Hey there, wellness entrepreneur! Welcome back.
This week on the blog, I’m honored to have on special guest, Alyssa Morales. She’s in The Awaken Mastermind, and we talk all about how she signed her first yoga therapy clients and how she worked with deciding to niche in certain areas of yoga and what really worked for her to create momentum in her yoga therapy practice. So I’m excited for you to get these tidbits and read about them.
And congratulations, Alyssa, on all your hard work and success. I see so much abundance coming to your feature. And you can find Alyssa on IG at alyssa_ytsol. All right, enjoy!
Alison: Alyssa Morales is a yoga therapist and you’re gonna hear about all her skills and how she helps people utilizing yoga therapy. Alyssa, welcome.
Alyssa: Hi, Alison! And thank you so much for having me on today.
Alison: Yeah! Thanks for coming on here.
Question to Alyssa: So tell everyone, because you work with people with yoga therapy and kind of a couple of different options. So tell them, and you’re in a unique position from a lot of my other clients, so tell everyone, the work you’re doing to these days and all your capacities.
Alyssa: Absolutely. So I, as you stated, I’m a yoga therapist and I practice at Mount Hope Chiropractic and Wellness in Penfield, New York. That is where that little unique position comes in is that I’m not practicing solely. I practice within a chiropractic and wellness office. So within the clinic, I have a program that is geared towards folks with orthopedic injuries and pain. And I use yoga therapy to support them in healing from pain and injury through a holistic lens. And then outside of the office, I work in re-entry spaces, which are, I mean, you can consider those spaces as folks who are returning home post-incarceration and looking for support, transitioning back home with all the stressors that accompany making that move.
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Alison: Yeah, yeah, that’s huge. And you also help people reduce anxiety too, right?
Alyssa: Yes, oh, thank you. Yeah, that’s a big fear. Mental health support as well – anxiety, depression, the whole gamut.
Alison: Awesome! I love that.
Question to Alyssa: So when you first started working with me, you had just started in the chiropractic office, getting their yoga therapy program off the ground. So tell everyone kind of what that was like and the first things we did together to get the ball rolling. And then we’ll also talk about where you are specifically these days so people can understand like where you started and where you are now, kind of the journey.
Alyssa: Yeah, absolutely. So for those who don’t know, yoga therapy is a growing field. So when you come out of school, most people choose to go into private practice. And I was fortunate enough to have a community member who was willing to take me on as he expanded his practice into two locations. So what that kind of looked like was he didn’t really know much about yoga therapy and I was spearheading the whole thing, but I had also just graduated in August. I’m almost a year out from graduation. So I was the last, just with the wilderness, trying to explore how to build a business within a business.
And so I reached out to some connections that I had from school and was referred to you. And the first thing I did was book that discovery call and I was very impressed with just the few tidbits that you gave me and I was interested in more. And then when I decided to move forward and join the group calls, that is when everything shifted.
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I would say right before I started working with you, I was overwhelmed, chronically stressed. I felt like I was putting things out into the business space, trying to meet with people and nothing was landing. And I had my first moment of clarity in terms of programming and structuring programs and working with clients after our first call. I remember that like it was yesterday.
Alison: Yeah, yeah! I love that. And I mean, what your experience is so normal, all of us have felt that period of overwhelm and confusion and what to do to like, just tell me what to do, show me the steps. Ever knowing where to focus or prioritize your time.
Question to Alyssa: I remember when you first started, we created your wellness packages. We created that as in the marketing world, they would say the funnel of like, okay, if people are coming into the office, we’re gonna meet with them on a consult. What do we say on the consult? And then we created the packages that you felt comfortable selling in the office. And you did! You converted really well off those consults and into your packages. So tell everyone about that process a little bit.
Alyssa: The idea of packages was relatively newer to me, but what I loved about our time together was not only were you coaching me through the business side of why it’s profitable and create streamlined income to create packages, but also that actually supports sustained wellness and healing with clients.
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So even just the way that we came about the packages, you didn’t throw arbitrary numbers out to me. You said, “Okay, well, let’s talk about what clients are coming to you for and how long do you think they’ll need support for?” And so we created three different packages and the largest package is actually the most popular option, which has been great for me.
And as a yoga therapist, because within yoga therapy, a lot of the work happens in the nervous system, which can take longer. And so when I have more time to spend with a client, they really start to feel, see, think all about their differences and they become stronger and healthier over time. So not only did it support tangibly and financially, but also just bolstering the practice as a whole.
Alison: Yeah! Awesome.
Question to Alyssa: And let’s talk about the consults a little bit, because a lot of people, myself included, get hung up here like, okay, how do I do this in an aligned way that doesn’t feel like icky and slimy, but yet I’m still getting clients that say yes and wanna work with me.
Alyssa: Yeah, that was definitely me. I have no prior sales experience. So the consults were, they were different for me to walk into, but the process that you taught made it very simple. It was very concise and I knew what to listen for, what questions to ask to really pull out of a conversation, what the client is looking for support with, and even responses of, “Okay, these are ways that we can meet those goals.” And so the consults first started as something daunting when I had more or less of a perspective of, “Okay, I have to ‘sell’ this person on yoga therapy.” And now they’ve just become honest, authentic conversations where there is a natural progression into the program because the support that they’re looking for, they found.
Alison: Yeah, yeah. And you’ve done the work like coming to calls, asking the questions to like help get there. So big congratulations to you.
Alyssa: Thank you.
Question to Alyssa: And so with that work right there, what’s the practice inside that chiropractic office like now?
Alyssa: It is so different. I think when I met you, I had maybe one or two clients who were coming like maybe once or twice a month and it was hard to track them down. And now I’m up to 11 clients who come consistently. And everyone is on a package and people are starting to see the results and my practitioner skills are growing. So also is my confidence, my ability to be enthusiastic and curious with my clients. It’s night and day.
Alison: And this is in like four months you’ve done it!
Alyssa: Yeah, it’s crazy.
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Question to Alyssa: And you also just hosted your first live in-person workshop. So congrats on that too. So tell us a little bit about that process and how you felt during it, because sometimes, I know I’m an introvert, I was like teaching my first workshops. I was very nervous and kind of shy about it. So walk everyone through that.
Alyssa: Yeah, absolutely. I think that the one good thing that I had going before this workshop is that I’ve been doing public speaking since I was in high school. So the nerves of getting up in front of others wasn’t too much of a concern, but what was a concern was how to translate the program to meet a specific need or to meet a specific goal that someone was working on when you’re in front of a lot of people.
In a consult, it’s a little bit different because you can speak to one person in depth about what they’re looking for support with. So working through your portal and coming on calls and getting structured support of how to build not only the presentation, but also the interaction with the audience and with the people that came was super helpful. And by the time I got to the workshop, I was completely confident and it went very well. And I also walked away with a lot of new areas for growth and refinement, which is another skill that I believe that I’ve really learned from you is how to refine and how to reflect on every single step that I make in the business.
Alison: Yeah!
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Question to Alyssa: And how’s that helped you to prioritize because you’re busy, right? And your boss is always throwing things at you to do or teach another class and whatnot. So how do you make it all work and fit in because of that? Do you know what to prioritize or how do you stay focused?
Alyssa: I would say there are two ways. The first is my own personal practice as a yoga therapist. I believe that I can’t do my work unless I’m taking care of myself, which was a huge reason that I decided to join your program because you keep the wellness entrepreneur at the seat of their own business. And the second way is through kind of looking at through that funnel analogy that you gave me of where are the opportunities that will lead to consults, that will lead to building the program and prioritizing working on those and then making the other thing second or third and just watching kind of what happens as that structure builds. And as you’ve taught me as well, I’m always refining and I think I will be for the rest of my life, but every step I get a little bit stronger and more confident in that area.
Alison: Yeah! Exactly. We all are. That’s the whole evolution as an entrepreneur. The growth never stops, but it doesn’t mean we don’t work with clients and help with them along the way. And now you have all these skills. If you ever wanted to go off on your own, you can totally do that. And you can replicate it in any of the other niches that you were talking about. If you want to work with people who have been incarcerated and want to come back into society or those teens.
I know we’ve talked about a teen group helping them to reduce anxiety and grow confidence, which is so important as I have a nine-year-old going on 16.
Alyssa: So you know, yes.
Alison: So important. She just came to actually, she just went to, it’s not her first yoga class. She’s been to other yoga classes with me before and kids’ yoga classes. But last night, she went to her first like adult yoga class with me. She loved it. She did so good. She did so good. That’s just, it’s just such a special thing to see kids embrace yoga because it can just help them on so many levels. So anyway, side note, but I thought you would enjoy that story.
Question to Alyssa: With all this, we also had conversations about your schedule and communication with your boss because you know, you were doing a lot and teaching. For example, at one point you were teaching many classes a week and we had to refine that a little bit. So tell us a little bit about that process and how that the change is now for you.
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Alyssa: I think when we first started working together, I wasn’t really quite sure what I was building yet. And so in my relationship with my boss, that translated as uncertainty and lack of confidence. But over time as you and I built out the programs, the pricing, the workshops, the structure, I became more and more confident in asking for what it was that I needed and what it is that I need. And I’ve found that that’s just become a faster process now because I know where we’re headed and I feel strong and capable of like leading within the yoga therapy space. But that was definitely dicey for a while, but as I’m learning and growing within the program, I’m finding where my attention is best spent not only to grow the business, but also to support my clients.
Alison: Yeah! Because now you’re working with a lot of clients, you’re teaching classes and you have that experience and those skills like under your belt now, which you can do anywhere.
Alyssa: Yeah! Which feels really good that it’s not just confined to within the practice.
Alison: Yeah, I love that.
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Question to Alyssa: So if there is anyone like in your position, they’re just graduating from yoga therapy school, they’re kind of wondering what to do and maybe they are unsure of starting their own business and considering working for someone else, what would you, or maybe they do wanna start their own business. Either way, what advice would you give them?
Alyssa: Well, I think truthfully, the first thing would be to look you up. Absolutely, 100%. And then if in that dialogue or in that discussion, if someone came back with any resistance points, I would just ask them to be open-minded and curious and really dream big about what’s possible for themselves graduating from school, building a business, and to book that discovery call with you. Because even just doing that, you’re staying curious, you’re staying open-minded and you’re really allowing yourself to receive the fullness of what you’ve been studying and what you’ve been working so hard for up until this point.
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Alison: I love that. Well, congratulations on all your success. You have a whole world of yoga therapy options available to you now that you have all these skills. It’s just, you’re just gonna, as you said, keep getting better and things are gonna be happening smoother and faster for you, which just opens up to so many possibilities.
Question to Alyssa: So what’s next for you? Do you know?
Alyssa: I have a couple of different things. I’m very excited. I’m hoping to offer not only in-person events or in sessions, but also virtual. And then expanding where I offer workshops. And then also in the community, I’m working with a campaign that’s supporting some bills being passed within the New York State Prison System. And I’m hoping to bring a yoga therapy program into the prisons underneath one of those new bills once it gets passed. The last thing.
Alison: Love all that. Can’t wait to get going on that. It’s amazing. Well, thank you so much for your time and showing up today.
Question to Alyssa: Is there any other like parting words of wisdom you wanna offer anyone looking to build a practice and if they feel stuck or struggling?
Alyssa: I would say just take a few quiet moments and identify where that stuck point is in your body, your breath, or even in your mind and what thoughts. Drop those thoughts down, book that discovery call and share those thoughts with Alison. Truthfully, that’s it.
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Alison: That simple. And I mean, really, like you just like highlighted here how simple the process can be when we are working through that mindset and have a strategy. It can actually be quite simple. Not that it always feels easy, right? There’s still challenging moments, but we are showing progress and you can see the results of working through those challenges.
Alyssa: Oh, absolutely. I mean, that was a huge thing within! I know this goes back to the consults, but what you shared about barriers or obstacles within like, for example, like finances. It’s either a real budget issue or a mindset. And in both areas, you can ask questions and explore more deeply and really find what the need is or the desire is at the end of it and find a fit. Like there’s never, at least since working with you, I don’t see as anything as a closed door. There’s always something to be learned or somewhere to go from that place.
Alison: Yeah! I love that. Well, thanks for all your golden words of wisdom today.
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Question to Alyssa: Where can they find you if they wanna look you up and follow on your journey here?
Alyssa: A couple of different places. You can go to our website. That’s mthopechiropractic.com. And I am practicing at the Penfield location. We have two. Or you can find me on Instagram, alyssa_ytsol.
Alison: Awesome, love it. We’ll put it in the show notes and you can go give her a follow. And thank you so much for coming on today. Thank you, Alyssa.
Alyssa: And this is a joy to be here and it’s a joy to work with you.
Alison: Yeah, you too.
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