Tiffanie Luellen: Left Corporate America and Became a Certified Yoga Instructor

I had the pleasure of meeting Tiffanie at an All White Brunch where the both of us were speaking in Atlanta, Ga. I connected with her because our daily rituals were similar which we spoke about how meditation, affirmations, and trusting God had changed our lives and business. I decided to interview her because I know there is an entrepreneur or a woman looking to find balance in her life. What better way to share on Get Inspired with Zeta J…

Finding Balance

Tell us a little about yourself.

I am originally from Gary, Indiana. I attended Tennessee State in Nashville and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting. I am a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Certified Yoga Instructor. I worked for various big named companies over my tenure and end my corporate career as an Accounting Manager. I created Jaiona’s Yoga Closet in 2015.

What lead you to start your business?

After collecting a diverse set of professional experiences in corporate, I recognized that the solution to stability in one’s professional and personal life was mindfulness. Mindfulness is increasing our awareness of our mind and body and accepting ourselves as we are. Mindfulness can be taught through yoga and meditation. This realization prompted the creation of Jaiona’s Yoga Closet, where my mission is to enhance the overall health and well-being of my clients through body awareness, breathing techniques, and yoga postures.

Through yoga and meditation, I became aligned with my purpose and aspire for my clients to achieve the same.

Did you have thousands of dollars saved before you launched your business? And if not how did you manage to stay afloat?

I’ve always been pretty good about saving. However, when I launched my business I still had a full-time job as an Accounting Manager so I funded my business with my paychecks. I would cut back in other areas so that I could bring my vision to fruition. With each purchase, I would spend time reflecting on it and then researching just to make sure I was getting the best value for each dollar spent. In 2017, I decided to expand my vision but focusing completely on my business so I did leave my corporate job. I’d been planning my exit for at least a year so I was able to save some money so far, I’ve been able to stay afloat. I had a couple clients from the previous year that have stuck with me and I’ve been gaining new ones as well.

What are some challenges you have experienced that you wish someone would have told you before starting your business?

I wish I had learned earlier the importance of networking. You can have a great service or product but if no one knows you exist who is going to buy it. In all honesty, prior to starting my business, I didn’t see the value in networking so I stayed away from that arena for a long time. It is now something I’m learning to do. It’s been a great experience and I blog about both my networking experiences and adventures into self-employment. Returnoferos.com is a blog I created five years ago to share my life, travel and spiritual experiences.

What services do you offer? And which one is beneficial for an entrepreneur because we know this journey is very spiritual?

I offer a variety of yoga and meditation classes and workshops in metro Atlanta. I am mainly based out of Atlanta but travel to Washington DC and Los Angeles for special events and workshops. Yoga and Meditation would be most beneficial to an entrepreneur. My style of teaching is meditative in nature so my classes tend to move at a slower pace with the intent of allowing students to quiet the mind. In the silence, we can hear a higher power and our inner voice more clearly. In the silence, we can begin changing the way we think and our life.

“For what we think, we become.”

Meditation gives you a platform to create new opportunities and visualizes new possibilities.

What’s on your calendar for the remainder of the year?

I have a couple of retreats planned for 2017. I partnered with @Iamcoachkelli a Spiritual Life Coach and we will be hosting a Spiritual Retreat in September in the Atlanta area. It will be a weekend of spiritual solitude, relaxation, yoga, and meditation. Attendees will be able to renew, reflect and release as we bring in the fall equinox.

In October, I will be a Guest Host Instructor for a Hiking and Yoga Retreat in Spain. Guest can expect beautiful accommodation surrounded by nature, fresh vegetarian meals and practice a variety of yoga styles with different instructors immersed in the peace of nature.

In November, I will be hosting a networking event focused on “Walking in Your Purpose”. The event will include a panel of entrepreneurs who have turned their passion into their purpose.

Registration for all three events is still open visit jaionascloset.com/

I have to three events coming up