Episode Transcript

This transcript was AI generated.

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00:00:04:04 - 00:00:50:00

Pippa

I'm a yoga specialist, and my main desire is to guide others along the path of self-discovery and healing that yoga can provide, ultimately leading to emotional freedom and lifestyle transformations. So I offer, adult in children yoga therapy, for mental health support. Also corporate yoga, private yoga and kids yoga. And I utilise the tools and philosophies and practices of yoga, which is basically a 5000 year old science and philosophy and arguably, this is more relevant and needed in today's fast, busy paced life than when it was originally formed those 5000 years ago.

00:00:50:00 - 00:01:18:07

Lucy

Welcome to today's episode of Mumbition, where we explore the inspiring stories of working mothers building businesses. Whether they're just starting out or considering taking the leap. These women are showing us how to balance their families, their passion, and their entrepreneurship, all while making a meaningful impact. Today, I'm really excited to introduce Pippa Jackson. She's a yoga therapist and 1000 hours certified yoga and meditation teacher. Pippa specialises in yoga therapy for mental health, corporate yoga, private sessions, and kids yoga. Pippa's mission is simple yet profound to guide others on the path of self-discovery and healing through the transformative tools and philosophies of yoga. Pippa, welcome to Mumbition. It's delightful to have you here.

00:01:40:14 - 00:01:43:01

Pippa

Thank you so much, Lucy. I'm really happy to be here.

00:01:43:23 - 00:01:54:01

Lucy

We're excited too. We had Pippa attend one of our in staff days a few months ago, and she took us through the most beautiful and energising session. So I wanted to start by saying that in case anyone needs a yoga teacher based in Sydney, to do that at corporate events comes highly recommended by the Mums and Co team. Certainly put us at ease. So I want to ask start sorry with a pretty straightforward question. Who does your business help and how do you help them?

00:02:14:16 - 00:02:50:07

Pippa

Yeah. Well, at the essence of the business, I help anyone and everybody who is looking for a deeper connection with their body and ultimately themselves, because yoga is really about tapping into and discovering that, potential within all of us. So, you know, whether you are thriving in business, but you might actually be completely cut off in the subtle language of your body, which means you'll thrive in the business space to a certain point. So you'll push and strive. But if you're not listening to the body's, subtle languages, you will eventually be forced to stop by the body. Right. So. Hello, burnout. Or maybe you have a child who is, struggling to focus at home or at school. Or perhaps you have a friend, with high level social anxiety. Or maybe you're super critical of your body. Or your husband doesn't know how to fall asleep properly or wakes in the middle of the night. So yoga and yoga therapy can really help, with all of these types of situations, and many more.

00:03:34:12 - 00:03:58:13

Lucy

Yeah. Great answer. Which, gives us a whole world of options in terms of promoting you and your services as well. But what I really loved about what you said then is until you unless you listen to your body, your body will, will basically talk to you loud, more loudly. Over time, can you expand on that a little bit in terms of what that might look like for someone?

00:03:58:13 - 00:04:34:16

Pippa

Absolutely. I do actually, I mentioned sleep before and anxiety and I think it starts, at a low level with both of those so troubled sleep. Often comes when the mind, is over analysing everything. You might be able to fall asleep, really quickly, basically just because you're super exhausted. But maybe around midnight, 10:00 even, you're awake and you can't get back to sleep because you're completely ruminating, on the mind and what's happened that day or ‘Oops, I forgot to send that really important email.’ Maybe you even pull out your phone to send said email, and that's fine. Lucy. Once in a while we've all been there. But burnout and, exhaustion comes when that is happening. Every night. Every day. And then you're waking up fully exhausted instead of fully replenished going at your day hammer and tongs. Because that is what we, I told is needed in, in this society at the moment. Although there are trends to, to pull back on that, aren't there? I think we're starting to notice that, you know, everyone used to say how you. I'm busy. That was a label and a badge of honour. Yeah. So that's sort of something I've noticed. So chronic fatigue starts to present itself with high anxiety, and then not being able to perform in, these business meetings that you're so stressed about, but because you've been overanalysing them. And again, if that happens multiple times, over long periods of time, depending on the stress levels that you're managing. The body can only deal with so much cortisol, which is obviously the stress hormones, stress, and your adrenal glands, they're going to give out and your body's going to say, I'm done. So if you don't listen to the language of the body first, and as I say, that could be sleep, anxiety. It could also present as a cold, like a cold that you're just not shifting.

00:06:09:14 - 00:06:32:15

Lucy

So interesting. Yeah. And obviously yoga is such a beautiful way to start that investigation as well. It's a beautiful practice. We'll get into a bit more of that now. I just wanted to get your advice really in terms of if you looked back on the start of your business journey and just remind me again how long you've had the business for.

00:06:33:10 - 00:06:47:09

Pippa

I've had the business probably I'm going to say six years, but really where the growth has happened, has been the last two.

00:06:48:02 - 00:07:10:02

Lucy

Okay, great. And maybe we can get into how the growth happened a bit later. But I'm just wondering from that perspective because six years is, you know, it's not forever, but it's certainly not the very beginning either. You're probably in that really like middle beginning growth stage. What would what do you what's something that you wish that you'd known at the beginning that you think would have helped. Now that you've this far along?

00:07:14:18 - 00:07:19:20

Pippa

You know, the first thing that comes to mind is my website platform. I wish I had done more research around that. And I really do recommend if you think your business needs a website platform because I know, sometimes businesses don't. Or maybe Instagram is becoming the new business card. But I was so excited to get my offering up, on that platform in in the space of the world, the digital world that I just went with somebody recommendation, their very first recommendation. And I didn't do any of my own research. Someone just said, oh, you know, this platform is really, really good. I liked it. I like the look of it. I could use it. It was user friendly, but where I didn't do my research was looking into the fine print of, the running costs of a website. So I've maintained, this website coming out of the States for the last six years and these reoccurring fees, honestly, they nearly broke me. Every time that bill would come in, I, I've taken such a huge loss on my website over the years. I now have it to exactly where I want it, and, it's working for me so I can take bookings. I can take payments. But there's so much content on there, and I as I say, I've had it for such a long time that moving to an Australian based platform is no longer an option for me. So I just have to wear these fees. But I grit my teeth every month.

00:08:50:15 - 00:09:13:00

Lucy

Yeah. I mean and that's such a, I mean thank you for sharing that because I know it's not, not always easy to share things like that but super helpful for other people considering it. Also when we take you back to the beginning of the journey, a lot of the women that join the community have an idea and it's in a very early stage and that's great because that's the kind of space that we want to create. But what was sort of the crucial thing that took it from an idea to the business itself?

00:09:20:19 - 00:09:29:17

Pippa

Yeah. Good question. I think I got to the point where I just couldn't sit on the magic of yoga anymore. To be honest, when I found yoga, it was so transformational for me. And, what I had been going through, before. So I literally talk about before and after yoga as my life. Like, there's definitely a clear, pivotal point, from when I found yoga. So the, the idea I wanted to become a yoga therapist before I was even a yoga teacher. I found the course that I eventually did years after becoming a yoga teacher. I called out with so much enthusiasm and I was like, oh, you know, I can't wait to, I want to sign up. And she's like, you need to be a yoga teacher and a yoga teacher who's been teaching for two years. I know it was crushing at the time, but obviously that's how much work goes into becoming a yoga therapist. You need to know bodies. You need to know people. You need to know the tools, the philosophies, what you can prescribe. Because yoga therapy really is, it's a medicine, you know, it's a daily medicine and a practice that we give, our clients very specific reasons. And you could give, let's say, for example, a breath experience a of Yama, but if you're not using it, correctly, it could have the, opposite intention. Yeah. So if you're wanting to calm somebody down, but you give them a heightened breath, you've got another person with anxiety who, you've not given extra additional. Yes. So you have to be really aware of that.

00:11:07:05 - 00:11:10:18

Lucy

That's super interesting. What about in terms of I mean you're obviously dealing with a lot of people in various states. As you've just said before. And I'm guessing and I don't know that that like a feeling of trepidation in, in some area of life is probably a very common experience. And one that people look to yoga to, to help with. A lot of women feel that same trepidation when they're even about to go into their own business. How did you shift your mindset into believing that you could? Was that even an issue for you? Did it crop up? And if so, what would your advice be?

00:11:46:12 - 00:12:17:20

Pippa

Yeah, it definitely cropped up. I think the backing of the idea, which we've just talked about, was very clear for me. The backing of myself was exactly where I had, hesitation, for a long period of time. I think backing yourself, is really challenging, you know, putting yourself out there, your vision, your creation to potentially be rejected. Is hard. And, Yeah. Where I, struggled with that was realising that I'm the product. Right. So obviously I utilise yoga, but there are many, many, many, many thousands, hundreds of thousands of yoga teachers out there. So where am I different? What's the unique selling point that makes Pippa Jackson Yoga? Why come to me versus somebody else? And I've started, well, when I was starting out, I realised that it's okay to have that, imposter syndrome. You know, I love the motto or the mantra. I might one of my favourite mantras for business is literally feel the fear and do it anyway. I say business, but actually that's a life mantra of mine as well, right? You say yes and you figure out the details later. Much like this podcast, I said yes then found the details later.  The imposter syndrome, I've really learned to accept, and know that it's so natural at different stages, of the journey. So it was quite loud in my head at the start of my, my yoga career. And obviously when venturing out, I can recognise that little voice inside, but I don't listen to it anymore. So that's kind of how I get through. And my dad, he's amazing. He used to be an international, speaker in his field, and he's also shared the idea with me that, you know, even major CEOs or international speakers, they all suffer from imposter syndrome at some point. And so, yeah, feel the fear, do it anyway.

00:14:04:04 - 00:14:27:17

Lucy

Love. It's sort of like managing your it's also having you know a self-awareness a greater self-awareness isn't it like to be able to tell yourself those are just feelings that I'm having. I've had them before. We're going to do it anyway. And then finding those strategies to support you to just keep moving and taking that next step. Yeah. Yeah. How beautiful. So you're actually teaching the practice through the body as much as the mind? Yeah. I love that. So a lot of the women that we interview on the podcast share their hacks and tools for managing their time and energy. And it struck me as preparing for this interview, that that is your job. Your job is to help others manage their time and energy, but also to have a business that actually requires your own body and your own energy. So I'm really curious to know, like practices, how you prepare to be able to teach a class and do your therapy and share your energy that way. What of what kind of boundaries have you put in place for yourself to help manage all of that?

00:15:18:13 - 00:15:44:21

Pippa

Great word, boundaries. Yeah. So scheduling my time, that's become really important to me. I think, anybody starting out of business probably knows that. But at the start, it was really, I feel like in business, I've been winging a lot of it. But when it comes to providing the services for my clients, I don't wing anything, really. So, I have absolutely. In the past, turned up to  something, a presentation, a meeting, underprepared. And it's easy to do, especially having a family that you're looking, after as well, in the background or in forefront, really when we think about it. But the idea of not being prepared and remembering that feeling of not being prepared, that is such an energy stock, that I never do that anymore. So the boundaries I put around, I will make sure absolutely that I prepare. And I know it obviously sounds obvious, but as I said, when the time gets away from you and you're not prepared, especially in client facing roles, I never want to feel that again. So. Yeah. That's one another, non-negotiable for me. The business has been growing, at a really steady rate this year, which is really, really great to see. So a non-negotiable for me has become my meditation practice. I must sit in stillness every day. And it can be. Honestly, sometimes I have done it for one minute, like, as small as that,

I didn't fit it in. I have done it for a minute. I have done it for a lot longer. Obviously. But it's really my touchstone. And as a yoga and meditation teacher, I've always had that as a tool in my toolbox. But I have not utilised it to the same capacity that I have used it this year. This year, from the 1st of January, I've not dropped a day. And that's new for me. And I can really see the groundedness that it's providing me, especially you know, my little girl's nearly four. And the busyness that that creates, that entails. It really depends. You know, our day will be how, how she's woken up. Will. Absolutely. As every mom of a youngster, goes. So that stillness that I've been building and it absolutely banks up. And that's why, you know, meditating from time to time, you know, I will always say meditating at any point, you don't if you don't have an everyday practice, you know, once a week or however long you're able to commit to. It is wonderful. It's a great, great place to start. But for me, as I say, I've not done it to this extent before and it's only for a month or three and a half months. But it does build up and my tolerance and my patience are growing with it.

00:18:47:17 - 00:19:01:23

Lucy

How amazing is that. And do you have a particular form of meditation that you like to do. Do you use an app or you just in silence. How do you do it?

00:19:01:23 - 00:19:27:17

Pippa

Great question. When I set my resolution at the start of the year that this was going to be my, you know, let's stick to a meditation practice. And I would like to caveat that sentence just for a moment in terms of having my child, my daughter, who's, as I say, nearly three, nearly four, I've never seen her birth being able to, set myself a New Year's resolution, let alone stick to it. And so this is the first year since her birth, three and a half years ago. Where I've actually felt that I've had the space to sit down and work out how I want my year to go, and had the space to, to it. So I really think, that's important to say. You know, parenting young children is, is challenging. And the space that one

00:19:55:14 - 00:20:16:15

Lucy

Absolutely. And I think that transition from 3 to 4, it's \ huge. It's a real it's a real change. And obviously for everyone. And as the primary carer. Of course that means that you're going to feel that impact too. That's a really interesting point. Thank you for sharing.

00:20:16:15 - 00:20:36:23

Pippa

Yeah. When I set that resolution, I originally was quite firm with myself and I was going to I have japa mala beads, and I was going to sit down and do three rounds of Mala beads, which attaches to a mantra, one bead, one mantra. And it takes 15 minutes for me to do three rounds. And that was going to be I'm going to meditate 15 minutes. Make Mala beads invalidates every day January 1st, halfway through my first round. So like 2.5 minutes into my first five minute round, my daughter crawls into my lap and I swiftly dropped that New Year's resolution with the rigidity. Right. The rigidity, the, limitations of myself, I managed to leave her in my lap and finish my one round, and that was my meditation for that day. And so I use all tools of meditation. Now. I use my Japa mala beads. It's my preferred method to go to, and I will. I've carved out, my preferred time now, is once I've done the hectic morning and the day-care drop off, I then come home and meditate and then get on with my day. So there is usually, I will have 10 to 15 minutes of japa mala beads, on the weekends. Or if I have forgotten, like I say, if I do one minute, it's probably just a breath. Practice just watching my breath in and out of my nose. Or just feeling my body, hands on heart and, belly breathing for a minute. On the weekends, if I'm lucky. And my husband is amazing. He's super hands on. I'll try and do a 20 minute yoga nidra, so I'm literally lying down, closing my eyes, listening to a recording. And yoga nidra is super special, and it's often something that I'll prescribe, to, to clients who, are finding themselves, you know, at that burnout state, they just need deep, deep rest. And yoga nidra is, it's basically a yogic sleep. So you hover between, lucidity and just before you're about to fall asleep. And that's where the mind gets. It's deep, deep rest.

00:22:39:07 - 00:22:52:23

Lucy

Yeah I've heard someone say that it's the equivalent of like eight hours sleep. If you can get into that state. Do you agree with that. It's a little bit too long. Yeah. Something to aim for anyway.

00:23:06:06 - 00:23:31:16

Pippa

I have gotten to that state, because sometimes it's not it's not possible. You know, it's a 20 minutes in my daughter's home, then, you know, I don't get to finish it a lot of the time, but it still counts as my meditation. If I've done know I've sat in that I've committed to it. But I have absolutely experience coming out and feeling super refreshed if I have gotten to that deep state. I've just hovering above lucidity.

00:23:34:08 - 00:23:56:23

Lucy

So powerful. Thank you for sharing that. Now you've touched on a bit of your family life and your lovely daughter almost four year old daughter. And one of the biggest, I suppose, goals of this particular season of the podcast is to kind of peek behind the door in, in a way of how the family life fits with the business. And I'm so I'm nervous about using words like fit and balance, because we all know that at times that does not exist. But I think what's important is to highlight some really practical, actually everyday things that people do when they do have a business and they do have children and how they're managing both. So I guess that's a very long introduction to the question.

But could you share a little bit about how things work at home for you and your partner and your daughter? Like for instance, when things get busy, we were having a conversation earlier today about when inevitably a child is sick or something happens in the home where the family then becomes the absolute priority for the rest of that day. How do you guys manage those unexpected changes in routine?

00:24:51:11 - 00:25:17:08

Pippa

Good question. Because we're currently in flu season. Right. And my little one has just she's just coming out the end of have this two week cold. And we had such a good run over summer that I was like, oh, I forgot what a sick kid was like, but she's coming through it and it didn't dip into too much, disruption for her or us, thankfully. But we have certainly in the past and I'm really, really aware that I'm very, very lucky, to have such a hands on husband. He's an incredible support to me, an incredible dad. So when she started to get sick last week and I did have, a yoga therapy client, I actually just flagged it with him. And so I was like, look, if I have to. How's your week looking? It's really a collaboration between the two of us, and, and as I say, I know, that I'm so lucky to have that support. I feel really blessed with it, to be honest. So, yeah, we need to work together.

00:25:58:20 - 00:25:59:15

Lucy

That's great. Thank you for sharing that. Is there anything else that we've forgotten to talk about that's important to you and the business that you'd love to share?

00:26:10:13 - 00:26:33:19

Pippa

Obviously, passion, you need to have, If you don't have those resources or if you don't know where you're going, but you have a passion, you will find a way. And so I think, passion for starting a business and to maintain it, you need to have something. You need to have a fire inside of yourself that's like it gets to a point. And as you say, it might just be, the creation. You've birthed the idea, but you've also birthed a child and you don't have the space for both. But if it's a true passion, a true ‘a ha’ I have an idea and I want to share it with the world. It will it will come to fruition. It certainly has with me. And you can hear it when I talk. It's evident in my sessions. Yoga changed my life, and I know it's profound capacity to help and heal others. And I couldn't imagine, imagine doing anything else. And I am in such a lucky position that, I'm able to focus solely on this and grow it. But there have been times when I'm like, oh, this is challenging. Maybe I should go back into the corporate world. Has I had the corporate background? It's been ten years then since I've been in the corporate space. Would anybody hire me now? I don't know, to be honest.

00:27:41:21 - 00:27:48:22

Lucy

Yes. But whether you want to go back there that's more of the question. Right. Yeah. Yeah.

00:27:48:22 - 00:27:58:00

Pippa

It has been a question and I haven't gone down the would anyone hire me route because I don't want anybody to hire me beyond obviously corporate yoga and what I can offer in that space. I'm building up towards a motivational speaking. That's kind of a trajectory that, that I'm looking to, to grow, but that'll probably be another two years, so maybe not. Who knows? But it's a clear vision of where I want to go. Yeah. So passion. And I think if, if your listeners, your mums out there have an idea that they feel so deeply about and, that they know is going to be beneficial to others, they're already ahead of the game, right?

00:28:29:20 - 00:28:51:10

Lucy

Exactly. So well-said. Beautifully said. And couldn't have said it better myself. And I think it's so important for these messages to come from I mean and this is why we started the podcast. Because it's one thing for us to sit here and talk about it, but you're living it and you're doing an incredible job. And I agree with you. The passion is absolutely evident. So you'll find a way to make that grow. So we are thrilled to have you as part of this community, Pippa. You are a genuinely lovely person and we wish you all the very best with the business. If someone listening would like to reach out to you, obviously they can find you on the Mums and Co directory, but you say your is your website the best place for inquiries?

00:29:16:04 - 00:29:35:23

Pippa

Absolutely. Thank you for that opportunity, Lucy. Yeah. So my website, has all the information, which is, https://www.pippajacksonyoga.com/. So all one word. Peppa Jackson yoga.com because it’s housed out of the States. And I'm also, quite active on social media, so, my Instagram handle is Pippa_Jackson_Yoga.

00:29:50:08 - 00:29:52:10

Lucy

Fantastic. Thank you so much.

00:29:52:10 - 00:29:55:12

Pippa

Thank you. That's been an absolute joy to speak to you Lucy.

00:29:58:12 - 00:30:13:22

Carrie

Thanks for listening to today's episode. Don't forget to subscribe via Spotify or Apple Podcast. Mums and Co is a network helping business learning women to start, connect and grow. Join us today at mumsandco.com.au

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