like, not making it like not making it as a yoga teacher. And so, like right around that time I thought to myself, like that there has to be something different, like, maybe we could do this differently so that people are able to do what they love and be successful, like actually make a living out of it. Because it's hard in the healing world because there's also this sort of idea of when you're doing healing work, it feels kind of icky to charge people a lot of money, because you're trying to help people, right? And and not everybody like you can also price out different communities when you do it that way. So there's lots of different ways to address that for sure. But I wanted so so color became a space where we offer accessible rates so that people can book their space, and then they get to charge whatever they want. Like, I don't control any of that. They get all the money. So I'll just use simple math because that's best for me. But so let's say you are, a white, straight person and you rent the space. You would pay $50 for two hours. And then let's say you were teaching a class and you got ten students to come, and you charge them 20 bucks a person. You just made $150 if you taught at a yoga studio. I don't know what some of the best ones pay, but like, I don't know, you might make 30 bucks from teaching class. Wow. So and again, that is not to knock these yoga studios like this traditional model that exists out there. Like it's hard. It's actually it's hard. It's hard to pay the rent. It's hard to, you know, but it's the reason I did things differently. It's the color. It's the reason I expect people to clean up after themselves. That's the reason we don't have employees. Like, it's the reason that everybody has their own code and is taught that, like, this is your space, this is yours. So take care of it like it's yours. And part of the reason we create so much community around the space there, because I want everyone to have respect for each other and for the space. So, yeah, I don't know if that helps, but but, yeah, I mean, community was really the backbone of all of it. And, you know, Denver itself is not a super diverse place to live as far as cities go. And so I wanted to create space around that too. So that, you know, we could live in and be immersed in this like, vibrant, rich community of people who are not all the same, because I think that's how we learn and grow together. And Sakala is a space where we get to remember how to heal together, because doing it alone is really hard. It's really hard, and nobody should have to do it. So I think that's another big piece of it is like always my whole life feeling like I had to do all of that alone. And that's a hard place to be. And, when you have this whole support system around you, it feels doable. I think. So, yeah. You mentioned a couple times, a battle with addiction. What did you learn from that journey? Well, I think that every, let's say, well, I learned to give myself grace. I learned that I don't have to fix everything for everybody else, and that I need to take more time to focus on what I need. And create better boundaries. So on a personal level, those are some things that I learned. But I also think that when we have experiences like that in and in my opinion, we have them because we're supposed to do something with them. Right. So for a reason. Yeah. It's just part of your journey. Yeah. And so I had a choice at that point. Was I just going to like, be in the space of like, I can't believe this happened to me. Life sucks. Like, this is so hard. You know, sort of the feeling sorry for myself. Or I could turn it into my superpower, and, like, this is what I tell my kids all the time. Like, being sober is my superpower. Are the experiences that I had, like, they're my superpower. Like childhood trauma, like any of that kind of stuff. Like I am now. You know, one of my daily affirmations for myself in 2025 is, I am powerful, and I get to choose to use that power for good because I think it's my responsibility, and it's my responsibility to share my story and to create a space where other people don't have to have the same experience that I did. Like they have somebody who's there to catch them when they need it, and so. Yeah, I think I just felt like it was really my responsibility to do something without experience. And so it's what I'm trying to do. I've found the life to be a pretty powerful drug in itself. It's eros fullest form. Yeah. I mean, once you open yourself to all the possibilities and you truly believe in your own magnetism, and you also believe that you deserve miracles, because I don't feel like that's what we're taught. Right? And I will say that, I the gift of having children and having the experiences that I've had is like, I get to do it differently. And those are things that I'm going to tell them, like, you deserve miracles. Like they're there for you and you just have to be open to all of those possibilities and believe that you're worthy. And, you know, that's nobody told me that when I was great. I think I was just too much. Right. Like, I don't know if that's anything you ever heard when you were a kid, but, similar things. Yeah. So. Yeah. What do you think is the biggest thing that you didn't know? Embarking on this journey of Sakala? Not just Sakala, but life. Your life journey that you wish you knew. You wish you knew back then that you know now. I mean, I guess some of those things that I already said, you know, I think for me, I wish that growing up, somebody had taught me self-worth, had taught me how to create boundaries, had taught me that my needs were just as important as everybody else's. I mean, you know, we have this life experience, though, so that we can learn all those things. So I'm not, like, mad about it, like it is what it is. Again, like it's it's always a choice. Like, am I going to choose to be mad about that stuff for the rest of my life and the experiences that I had, or am I going to use them to catalyze change and to do things differently? And that's what I choose. But I guess I wish that I had been told that I always have a choice, right? It's always a choice. Like I don't have to do what everybody else says. And I think that I really approach life at this point. Looking at it from that, you know, we were talking about the whole mountain perspective, looking at the big picture and saying like, well, just because it's been done that way for this long doesn't mean that there can't be a different way. And maybe there's a better way for some people. And so let's just try it. It doesn't hurt. I think the the failure piece can be really scary, right. Like I, I don't I was a little afraid right when I opened the doors to Sakala, but I just decided ahead of time that I wasn't like I wasn't going to be flashy advertising, like we weren't going to do like, a whole grand opening. I was just going to softly open. I always like to joke. That's how I open softly. So I was going to softly open and just allow it to happen organically and see what happened. And it worked, but pretty busy. It's like, I, I don't take that for granted. And I try to maybe not daily, but very often pause to really feel the gratitude and appreciation in my body for what's being created. It's a color and it's not what I'm creating. It's it's what we're creating. The people who are in that space like they are Sakala like, it's, I just open the doors and I said, you know, if if we build it, they will come, hopefully. But you're driving the energy. I mean, we're really protective of of the energy of the space eight within the four walls for sure. But, I think that because of the way that it was built and the intention around it and my availability for support and conversation and my continued commitment to asking questions like, I don't assume what people need because I how could I possibly know what everybody needs? Like I am open to everybody's feedback. I'll have coffee and lunch and I want to listen to what people are dreaming about and what they want to make happen. And I want to help and make it happen if I can. Right. So, I think just putting that energy out into the world, like, that's what you attract. And that has definitely proven to be true. That's a color I feel super grateful for that. You know? And I guess that is a huge lesson that I've learned on this part of my journey, because I didn't even know it was possible to feel that full with like, all of the people that are surrounding me in the community and the gratitude in their appreciation and, the beauty of it all, like it's just a beautiful thing. And I am constantly and all of that. So I feel very I don't like to use the word lucky because I do think that there's work involved. Right? Yeah. But super grateful. And it's a testament because I do believe, like, your business is an externalization of you. And if you have this, have built this community that's filled with love and good energy, it's a pretty good sign of how you're doing internally. Thank you for saying that. It's been a journey to get there. But again, tequila is part of my journey and so I hold it sacred in that aspect, like I'm growing with it at the same time. What's your definition of success? What are you chasing after? So it's funny that you say that because when I first started to color. So my my husband has his MBA and he's very business minded, like smart businessman. And when I first started, I was like, okay, so this is how we're going to do it. And these are all the discounts that I'm going to offer, and I'm just going to let it happen organically. Like I'm not going to force it. I just, you know, and he was like, you know what? I was like, it'll be it's fine. It's going to be fine. Did I really know that it was going to be fine? I don't know. There was like a little bit of me that was like, I'm scared. But I, you know, I really just had to believe in it. You manifested in generating your outcome. That's right. Sorry. So I think that for me, for me, let's start with the color. So with cycle, success to me looks like creating this vibrant, diverse and inclusive community. So and being sustainable like it's it's sustainable in the sense that like I can pay the bills. And we've done that. We're there. We actually pretty quickly got to the point of, of being able to pay the bills, which really surprised me, like maybe six or so months and eight months, something like that. And I was like, oh, we're we're going to be okay. Well, it's going to be okay. And, you know, they always tell you like two years or something with the business. And, I probably haven't made back, like, everything as far as you know, and everything I put into it. But it wasn't huge or crazy, like, I didn't. I use the space as is. Like, I didn't have to do a bunch of build out. There were some improvements that I made later, when I took over the upstairs area and put in the two full time practitioner spaces. Just because the building's really old. And previously that was mostly like accounting stuff in there. And I guess you don't really care what their carpet market's like or paint or anything. So I had to redo some of that stuff. But so from a financial aspect, to me, in the beginning, that is how I define success, I want to get here. So I guess I take it like a baby steps. Right? I would say now first cycle I have like that's really big vision of what it could be. And I would like to see it expand. I would like to find other visionaries and other cities that are looking to shift this paradigm of how we show up and community, and what community really means, like getting back to like this truly supportive system and like really meaning it when we say collaboration over competition because like, that's definitely a buzz phrase that's out there, but it's hard to really implement that when, when things, when we've been taught for so long to really be divided and so I would really like to see cycle expand. I would like to have a foundation. I would like to be able to fund these other cities. I would like to be on a much more national platform. I would like to be sitting in this room with Brené Brown or Glennon Doyle or Rachel Cargile at some point. I don't know any of those people, which they're pretty famous. So, I mean, you know, you can I feel like we are successful. I will say that we are successful currently and that there's more. There's always more. I'm always thinking big. And that includes taking anyone along for the ride who wants to be a part of that. Because I truly mean it when I say that I want everyone in our community to be successful. And I know that that definition is different for everyone else, but I'm here to support that in whatever way that I can. So. Does that answer? Yeah. I'm really glad that it's a wonderful mission and it's inspiring. And, I commend you for it. Thank you. It's a little scary. I just kind of started saying all of that out loud because I've been working with Anna Nichols, the human design business coach. And I have a lot of people who believe in me, and that, to me, feels like success. I don't think that's something I ever had in my life before. I mean, yes, my my husband is probably the most supportive person in my life. I think my kids believe in me too. They just like to roll their eyes at me all the time. But, there's a lot of people who believe in me and this community. And you trust me? And that feels like true success to me. Well, they're feeling your energy and your passion, and that is cultivating trust. Yeah. And therefore influence also. Congratulations. It's, Hank, you know, it's a it is scary, but but again, what is there to be afraid of? Yeah, I think I'm getting over a lot of that. So that feels like growth to me because failure can feel scary. But I feel like I don't know if there is any failure on this path. I feel like it's all just going to be a learning experience. And as long as I can be flexible and pivot and be open to opportunities. That really isn't failure. Yeah. And we have the choice on how we how we perceive any experience. Right. It's, happiness as a discipline. So failure could be perceived as a good thing or a bad thing. And you have the choice on exactly how you want to perceive it. Right. That's the. Yeah. I mean, it doesn't feel good. I'm not going to lie. Right. It never feels good. And it takes you a minute, but you can get there. And yes, you can choose well, I kind of look at it for sure. If people are interested in chatting with you more or your services or your business, where can they find you? So on, Instagram, it's at Sakala community. And how do you spell Sakala? Sakala which means the total whole complete well. But again it's translation from Sanskrit. So take it for what? It's where? And the website is Sakala community.com. And you know, people have been telling me that probably my personal information shouldn't be on there, but it is. So if you call the number that's on there, that will go to my cell phone and you'll hear a message where at the end I can't see, I can't get myself to change it, because then the message my son is three and he's like in his Ninja Turtle phase. So at the very end he yells, booyakasha! And I'm like, I can't change that. So it's not very professional. Sorry everyone. But yeah, my phone number is on there. I personally respond to emails, phone calls, Instagram. Maybe it won't be like that forever. So catch me while you can. Mainly because I again, like I said, I want to expand it all and, empower others to step into important roles as well. So yeah, I think that's it. Or come to Sakala, please come to Sakala. You're here for a while. You should come to an event. It's a color. I know that you have, your membership right now, but there are actually quite a few people who, work in that space and also do stuff. It's a color as well. There's a come. I mean, the people to color do work all over the city, and we also advertise their work wherever they are. If they ask because I'm not, territorial about that. And you can't only be successful in the four walls of Sakala, so we support all of that. So yeah, you can catch a lot. You probably know some of them already just from being in the other space. But yeah, I only have till Friday. So if you have any recommends for, events or just be open to come and check in on out, I wish I could tell you I had the calendar memorized all messages on Google. Yes, there's a woman circle tonight that's probably not on your list, but, there's definitely events throughout the week, so that could be an interesting. Yeah, I don't know. I think they talk about a lot of lady things. I don't know, I've actually attending. I'm excited about it now because like I said, I try to go to a lot of the events as well. When I can because I actually live in Denver 50% of the time and in Silverthorne 50% of the time. So my life is crazy. That's awesome. There. It's stimulating. It is. It's a gift. And I have one kid who is to school up there and one kid who goes to school down here because my son's on a ski team up there, so. Oh, cool. Yeah, we get to move around a little bit, you get a change of scenery. I like a little change of scenery here and there. I love it. I mean, it definitely makes like I pack it in when I'm here in Denver. And then I go up there and that's where I get my hermit. That's where I get the hermit a little bit more. That counteracts during the week. Oh, are you a big skier? Just. Yeah, yeah, I've been getting some snow. You all down here? Oh. You have? Yeah. Where do you like to go? So my favorite thus far has been steamboat. But I want to Conover and to Breckenridge also as well. Do you have any recommends my personal favorite day basin. Okay. I have been my home mountain for a long time, but my son just got moved up to the next level and they now he's skiing out of copper instead of a basin, and I'm a little sad about it. My kids grew up skiing at a base and it's hard. I don't know what your level of skiing is, but it's hard because there wasn't enough skier. I'm in skiing as a little kid. Yeah, you're up in Massachusetts and we go up to Vermont ever since, like a very locally kind of vibe, I like that, yeah, I that's what I like about it, too. I like steamboat too. It had to kind of that love of steamboat that had that kind of vibe and the. Yeah. Skiing the aspen tree is there. Like the glaciers are amazing. Aspen. If you can get up there. Yeah, I know you don't have much time, but I know it's a great mountain. I've got the avid pass and, I might come back in February, depending on how this job goes. So. Yeah, but it definitely will not be my last time in Colorado. Definitely not. So well, if you want to do like a whole Woowoo series the next time you're back, let me know. I could hook you up with a lot of people. Hell yeah. Let's do it. I'm down. I should have hit you up before I. Yeah, because I've been doing yoga, like, every single day here. Oh, really? Where do you go? I go to Black Swan. Okay. Which location? There's two. There's like one on. I know there's more. It's on three Street, I think. Yeah. Pearl on 13th. Yeah, I think so. I think is out on Capitol Hill. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, exactly. And, I used to go there for a while. I like some of the teachers. Yeah. So what I like about it, I went to the yoga studio that I go to in Charleston is very western. It's like it's a workout. Where? Here has been much more like eastern, in my opinion. Like a lot more spiritual, which is still a good workout. But, like, I'm seeing a lot of mental benefit from it a lot more because I meditate every single day. But it's a separate practice from yoga for me. But it's not supposed to be, I don't think. And so I've been connecting the two within these classes, and there's a lot of like every class I go to, there's a different teacher. And so I'm seeing a lot of different styles and it's been spiritually more spiritually beneficial. Yeah, I like Black Swan better. School. Yoga is really a lifestyle asana. It's a very small component. The meditation, like sitting quiet, is more yoga than the asana practice. They're all like it's all components. Yoga is really okay. Yoga? Yeah, yoga is really much more, yeah, it's a lifestyle. It's about the lens that you look through even, right? It means unity. So it's really about just how you. It's more I would say yoga is more about how you choose to walk through the world off your mat than it is about being on your mat. But that part's important to not. I'm not saying it's not important because I teach it, but, that's really kind of how I the lens that I try to live my life through, it's like, how can I live my yoga? How can I treat others, how I want to be treated with kindness, with compassion? I've kind of interpreted it as like congruence, like, can I maybe I could be wrong, but to me it's like finding congruence in your life. Like that alignment between like your core self, your mind and your body. And I mean external world. It's like, try to align those things. Do you are you familiar with the Olympus Runton jellies? Look it up. Okay. I couldn't help you wrap your mind around. Sorry. It's okay. I use my hands a lot. It'll help you wrap your mind around like all of the different components of what yoga really is. What are some good other books that I could, I like to read for yoga just in general. Like, oh my gosh, breathe or Breath by James Nester or read that I said good last with that, but that was a good book. It's so good. Gosh, that's hard. I, I know you don't know who Brené Brown is, but she has a lot of really great books as well. I kind of waffle back and forth between fiction and nonfiction, like, depending on how heavy the nonfiction was. So like that, I might need a little bit of a break. I would say the body keeps the score. Have you read that? I think that the last guest just. Angela. Yeah. It talks about how, like, all of our experiences are stored in our body and how they can manifest and potentially unhealthy ways, like very specifically like trauma that we've experienced. And I think the other important thing that I got from that book was that, to not minimize our trauma just because it doesn't feel like it was big enough to claim if that makes sense. So, like, maybe I didn't have a near-death experience, but I had, you know, a minor car accident, but that trauma can still be held in your body, right? Right. And there are lots of different ways that you can get it out. And so I've been learning a little bit more about that and want to explore some of those modalities a little bit more like, you know, they, they talk about how when an animal has this experience. Right? So let's say there's an antelope running away from a lion and it gets away. What's the first thing it does? Do you know when a repeat that one more time or a zebra or whatever, some, some sort of animal is being chased by a lion or a cheetah or whatever, and it ends up escaping. The animal doesn't catch it. What's the first thing the animal does? But decompress? Shakes. They shake. Okay. Yeah. So it's like one of the things that they teach you in different types of trauma work, like, trauma release exercises is like, shake it out, like getting it all out of your body. But like, animals just intuitively know to do that. And we do this and we hold on to all of that. Right? So that's a pretty cool book, but heavy. It's a hard I, I thought it was a hard it's worth it took me a little while to get through it. Hard emotionally or just dense. Both. I felt like breath, like I just it was I felt like it was, fiction. Like the way he wrote it. Like I just tore through it like that. Yeah. I thought that was a really cool book. I don't know, I wish I had feel like maybe that's a prep question you should give people because I'm like, I should have a really good answer for this, but that's that's for my own personal benefit too. So I might message you on, yeah. Ask for some more book recommendations. But yeah, just eat right. Well read. Just even Google. You don't have to even read the whole like, Patanjali you can just to your goals. So you can Google that a limb path and you can find brief descriptions on it. But it just kind of helps you wrap your mind around like what yoga really is, like all the basic principles of yoga as a lifestyle, like, I mean, it even talks about cleanliness of your space and your body and your mind, like all of those things are yoga. Yeah. So it's just a different way of looking at it. And I think what yoga, being westernized really means is us thinking when we think yoga, we think asana, right? That is some of the Western ization of it. But that's only a small component about yoga, really. It's interesting that you mentioned the clean space. And this is by far the longest that I've ever gone over. Getting the plug. So you're keeping me definitely engaged. Sorry. No, no, Good talker. I'm a talker. Is it a word? Do. Oh, no. That's great. I mean, that's what the podcast as far. But, it's interesting that you mention the cleanliness space because I've realized how that is, like a big externalization of your mind. So, like, if you look around in your environment or your house or your space or your desk looks like chaos, it's a lot of times, I think a good sign that something internally might be chaotic. It's harder when you live with other people. Yeah, I was sure for kids, you know, like, oh my gosh, that ended up okay. Yes, yes, yes. My kids are older now though, so I don't most of the time they're good about picking up after themselves. So that's hilarious. Yes okay. All right. Well I appreciate you coming on. Yeah. Thanks for having me. It's been super fun. I'm glad I responded. And I'm glad you do that. Hey, how about it? Hopefully you had some fun. I did, thank you. I like doing podcasts. It is fun and I love meeting new people. Yeah me too. It's one of my favorite parts of my job. I when people reserve the space, I always, ask them to come in and do a tour and meet with them if they have time, because I want to know everybody who is part of the community, and I want to learn more about them. Like it's yeah, it's cool. As part of my job, you're like, more of a mother than a CEO. You're the mother of the business. Yeah, my business acumen is maybe not, but sounds like it's the. All right. Maybe. Maybe people could take a page out of your book. I like to do things different. I'm not going to lie. I'm like, oh, that's the way you said I should do this. Now I'm going to do it different. Yeah. So leading to a positive culture, which drives a lot of the momentum in the business, which is everything. So yeah. Yeah. That's so good. Yeah. So good job graduations congratulations on your success again. It's inspiring. You got a great mission and thanks for what you do. It helps people like me get the word out. Yeah I appreciate it. Maybe somebody back in, Charleston, we'll hear this and say, oh, I want to cycle. That's the hope. Yeah, that's so already. Well, appreciate you coming on. Yeah. Thank you so much. For.
