Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Peralta.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
The biggest wake-up call which changed the course of my life was waking up one morning in tears not wanting to participate in my life, I was no longer wanting to engage in life: work, social commitments, and the interests I used to love. Later that day, I was diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and PTSD. The lethargy and the fog inside of me just kept getting bigger until I just didn’t want to participate in life anymore. I was once a happy and enthusiastic person, and the thought of “faking” it another day just wasn’t for me. I think the stigma on mental health needs to be addressed. And, from my own testimony, I know that mental health and awareness of it is vital.
Yes, getting the Sunday Blues or not feeling excited about work can be common for many people, but my experience felt uncommon to me. For the most part, I was living the life I thought I was supposed to have. I was a hard working event planner, enjoyed doing yoga and competing in half marathons and races, and had a fairly good life.
Honestly, under closer inspection, I was burned out and wished for something more. In the end, it may not have even been the jobs that stressed me out. It was ultimately the way I saw my life. I just didn’t know where to start of begin. The pressure to keep it all together, to be it all and do it all no longer worked for me. And, I finally had to make the transition from pursuing a lifestyle that would make me feel more fulfilled.
While working a full-time event planning job, I knew my next area of work was going to be about weaving in mindfulness, art and yoga. And, if it could be in a beautiful, exotic location, I would be totally happy with that. So, instead of spending my money on the next happy hour or big meal out with friends, I started to get make small steps.
I worked with a life coach. I attended art school. I got rid of most of the things in my apartment. I got my 200 hour yoga teacher training. I started saving $1,000 a month for a year. Each one of these tiny little steps led me to deciding I was going to be an artist and yoga teacher full-time. I walked away from a comfortable and mind-numbing and unfulfilled career in event planning to search for a way to inspire me and inspire others.
The last really eye-opening step for me was accepting the opportunity to move to Guatemala and take my teeny tiny company down there and teach art and yoga. Moving to another country where I did not know the language and did not have very many friends and business contacts was the scariest thing I have ever done. Then, when I realized that reverse culture shock is even more frightening than culture shock, I learned that returning to the States was an even more daunting transition for me.
I’ve been out of the cubicle life now since 2015 and I am happy to have taken the steps to create a movement. Where I teach people who to be more mindful through the movement of their bodies with yoga and teach them to become more creative beings. All the techniques that I teach and share are truly because I made it my responsibility to discover why I was so young and unhappy in 2010. Desperate to know what the root cause of my displeasure in life became a priority for me. And, if I am able to teach people to slow down, be more mindful, and to take care of themselves, I feel like this leap from 13 years of event planning to becoming an international yoga and art teacher has been worth it.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
This was not a smooth road. Every little tiny step was a struggle. Convincing myself that I am not crazy to want to go to art school after working a full day at the office was a struggle. Even having to convince myself to pay for yoga teacher training instead of running off to get an MBA and stay in the cubicles was a challenge. There is a very humbling feeling when you show up to a yoga studio and realize you have no students taking your class. Leaving what I was comfortable with to move to Latin America was a struggle. Having to learn a foreign language in order to make a living at the age of 38 was a struggle.
But each struggle was a valuable lesson in my growth. Every problem is just a gain. Because when you take your dreams seriously, the world will eventually take you seriously.
For the longest time, yoga teaching was just a side project. Until I built up the confidence to know that what I share with the world is valuable, I knew it would be hard for me to recover. Working for yourself is not for the faint of heart. Living in a different country and building your business in a new town is for the bold and courageous. But, I know my worth now, and I am confident that each struggle is just another lesson in my path.
If you are a woman wanting to be a yoga teacher or an artist, the biggest thing I can tell you is to develop your own passion for your work. Study. Take classes. Then find your own unique voice to the experience. People want to hear from you.
Your passion will build your confidence. And, be willing to take yourself seriously and give yourself enough time to try things. Don’t be attached to one result. Be prepared to have so many different paths to your success.
what should we know about ARTYOGAPLAY? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
After being an event planning and fundraising professional for well-known internationally recognized nonprofit educational and art institutions for almost 13 years, I am now in my fifth year of teaching yoga and art mainly in the Houston area. My unique spin to my work is that I use mindfulness tools in yoga to help strengthen and clear the body in order for people to be more creative beings.
As a digital entrepreneur, I also provide online consulting and creative coaching through online book clubs and specialized one-on-one mentoring. With a professional background in client relationships, print and digital communications and nonprofits in education and the arts, I enjoy providing clients with: creating career transitions, mentorship for creatives and emerging professional leaders, and teaching healthy, mindful and creative lifestyles.
In my fifth year of teaching, I am an up-and-coming wellness, creativity and mindfulness leader and artist. I now have a growing portfolio of yoga teaching and educational training in several cities including Houston, New York, Los Angeles, Guatemala City, Antigua, Lago Atitlan, Medellin, and Mexico.
Originally from Montreal and raised in Houston, I am a Registered RYT 200 yoga teacher from Big Power Yoga with art and design coursework from the Glassell School of Art. In 2015, I started working on my RYT 500 with Yogamaya in Chelsea NYC. When I’m not teaching and mentoring, I go on international travel adventures, crave running on the cobblestone streets of Antigua and the tree-lined trails around Houston, and being a connoisseur of tacos.
Who do you look up to? How have they inspired you?
Kimberly Wilson: She was the only person I knew when I was younger who was able to successfully leave an unfulfilled corporate life to open up several yoga studios, head up a nonprofit, create a fashion line, and get her Master’s in Social Work. At one point in my life, I would religiously listen to her podcasts, read her books, and check her blog. Kimberly gave me hope that one day I could walk away from my previously chosen path and find a new enlightened path.
Candie Kumai: She is a former fashion model who became a Cordon Bleu trained chef. She is an author and wellness expert. She has taught me so much about clean eating, healthy living, and providing ways for me to realize that my life is perfectly imperfect.
My mother: My mother did not have a very easy childhood. She grew up with a tough family. My mother was the first person to teach me how to take care of myself, dress nice, and have a little more confidence in myself. Even though I hate to admit it, my mom has a better sense of style and fashion than I do and my mom is incredibly intelligent and kind. I owe a lot of who I am to my mom.
Contact Info:
- Website: artyogaplay.wordpress.com
- Email: artyogaplay@gmail.com
- Instagram: artyogaplay
- Facebook: ART YOGA PLAY
- Twitter: artyogaplay
Image Credit:
Bhavin Misra
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
