160: Having A Point of View Makes You A Better Teacher + Studio Owner with Michael Jay
If you’ve ever dreamed of owning a yoga studio, or you are curious to hear what experts are saying about the yoga industry and its future-- this episode is for you!
In my first “podcast swap” I had an awesome conversation with Michael Jay, a long time teacher and yoga studio consultant who is also known as @YogaBizChamp.
Michael is a Certified Business Consultant who helps yoga studios open with impact and grow with intention. With 13 years of studio ownership under his belt—including surviving two recessions and eventually selling his profitable business—he now coaches studio owners across the globe through every stage of their journey. Whether you're launching your first space or trying to regain control of a growing studio, Michael brings real-world strategy, a marketing mind, and "in the trenches" support that meets you where you are. He also hosts the Yoga Biz Champ Podcast, the go-to resource for studio owners who want honest talk, real advice, and a solid game plan.
Together, we explore the evolving yoga industry, the role of studio owners in elevating their teachers, and why having a clear point of view is more powerful (and sustainable) than trying to be everything to everyone.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
how yoga studios have shifted from community-led to franchise-driven — and back again
why teachers fresh out of training aren’t always ready for studio life (and how to mentor them well)
the difference between “niching down” and developing a true teaching point of view
why your yoga studio is only as strong as the teachers who represent it
how community studios today can compete with franchise studios
real talk about industry changes, competition, and what makes studios sustainable in 2025 and beyond
Learn More From Michael:
This episode is sponsored by OfferingTree! Sign up at www.offeringtree.com/mentor to get 50% off your first three months (or 15% off any annual plan). With OfferingTree, yoga teachers put their schedule on a personally branded website where students can book classes and even pay or donate online.
Recent Podcast Episodes
Is yoga exclusively connected to Hinduism? What is the caste system and why would a western yoga teacher need to understand it? How much of yoga’s complex history do modern yoga practitioners and teachers really understand?
In this powerful and thought-provoking conversation, I welcome back Anjali Rao — yoga educator, activist, and author — to unpack the intertwined histories of yoga, caste, patriarchy, and colonization. Drawing from her new book Yoga as Embodied Resistance, Anjali challenges us to explore how caste hierarchies and colonial legacies still shape modern yoga spaces, language, and access to practice today.