From Misalignment to Momentum: The Business Pivot That Changed Everything
Pivoting is something we often talk about in business, but in my experience, I’ve found that the pivots we make professionally are rarely confined to our work. They ripple into our personal lives, our sense of identity, and the way we move through the world. Over the past year, I’ve experienced several major pivots within Akamai Healing. And while these changes started in my work, the lessons they taught me reached far beyond business strategy. They touched the deeper layers of how I make decisions, how I honor my energy, and how I stay aligned with what’s true for me.
A Path I Wasn’t Sure I Wanted
One of my biggest pivots came after finishing yoga teacher training last year. To be honest, while I enjoyed yoga and had practiced off and on for 30 years, and I’d taught other styles of fitness classes for more than 15 years, I had a hard time picturing myself as a yoga teacher. I loved yogic philosophy, and I adored the community I found in my training, but something in me hesitated at the thought of teaching it.
Part of my hesitation about becoming a yoga teacher came from what I learned during my training. The deeper I went into the curriculum, the more aware I became of the cultural roots of yoga and the responsibility that comes with honoring them respectfully. I also realized how much anatomical and physical knowledge is required to teach safely — far more than a single training course could ever provide. I could feel how much additional study, mentorship, and experience it would take to become the kind of teacher I would feel proud to be.
I felt hyper‑aware of the gaps, the nuances, and the ethical considerations. I knew I didn’t want to teach casually or superficially; I wanted to teach with integrity. And that awareness made me cautious, even reluctant, to step fully into the role.
But, by the end of the training, I was riding a wave of motivation. Maybe I could do this! Maybe I could find where I fit. I felt like I needed to take every opportunity to keep pushing into the yoga world. So, I did what many of us do when we’re swept up in momentum: I said yes to everything.
Riding the High, Losing my Center
I pushed too hard, too fast. I put myself in environments that looked shiny from the outside but were misaligned on the inside. I ignored red flags because a studio was popular, or the teachers were well‑known, or the opportunities seemed too good to pass up. I convinced myself that discomfort was growth, when, in reality, it was my intuition whispering, “This isn’t your path.”
In heart‑centered work — work that requires presence, groundedness, and integrity — forcing yourself into the wrong spaces is exhausting. And I learned that the hard way. I burned myself out in a matter of months trying to fit into rooms that weren’t meant for me. I lost touch with my own voice because I was trying so hard to match the tone of everyone else’s.
Eventually, the misalignment became impossible to ignore. I had to step back. I had to pivot. And at the time, it felt painful and confusing, like I had failed at something I was supposed to love.
But here’s the thing about pivots: they often create the space we didn’t know we needed.
Once I stopped forcing the yoga path, something remarkable happened. I suddenly had the capacity, energy, and creative spark to develop an employee wellness program, something that had been quietly calling to me for years. Coming from a world of corporate burnout, I’ve always wanted to give back in a way that felt meaningful. I wanted to offer the tools I wish I’d had when I was overwhelmed, exhausted, and disconnected from myself. And now, with space cleared, that vision finally had room to grow. I’ll be sharing much more about this in the months to come.
At the same time, sound healing, something I’ve been passionate about for ages, began to move from the back burner to the forefront. I had been so focused on forcing the yoga piece that I didn’t have the bandwidth to nurture the modality that actually lights me up: vibration, frequency, energy, resonance. Suddenly, new connections appeared. Opportunities unfolded. And now I have multiple community sound baths on my schedule — something that feels aligned, exciting, and deeply true to who I am. (Come chill with me at Elevate Yoga Collective’s Lunar Reset on April 29, where I’ll be providing some gentle breathwork and a full sound bath!)
Alignment Over Approval
This is the gift of pivoting. It’s not just about changing direction. It’s about returning to yourself. It’s about learning to:
Say no when something doesn’t feel right, even if it looks good on paper.
Speak up early when red flags appear, instead of hoping they’ll resolve themselves.
Trust your intuition more than external validation.
Go slow, especially in heart‑centered work where your energy is your most valuable resource.
Know yourself well enough to recognize when momentum is carrying you somewhere you don’t actually want to go.
Going slow in business isn’t a weakness. It’s wisdom. It’s how you build something sustainable, something aligned, something that doesn’t require you to abandon yourself in the process. And I wouldn’t have discovered this without experiencing the pivot.