Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ava Pendl, Founder of Academy of Breath™, located in Austin, TX, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
The Academy of Breath™ is a 12-week online training founded with the intention to bring more meditation + breath healers into the world by empowering you to take your own daily practice to the next level. Embodiment of these practices is the foundation of any personal mastery equipping you with the tools to thrive in all areas of life - relationships, intuition, career, and Self.
By the end of the 12 weeks, you'll be on a fast track to confidently share your voice as a teacher, connecting to your purpose, and finding clarity on your path to the inevitable success that comes from living in alignment. Whether you are a yoga teacher, a coach, or a healer, the Academy of Breath™ is meant to expand your core offering and empower your clients to experience self-healing through breathwork and meditation. The techniques you will learn are accessibly formatted for a modern audience, blending spirituality with proven science.
Tell us about yourself
I found breathwork and meditation at a time in my life when I was experiencing 72-hour migraines every other week and was so unaware of the effects of burnout while working a marketing job at a start up in San Diego. Very quickly after creating a relationship with these practices, I started teaching them in studios, with top wellness brands, and with clients in a 1:1 setting. After seeing the effect of breathwork and meditation in my own life, business and relationships ripple into the lives of my clients and students; I knew I wanted to get these tools into the hands of even more teachers, coaches, and healers across the globe. The Academy of Breath started in June 2020, and since then, we've welcomed over 450 students across the world. Hearing their success stories constantly fuels me to keep sharing and spreading these practices.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
The ripple effect that our 12-week breathwork and meditation certification inside of The Academy of Breath has created. Not only have we certified hundreds of teachers, but the impact they are making by sharing the different breathwork and meditation techniques is helping to reduce stress across the world, increase happiness and well-being, and elevate our connection with each other as human beings.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
There are less and less people that really understand what it takes to lead at a high level, so mentorship has always been a huge priority and value of mine as we've grown over the past four years.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Stay in your own lane and have practices that connect you to yourself on a daily basis (like meditation and breathwork) so that you are minimizing imposter syndrome, comparison and fear while increasing creativity, confidence, and personal power.
- Get a mentor to support you so you can learn from their journey, be exposed to new ways of thinking, and see how they lead in their life and business.
- Make decisions from your future instead of your past.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.academyofbreath.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theacademyofbreath
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamavajohanna/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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