Donation-Based Yoga: Does It Actually Work?

If we could go back and give our younger yoga teacher selves some business advice, we'd have A LOT to say. But first, naturally, we need to discuss some very important matters: Giana failing to acknowledge Bradshaw's social media post, his latest snack obsessions, the magic of Chicago Aldi, sour candy, fiber, and the ridiculous amount of phone tag we've been playing. We also catch up on our upcoming Costa Rica retreat for yoga teachers, because apparently we can squeeze a little business into even our most unhinged tangents.

This week, we're talking about the surprisingly lonely side of being a yoga teacher and why having friends who actually understand this weird job is so important. From studio politics and unspoken competition to professional jealousy, burnout, and the pressure to always be the one holding space, we're unpacking the challenges of finding genuine friendship in an industry that's supposedly all about community.

Have we reached the ultimate level of yoga snobbery… becoming snobby about Flowy Yoga Girl? This week, we’re calling ourselves out and asking: have we become yoga snobs?

This week, Bradshaw is back from teaching abroad and sharing stories from Prague and Oxford- from cultural differences in the yoga room to the things that surprised his students most. He reflects on how travel teaching has changed him as a teacher, what he’s learned from continually walking into rooms full of people who have never practiced with him before, and one universal observation he’s made about students no matter where in the world he teaches.

After a two-week break (and a whole lot of pre-recording), Giana and Bradshaw are finally back together for a much-needed catch-up episode, and a lot has happened! Giana shares reflections from giving birth and the first weeks of motherhood, from letting go of expectations and slowing down to putting nervous system regulation into practice when there’s a screaming baby in your arms. She talks about releasing the pressure to do things “right,” staying present through the unknown, the myth of having it all, and why she refuses to look back with regret. Meanwhile, Bradshaw catches us up on a summer of travel and retreats in Italy and Portugal. He reflects on the importance of letting go of control, choosing opportunities from a place of passion, and what it’s been like watching the community they’ve built through the podcast and Instagram come to life through real friendships and experiences around the world. This episode is less about having a lesson to teach and more about reflecting on the season we’re both in- birth, travel, change, community, surrender, and learning how to simply be present. We missed you. It feels good to be back.