Meet Lisa Pizzimenti

We were lucky to catch up with Lisa Pizzimenti recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lisa, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

The simple answer is… through my pain. I didn’t know it at the time, but all of those times spent crying on the bathroom floor, in my car, in my bed; feeling like there was nothing else left to live for, the one thought left in my head was “there is a reason why I’m going through this, and I don’t know what it is yet, but I will one day”. Having to navigate the loss of my mother, who was my best friend; and then shortly having to navigate my ex partner and a divorce to follow had me at an all time low. I felt like my whole world was set on fire, and all that was left was me sitting in a pile of ashes, not knowing where to start. My self-confidence was completely shot, I felt alone, and I no longer had a foundation. There was one thing I knew I wanted, and that was to heal. So I embarked on a journey of healing. It was through this journey that I found my purpose. Healing is not linear. The best way I can describe it is that it looks like the end result of giving a toddler a crayon and a piece of paper. However, it is worth it. Through having to navigate grief, which is any form of loss, I collected a backpack filled with tools that helped me along the way. Parallel to this, I started to do at home yoga videos during the covid pandemic. They say if you don’t let your pain out, it’ll manifest in other ways- drinking, drugs, over-working… anything to numb the pain. For me, I’d be drinking wine by night and doing yoga by day. I knew I needed a change, so my neighbour (who was also my life coach at the time) suggested that we go on a one week cleanse and it helped! She opened my eyes to understand that we need to stop numbing the pain, and address it. This was scary, but I felt like living the rest of my life trying to numb my pain was scarier. So, I continued to explore the world of yoga. What I’ve come to realize is that when you are meant to do something (your purpose), the universe will align things so it works out. My therapist had suggested that I try new hobbies, get out and meet new people who would become “my kind of people”. The next day, scrolling on Instagram, I came across an ad for the Toronto Yoga Conference. So, I signed up and went on my own! I went to a workshop called Happy Jack Yoga and through Jack telling his story of struggle, and sitting in a room filled with people just like me- all wanting to heal from pain, I felt like I finally found my people. I remember talking to Jack and he looked into my eyes and said “You’re meant to be a yoga teacher. I can see it. The world needs more people like you.” Those words resonated with me and sparked hope that my dream of being a yoga teacher could come true. Happy Jack Yoga was also offering a contest for five free scholarships for yoga teacher training that weekend, so I entered. The next week I received an email with the list of winners and the number four spot had my name written across it. I was crying and jumping for joy all at the same time, and I knew in that moment that this was part of my new purpose in life. Within one year, I became a certified yoga instructor and started my own yoga and wellness business. It naturally sparked joy back into my life after 6 years, and that’s how I knew it was the right path. Being a full time elementary school teacher for over 10 years had me feeling burnt out, and I was ready for a new journey. I thought that was my purpose, and maybe it was at the time, but I knew I had gone through these trials for a reason. Talk about finding purpose through your pain, I created workshops that each had a different theme. From self-love, to grief, to gratitude and play, I knew I wanted to hold space for others to come and heal. This was my new purpose. I didn’t want others to have to navigate grief alone like I did. I didn’t want people (particularly women) to feel helpless after a divorce or relationship. I wanted them to learn how to love themselves again. Simply put, I knew my purpose was to be that hand they could reach for when they too were left sitting in a pile ashes.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

As a freelance yoga & wellness instructor, I thoroughly enjoy infusing my brand with creativity. My business, Yogawithlisap, is a place where people can reconnect with themselves through yoga and play. I believe that yoga is for everybody and everyBODY. No matter what level you’re at or even if you’ve never tried it before. The base of yoga is breath, so if you can breathe, you can do yoga! My business offers a variety of services, from themed workshops, to yoga classes, to one-on-one sessions, and events. Events include: employee wellness programs, birthday parties, girls nights, office gatherings, school events, bachelorette parties, and more! Each workshop includes: breath work, meditation, reflective journaling, a creative take home gift, and a yoga flow all catered to a theme. Interested in a particular topic? Explore the variety of workshop themes such as: self-love, gratitude, grief, inner-child/play, female empowerment, seasons, finding peace, de-stressing, confidence building, finding your purpose, intentions, teacher burn-out, vision boards, healing techniques, creative writing & poetry, and many more!

I’ve also been in the process of planning some awesome retreats, so feel free to sign up for my e-mail list via my website: www.yogawithlisap.com and follow me on Instagram @yogawithlisap for my latest updates.

If you’re interested in art pieces, I also sell my acrylic paintings. They are one-of-a-kind energy based paintings done on canvas. Check them out on my website under the “Shop” tab.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Empathy
A quality that I feel has helped in re-building the person I am today is empathy. I had to learn to be kind to myself through this process. When I was opening up the wounds of past versions of me, I had to learn to let her know that she was safe and loved so that she could cry and scream and be honest about how people and events in her past hurt her. Most importantly, I had to let her know that she was safe to express how she felt. Honour your emotions was a vow I took and I knew I couldn’t do that without having empathy for myself. To this day, when I am hard on myself for procrastinating or feeling triggered by something, I stop and tell myself “You are allowed to feel the way you do. It’s okay, you are safe. I see you _______ (insert feeling). I acknowledge you. When you are ready, I let you go.” This has been a game-changer, because when it comes down to it, it’s really just our inner child speaking to us, and how can you not be empathetic to a little child (especially if that child is you).

Curiosity
Get excited! Being curious about healing, about grief, about yoga is what led me to where I am today. If I saw something that piqued my interest, I learned not to ignore it, but rather to get even more curious about it. Through this, I was able to go on two of my first solo trips to British Columbia and Sedona. This built my self-confidence because I was exploring on my own, but it also taught me to also ask others for help. For example, when I was hiking up red rock mountains in Sedona, I realized I was too scared to come back down on my own. So after my prayers of hoping someone was at the top were answered, I asked them if they wouldn’t mind leading me back down, and I met some awesome people through this. I’ve learned that curiosity breeds questions, and asking questions leads to building connections, and this is how I was able to venture out on to a new path with a new purpose. I was curious about teaching yoga and so I went to the yoga conference, and that led me to meeting Happy Jack, which in turn led me to my yoga teaching scholarship; which is what sparked joy back into my life. Little Lisa became more curious and I had to learn to let her. After all, what do children do when they are curious? They explore! At this point, I adapted the quote Cinderella’s mother told her “Have courage, and be kind”. Kindness is what allowed me to be curious, and courage is what allowed me to explore.

Healing & Spirituality
An area of knowledge that was most impactful on my journey was learning more about the process of healing and how spirituality ties into that. There were a variety of healing resources I explored along my journey that have been quite helpful. I found a therapist that I meshed well with, and an intuitive life-coach who taught me how to trust myself and rebuild my life path. I also attended different healing workshops (simply by googling them), and I read books and listened to podcasts about grief, manifestation, self-love, and entrepreneurship. I picked up painting as a new hobby, and learned that it was also a healing modality. Then of course, I embarked into the wonderful world of yoga and that connected the mind, body and spirit relationship within me.

I’ve always been an intuitive person, but that gift grew stronger after my mom passed. I felt torn because I had this anger towards a higher power, but I also knew that the same higher power was allowing me to connect with my mom. So, I explored the topic of spirituality more, and I learned that everyone is simply on their own journey with it. Some people experience it in nature, others experience it in a place of worship, and some may feel like it’s not there at all. I think the bottom line is that it’s a personal journey, and for me it helped reinstill hope, especially when I was at my lowest points. I knew there was something greater, a power that guides and uplifts. The feeling of tingles paired with a calming peaceful energy that would wash over me when I took the time to connect with myself; it was beyond what a book, documentary, or podcast could teach me. Personally, I’ve learned that I got to define what spirituality means to me through this process. I find it when I step onto my yoga mat, when I’m leading a workshop, when I’m climbing a mountain in Sedona, when I’m saying my prayers at home or in church, and when I feel my mom (and loved ones passed) send signs of roses, feathers, coins or in songs. Both healing and spirituality are such interesting topics because they have such a vast amount of knowledge that is beneficial to all areas of human life.

The best advice I can give to those who are early on in their journey in terms of how to best develop these areas, is to take it one day at a time and pick just one action item to focus on. As they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the same goes for you. If you’re wanting to rebuild your foundation, just do it brick by brick. Maybe this month that brick is sparking your curiosity about a new hobby for yourself and your goal will be to act on it, or take it slow and simply make a list of hobbies you may enjoy. Next month, pick up a new brick and that could be journaling about the ways you feel you are hard on yourself, then practice empathy by picturing yourself comforting your inner child when they have done the same thing. Another wonderful technique to practice empathy is to sit in a quiet space, close your eyes, and picture your inner child. Then, ask your inner child “How do you feel right now?”, and wait for the answer. Then, ask your inner child “What do you need?”, and wait for that answer. Follow this up, by acting on what your inner child is asking for and you will feel an inner peace and kindness start to form. This is where you can build your empathy. For me, I practice the inner-child self reflection often because I know how beneficial it is. A lot of healing has to do with unlearning what we were taught growing up, and the best way to do that is to acknowledge what it is you want to change, then practice doing it.

In regards to learning about the topics of healing and spirituality, start with one that peaks your curiosity. Then, listen to a podcast, watch a documentary, purchase a book, or go to a workshop on that topic and you’ll find it’ll open up other doors to sub-topics that you may resonate with more. From there, pick one modality to try, and see if it helps. For example, I was curious about sound baths, so I went to a sound bath workshop by Heart Rock Sanctuary and I loved it! There are so many healing and spiritual modalities out there, and it’s simply about exploring them to find which ones work for you. After my mom passed away, I read a book called Good Grief by Theresa Caputo and it was the first thing that started to make that giant hole in my chest feel like there was hope of it healing. I have recommended that book to anyone I’ve come across who has lost somebody. Will it have the exact same impact it did on me? I’m not sure, but I feel like if we find something that works for us, it’s always worth it to suggest it to others; even if it doesn’t have the same effect. At the end of the day, I came to realize that it only makes sense to take life one day at a time, because the truth is that we’re not promised tomorrow. So find what brings you joy, what helps bring a little bit of peace back into your life, and don’t be afraid to try something new because chances are it just might be that new spark you’re looking for.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

The most impactful thing my parents did for me was to teach me to maintain a positive mindset, to try my best in all that I do, and to travel in order to appreciate what you have. However, there is one thing my parents taught me that I don’t think they were aware of, and it was simply through me observing them. This was the notion that you build strength through adversity.

My mom was in the hospital for 4 months and I lived by her side. She had a rare form of blood cancer which would make her skin blister at the sight of any UV light (even some indoor lighting). The chemo medication she was taking before made her frail and susceptible to infections. Needless to say, it was hard watching her struggle to eat, put socks on, or get up to walk to the bathroom. There were blood stains from her broken skin, but everyday she would find something to be positive about (even the hospital food!). It was through this experience, that I knew if my mother stayed that strong for so long, then I could too. Dealing with her loss, navigating an unfaithful ex-husband and a divorce, somehow didn’t seem as bad as what I saw my mother go through- so I just kept going.

My father always told my siblings and I to try the absolute best in all that we do, so that way if we fail, we won’t have any regrets. Pair this with a positive mindset, and you have a father who has shown his children that anything is possible. For example, after my mom passed my father had to learn how to cook. He burnt Minute Maid rice a few times, but he was determined to make that rice, and he did! To this day, he’s one of the best cooks I know! He adapted the mentality that we were going to honour my mom by celebrating her life, yet again encouraging us to look through a positive lens in life.

Finally, my parents gifted my siblings and I with the love of travel. They would take us to Mexico on vacation, but my father would always ensure he took us off of the resort to see what life was like for kids who didn’t have what we did. It taught us to appreciate all that we do have, and to help others in need when we can. Moreover, this love of travel opened our horizons to the beauty of experiencing different cultures and cuisines. To this day, we all still travel and love hearing about each other’s adventures.

Overall, it was having a positive mind set that kept me going. Now realising that we go through hardships because we are meant to help others who will be going through something similar, has made me be grateful for my experiences, because now I’m able to help others. I continue to try my best in all that I do, especially with embarking on a new career path. Whether it’s planning a new workshop, hosting a birthday yoga flow, or creating an encouraging instagram post, I always ensure it has my 110% effort attached to it. This effort also flows into my love of travel and the appreciation I have for new places and people I meet. It allows me to look for the hidden gems and talk to locals about what they love most about where they live. Finally, I’m truly grateful for the unspoken lesson my parents taught me about finding strength through adversity. I’ve come to realise that what fueled them as they went through their adversities was love, and it’s that same love that I use to encourage others to keep going.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.yogawithlisap.com
• Instagram: @yogawithlisap
• Linkedin: Lisa Pizzimenti

Image Credits

Rayan Ayash (for the family photo)