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Meet Brooke Hamblet of Indigo Yoga in Fort Worth

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Brooke Hamblet.

Brooke, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I began teaching yoga in 1999 at gyms and community centers – wherever facilities were open to the idea. By 2002 I luckily landed a “real” yoga job at Fort Worth’s very first dedicated yoga studio, Soul Fitness. During that time, I cleaned out my garage apartment and made room for a little private yoga studio that held 8 mats. Soon I had my own class schedule and taught from 6am until late in the evening – small group and private lessons. By 2005, the popularity had reached a point where I needed to make my little “hobby” official, and later that year I opened Indigo Yoga at 4812 Camp Bowie Boulevard. At 1100 square feet, Indigo Yoga had a tiny lobby, one bathroom, a small storage room, and studio space for up to 20 mats. I could not afford any employees or teachers, so I did it all – clean, marketed, managed accounts, managed the operations, and of course, I taught. After about a year of teaching upwards of 30-40 lessons a week, I brought on a couple of teachers to help. By 2008, we had grown so much that we expanded into another 2000 square feet of space. By 2010, we expanded again into another 2000. In 2016, we moved our patched-together facility into a brand-new, state of the art, fully custom-built studio at 5111 Pershing Avenue. This facility boasts beautiful locker rooms, a meditation library, retractable garage doors, a spacious lobby with mat storage, staff kitchen, laundry facilities and a studio that can hold 125 mats. In this same year, we opened a second studio in Sundance Square, in the historic Fort Worth Firestation No. 1. We teach thousands of students each week at both locations. We currently have a staff of 45 employees – part-time and full-time and teachers. The Brooke Hamblet Teacher Training School graduates 20-30 outstanding teachers per year. We teach a youth yoga program – IndiGrow – at All Saints Episcopal School and we teach weekly community classes at the Trailhead/Clearfork, and on the Trinity River at Panther Pavilion. And our charitable organization, The Blue Butterfly Project, teaches more than 70 classes per month in our community to people in addiction recovery centers, crisis respite units, mental and behavioral health facilities, community centers, and adolescent units. Personally, I am the COO of the company, I still teach regularly, and travel internationally to train teachers on behalf of Indigo Yoga and the Baptiste Institute. We have grown so much and continue to grow. So much more to come!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Looking back, I can honestly say it has been a smoother road than it hasn’t, because I have and the concept of Indigo Yoga always been so fully supported by my community. Struggles in the beginning were mostly around who I wanted to be – and what I wanted to be in the community. From the beginning, because I am trained predominately as a Baptiste Yoga teacher, Indigo Yoga has been a Baptiste Affiliate Studio, which means we are endorsed and accredited by the Baptiste Yoga Institute. This brought up struggle with teachers and students every now and then, those who wanted something different or wanted more variation in their teaching and style. But I chose to stand firm in who I was, and stayed true to my roots and my teachings, and I believe the consistency and the loyalty has paid off. Other struggles were on the business side; I have a degree in English and Marketing, so running the business from an analytics and accounting point of view was definitely a learning curve for me. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to learn it or turn a blind eye to it as many small business owners tend to do; it was that I simply didn’t know what I didn’t know. So I dedicated myself to that portion of it, even though it is not my natural skill set. And now? I LOVE IT. I love the analytics and the numbers and I am proud of the fact that that part of our company is organized and clean as a whistle. I have my partner, John Cornelsen, who came aboard in 2015, to thank for that. He is the “man behind the curtain,” a business phenom who loves yoga and who attended one of my first teacher trainings. He took such an interest in what I was doing that he dedicated 18 months to learning the model, and eventually, helped me restructure. I hope to do the exact same thing for a new business owner someday, teaching them what he has taught me. Other struggles were simply logistic; for the last 8 years, I have been a single mom of two boys. So running the business and raising them has had its challenges at times. But it has strengthened me and my conviction beyond measure, and I think my boys see that. I wouldn’t trade in one moment.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Indigo Yoga – what should we know?
Indigo Yoga is one of the biggest, most popular yoga studios in the DFW Metroplex. We specialize in teaching Baptiste Yoga, but we pride ourselves in community. We are known for being a “home away from home,” as many students claim, and the resounding feedback we get is that our community is like no other. Our vision is to be the #1 brand of yoga in DFW, measured in membership, attendance, name recognition and the best place to work. We are a community where all who come can thrive through and with yoga. We nourish compassion and possibility. We relentlessly raise the standards for yoga studios and are the local leader of our industry. We reach out and serve those in need.

I am most proud of my team, and that is truly what sets us apart from the rest. They are what makes it all happen on a daily basis. They live by our Core Values which are: ALL IN – Loyalty, Team, Vision. Active Participation, Consistency. Accountability, Integrity, Clear Communication, Financial Responsibility, Hungry for Feedback.

SELFLESS SERVICE – Philanthropy, For Others, Inclusion, Community Driven, Compassion.

ACTION EXPRESSES PRIORITIES (Gandhi) – What we do shows others what is important to us. Forward Moving, Growth-Oriented, Learn From Experience.

INNOVATIVE – The First and the Best, Leader, Always Original, Trailblazers. Fun, Funny & Fearless. Celebration.

ACKNOWLEDGE & APPRECIATE – Others Above Self, See + Hear + Listen, Gratitude.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Unequivocally – Leadership of Team.

I have attached a few comments from them I gathered just yesterday when I asked them why they felt Indigo Yoga was the best place to work.

Helen Pine McPherson – “Because every single person, from leadership down to the volunteer floor sweeper is in it for the good of the whole. And I’m talking beyond the walls of the studio.”

Gloria Wright-Hagan – “Besides the beautiful work environment, updated information and team support, for me and the phase that I am in is the flexibility of the teaching schedule. It’s HUGE!!!! I’m still able to be a part of this teaching team without feeling like I’m missing home stuff.”

Suzanne Hinkle – “The people, our people, all people. It’s such a happy and uplifting place. It’s full of amazing energy. It’s a place of welcome to all. Everyone is all in!”

Tanya Charfen- “Love working for Indigo for so many reasons but to name a few: always working as a team and feeling part of a team, constant motivation to become better on what we do, constant communication in between team members, no envy, everyone always willing to lend a hand when needed. The opportunity to reach others outside of the studio. In a few words “All for one and one for all,” but for me a key piece for working here is Brooke, so much respect for you and so much to learn from you.”

Taylor Matus –
– Commitment to professional growth of teachers/employees.
– Unbelievably positive working environment.
– Health conscious.
– Competitive pay.
– We can now say the amazing amount of free education.
– Blue Zone.
– We have so much fun.

Jennifer Floyd Engel – “I like being there even when I am not getting paid to be there.”

Joni Hart – “The people – teachers, staff, students. I LOVE being a part of this community!”

Jen Villegas-
Transparency.
Malleability.
Growth – and the promotion of growth – always forward and upward.
We are who we say we are.
We do what we say we do.
Community. Yes.
Education. Yes.
Celebration. Yes.”

Ashley McCoy Reese – “The commitment to each other. The leadership of Indigo truly gets that customer experience begins with treating the employees well and Indigo goes above and beyond for us.”

Alli Carpenter –
-Transparency and efficient communication from the leaders
– Commitment and respect from the leaders in the form of continuing education and recognition.
– A team that is open and willing to provide selfless service on all levels
– A team that is welcoming and social outside of the studio.
– A positive and notable community reputation.
– A positive and notable community reputation.
– An active and consistently improving growth plan.
– Outreach program
– Extremely qualified and competent leaders

Crissa Renteria Sigl – “Everyone is all IN for the greater good. We operate from a “we”, not “I”mindset. The community is unmatched. Indigo sets the standard for what other studios aspire to be.”

Dulce Luna –
“Honesty.
Respect.
Zero drama.
Encouragement to be a better person.
Multicultural Environment
The list can go on and on…”

January Shannon –
“- transparency in decision making
– fairness
– recognition
– appreciation
– incentives
– common goals
– leadership that is truly open to feedback
– leadership that is open to BHAG’s for the studio itself as well as goals dreamed up by its employees and even its customers
– customers (students), instructors, desk staff, and everyone in between calls Indigo “theirs”, because it is.
– we have fun
-we have cool shirts and stickers and shit
– we take what we do seriously without taking ourselves too seriously.”

Heidi Ericksen Knight – “Different than any other work environment I’ve ever experienced. Positive at all levels for all people and reasons. Whether u are a big or small part u still feel the full sense of community and inclusion. Love. That is everything.”

Pricing:

  • $88 Limitless Yoga, no contract. First time students get their first month for $88, second month is free. Cancel anytime.
  • $108 Platinum Limitless Yoga, no contract, cancel anytime. Same as $88 but you also get free water, towel, mat rental, mat storage, one monthly buddy pass and free Indigo Workshops.
  • $20 Day Pass. Come all day to any class, both locations (Westside and Sundance Square)
  • $48 Passport – for travelers. One week of unlimited yoga, both locations.

Contact Info:


Image Credit:
Peter Robbins Photography
Trevius Jones

Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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