Meet Joanna Brooks | Founder, Embody Yoga

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

Hi Joanna, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When I first became a yoga teacher, about 9 years ago now, I had hopes of one day having my own yoga studio and business but assumed I needed to work for other people for an extended period of time to pay my dues. However, heartbreak left me looking for productive ways to fill my time. So I began planning and creating a 6 week long beginners yoga program that I would run on my own, independent of a yoga studio. I chose the name Embody Yoga and got busy creating a flyer and promoting the class. Fourteen people showed up to the first class and by the end, most of them were trying to sign up for the remaining classes in the series. I told myself then that, as long as people keep showing up, I’ll keep showing up too. Now, seven years later, while I am generally more intentional and strategic when it comes to my business, I still, largely, live by that same idea-as long as the people keep showing up, I will too.

What should our readers know about your business?
Embody Yoga is a Black owned and operated yoga studio and business in Milwaukee, WI. We offer 16 group yoga classes (including hot yoga and unheated yoga) at our studio. We also teach yoga within the corporations, schools and youth serving organizations that invite us in. What makes Embody Yoga unique are our students. The vast majority of our student base are Black women. All of our teachers are Black women. Sometimes, when I’m at a class in our studio or teaching at a community event, I just look out at all of these beautiful people who have gathered in the pursuit of their own wellness and I feel so grateful. I am living my dream.

But it hasn’t always been easy. When I started teaching yoga and when I started Embody Yoga, there weren’t a lot of Black yoga teachers. There weren’t a lot of Black women doing yoga. I know this because I was often the only Black person in many of the yoga classes that I took here in Milwaukee and many of the other cities I visited. So I knew that part of my work would be educating the community about the benefits of yoga, especially for communities of color, and providing some exposure.

I also didn’t have a lot of business knowledge or access to resources and capital when I started, In some ways, that forced me to play small for far longer than I should have. Now, as we continue to grow, I can see what is possible for my business. I see pathways to grow and scale my business, should I decide to go that route.

I believe what got me here today are those people who supported me in the early days and the people who support me now. Some of the people who support Embody Yoga are not our students. In fact, some of them have never taken a class and may never plan to. But they believe in our mission of sharing the practice of yoga with people of color and they have seen the work we’ve put in over the years. In September of 2021, we were able to crowdfund over $79,000 (in less than 30 days) for the buildout of our new studios. We were able to do this because our community believes in us. (Please note, that the crowdfunding efforts were made possible due to a $25K grant and crowdfunding coaching from the Jrue & Lauren Holiday Social Impact Fund).

This whole experience of entrepreneurship has taught me that anything is possible for me, as long as my heart is in the right place and I keep showing up.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Bublr Bike Ride at the Milwaukee Lakefront An Embody Yoga class (of course!)
Sail Loft (a little restaurant off of the water. You can eat and watch the boats go by)
Milwaukee Art Museum
Paddles boats at the lakefront (clearly I like water)
Doctors Park (beautiful trails down to the lake and a small beach area-a hidden gem)
Indian Garden for dinner
Alice’s Garden
A Bucks game (if in season)
My house to chill on the patio, eat good food, play games, listen to R&B and light a fire
Brunch at Coffee Makes You Black

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to shout out my students from the early days of Embody Yoga, some of whom are still students of mine and one who has gone on to become a yoga teacher and now teaches at Embody Yoga. After my initial success with my first 6 week long beginners yoga program, there were some slow periods; times when I would only have 1-3 people in class. Those people, who kept showing up in the early days of Embody Yoga are the reason why we exist today.

Website: embodyyogamke.com

Instagram: embodyyogamke

Facebook: Facebook.com/embodyyogamke

Other: @justjoannabrooks on Insta