Her Story
About Azia
I started my yoga and wellness business in October 2021, and what began as a for-profit venture has evolved into a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing yoga and wellness to underserved communities in Philadelphia. We partner with community centers, neighborhood daycares, and Bartram's Garden, one of the oldest botanical gardens in the country, to provide accessible wellness opportunities to Black and Brown people who don't always have access to these spaces. I'm a certified yoga instructor with 200 hours of training. My classes are unique because I bring R&B music to my yoga sessions, creating an environment where my clientele, who are mostly Black and Brown women and men, feel comfortable and at home. I work with all age groups, from young children in daycares where we use bubbles and toys to teach breathwork and body alignment, to adults at community centers, and elderly community members through chair yoga programs. Most of my events are free or very low cost through my partnerships, because I'm committed to giving my community the opportunity to be in wellness spaces with people that look like them.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Azia
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to authenticity. I bring R&B music to my yoga classes, which is not typically what people are used to hearing at yoga and wellness spaces. I'm a Black and Brown woman, and I know most of my clientele are Black and Brown women and men, and we like to hear music that makes us feel comfortable and makes us feel at home. That definitely separates me from a lot of my competition.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is just don't be scared. You have to start somewhere. No one begins having it all together. Over time, you figure out what works and what doesn't work, so just don't be scared to start.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is definitely the influx of yoga instructors now. When I first started, there weren't as many, but over the years, after the pandemic, wellness has become such a huge industry, so there's much more competition than I had in the beginning. But again, my authenticity, the music that I play, and the scenes that I have definitely separate me. The biggest opportunity is to show the positivity in the city, because growing up in Philly, we didn't see much positivity on the news. We see about the violence, the trauma, the poverty. That's what a lot of people are still stuck in my community. So that's where I come in, and I have the opportunity to show them different, to show them that we, us Black and Brown people, can have opportunities. I'm giving communities the ability to be in wellness spaces for free, because most of my events are free through my partnerships, or they're really accessible, low cost. So I'm giving them the opportunity to be in yoga and wellness spaces with people that look like them.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Definitely integrity and honesty are so important to me. For example, if I had to cancel an event because something happened with the venue, I would never not send a refund to the people that paid for tickets, because I understand people work hard for their money and I work hard for my money. Honesty and integrity are so important for business and personal life, because to create any type of bond with people, you need those values. I've created many bonds with my clientele and some have become friends, just by being honest and being an open person. So honesty and integrity are very important to me.
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