Leadership and Yoga

In this episode, Shawna Krueger interviews Kasturbai Azcona, a bilingual movement instructor, photographer, and mother of two living in Mexico. Kasturbai shares her journey into yoga and how it has empowered her physically and mentally. She discusses the importance of integrating strength into a hypermobile practice and finding balance between training and rest. Kasturbai also talks about the challenges and joys of practicing yoga as a mother and the decision to move to a foreign country. The conversation highlights the transformative power of yoga and the importance of listening to and honoring our bodies. In this conversation, Kasturbai discusses her journey with yoga, and the importance of self-acceptance and self-compassion. She also talks about the role of cannabis in her life and how it has helped her overcome addiction. Kasturbai shares her thoughts on what makes an exceptional leader and the her experience of her viral Instagram reels. She concludes by sharing her billboard message of finding joy upside down. IF YOU ENJOYED THIS EPISODE WITH KASTURBAI, PLEASE SUBSCRIBE AND RATE MY PODCAST. Thank you!! Find Kasturbai on instagram: @kasturbai  Kasturbai’s website:https://www.kasturbai.com/ Join the Leadership and Yoga Fam email list to stay up to date on giveaways and L&Y news. Join the fam. Find Shawna on instagram: @shawnakru Time stamps: 00:00 Introduction and Background 03:05 What Yoga Means to Kasturbai 06:26 Training and Rest 11:01 Hypermobility and Protecting the Body 18:16 Yoga as a Mother 22:48 Moving Abroad 29:59 Introduction and Journey with Yoga 30:29 The Challenges and Growth of Learning a New Language 31:50 Ideal Morning Routine and the Importance of Balance 33:03 The Connection Between Physical Practice and Other Activities 35:22 The Impact of Viral Instagram Reels and Dealing with Comments 45:30 Qualities of an Exceptional Leader 49:36 The Billboard Question and Conclusion

Today is a wild 100th episode. Here’s what’s inside: I’m moving. My story on being ostracized. Launching a new program. First ever trivia. Randomly meeting another one of my fav artists. The heart behind Leadership and Yoga. A free trip to Hawaii because of my retreat episode. 3.7M views of Big Leaf and fan art. I sing my farm song for you. Screaming in the desert. My podcast mic collected dust in the box for a year before I opened it. And last but not least, being slapped on the stomach by a teacher at a retreat.  Today’s episode is entertaining, inspiring, and touching if you ask me. Thank YOU for being here. Much love. Find me on instagram: @shawnakru Get a copy of my guided journal. https://www.ritualofwritingjournal.com/  Evolve with Inversions Retreat Feb 17-22: https://shawnakru.com/retreats/ Join the Podcast Launchpad: https://www.shawnakru.com/the-podcast-launchpad  Time stamps: 00:00 Celebrating 100 Episodes 10:47 Learning to Like My Voice 32:34 I am moving! 36:48 Finding Your Voice and Loving It. 39:30 It’s sad to not like your voice. 44:49 The brain diagram: Using Energy and Movement in Group Settings 46:57 Overcoming Doubt and Fear 51:42 Using Sound to Break Through Fear 54:00 Do you have a proper relationship with your voice? 57:10 Establishing Trust in Yourself 01:09:46 The Intersection of Leadership and Yoga 01:12:53 Lessons from Disappointing Leaders 01:19:54 Taking Action and Starting Your Own Podcast

Join me, Shawna Krueger, and my guest, Victoria Song for a special interview. I sat down with Victoria to discuss shedding contractions, and raising the upper limit on how much expansion we let into our lives.  Victoria Song is a bridge between modern business and ancient wisdom, science and mysticism, and left and right brains. She was featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List for her investment success, and studied business and leadership at Harvard Business School. Today, Victoria works with CEOs, scientists, artists, and entrepreneurs who have missions that she’d like to amplify in the world. She has been featured in Vogue, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, ABC, NBC, Glamour, Shape, Entrepreneur, and many others. In addition, Victoria is the author of Bending Reality: How to Make the Impossible Probable.   IF YOU ENJOYED THIS EPISODE WITH VICTORIA, PLEASE SUBSCRIBE AND RATE MY PODCAST. Thank you!! Victoria’s website: https://victoriasong.me  Find Victoria on instagram: @victoriaesong  Join the Leadership and Yoga Fam email list to stay up to date on giveaways and L&Y news. Join the fam. Find me on instagram: @shawnakru Get a copy of my guided journal. https://www.ritualofwritingjournal.com/  Evolve with Inversions Retreat Feb 17-22: https://shawnakru.com/retreats/ Join the Podcast Launchpad: https://www.shawnakru.com/the-podcast-launchpad  Time stamps: 00:00 Intro 03:30 It’s dependent on our own state, nothing else.  8:15 Is “going all in” expansive or does it cause contraction?  10:00 Expansion and contraction: simplification of our states.  13:00 Wound up nervous system.  15:00 Quantum leaps and resistance to releasing. 18:40 Feeling emotions.  23:40 Unconsciously recreating situations that “rhyme” with what we have experienced before.  27:00 Success through expansion instead of pushing through contraction.  32:30 The Gene Keys.  35:15 Calling in your people.  36:15 Joe Dispenza and authenticity’s electromagnetic field.  38:50 Spending time in the quantum field each morning, morning routine.  41:30 When something is unaligned: moving away without judging or justifying.  42:50 Morning ritual without a limiting routine.  45:20 How to start a cycle of trusting yourself.  49:10 What Victoria looks for in a leader. Experts vs masters.  56:30 Billboard message: Give yourself permission to follow what lights you up. 

In this Q&A episode, Shawna answers questions about finding your purpose, starting a podcast, and hosting a retreat. She emphasizes the importance of authenticity and alignment when making decisions about your life's path. Shawna shares her personal experience with discovering her true calling and offers advice on how to explore your passions. She also provides tips on starting a podcast, including the importance of finding your message and not over stockpiling episodes. Lastly, Shawna discusses hosting a retreat and encourages listeners to get excited about the theme and location. Join the Leadership and Yoga Fam email list to stay up to date on giveaways and L&Y news. Join the fam. Find me on instagram: @shawnakru Get a copy of my guided journal. https://www.ritualofwritingjournal.com/  Evolve with Inversions Retreat Feb 17-22: https://shawnakru.com/retreats/ Join the Podcast Launchpad: https://www.shawnakru.com/the-podcast-launchpad  Time stamps: 00:00 Introduction and Background 03:24 Finding Your Authentic Path and Purpose 11:46 Tips for Starting a Podcast and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome 15:00 Handstands 24:29 Exploring Kriya in Yoga 27:33 Hosting a Transformative Retreat

Today I sat down in-studio with my guest, Marissa Grasmick, to discuss somatic, psychedelic somatic therapy, the nervous system, moving from rigidity to softness, inspiration, tools for increasing our capacity, breathwork, yoga and teaching yoga. Tune in for a relaxing and enlightening episode.  Marissa Grasmick is a licensed Somatic Psychedelic Therapist, Yoga instructor and experienced breathwork facilitator.  Find Marissa on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marissagrasmick/  Marissa’s website: https://www.marissaconnect.com/ Join the Leadership and Yoga Fam email list to stay up to date on giveaways and L&Y news. Join the fam. Find me on instagram: @shawnakru Get a copy of my guided journal. https://www.ritualofwritingjournal.com/  Evolve with Inversions Retreat Feb 17-22: https://shawnakru.com/retreats/ Time stamps: 00:00 Intro 04:30 Starting from the individual heart. 7:30 Nervous system flexibility, rather than regulation.  11:30 Moving from rigidity and perfectionism to flexibility.  13:30 Breathwork, the bridge from the body to the mind.  17:45 How to begin feeling more deeply, opening the door.  18:45 From shallow breath to expansion. Vulnerability.  21:30 Accessing a state of expansion. 23:00 Choosing just 3 at once. Freedom in the framework. 27:00 If becoming is involved, sign me up.  28:00 Inspiration: to breathe means to inspire. 30:00 There is no true balance, it’s learning to constantly adjust.  32:15 True expansion. 33:00 The stress is the gateway & once we can practice self-love, that’s when we start to change.  35:30 Starting: Instagram yogi world from inspiring to an end.  37:30 Seeking worth through being the best.  40:30 Maybe I’ll be a nun: the pendulum swings. 41:30 Psychedelic therapy, a way, not the only way. 46:00 Integrate, not peak hopping. 49:00 Relationship with healing: wounds to wisdom. 53:00 How to deal with fixation on the past: an invitation for a grieving process. 56:00 Gene keys.  58:00 A leader is someone who inspires, who can say “I don’t know,” and who has done enough work to create a safe environment, because safety is a prerequisite for change.  1:01:00 Subconscious heart armor and opening shoulders & perfectionism. 01:04:00 Billboard message: It’s cool to care. 

Join me, Shawna Krueger, for a solo episode on how to take life less seriously and level up because of it, not in spite of it.  This episode on the “gold rush” we get wrapped up in is for you if: You have a giant to-do list of things you feel like you should do, but a lot of unexecuted ideas. You feel like so many people are “making it” but you have not because you don’t know where to start.  Or maybe you have a lot of FOMO hearing about other people’s “success” and jump from project to project. You look for advice outside of yourself because it’s quicker than learning how your systems work and how to tap into your intuition.  Have been misled in the past and fear advice, but also don’t trust yourself fully yet.  Start a podcast with Shawna: https://www.shawnakru.com/start-a-podcast  Join the Leadership and Yoga Fam email list to stay up to date on giveaways and L&Y news. Join the fam. Find me on instagram: @shawnakru Get a copy of my guided journal. https://www.ritualofwritingjournal.com/  Evolve with Inversions Retreat Feb 17-22: https://shawnakru.com/retreats/ Gold rush poem by Thomas Hood. Time stamps: 00:00 Intro 04:00 Morning routine and creative energetics. 05:30 A shot of tequila for a view?! 7:55 The desire to create a masterpiece and find your art form. 10:15 The no advice “advice.” 11:15 3 announcements.  13:20 1,000 people within 3 degrees of you. 17:00 How I thought of today’s theme. 19:20 By the light of a Daddy Yankee billboard 21:00 Giant red spider. 23:50 What happens in our life when we let go of the weight holding us down. 25:10 How we stumble on our own gold in life. 29:45 You are other people’s manifestations and experiencing your own. 31:00 I was blessed by a magician Uber driver. 34: 20 True value comes from things that can shift our state. Humans have prized gold because it reminds us that we can feel like god.  36:00 The gold rush phenomenon.  39:00 Trying to prove something your whole life vs letting the universe prove something through you. 42:00 Gold rush poem and dangers of detachment.  48:00 Getting the topic right, the rest is ease.  50:00 Society celebrates extremism but striking a balance between going for gold and playing it safe.  52:00 It’s not optimism, it’s being present with the facts and to find meaning and live anyways. 53:00 Acceptance  55:30 You can’t take a sense of adventure like you take a vitamin.  59:00 Remember your own stories and homework.

Sebastian Little or “Seb” is the founder of SLP where he partners with high-performing leaders and teams to optimize culture, close performance gaps, and unlock leadership potential. He has worked with clients across professional sports, non-profit, and corporate spaces. He is also a graduate of Yale University and former varsity football athlete.   And I’ll add, he’s an incredible coach. Seb is someone who single-handedly changed my direction. I heard him speaking 5 years ago and hunted him down to learn from him. He's been behind the scenes on helping me unlock new levels and find a true north in my business over the past few years. PLEASE SUBSCRIBE & DROP ME A RATING IF YOU ENJOYED THIS INTERVIEW WITH SEB. :) Find Seb on instagram: @iamseblittle  Seb’s website: https://www.sebastianlittle.com/  Join the Leadership and Yoga Fam email list to stay up to date on giveaways and L&Y news. Join the fam. Find me on instagram: @shawnakru Get a copy of my guided journal. https://www.ritualofwritingjournal.com/  Evolve with Inversions Retreat Feb 17-22: https://shawnakru.com/retreats/ Time stamps: 00:00 Intro 04:30 How can I support? 06:30 Seb’s favorite way to serve and mission. 10:00 What is coaching?  12:00 Moonshot goals and being enrolled in yourself. 14:00 Knowing your story.  17:00 Authenticity is often weaponized. Authenticity vs. Self-ownership.  19:30 The power of direction in conversations.  24:00 Dealing with difficulty in the beginning. Alignment.  29:30 Expanders: inspiration and laughter. And how to find your people? 34:00 Creating space, there is another way.  36:00 How to prepare for public speaking.  42:44 An exceptional leader creates something new or makes something better.  44:00 Billboard message: Stop fucking around with your potential, the world needs you. 

Join me, Shawna Krueger, for a solo episode on finding confidence in your body and your voice… Yoga teacher edition but applicable to anyone. :)  Today I share my personal journey of working towards confidence and offer practical tips and insights. I believe that confidence is a muscle that can be developed over time… It’s not something that you have to be born with or that you can suddenly switch on, never to go back to your old nervous, shaky-anxious self. (Trust me, I’m there at times, too!!) This is about taking accountability for your own fears and judgments, rather than blaming others.  I give you my biggest mindset shifts including thinking of yourself as an artist and embracing uniqueness and individuality. My goal today is to give you a message of hope and empowerment for building confidence. Our chat explores various strategies to build confidence in yourself, particularly in terms of body image, how you carry yourself and show up, and your voice with an emphasis on self-acceptance and gradual progress.  Tune in to… Practice holding a confident state in challenging situations. Shift your perspective on criticism as a sign of success and visibility. Develop fluency in confidence, just like in learning a new skill or language. Building confidence takes time and self-acceptance. Start by acknowledging and accepting the things you currently like about yourself. Use movement and dancing to boost confidence and get into a state of flow. Join the Leadership and Yoga Fam email list to stay up to date on giveaways and L&Y news. Join the fam. Find me on instagram: @shawnakru Get a copy of my guided journal. https://www.ritualofwritingjournal.com/  Evolve with Inversions Retreat Feb 17-22: https://shawnakru.com/retreats/ Time stamps: 00:00 Intro 03:00 My journey towards confidence 05:00 Simón’s feature story and comments 08:30 Releasing the desire to never be seen from your “bad side” 9:50 You’re invited. My 4th yoga retreat is nearly sold out!  13:50 Build confidence like you build a muscle. 15:30 Confidence is a fluency, like a language. 19:00 Is it really someone else’s fault?  23:00 Think of yourself like an artist. 26:00 The factors that make you stand out are of extreme value. 27:00 The BS meter 31:00 Shake out the awkwardness 35:00 Stop apologizing for how you are showing up, just do your best. 40:00 Using your voice confidently. 44:30 Re find it refine and re grind it, this ain’t for the weak minded. 46:10 The waterski example.  48:50 The homework: winners circle moment. 

Join me, Shawna Krueger, and my guest Andre Harris for an episode focused on the art and experience of teaching yoga. I sat down in-studio with Andre, founder of The Misfit Yogis to discuss Rocket yoga, Ashtanga yoga, teaching advanced yoga, finding discipline and inspiration, handstands, and finding joy in yoga.   Andre’s teaching style and approach of “Honoring the lineage, bending the rules” is inspired by Rocket and he has been teaching since 2013. He is also a 500 hour Rocket trainer facilitator.  Find Andre / Misfit Yogis on instagram: @misfit.yogis Misfit Yogis website: https://www.themisfityogis.com/  Join the Leadership and Yoga Fam email list to stay up to date on giveaways and L&Y news. Join the fam. Find me on instagram: @shawnakru Get a copy of my guided journal.  https://www.ritualofwritingjournal.com/  Evolve with Inversions Retreat Feb 17-22: https://shawnakru.com/retreats/ Time stamps: 00:00 Intro 03:30 Pushing the furniture out of the way to teach in his living room. 05:00 Opening an in-home yoga studio. 07:00 The “7th Series” in Ashtanga is family 08:00 What does “Misfit Yogis” mean?  10:00 Building a community as a yoga teacher 13:50 Larry Schulz and Rocket yoga influence 15:30 Andre’s teaching style and teaching origin story. 21:00 Finding Ashtanga yoga and Rocket yoga 24:00 Starting to teach yoga. 20+ classes a week. 29:20 Where does discipline come from? 33:50 Teaching advanced yoga classes and postures. 36:00 The more people they see doing it, the more accessible it becomes. 38:00 Injuries and healing. 45:00 Merch 56:00 Ideal coffee chat 58:20 What makes an exceptional leader?  1:00:00 Billboard message: Show up. No excuses. 

Join me, Shawna Krueger, on a solo episode that will remind you that you are not alone in your suffering and that by remembering our connection and tapping into our emotions, new levels are unlocked. This kind of perspective shift is a muscle, it must be activated frequently.  Today’s episode is free form and from the soul, I hope that you enjoy it. Thank you for being here. <3  Join the Leadership and Yoga Fam email list to stay up to date on giveaways and L&Y news. Join the fam. Find me on instagram: @shawnakru Get a copy of my guided journal. https://www.ritualofwritingjournal.com/  Evolve with Inversions Retreat Feb 17-22: https://shawnakru.com/retreats/ Highlights…. Time stamps: 00:00 Intro 13:00 Blessing bunnies 14:00 I ripped the wifi router out of the wall 28:30 It is essential to make time daily to move beyond low frequencies. 34:00 Our success is not reached like a racehorse. 35:00 Not painting things as black or white.  37:00 If you only have an hour