Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Bitsy Merriman and Erin Kennedy. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Bitsy & Erin, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
We were all experiencing a sense of isolation and loss during the pandemic, coupled with changes driven by online classes and a lack of human interaction. The yoga industry was also changing causing us to rethink our passion, how and where to teach and how to create a vibrant learning community.
As we talked and worked together, we realized what was most important to us…a place to belong, to have fun, share and have ongoing friendships. We wanted a place to land, on any given day or time, a place to belong to for all and a place that could feed our souls.
The place we built, Laughing Elephant Yoga, is inspired by Ganesha, one of the most popular and well-known Hindu deities. With an elephant head and a round potbelly, Ganesha empowers as the “remover of obstacles” but also resides in support over the realms of wisdom, luck, doorways, household, and writing. We love the “trunks up” visual of finding joy through collective wisdom and flow. If we’re not laughing, then what are we doing here?
Our purpose became our manifesto: which opens with: “We believe in the importance of belonging. We believe that feeling safe and seen is what makes a home, in this busy world. We are here to be your hOMe. Your uniqueness deserves a place to unfold and unfurl itself. YOUR body, mind and spirit deserve the space and assistance to GLOW and FLOW. We are a collection of diverse souls, gifts and vantage points that exist beyond the boundaries of a building. We are a COMMUNITY.”
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
The people who make up our community are our passion – and they fuel our energy, creativity, and empowerment to deliver an exemplary experience for them. We work each day as a team to cultivate the right teachers to serve our students, the right mix of classes, the right practitioners to provide a breadth of mindfulness and spa offerings, and the right tone/environmental comforts so that our staff and our members can call our place hOMe.
Both of us are certified yoga teachers with experiences in a variety of methodologies coupled with work experience in the corporate world of hospitality, customer service, sales, marketing, training, and business management. We both have families, children and one of us has four grandchildren. Our families support the studio and our passion.
We are committed to our community, like family, by providing education, connection, creativity, and support on the yoga mat and off. In return, we call on our members to contribute their ideas, presence, and talents to grow our voices into a garden of energy and love. We are on life’s journey together, expanding and learning as a community. In that spirit of community, we offer more to ourselves and others every day.
At Laughing Elephant Yoga (LEY) our community colors our canvas, and the more the better. We are also here and ready for feedback. Open hearts and open (elephant) ears. To be truly accepting of all who enter this hOMe means we want to offer classes and services that connect to our diverse community’s needs. Diversity promotes expansion and every one of us has something to learn from the stories and perspectives of those around us. We proudly welcome and lift up humans of all shapes, sizes, ages, backgrounds, beliefs, orientation and abilities. When we say you belong here, we mean it.
LEY is a growing garden, evolving with each season. No one is perfect, including us, which is why compassion, curiosity and a sense of humor is something we want to share with you every step of the way.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
- Learning from mistakes – fail forward. Acknowledge them with grace, develop next steps for the next time.
- Progress, not perfection. Allow yourself grace and ease to not be perfect. Allow space to evolve, play, practice and experiment.
- Hire to your weaknesses – spend the money to hire the talent needed for success.
- Patience
- Important to be able to plan the strategic vision; yet implement the daily operational “to do’s”
- Ability to Flex
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
Our parents taught us resilience, independence, to trust in ourselves, the value of hard work and discipline, and compassion for the world around us. We grew up with mothers who went to college, worked and had viable careers. We were empowered to work hard for what we wanted at a time when women were not always encouraged to break traditional boundaries and establish careers outside of the home.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.laughingelephantyoga.com
- Instagram: @leyogawnc
- Facebook: leyogawnc
Image Credits
James St. Clair photography for in studio shots of classes and headshots
