We had the good fortune of connecting with Francesca Gold and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Francesca, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Living life is a risk and doing anything outside of the norm is risky! As much as one can plan when launching a business or shifting careers, there’s always a level of risk due to the nature of life and all of the variables associated with it. Add in being a business owner and you’re in for a wild ride! The best advice I can give anyone opening a business or starting a new career is to think things through, write out some key benchmark goals, and know that the reality of what will unfold is never, ever what you had in mind. Seek out mentors and people who know more than you. Launching and running a business can get lonely, so keep a few trusted people around you with whom you can be really honest. Enjoy the ride – things tend to feel really overwhelming the first time you do them, but then become second nature once you integrate them into your flow.

What should our readers know about your business?
My story is one of tenacity and grace. I started teaching roller skating at 16 and yoga at 21. Being a teacher has shaped my life, my story, and my role in my local and global community. Both of my parents, multiple aunts and uncles, and grandparents on both sides of my family are or were entrepreneurs so I guess you could say that it’s in my blood. I’ve been called a ‘Social Entrepreneur’ and feel this fits both professionally and within my world view. A Social Entrepreneur is a person who establishes an enterprise with the aim of solving social problems or effecting social change. My Yoga Studio breaks the mold in multiple ways through its innovative sliding scale model (the first of it’s kind in town) and through the depth of yoga scholarship and education being offered. We have even partnered with the prestigious Loyola Marymount University for 200 hour teacher education program. Bringing Yoga Therapy to town has also been such a joy: through educational events, free offerings, and weekly classes the past decade, the art and profession of Yoga Therapy has begun to take root in Ojai.

On the skating side, Ojai Skate Club, formed in 2020, is a fiercely inclusive group of skaters. I grew up skating competitively and have taught and competed around the world. Like most organized groups or industries, roller skating attracts a variety individuals… we work hard to maintain a sense of true community and fun.

I also want to highlight the 501c3 non-profit I co-founded with my friend Chetna Kalwani: The Vriddhi Foundation. We empower young women in rural India to access higher education, overcome gender-based barriers, increase her socioeconomic status, contribute to the workforce, and benefit her communities. Last year we funded nine young woman to attend college and are currently raising funds for the upcoming school year: $125 USD covers tuition, books, supplies, and more for the year.

Finally, my venture as a Licensed Real agent (DRE: 02249788) has allowed me to step into new shoes: I’ve always led a life of service and plan to do so until the day I leave this planet. It’s what keeps me grounded and humbled. Leaning into the art of Real Estate has showcased just how much the skills I’ve honed the past two decades as a service-based, problem solving entrepreneur can support me in this realm of supporting my fellow humans to invest, buy, and sell real estate!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was visiting me in Ojai for a week I’d first and foremost take them into the forest and also to visit our beaches. This land is deliciously gorgeous and ripe with healing energy; it’s why so many individuals are attracted to living here and it’s what pulled me me in way back in 2007 to want to call Ojai ‘home.’ I’d then take them to visit the most important spiritual sites in town: The Krotona Institute, Meher Mount, and the Krishnamurti Foundation. Honestly, Ojai is such a small town with limited restaurants, shops, and downtown spaces and because of that, places open and close frequently and people come and go. It’s the essence of the land that really steals the show.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are honestly too many to list here: I wouldn’t be where I’m at today without the help of probably hundreds of people, books, teachings, and organizations. I’ll give it a try: my roller skating coaches, my yoga teachers from The Himalayan Institute and Loyola Marymount University, all of my friends of Bill, countless brothers and sisters on the path of Truth, my family, my students the past two decades, and so many others (seen and unseen), that have truly brought me to the place I’m now.

Website: www.francescamichellegold.com, www.breatheojai.com, www.ojaiskateclub.com, https://thevriddhifoundation.org/, www.francescagoldrealestate.com

Instagram: @goldenbyfrancesca @breatheojai @ojaiskateclub @thevriddhifoundation @francescagoldrealestate

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goldenbyfrancesca, https://www.facebook.com/breatheojai, https://www.facebook.com/ojaiskateclub, https://www.facebook.com/thevriddhifoundation, https://www.facebook.com/francescagoldrealestate

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/breathe-ojai-ojai-3, https://www.yelp.com/biz/francesca-gold-ojai?osq=Yoga

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@francescamichellegold

Image Credits
Alexandra Scott, Kira Friedman, Natasha Emilia Heaszl, local and global community members

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