Yoga Biz Champ with Michael Jay

Hosted by Michael Jay

Business Marketing Health Fitness

Website RSS feed LinkedIn Facebook YouTube

Episodes

Latest episode

Nov 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Join Michael Jay, the Yoga Biz Champ studio consultant (@yogabizchamp), on the #1 Podcast "Yoga Biz Champ" podcast dedicated to community yoga studios, your essential guide to thriving in the yoga business world. With a rich background as a yoga teacher, former studio owner, and marketing expert, I bring you the insider's perspective on making your yoga studio a resounding success. What You'll Gain: - Insightful Conversations: Listen in as I chat with dynamic yoga studio owners and top industry experts, sharing their journeys, strategies, and secrets to success. - Practical Advice: Each episode is packed with actionable tips and practical steps tailored to help both budding and seasoned studio owners flourish - Real-World Success Stories: Be inspired by real-life examples of yoga studios that have transformed challenges into triumphs. My Approach: As your host, I blend direct, fair, and humor-infused coaching to demystify the complexities of running a yoga business. My style is about being in the trenches with you, offering guidance that's relatable and effective. Why Listen? - Experience & Expertise: Leverage my 14+ years of experience in running and selling a profitable yoga studio and my proven track record as a yoga business consultant. - Diverse Topics: From branding and marketing to pricing and sustainable growth, we cover the A-Z of yoga business management. - Join a community of like-minded individuals passionate about turning their yoga dreams into profitable realities. By tuning into the Yoga Biz Champ podcast, you'll gain the knowledge, inspiration, and confidence to navigate the yoga business landscape successfully. Whether you're starting out or scaling up, these conversations will be your roadmap to becoming the next Yoga Biz Champ in your community https://yogabizchamp.link/podlink

Listen to episodes

60 recent

November 2, 202631 min

Yoga Alliance Just Killed the 200 and 500. Now What? with Rebecca Sebastian

Ask Me Anything? What the Heck Is Going On With Yoga Alliance? "My argument has always been that's a fake career ladder because it doesn't actually get you anything, but they just proved me right in one move." – Rebecca Sebastian If your inbox has been full of Yoga Alliance emails that seem to contradict each other, you're not alone. I came into this conversation knowing next to nothing on purpose, the way most community yoga studio owners are right now. Rebecca Sebastian, founder of Inside Yoga Magazine and host of the Working in Yoga podcast, has been reporting on every twist, so I let her do the explaining. We cover how Yoga Alliance is shifting from a registry that counted your hours to a credential with a test, why the 200 and 500 labels are disappearing, and what's still completely unknown, including what new members will pay. If you hire teachers or run a teacher training, this is your plain-English starting point. In This Episode • Where it all started: a research study of roughly 1,900 people and a webinar Rebecca watched three times • Registry vs credential, and why Yoga Alliance was never really "the cops" • RYT 200 and 500 collapsing into RYT and E-RYT, and the career ladder that disappears with them • The new online assessment, CPR requirement and the end of 2027 deadline • The lock-in-for-three-years ask when nobody knows the future price • The American Yoga Council: who they are and what they're doing • Why yoga needs real trade journalism, not social media rumours • What community yoga studio owners should be paying attention to next Links - Inside Yoga Magazine: [insideyogamagazine.com]( https://www.insideyogamagazine.com ) - Subscribe to Inside Yoga: [thesunlightexperience.com/insideyogahome]( https://www.thesunlightexperience.com/insideyogahome ) - Working in Yoga podcast: [workinginyoga.com]( https://workinginyoga.com /) - Sunlight Media: [thesunlightexperience.com]( http://thesunlightexperience.com /) - Rebecca on Instagram: [@rebeccasebastianyoga]( https://www.instagram.com /rebeccasebastianyoga/) - Plan your 2027 with me at the Planning Party (sign up before December 2nd): [yogabizchamp.link/plan27] ( https://yogabizchamp.link/plan27 ) - Confused about what this means for your studio? Book a call with Michael Jay: [yogabizchamp.com/book]( https://yogabizchamp.com/book ) Two hours, one live session, and a 2027 plan built around your studio’s actual busy and quiet months. Join me Dec 2. Early bird $47 until Nov 20: https://yogabizchamp.link/plan27 Get 50% off your first three months of Offering Tree, OR 15% off an entire year with my Exclusive Discount Link. SIGN UP ON THE STUDIO PLAN AND GET A FREE 1-1 CONSULTING SESSION WITH ME Offeringtree.com/yogabizchamppodcast. The Number Nobody Talks About: How to Prepare, Price, and Sell Your Boutique Fitness Studio - by Mitch McGinley. Grab Your copy on Amazon US Here FREE RESOURCES AND BOOK A CHAT LINK https://yogabizchamp.link/podlink

October 19, 202625 min

Why Do People Pay $280 for Equinox but Balk at Your Yoga Membership?

Ask Me Anything? “You don’t need to be the cheapest studio in town. You need to be the one people can’t imagine leaving.” At my annual Planning Party, a conversation about offers turned into a bigger question. Why will people happily pay around $280 a month for Equinox or CrossFit, while community yoga studio owners reach for a discount the moment things go quiet? In this episode, Michael Jay breaks down why yoga studios keep racing to the bottom and what that habit really costs. Drawing on 24 years of teaching and 13 years running a community yoga studio, Michael shares real examples from studio owners who added value instead of cutting prices. They include a Christmas in July campaign that brought in $50,000 with 96% retention, a summer buddy pass, and an eight-week beginner course. You’ll walk away with practical ways to bundle value, price for every type of student, and talk about money without apologizing. In This Episode • Why community yoga studio owners default to discounting • The discount math: why 20% off means you need 25% more sales • What Equinox and CrossFit actually sell (hint: it’s not the equipment) • Real value-first offers from the Planning Party • Five ways to add or bundle value instead of discounting • Bundles for Practice Dabblers, Consistent Practitioners and Community Anchors • How your front desk and teachers should talk about price • Answers to “my town is too price sensitive” and other objections • How to keep yoga accessible without discounting your whole business Resources • Free planning calendar and event download: https://www.yogabizchamp.com • Book a free call: yogabizchamp.com/book • 2027 Planning Party early bird list: DM “PARTY” on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/yogabizchamp Two hours, one live session, and a 2027 plan built around your studio’s actual busy and quiet months. Join me Dec 2. Early bird $47 until Nov 20: https://yogabizchamp.link/plan27 Get 50% off your first three months of Offering Tree, OR 15% off an entire year with my Exclusive Discount Link. SIGN UP ON THE STUDIO PLAN AND GET A FREE 1-1 CONSULTING SESSION WITH ME Offeringtree.com/yogabizchamppodcast. The Number Nobody Talks About: How to Prepare, Price, and Sell Your Boutique Fitness Studio - by Mitch McGinley. Grab Your copy on Amazon US Here FREE RESOURCES AND BOOK A CHAT LINK https://yogabizchamp.link/podlink

October 9, 2026Episode 1926 min

Your January Rush Is Decided in October

Ask Me Anything? Most community yoga studio owners treat January like weather, something that just happens to them. In this episode, Michael Jay explains why the studios with a great January planned it months earlier, and how the October to December stretch decides whether your new year is busy or actually profitable. Michael shares the yearly rhythm he used at Open Space Yoga. October was for getting ready. A November community event raised money for hospice, sold the January courses and launched gift cards. Three nights of candlelight yoga in December raised donations for the food bank. He also gives an honest look at Black Friday annual passes, and explains why the “week-3 cliff” is where your January profit is won or lost. In This Episode Why January is busy for attendance but often flat for revenue How one November event raised money for charity, sold January and brought in holiday cash If there’s no event in your town, create your own party Candlelight yoga, teachers teaching in pairs, and ending the year generously Black Friday annual passes: why the cash is a promise, not profit How predictable sales train your students to wait (the Squarespace confession) Building a beginner pathway for visits 1, 3 and 6 Your October to December Checklist Build your January courses and intro offer now. What are they, what do they cost, when do they start, and what do they lead into? Choose your community event and put it on the calendar this week. The third week of November is a sweet spot. Pick a cause your community cares about, such as a hospice, a food bank or an animal shelter. Have your January schedule finished before your November event. You can’t sell a course with no dates. Plan your gift card push so it’s easy to buy online and at the desk. Warm up your email list in November, before you ask for anything in January. If you run a Black Friday annual pass, cap it, spread the cash across the year, and change it up so it isn’t predictable. Map out your beginner pathway for visits 1, 3 and 6 to get students past the week-3 cliff. Plan it with Michael Join the Annual Planning Party on October 14 at 10am Pacific. JOIN HERE Listening later? DM Michael on Instagram to join the early bird list for the next one. For one-on-one help with your community yoga studio, book a chat at yogabizchamp.com/book. Two hours, one live session, and a 2027 plan built around your studio’s actual busy and quiet months. Join me Dec 2. Early bird $47 until Nov 20: https://yogabizchamp.link/plan27 Get 50% off your first three months of Offering Tree, OR 15% off an entire year with my Exclusive Discount Link. SIGN UP ON THE STUDIO PLAN AND GET A FREE 1-1 CONSULTING SESSION WITH ME Offeringtree.com/yogabizchamppodcast. FREE RESOURCES AND BOOK A CHAT LINK https://yogabizchamp.link/podlink

September 21, 2026Episode 1834 min

The Ultimate Customer Journey: From First Contact to Regular

Ask Me Anything? "You are not just selling a great first class. You are managing the ninety days after it, on purpose, with a system, not just good vibes and hoping they remember how nice everyone was." Getting someone through the door was never the hard part. What happens between their first phone call and their fiftieth class is where community yoga studios actually win or lose students for good. This episode walks the entire journey start to finish, first contact, intake, the welcome email, the front desk, the mat, the follow-up, all the way to conversion and beyond. Every touchpoint gets its own close look, including a few most studios skip entirely, like the front desk handoff and the daily habit of actually checking whether someone's being quietly ignored. If your fall push brought in new faces, this is the system that decides whether they're still around at Christmas. In This Episode • Why the first ninety days decide almost everything, and the frequency numbers behind it • The four questions to ask before you ever mention pricing • Why a short video walkthrough can take the intimidation out of someone's first visit • The front desk handoff that turns a booking into a real connection • Why a mediocre class undoes every good thing that happened before it • "Daily detective work," the habit of manually checking a student's actual experience, not just the automated triggers • How to build a milestone and win-back system that catches drift before it becomes a cancellation Two hours, one live session, and a 2027 plan built around your studio’s actual busy and quiet months. Join me Dec 2. Early bird $47 until Nov 20: https://yogabizchamp.link/plan27 Get 50% off your first three months of Offering Tree, OR 15% off an entire year with my Exclusive Discount Link. SIGN UP ON THE STUDIO PLAN AND GET A FREE 1-1 CONSULTING SESSION WITH ME Offeringtree.com/yogabizchamppodcast. The Number Nobody Talks About: How to Prepare, Price, and Sell Your Boutique Fitness Studio - by Mitch McGinley. Grab Your copy on Amazon US Here FREE RESOURCES AND BOOK A CHAT LINK https://yogabizchamp.link/podlink

September 7, 2026Episode 1724 min

The Note Under the Door: Your Pre-September Studio Audit

Ask Me Anything? "The parts of your business nobody's actively complaining about are usually the parts quietly telling on you." Years ago, someone slipped a note under my studio door. It wasn't harsh, just honest: they loved the space, and they'd noticed dust bunnies in the corner. It landed during a genuinely hard personal stretch, and instead of wrecking me, it became the start of a ritual I've done every August since. This episode walks through the full pre-September reset I still use with community yoga studio owners today: website, software, automations, and yes, actually steam-cleaning the bolsters and pulling the prop shelves out from the wall. In This Episode: The story behind the note under the door Why a physical studio reset changes how you see everything else The website audit: what a stranger sees that you don't The software audit: what you're paying for and who else knows how it runs Email and SMS automations: are they still sounding like you The physical deep clean checklist, bolsters and prop shelves included Confirming your teacher line-up and your real numbers before launch www.yogabizchamp.link/podlink Two hours, one live session, and a 2027 plan built around your studio’s actual busy and quiet months. Join me Dec 2. Early bird $47 until Nov 20: https://yogabizchamp.link/plan27 Get 50% off your first three months of Offering Tree, OR 15% off an entire year with my Exclusive Discount Link. SIGN UP ON THE STUDIO PLAN AND GET A FREE 1-1 CONSULTING SESSION WITH ME Offeringtree.com/yogabizchamppodcast. The Number Nobody Talks About: How to Prepare, Price, and Sell Your Boutique Fitness Studio - by Mitch McGinley. Grab Your copy on Amazon US Here FREE RESOURCES AND BOOK A CHAT LINK https://yogabizchamp.link/podlink

August 10, 2026Episode 1636 min

Your Community Yoga Studio's September Launch Starts in August

Ask Me Anything? "You cannot launch in September what you haven't built in August." July was data and dreaming, pulling your numbers and deciding what fall looks like for your community yoga studio. August is where that plan either becomes real or quietly dies in a folder you'll reopen in October. In this episode, MJ breaks down the four things every community yoga studio owner needs to build this month, your landing page, your social content rhythm, your signature course promotion, and a real, scrappy, zero-cost marketing push. Pulled straight from real coaching calls, this episode covers what's actually tripping up studio owners right now, from beginner ads that accidentally scare beginners off, to courses that end with no clear next step. If you've got four to five weeks before fall programming hits, this is the playbook to use them well. In This Episode: • Why August is the bridge between July's planning and September's launch • The one landing page fix most community yoga studios are missing • The three-second rule for reels, and the beginner imagery mistake that kills conversions • How to promote your signature course so it doesn't quietly fade out • The scrappy, zero-cost marketing mix, posters, local partnerships, and press • This week's task: your list of 30 free ways to get in front of real eyeballs DOWNLOAD THE 100 SCRAPPY MARKETING IDEAS FOR YOGA STUDIOS Two hours, one live session, and a 2027 plan built around your studio’s actual busy and quiet months. Join me Dec 2. Early bird $47 until Nov 20: https://yogabizchamp.link/plan27 Get 50% off your first three months of Offering Tree, OR 15% off an entire year with my Exclusive Discount Link. SIGN UP ON THE STUDIO PLAN AND GET A FREE 1-1 CONSULTING SESSION WITH ME Offeringtree.com/yogabizchamppodcast. The Number Nobody Talks About: How to Prepare, Price, and Sell Your Boutique Fitness Studio - by Mitch McGinley. Grab Your copy on Amazon US Here FREE RESOURCES AND BOOK A CHAT LINK https://yogabizchamp.link/podlink

July 27, 2026Episode 1540 min

The Community Yoga Studio Tech Stack Hit List

Ask Me Anything? Hey champs — this one’s a rapid-fire episode for any community yoga studio owner who’s overwhelmed by every new AI tool, app, and platform update landing in their feed this year. As a community yoga studio coach, Michael Jay spends his time testing this stuff so you don’t have to — and in this episode, he hands you the full list. No twenty-minute deep dives, just tool, what it does, and a real scenario for how you’d actually use it in your own community yoga studio. You’ll learn: •The one non-negotiable your booking platform needs — integrated SMS and email automation triggered by real member data, not a monthly guess-and-blast newsletter. •The free AI booking bots now available across WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram, regardless of what booking software you’re on. •How to brand every AI-generated design automatically using Canva’s Magic Brand Engine — set it once, never touch it again. •Real options for camera-shy studio owners, with an honest take on when to use them and when real-you content still wins. •The Instagram, Meta, and WhatsApp features built specifically for capturing leads. •Michael’s own “Role + Outcome” framework for using ChatGPT or Claude properly. Key quote: “It was never really about which tool you pick. It’s about how you talk to it.” Get the full tool list + every link mentioned in this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1i9w3_bd9vgDAMOY1WsIWuPrGoEfodhgVrhss-nSoTSU/edit Want help building this out for your own community yoga studio? Book your free strategy chat at YogaBizChamp.com/book . Two hours, one live session, and a 2027 plan built around your studio’s actual busy and quiet months. Join me Dec 2. Early bird $47 until Nov 20: https://yogabizchamp.link/plan27 Get 50% off your first three months of Offering Tree, OR 15% off an entire year with my Exclusive Discount Link. SIGN UP ON THE STUDIO PLAN AND GET A FREE 1-1 CONSULTING SESSION WITH ME Offeringtree.com/yogabizchamppodcast. The Number Nobody Talks About: How to Prepare, Price, and Sell Your Boutique Fitness Studio - by Mitch McGinley. Grab Your copy on Amazon US Here FREE RESOURCES AND BOOK A CHAT LINK https://yogabizchamp.link/podlink

July 20, 2026Episode 1427 min

Fall Is Not a Vibe: 7 Things Every Community Yoga Studio Should Assess First

Ask Me Anything? "The Community Yoga Studios that grow every fall aren't the ones with the flashiest launch graphic — they're the ones who did the unglamorous looking-backward work in August, so September wasn't a guess." Everybody treats fall like the Super Bowl of the Community Yoga Studio year, and most owners respond by doing what they did last year, just a little louder. In this solo episode, I walk through the seven things I have every Community Yoga Studio client assess before we build a fall plan — backed by real 2026 industry benchmark data, so you've got actual numbers to check yourself against, not just a gut feeling. In this episode: • The numbers every Community Yoga Studio owner should pull before planning fall — and the benchmark for a healthy retention rate • The 90-day cliff: the window where roughly half of new clients are at risk, and why it matters more than new sign-ups • Why your fall schedule needs to match the team you actually have, not the one you wish you had • The healthy payroll-to-revenue range for a Community Yoga Studio, and where it tips into a real problem • Why referred members outperform every other acquisition channel — and how to build that into your fall plan • Free tools I hand you directly in this episode: a schedule template, a marketing/event guide, a retention planner, and my 2026 Studio Planner "Belonging isn't just a nice value to have — it's measurably your cheapest and most effective growth channel for a Community Yoga Studio." Free Community Yoga Studio resources: https://www.yogabizchamp.com/resources Book a free strategy call: https://www.yogabizchamp.com/book Two hours, one live session, and a 2027 plan built around your studio’s actual busy and quiet months. Join me Dec 2. Early bird $47 until Nov 20: https://yogabizchamp.link/plan27 Get 50% off your first three months of Offering Tree, OR 15% off an entire year with my Exclusive Discount Link. SIGN UP ON THE STUDIO PLAN AND GET A FREE 1-1 CONSULTING SESSION WITH ME Offeringtree.com/yogabizchamppodcast. The Number Nobody Talks About: How to Prepare, Price, and Sell Your Boutique Fitness Studio - by Mitch McGinley. Grab Your copy on Amazon US Here FREE RESOURCES AND BOOK A CHAT LINK https://yogabizchamp.link/podlink

June 27, 2026Episode 1340 min

Ask Me Anything: Community Yoga Studios, Business & Life

Ask Me Anything? “You don’t build a successful community yoga studio by making perfect decisions. You build one by making the next right decision, over and over again.” For the first time on the Yoga Biz Champ Podcast, we’re turning the microphone around. In this Ask Me Anything episode, I’m answering some of the questions I get asked most—about coaching, running a community yoga studio, business, and a little about the person behind Yoga Biz Champ. We talk about the biggest mistakes I see new yoga studio owners make, why leadership and marketing are investments rather than expenses, what makes my coaching style different, and a few personal stories that have shaped the way I work with community yoga studio owners today. In This Episode * The biggest mistakes I see when opening a Yoga Studio. * Why leadership is one of the best investments you can make. * Where I think Yoga Studio owners overspend. * The one budget I’d never cut. * What makes my coaching approach different. * My favourite text message to receive from clients. * My most unpopular opinion about the yoga industry. * The one business rule I’ll never break. * Stories about my first job, confidence, family and growing up. * A few things you probably didn’t know about me. Two hours, one live session, and a 2027 plan built around your studio’s actual busy and quiet months. Join me Dec 2. Early bird $47 until Nov 20: https://yogabizchamp.link/plan27 Get 50% off your first three months of Offering Tree, OR 15% off an entire year with my Exclusive Discount Link. SIGN UP ON THE STUDIO PLAN AND GET A FREE 1-1 CONSULTING SESSION WITH ME Offeringtree.com/yogabizchamppodcast. The Number Nobody Talks About: How to Prepare, Price, and Sell Your Boutique Fitness Studio - by Mitch McGinley. Grab Your copy on Amazon US Here FREE RESOURCES AND BOOK A CHAT LINK https://yogabizchamp.link/podlink

June 22, 2026Episode 1228 min

Find Your Axis: Burnout, Boundaries & Community Yoga Studios

Ask Me Anything? “Burnout doesn’t happen because you stop caring. Burnout happens because you care so much that somewhere along the way, you stop taking care of yourself.” If you’ve been feeling tired lately, you’re not alone. On recent coaching calls, Michael Jay has been asking studio owners to rate their energy from 1 to 10. The answers have been surprisingly low. Lots of 3s. Lots of 4s. Even the 7s came with a laugh and a disclaimer. So why are so many community Yoga Studio owners running on empty? In this episode, Michael is joined by former studio owner and consultant Stephanie for an honest conversation about burnout, boundaries, self-care, and what it really takes to sustain yourself while leading a community Yoga Studio. Together they share stories from their own experiences as studio owners, discuss why summer can be an ideal time to reset, and explore the habits, systems, and mindset shifts that help owners protect their energy without losing momentum in their business. The conversation touches on everything from taking time off and finding your personal rhythm to delegating tasks, reconnecting with your own practice, and remembering that the health of a community Yoga Studio starts with the health of its owner. This episode is especially valuable for owners who love their community Yoga Studio deeply but have started to feel exhausted, overwhelmed, or disconnected from the reasons they opened their doors in the first place. In this episode, you’ll learn: • Why so many community Yoga Studio owners are feeling burnt out right now • The warning signs that your energy tank is running low • Why summer can be the perfect season to rest, regroup, and prepare for fall • How dedicated time to work on your Yoga Studio—not just in it—can reduce stress and improve focus • Why delegation, systems, and asking for help are essential skills for community Yoga Studio owners • How finding your own rhythm can improve both your health and your business • Why attending classes as a student can reignite your passion and creativity • The importance of practicing what you preach as the leader of a community Yoga Studio • Simple self-care habits that can help prevent burnout before it starts • Why building a thriving community Yoga Studio begins with taking care of yourself Two hours, one live session, and a 2027 plan built around your studio’s actual busy and quiet months. Join me Dec 2. Early bird $47 until Nov 20: https://yogabizchamp.link/plan27 Get 50% off your first three months of Offering Tree, OR 15% off an entire year with my Exclusive Discount Link. SIGN UP ON THE STUDIO PLAN AND GET A FREE 1-1 CONSULTING SESSION WITH ME Offeringtree.com/yogabizchamppodcast. The Number Nobody Talks About: How to Prepare, Price, and Sell Your Boutique Fitness Studio - by Mitch McGinley. Grab Your copy on Amazon US Here FREE RESOURCES AND BOOK A CHAT LINK https://yogabizchamp.link/podlink