February 11, 2026 • 22 mins
Conscious leadership in a wellness business is forged through discipline, friction, and a willingness to commit fully — some visions are born from stillness.
In this episode, Paul Teodo shares his perspective on building The In Movement from the inside out. Not as a sudden leap, but as the result of years of partnership, responsibility, and choosing purpose over comfort.
Paul speaks openly about what felt missing in the wellness culture around him, and why devotion, structure, and service are just as essential as softness and self love. He reflects on fatherhood, leadership, and the tension between nurturing and challenge, offering a grounded look at what it takes to build something that asks more of the people inside it.
This conversation is not about branding or aesthetics. It is about standards, integrity, and the quiet courage required to say “I am all in” and mean it.
Episode Chapters:
00:00 – Why this studio began as an idea years ago
02:40 – The deeper spark behind creating this space
04:51 – What felt missing in the wellness culture
05:30 – Feminine healing and masculine purpose
07:27 – Discipline, provocation, and asking harder questions
09:01 – Fatherhood and redefining leadership
10:19 – Trust, roles, and long-term collaboration
11:41 – Working with your partner and setting boundaries
15:38 – Regulation, stress, and self care practices
16:25 – When the project almost did not happen
18:49 – Community, standards, and shared purpose
20:01 – What this space is asking of Paul now
Mentions & Resources:
Michael Henri’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelyoga.pt/
Paul Teodo’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stories/teodoyogaguitar/
The IN Movement Instagram: https://www.instagram/com/the_in_movement/
The IN Movement Podcast was formerly the Going Pro Yoga Podcast — and before that, the Yoga Teacher Evolution Podcast and the Rat Race Rebellion Podcast. Same mission, evolved name.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hey there, before we get startedon this week's episode, I would
love to ask for your support by reviewing this podcast.
We want to share yoga with as many people as possible and this
free resource, this podcast is one of the ways that we can do
that. And the best way that you can
help support us is by giving us a review.
So if you go to Apple podcast orSpotify or whatever podcast
platform you use, Scroll down until you find that star review
(00:23):
and then give us some love. Thank you so much, and let's get
started with this week's episode.
All right, welcome back to the In Movement podcast.
Yay. So this is Michael Henry, your
host, and we have Paul Teodo in the house today.
And this episode is going to be about interviewing Paul about
(00:44):
some of the changes that have been happening over the last
several months, almost years, itseems like to just kind of give
a little recap of what's been going on from Paul's
perspective. So I'm pretty excited to have
Paul here. Welcome, Paul.
Thank you. Thank you.
So my first question for you, Paul, having this new studio
development, this brand, this mission, this vision of what's
(01:07):
kind of progressing and growing for you, was there a pivotal
life moment that influenced yourapproach to this yoga created
space that is being developed currently?
Yeah, I think it, it came in 2022, just speaking to the owner
(01:28):
of Yoga Barn actually, and just mentioning to her they were
doing some expansion and Byron and Leia and I were looking to
also expand because things were,things have grown really
wonderfully for us very, very organically and also very fast.
So spoke to her and the idea of originally it was just the idea
(01:54):
of renting out long term some space at Yoga Barn to offer just
exclusively our trainings and our program.
And then it manifested itself into our own space, which is
going to be opening April 2026, which is crazy.
Four years later, it's four years of deals and getting the
(02:19):
land and securing the land from 1 owner and then an extension on
the land from another owner and then all the permits and all of
the processes and finding an architect and building and all
of it and it's been a beast. So my next question, you kind of
already answered a little bit, which is more about the spark
behind starting the studio. So maybe from more of a less of
(02:42):
a practical perspective, but maybe more of a your where you
are in your life and with yoga and what you're ready to maybe
deliver in a different way possibly.
So I'll read the question. What was the spark behind
starting your own studio and what made it clear that this
needed to exist now? Well, first and foremost, I
(03:02):
would never want to start my ownstudio alone.
The reason why I wanted to do this project is because I have a
amazing team, you and Byron and my wife Leia, and the fact that
we've all been working together for a while, We've been working
(03:23):
together very well and people seem to really resonate with
what we're doing. Just gave me the the confidence
to kind of want to take something to the next level and
to try and find maybe an angle within the Wellness community
that that is lacking in Baldy. Bali is sometimes known as the
(03:44):
the Wellness capital of the world.
And Ubud is the capital of the Wellness capital of the world.
But I think that there is a certain degree of at least from
my and it felt like something, something was a little bit
missing that we that we felt like we could truly provide.
And then my angle of providing it and Byron's angle of
(04:04):
providing it and Leia's angle, your angle.
But to be able to do something that echoes a lot of the yoga
that I fell in love with in Los Angeles.
But then mix that with my nine years of having lived in the
East, living in Asia, and the influence that I have of Asian
(04:25):
philosophy, not just Indian, butAsian philosophy and Bolognese
philosophy, To try to create something that is really special
and really going to set the bar high.
At least that's the goal. So is there anything in
particular because you kind of tease that a little bit of this
like unique something that's different, What makes this so
(04:47):
special for you compared to other things that are currently
available? Well, when when we talked about
what, what we wanted to create, at least my perspective on it
and my angle of it is, you know,Baldy's very feminine,
especially Ubu, it's very feminine.
And to me, a feminine is amazing.
And feminine is all about love. And you know, so a lot of the,
(05:11):
the yoga and the spiritual offerings are all geared towards
helping a person learn to love themself, which is so essential
and so beautiful and so important and, and feminine,
very feminine. And I think the, the other side
of that is the, the Yang or the,I would describe it as a, a
(05:34):
masculine drive to find a purpose.
So to be willing to serve something bigger than yourself,
to work really hard at somethingthat you care about, to dedicate
your time and energy towards building something and to to
show up for other people and to give back to the world with your
(05:54):
time, your energy and your gifts.
And I think that that at least on my perspective of what the in
movement is, it's for me, it means to be in, to be all in, to
be committed and to be really wanting to be a part of
something where a person is going to connect to a purpose.
(06:16):
And I love your perspective on it.
And I've, I've kind of known this to some degree.
It's nice to hear from your own words because like you said,
like working with a team, you know, you get different
personalities, tendencies, perspectives on the world that
come together and can complete somewhat of multiple
perspectives, which can be more attractive to outside viewers or
(06:37):
or people who are just interested in it.
Because, you know, some people might be needing a little bit
more of the phenom and a little bit more of the masking and so
on. So a balance between the two I
think is great. And obviously the other two have
their their perspectives on it as well.
But I love and I appreciate yourperspective, which is very much
that little bit more driven energy.
And I think that is needed in a lot of cases.
(06:58):
Some cases first different people, not so much they might
need the other, but I think bothare important.
And two, sway too much one way, which kind of sometimes happens
a little bit, especially like you said, in this particular
climate or location. I think there needs to be a
little bit of that push, which Ivery much appreciate you for
that. Yeah, I think that like a lot of
it is, you know, comes from someof the the work that I've been
(07:21):
doing in my yin Yang classes forthe last year and asking
provocative questions that really throw people off.
You know, a question that that is often times asked is where's
an area where you're being too hard on yourself?
And that's great. But then sometimes what I'll ask
is where is near you, where you're being too soft on
yourself? Where are you being too easy?
Where is something where you know you're weak and you're
(07:44):
avoiding getting stronger Because getting stronger in this
area is going to force you to look at something or to be
uncomfortable or to work harder than you've worked in a long
time. And I kind of like being the
provocateur of that. And I do feel like it's
something that is lacking in Ubud is, is a voice for that.
(08:06):
And I do think it is an area of my life where I have a certain
degree of expertise or certain degree of skill in that area.
Like I am very disciplined and Ido, I do look at my weaknesses
and I try to improve them sometimes too much.
But I do like that. So I feel like it's something
that I can offer and contribute to this community that is not
(08:31):
quite features as much, right? Yeah.
And just to dive a little bit more into that before I go to my
next question is just like your experience of that for you in
your own journey, Because I knowto some degree that you haven't
always been this like fully driven way.
There was ways where you had swayed the other way because you
at one point needed more of that, let's just say, nurturing
(08:52):
feminine energy. So just to kind of give that
perspective that you're not, youknow, if people have only met
you in the last few years and they think, I call it Paul's
intense and he's got this like strong masculine energy.
It's like, yes. But that hasn't always been the
case necessarily, right? Yeah, and I'm not intense all
the time. And so if you take my yin class
or if you take my meditation class, it's it's you know, I do
have an access to that, that softness inside of me.
(09:15):
And and you know, I have, I havea five year old son and you
know, especially the first two years of his life, it'd be very
gentle with him all the time. So definitely not losing touch
with my my softness. Don't, don't, don't want to do
that, but also not losing touch with my edge.
(09:37):
And I think becoming a father really made me look at what type
of a healthy example I want to set for my son, both as a a
vulnerable man, a vulnerable father, but also a father who is
willing to work for something and stands for something and is
(09:58):
isn't afraid to come home exhausted but fulfilled at the
same time. I want my son to see that.
I want him to see me come home from work tired but fulfilled
from doing something that's benefiting the world.
Did you all agree immediately onthe direction of the studio, or
was there some, let's say, alignment needing to happen over
(10:18):
time? I think I kind of actually have
have stepped back from that in terms of branding and the, the,
a lot of the mission for the studio that's really been you
and, and, and Leia and Byron more than me.
I kind of look at it as like, I know what I doing.
I know what I have to offer and I don't really know much about
(10:41):
that. It's not really been something
that's ever been a focus to me. Like I don't buy things online.
I don't really check out websites.
I don't notice like the coloringof a menu or a brand logo or
things like that. It's not never really been
something that's really been upfront for me.
So for me, I kind of, I know what I'm good at and the things
(11:04):
that I'm not good at. I kind of staying out of the way
because I try to trust you. Again, this is part of like I,
I'm not going into this, this collaboration with people that I
don't know well. You know, I've known you for six
years, almost seven years now, and you're the shortest
relationship. And I've known my, my wife for
(11:26):
11 years and I've known Byron for 15 years.
So I, I trust them and this is not a strength that I have.
So it feels nice to be able to defer responsibility to somebody
that you trust, you know? How has your relationship, your
partnership, shaped the way thatyou lead the studio?
So particularly with Leia being a, you know, having that
(11:46):
personal relationship and then kind of going into business
together. Yeah, we again, we've been doing
that for a long time. We've been running retreats
together for eight years and we've been running a training
together. Well, she's, she's been a part
of all of our 200 hour trainingsand and she created her own
meditation training, but I'm a big part of that and we've been
running that for multiple years.So we've worked together a lot
(12:08):
before and we've had to learn how to work well together.
There were times like she's likes to be very planned and
very organized and then she can't, she has a harder time
relaxing until she has all theseplans.
And for me, it feels like if things are over planned, then I
feel a little bit constricted. So having to find a balance and
then she can do things her way and I can do things my way.
(12:32):
And if I'm in charge, she has tolet me do it my way.
And if she's in charge, I have to let her do it her way.
And we've, we've learned that and I and learning that with her
really helped me learn with you and with Byron as well going
into this big, deep multiple year project.
Yeah, I mean, thank you for being so polite and delivering
(12:55):
that response. I feel like there was, you know,
there wasn't any drama responsesof like, oh, you know, there's
moments where there's friction, but obviously there's moments
of. Friction, tons of friction.
Yeah, yeah, we, we've had, we'vehad disagreements and a a lot of
a lot of times actually like we'll have a disagreement about
work and then it'll manifest itself into like a disagreement
at home that really isn't about the disagreement at home.
(13:18):
It's about not feeling respectedor not feeling understood
earlier, you know. So we have multiple roles that
we play with each other and it'svery challenging sometimes to
balance those roles out. We know we're Co parents, we're
husband and wife when we run a business together.
So we have had to had to set boundaries.
Like we have a rule, like we don't talk about the project
(13:39):
before 8:00 in the morning And and you know, I'm actually
better at enforcing that than her.
She likes, I mean, she's very excited and and and it's
beautiful. There are times like, no, we're
not talking about it. I do not have a business
partner. I have a wife right now.
I'll say that like I don't I don't have a business partner
right now. I have a wife and then at night,
like same thing with her. And so setting boundaries around
(14:00):
that and then also recognizing, OK, like right now is a is a
chapter of our life where we're going to be very focused on
being business partners and husband and wife is still there.
But to put too much pressure in this extremely important part of
our life is like, OK, like just let it be how it is.
And then when things start to calm down and we go back to, you
know, that that that rule or that relationship that we have
(14:23):
and the the being Co parents is super important.
So that's very important to bothof us that we, you know, I
always say I can't be a great yoga teacher and a shitty
father. I would wake up in the morning
and just or go to bed at night just resenting myself.
So like, I have to still be the father that I want to be while
doing this massive thing. And if and Leia feels the same
(14:45):
way, I know she does like we want to accomplish this massive
task, but we still want to be the parents that we want to be,
which is hard. It's all it's tiring for.
Yeah, a lot to juggle. That sounds like just the
balance is kind of moving as it needs to move.
And you know, there might be more energy in One Direction
because of, you know, just the the nature of what's happening.
(15:07):
But it sounds like you're constantly aware of that balance
between all apart all things that are kind of rolling out for
you. Yeah, which is great.
And that's something that I've learned from you as.
Well, or or a temporary imbalance, of course, those are
those friction, everything in moderation, including
moderation. Like this is a time where work
is not moderate, it's a lot of work right now.
(15:28):
Yeah. So then this isn't one of my
questions, but I it just kind ofcame through to me, which is
like when there's those moments where, you know, things are out
of balance, there are these friction things.
What is it that helps to bring it back home for you?
Usually getting some alone time,getting some time to myself to
to meditate or go sit in a saunaor exercise.
(15:50):
I'm big exercise like right now because we're under a lot of
stress. It's very important that I'm
exercising a lot. So between yoga and going to the
gym and walking the dogs a lot and meditating like I'm doing, a
lot of that really helps my mental health is to exercise.
Yeah, that nervous system as regulated as possible so you can
(16:13):
respond in those challenging moments.
Absolutely. Yeah, taking my magnesium at
night, which helps me sleep, helps my my brain and my muscles
relax too. It's a big difference too.
Yeah, that's great. OK, So moving on.
Was there a moment where you thought this might not happen or
it almost didn't happen? Yeah, it still, it still hasn't
happened yet. Let's be real, it hasn't
(16:35):
happened yet. Yeah, there's been multiple
times. It's, it's, you know, is the
land deal going to happen? So first we had to get the land,
we had to get the land from the owner of the land.
But the owner of the land only had seven years left on that
land, land lease. So then we had to find the
Indonesian owner and to get the an extension on the land.
(16:56):
So one piece of land and the other and neither of them were
valuable without each other. So the extension is worthless
because it doesn't start until 2032.
And the land itself is worthlessbecause seven years is not
enough time to recuperate your money.
So you need both. So we had to figure that out.
(17:17):
Then we had to, you know, get some of the permits and find our
architect and then find the money.
And yeah, it's, it's been a beast.
It's been. But part of me feels like the
universe or whatever, the dentist on Tucci's like it.
It feels like it it's supposed to happen.
(17:39):
And the right things are showingup at the right time and the
right people are showing up and the funding is showing up.
And so it's I do feel like it's going to happen.
I do feel like it's destined to happen.
Yeah, like an inevitability. It's just a matter of how you
get there is a little uncertain.How many years of my life are
taken off from the stress? Yeah, it all culminate to a
(18:03):
particular point where hopefullyyou'll feel a little bit more
like at ease with those things. I'm sure there'll be new
stressors and things that will come in exactly.
So let's just kind of transform or should I say transport
ourselves a little bit ahead of time in the and the perspective
that everything is kind of come together.
You know, a lot of these, let's say, stressors or decisions have
(18:25):
now been made or put aside or have at least balanced out.
And now there's an operations happening.
And now there's people who are actually coming to the studio,
you know, participating in whatever event, whether it be
classes or things that are goingon there.
What do you hope someone actually feels after kind of
being within this community, within this world of the in
(18:46):
movement? Yeah, I think for me it would be
a beautiful sense of community, a bunch of people that help me
or the the the student feel supported and held to a high
standard as they decide how theywant to use their time and
(19:09):
energy to impact the world positively.
So for me, it's about like figuring out, all right, I, I
want to spend my time and energydoing something that I care
about, something that's going tohelp people.
And I want to do it at a high level.
And I want to be surrounded by other people who want that for
me and will help me even when sometimes helping me means not
(19:33):
cutting me any slack. It means holding me to a high
standard. It means forcing me to be
disciplined, calling me out of my bullshit, all that.
So like that type of a communitywhere it's like we are all here
to to elevate, to elevate ourselves and then but not just
for ourselves, for something bigger than ourselves.
(19:53):
So what is this space asking of you now as it comes into the
world? I think it's asking me to grow
into a leader in a role model that is slightly intimidating
(20:14):
for sure. Like to, to really be, to set an
example for what the potential is for yoga and meditation and
conscious living to, to transform a person's life, to be
a leader, to be a leader in thatarea.
And, and not to not to be the only leader, but to empower
(20:35):
other people to find their own leadership and to help other
yoga teachers find their own power.
And for all of us to grow together because we're going to
have such a great crew, teachersjoining, being movement, not
just the three of us, obviously.And to support all of them in
(20:56):
becoming the the best they can be.
And and for people all over the world to see our studio as a
place where a lost person can come and find themselves.
Use the word empowered a couple times, which makes me just think
of how we actually got to this point.
Yeah. Which is, I mean, if you don't
know a little bit, which is thatthere was a studio that was
(21:18):
called. Empowered.
Yeah. Shangu.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that was meant to be a
little bit of a kind of steppingstone into where we are now.
But, you know, things have evolved and changed.
But I think the essence of the end movement is about empowering
the individual. Absolutely.
In multiple ways, whether through the men of feminine,
masculine, but ultimately creating that space for people
to find more of that authentic truth.
(21:38):
Within themselves, yeah, yeah. Amazing.
Cool. Well, I feel that's pretty good.
Me too. Yeah.
Is there anything else that you'd like to add, anything else
that feels just kind of coming through to you that you want to
share to anyone that's listeningbefore we close off?
Now just come visit us. Come visit us as soon as you
can. It's going to be beautiful.
We open in April and be running classes and trainings.
(22:01):
First training will be May 15th with with Leia actually.
And then 200 hour training. July, July 6th.
Awesome. Well, thank you, Paul.
Thank you. For coming in, I appreciate you.
And yeah, well, I'm sure we'll have you back on again at some
point, whenever the time makes sense.
Perfect. Otherwise, thank you everyone
for tuning in and listening thisweek and have yourself a
(22:22):
beautiful day. Big love.
Take care.
Hey there, before we get startedon this week's episode, I would
love to ask for your support by reviewing this podcast.
We want to share yoga with as many people as possible and this
free resource, this podcast is one of the ways that we can do
that. And the best way that you can
help support us is by giving us a review.
So if you go to Apple podcast orSpotify or whatever podcast
platform you use, Scroll down until you find that star review
(00:23):
and then give us some love. Thank you so much, and let's get
started with this week's episode.
All right, welcome back to the In Movement podcast.
Yay. So this is Michael Henry, your
host, and we have Paul Teodo in the house today.
And this episode is going to be about interviewing Paul about
(00:44):
some of the changes that have been happening over the last
several months, almost years, itseems like to just kind of give
a little recap of what's been going on from Paul's
perspective. So I'm pretty excited to have
Paul here. Welcome, Paul.
Thank you. Thank you.
So my first question for you, Paul, having this new studio
development, this brand, this mission, this vision of what's
(01:07):
kind of progressing and growing for you, was there a pivotal
life moment that influenced yourapproach to this yoga created
space that is being developed currently?
Yeah, I think it, it came in 2022, just speaking to the owner
(01:28):
of Yoga Barn actually, and just mentioning to her they were
doing some expansion and Byron and Leia and I were looking to
also expand because things were,things have grown really
wonderfully for us very, very organically and also very fast.
So spoke to her and the idea of originally it was just the idea
(01:54):
of renting out long term some space at Yoga Barn to offer just
exclusively our trainings and our program.
And then it manifested itself into our own space, which is
going to be opening April 2026, which is crazy.
Four years later, it's four years of deals and getting the
(02:19):
land and securing the land from 1 owner and then an extension on
the land from another owner and then all the permits and all of
the processes and finding an architect and building and all
of it and it's been a beast. So my next question, you kind of
already answered a little bit, which is more about the spark
behind starting the studio. So maybe from more of a less of
(02:42):
a practical perspective, but maybe more of a your where you
are in your life and with yoga and what you're ready to maybe
deliver in a different way possibly.
So I'll read the question. What was the spark behind
starting your own studio and what made it clear that this
needed to exist now? Well, first and foremost, I
(03:02):
would never want to start my ownstudio alone.
The reason why I wanted to do this project is because I have a
amazing team, you and Byron and my wife Leia, and the fact that
we've all been working together for a while, We've been working
(03:23):
together very well and people seem to really resonate with
what we're doing. Just gave me the the confidence
to kind of want to take something to the next level and
to try and find maybe an angle within the Wellness community
that that is lacking in Baldy. Bali is sometimes known as the
(03:44):
the Wellness capital of the world.
And Ubud is the capital of the Wellness capital of the world.
But I think that there is a certain degree of at least from
my and it felt like something, something was a little bit
missing that we that we felt like we could truly provide.
And then my angle of providing it and Byron's angle of
(04:04):
providing it and Leia's angle, your angle.
But to be able to do something that echoes a lot of the yoga
that I fell in love with in Los Angeles.
But then mix that with my nine years of having lived in the
East, living in Asia, and the influence that I have of Asian
(04:25):
philosophy, not just Indian, butAsian philosophy and Bolognese
philosophy, To try to create something that is really special
and really going to set the bar high.
At least that's the goal. So is there anything in
particular because you kind of tease that a little bit of this
like unique something that's different, What makes this so
(04:47):
special for you compared to other things that are currently
available? Well, when when we talked about
what, what we wanted to create, at least my perspective on it
and my angle of it is, you know,Baldy's very feminine,
especially Ubu, it's very feminine.
And to me, a feminine is amazing.
And feminine is all about love. And you know, so a lot of the,
(05:11):
the yoga and the spiritual offerings are all geared towards
helping a person learn to love themself, which is so essential
and so beautiful and so important and, and feminine,
very feminine. And I think the, the other side
of that is the, the Yang or the,I would describe it as a, a
(05:34):
masculine drive to find a purpose.
So to be willing to serve something bigger than yourself,
to work really hard at somethingthat you care about, to dedicate
your time and energy towards building something and to to
show up for other people and to give back to the world with your
(05:54):
time, your energy and your gifts.
And I think that that at least on my perspective of what the in
movement is, it's for me, it means to be in, to be all in, to
be committed and to be really wanting to be a part of
something where a person is going to connect to a purpose.
(06:16):
And I love your perspective on it.
And I've, I've kind of known this to some degree.
It's nice to hear from your own words because like you said,
like working with a team, you know, you get different
personalities, tendencies, perspectives on the world that
come together and can complete somewhat of multiple
perspectives, which can be more attractive to outside viewers or
(06:37):
or people who are just interested in it.
Because, you know, some people might be needing a little bit
more of the phenom and a little bit more of the masking and so
on. So a balance between the two I
think is great. And obviously the other two have
their their perspectives on it as well.
But I love and I appreciate yourperspective, which is very much
that little bit more driven energy.
And I think that is needed in a lot of cases.
(06:58):
Some cases first different people, not so much they might
need the other, but I think bothare important.
And two, sway too much one way, which kind of sometimes happens
a little bit, especially like you said, in this particular
climate or location. I think there needs to be a
little bit of that push, which Ivery much appreciate you for
that. Yeah, I think that like a lot of
it is, you know, comes from someof the the work that I've been
(07:21):
doing in my yin Yang classes forthe last year and asking
provocative questions that really throw people off.
You know, a question that that is often times asked is where's
an area where you're being too hard on yourself?
And that's great. But then sometimes what I'll ask
is where is near you, where you're being too soft on
yourself? Where are you being too easy?
Where is something where you know you're weak and you're
(07:44):
avoiding getting stronger Because getting stronger in this
area is going to force you to look at something or to be
uncomfortable or to work harder than you've worked in a long
time. And I kind of like being the
provocateur of that. And I do feel like it's
something that is lacking in Ubud is, is a voice for that.
(08:06):
And I do think it is an area of my life where I have a certain
degree of expertise or certain degree of skill in that area.
Like I am very disciplined and Ido, I do look at my weaknesses
and I try to improve them sometimes too much.
But I do like that. So I feel like it's something
that I can offer and contribute to this community that is not
(08:31):
quite features as much, right? Yeah.
And just to dive a little bit more into that before I go to my
next question is just like your experience of that for you in
your own journey, Because I knowto some degree that you haven't
always been this like fully driven way.
There was ways where you had swayed the other way because you
at one point needed more of that, let's just say, nurturing
(08:52):
feminine energy. So just to kind of give that
perspective that you're not, youknow, if people have only met
you in the last few years and they think, I call it Paul's
intense and he's got this like strong masculine energy.
It's like, yes. But that hasn't always been the
case necessarily, right? Yeah, and I'm not intense all
the time. And so if you take my yin class
or if you take my meditation class, it's it's you know, I do
have an access to that, that softness inside of me.
(09:15):
And and you know, I have, I havea five year old son and you
know, especially the first two years of his life, it'd be very
gentle with him all the time. So definitely not losing touch
with my my softness. Don't, don't, don't want to do
that, but also not losing touch with my edge.
(09:37):
And I think becoming a father really made me look at what type
of a healthy example I want to set for my son, both as a a
vulnerable man, a vulnerable father, but also a father who is
willing to work for something and stands for something and is
(09:58):
isn't afraid to come home exhausted but fulfilled at the
same time. I want my son to see that.
I want him to see me come home from work tired but fulfilled
from doing something that's benefiting the world.
Did you all agree immediately onthe direction of the studio, or
was there some, let's say, alignment needing to happen over
(10:18):
time? I think I kind of actually have
have stepped back from that in terms of branding and the, the,
a lot of the mission for the studio that's really been you
and, and, and Leia and Byron more than me.
I kind of look at it as like, I know what I doing.
I know what I have to offer and I don't really know much about
(10:41):
that. It's not really been something
that's ever been a focus to me. Like I don't buy things online.
I don't really check out websites.
I don't notice like the coloringof a menu or a brand logo or
things like that. It's not never really been
something that's really been upfront for me.
So for me, I kind of, I know what I'm good at and the things
(11:04):
that I'm not good at. I kind of staying out of the way
because I try to trust you. Again, this is part of like I,
I'm not going into this, this collaboration with people that I
don't know well. You know, I've known you for six
years, almost seven years now, and you're the shortest
relationship. And I've known my, my wife for
(11:26):
11 years and I've known Byron for 15 years.
So I, I trust them and this is not a strength that I have.
So it feels nice to be able to defer responsibility to somebody
that you trust, you know? How has your relationship, your
partnership, shaped the way thatyou lead the studio?
So particularly with Leia being a, you know, having that
(11:46):
personal relationship and then kind of going into business
together. Yeah, we again, we've been doing
that for a long time. We've been running retreats
together for eight years and we've been running a training
together. Well, she's, she's been a part
of all of our 200 hour trainingsand and she created her own
meditation training, but I'm a big part of that and we've been
running that for multiple years.So we've worked together a lot
(12:08):
before and we've had to learn how to work well together.
There were times like she's likes to be very planned and
very organized and then she can't, she has a harder time
relaxing until she has all theseplans.
And for me, it feels like if things are over planned, then I
feel a little bit constricted. So having to find a balance and
then she can do things her way and I can do things my way.
(12:32):
And if I'm in charge, she has tolet me do it my way.
And if she's in charge, I have to let her do it her way.
And we've, we've learned that and I and learning that with her
really helped me learn with you and with Byron as well going
into this big, deep multiple year project.
Yeah, I mean, thank you for being so polite and delivering
(12:55):
that response. I feel like there was, you know,
there wasn't any drama responsesof like, oh, you know, there's
moments where there's friction, but obviously there's moments
of. Friction, tons of friction.
Yeah, yeah, we, we've had, we'vehad disagreements and a a lot of
a lot of times actually like we'll have a disagreement about
work and then it'll manifest itself into like a disagreement
at home that really isn't about the disagreement at home.
(13:18):
It's about not feeling respectedor not feeling understood
earlier, you know. So we have multiple roles that
we play with each other and it'svery challenging sometimes to
balance those roles out. We know we're Co parents, we're
husband and wife when we run a business together.
So we have had to had to set boundaries.
Like we have a rule, like we don't talk about the project
(13:39):
before 8:00 in the morning And and you know, I'm actually
better at enforcing that than her.
She likes, I mean, she's very excited and and and it's
beautiful. There are times like, no, we're
not talking about it. I do not have a business
partner. I have a wife right now.
I'll say that like I don't I don't have a business partner
right now. I have a wife and then at night,
like same thing with her. And so setting boundaries around
(14:00):
that and then also recognizing, OK, like right now is a is a
chapter of our life where we're going to be very focused on
being business partners and husband and wife is still there.
But to put too much pressure in this extremely important part of
our life is like, OK, like just let it be how it is.
And then when things start to calm down and we go back to, you
know, that that that rule or that relationship that we have
(14:23):
and the the being Co parents is super important.
So that's very important to bothof us that we, you know, I
always say I can't be a great yoga teacher and a shitty
father. I would wake up in the morning
and just or go to bed at night just resenting myself.
So like, I have to still be the father that I want to be while
doing this massive thing. And if and Leia feels the same
(14:45):
way, I know she does like we want to accomplish this massive
task, but we still want to be the parents that we want to be,
which is hard. It's all it's tiring for.
Yeah, a lot to juggle. That sounds like just the
balance is kind of moving as it needs to move.
And you know, there might be more energy in One Direction
because of, you know, just the the nature of what's happening.
(15:07):
But it sounds like you're constantly aware of that balance
between all apart all things that are kind of rolling out for
you. Yeah, which is great.
And that's something that I've learned from you as.
Well, or or a temporary imbalance, of course, those are
those friction, everything in moderation, including
moderation. Like this is a time where work
is not moderate, it's a lot of work right now.
(15:28):
Yeah. So then this isn't one of my
questions, but I it just kind ofcame through to me, which is
like when there's those moments where, you know, things are out
of balance, there are these friction things.
What is it that helps to bring it back home for you?
Usually getting some alone time,getting some time to myself to
to meditate or go sit in a saunaor exercise.
(15:50):
I'm big exercise like right now because we're under a lot of
stress. It's very important that I'm
exercising a lot. So between yoga and going to the
gym and walking the dogs a lot and meditating like I'm doing, a
lot of that really helps my mental health is to exercise.
Yeah, that nervous system as regulated as possible so you can
(16:13):
respond in those challenging moments.
Absolutely. Yeah, taking my magnesium at
night, which helps me sleep, helps my my brain and my muscles
relax too. It's a big difference too.
Yeah, that's great. OK, So moving on.
Was there a moment where you thought this might not happen or
it almost didn't happen? Yeah, it still, it still hasn't
happened yet. Let's be real, it hasn't
(16:35):
happened yet. Yeah, there's been multiple
times. It's, it's, you know, is the
land deal going to happen? So first we had to get the land,
we had to get the land from the owner of the land.
But the owner of the land only had seven years left on that
land, land lease. So then we had to find the
Indonesian owner and to get the an extension on the land.
(16:56):
So one piece of land and the other and neither of them were
valuable without each other. So the extension is worthless
because it doesn't start until 2032.
And the land itself is worthlessbecause seven years is not
enough time to recuperate your money.
So you need both. So we had to figure that out.
(17:17):
Then we had to, you know, get some of the permits and find our
architect and then find the money.
And yeah, it's, it's been a beast.
It's been. But part of me feels like the
universe or whatever, the dentist on Tucci's like it.
It feels like it it's supposed to happen.
(17:39):
And the right things are showingup at the right time and the
right people are showing up and the funding is showing up.
And so it's I do feel like it's going to happen.
I do feel like it's destined to happen.
Yeah, like an inevitability. It's just a matter of how you
get there is a little uncertain.How many years of my life are
taken off from the stress? Yeah, it all culminate to a
(18:03):
particular point where hopefullyyou'll feel a little bit more
like at ease with those things. I'm sure there'll be new
stressors and things that will come in exactly.
So let's just kind of transform or should I say transport
ourselves a little bit ahead of time in the and the perspective
that everything is kind of come together.
You know, a lot of these, let's say, stressors or decisions have
(18:25):
now been made or put aside or have at least balanced out.
And now there's an operations happening.
And now there's people who are actually coming to the studio,
you know, participating in whatever event, whether it be
classes or things that are goingon there.
What do you hope someone actually feels after kind of
being within this community, within this world of the in
(18:46):
movement? Yeah, I think for me it would be
a beautiful sense of community, a bunch of people that help me
or the the the student feel supported and held to a high
standard as they decide how theywant to use their time and
(19:09):
energy to impact the world positively.
So for me, it's about like figuring out, all right, I, I
want to spend my time and energydoing something that I care
about, something that's going tohelp people.
And I want to do it at a high level.
And I want to be surrounded by other people who want that for
me and will help me even when sometimes helping me means not
(19:33):
cutting me any slack. It means holding me to a high
standard. It means forcing me to be
disciplined, calling me out of my bullshit, all that.
So like that type of a communitywhere it's like we are all here
to to elevate, to elevate ourselves and then but not just
for ourselves, for something bigger than ourselves.
(19:53):
So what is this space asking of you now as it comes into the
world? I think it's asking me to grow
into a leader in a role model that is slightly intimidating
(20:14):
for sure. Like to, to really be, to set an
example for what the potential is for yoga and meditation and
conscious living to, to transform a person's life, to be
a leader, to be a leader in thatarea.
And, and not to not to be the only leader, but to empower
(20:35):
other people to find their own leadership and to help other
yoga teachers find their own power.
And for all of us to grow together because we're going to
have such a great crew, teachersjoining, being movement, not
just the three of us, obviously.And to support all of them in
(20:56):
becoming the the best they can be.
And and for people all over the world to see our studio as a
place where a lost person can come and find themselves.
Use the word empowered a couple times, which makes me just think
of how we actually got to this point.
Yeah. Which is, I mean, if you don't
know a little bit, which is thatthere was a studio that was
(21:18):
called. Empowered.
Yeah. Shangu.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that was meant to be a
little bit of a kind of steppingstone into where we are now.
But, you know, things have evolved and changed.
But I think the essence of the end movement is about empowering
the individual. Absolutely.
In multiple ways, whether through the men of feminine,
masculine, but ultimately creating that space for people
to find more of that authentic truth.
(21:38):
Within themselves, yeah, yeah. Amazing.
Cool. Well, I feel that's pretty good.
Me too. Yeah.
Is there anything else that you'd like to add, anything else
that feels just kind of coming through to you that you want to
share to anyone that's listeningbefore we close off?
Now just come visit us. Come visit us as soon as you
can. It's going to be beautiful.
We open in April and be running classes and trainings.
(22:01):
First training will be May 15th with with Leia actually.
And then 200 hour training. July, July 6th.
Awesome. Well, thank you, Paul.
Thank you. For coming in, I appreciate you.
And yeah, well, I'm sure we'll have you back on again at some
point, whenever the time makes sense.
Perfect. Otherwise, thank you everyone
for tuning in and listening thisweek and have yourself a
(22:22):
beautiful day. Big love.
Take care.
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