Small Business Spotlight - Pam // Steppingstone Haven
This interview was conducted as a part of YourLocalBizPro's Small Business Spotlight - Week 1. Pam, the founder and owner of Steppingstone Haven Yoga and Wellness Studio, was gracious enough to participate and provide discounted yoga classes to anyone who mentioned this blog post for the week 8/16/20 - 8/23/20.
What inspired you [Pam] to open your own yoga studio?
"My journey of self-reflection was ignited on September 11, 2001. I was a stay-at-home, Wall Street wife and mother of three children, whose life, like many that day, was forever changed. After losing so many friends, and my family business, we moved our family to South Carolina to start fresh. Although the intentions of the move were good, I was eventually faced with divorce, bankruptcy and serious health issues - all of which prompted me to turn to yoga, meditation and life-coaching.
I received my Master Life Coach Certification from Certified Life Coach Institute in January of 2020. Accommodating both group sessions and individual coaching sessions, I help women uncover their purpose through the different phases of their lives. My approach is an integrated one for self-discovery - incorporating yoga, meditation, social events, and collaboration with community partners.
Along with being a life coach, I am a full-time Media Strategist & Brand Ambassador in the healthcare industry. I love to travel, network and form alliances that provide opportunities for people to achieve their life goals and dreams.
After the quarantine in March 2020, I started #LetsBuildEachOtherUp which is a collaborative solution for supporting and promoting local businesses in the community."
Is there anyone from your childhood who encourages your entrepreneurial spirit? If not, is there anyone in your adult life who encourages your entrepreneurial spirit?
"I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit, however self-doubt and fear of failure held me back for some time. Between the encouragement of my late Aunt and my self-discovery journey, and the news of her yoga studio closing down, I decided to take the plunge and ask the owners of the yoga space if I could rent it and start my long-time dream of creating a safe haven for people who are interested in working towards living their best lives ever through community, collaboration and self-discovery."
What has been your biggest “success” as a small business owner?
"I think my biggest success has been setting an example of always evolving towards my most authentic self and inspiring others to do the same. The positive energy that this little studio generates is immense. Many people have expressed how they have found their home at 'The Haven'."
What has been your biggest “failure” as a small business owner? Remember, there is no such thing as a failure - only learning experiences and lessons learned…
"I don’t like to look at anything as a “failure”. I view that as lessons. The biggest lesson I’ve learned from opening my studio one month pre-quarantine is to “find the opportunity in the obstacle”. I was forced to close down the studio due to COVID-19. After three weeks of spiraling in uncertainty, I put my life coaching skills to the test and decided to pivot and shift into a success mindset, and created #LetsBuildEachOtherUp for the purpose of bringing local businesses together at this time to support one another. In addition, I put my root chakra to work and transformed the back entrance of the studio to a beautiful community garden of healing, which is now “the garden entrance” for classes that we have in the back studio. More than ever before, people need what our little studio has to offer. The post-quarantine response is fruitful and I am so happy that I am able to offer something of tremendous value to our community!
If you're interested in contacting Steppingstone Haven, they can be reached at 864-399-4428 or visited in person at 106 W. Curtis St., Simpsonville, SC 29681.
*Originally posted on August 24th, 2020*