As a business owner, wife, and mother, I wear many different hats with many different responsibilities. Every experience in my life has helped me become more effective in each role. One of my favorite quotes is "Work in Silence, Let your success be your noise." This has become the guiding philosophy behind my mindset each day.

Throughout much of my life, I’ve struggled with stress, body image, self-esteem, eating disorders, and chronic pain. It took time, and trial and error, to finally discover relief and physical balance through yoga.

In spite of my internal turmoil, I’ve always found joy in traveling the world – exploring India, Pakistan, and even following the Silk Road to China. My passion for exploring the world eventually led me to begin Corc Yoga. However, it wasn’t the result of months of market research or focus group studies. It was, like many things in life, a happy intersection of coincidences.  

A couple of years ago, my husband, Sol and I, experienced a tremendous family loss. As part of our grieving process, we traveled to Portugal. Visiting Portugal allowed me to find myself among the pain and heartache. This magical location enabled me to feel alive again. It was my renewal.

I fell in love with the culture, charming villages, and most importantly, the kind people who call this place home. While we were there I also discovered Portugal’s treasured resource, cork.

I was amazed at how the cork trees give back to Portugal’s economy and provide a sustainable livelihood for many people across the region. As a lover of nature, there was something about cork trees that resonated within me; I knew I needed to share the beauty of cork with others.

Being a business-woman

With both an entrepreneurial spirit and a strong desire to create something both beneficial and sustainable, I was confident my future would involve cork.

When the time came to return home, I carried this newfound fascination with me, accompanied by wild ideas of how I could share this passion with others.

My fascination for cork combined with my mission to share the benefits of yoga led me to begin Corc Yoga. 

What’s been one of the best parts of starting a company?

Starting Corc Yoga has allowed me to connect the dots between battling mental health and giving back to community. In addition to the yoga community that I have grown to love, it has allowed me to give back to the cork farming community of Portugal and those battling mental health issues.

I continuously see the positivity this activity brings to everyone involved, including those struggling with mental health. Now, making Corc Yoga a success is as important as practicing yoga. As the brand has evolved since inception, I am motivated by the opportunity to offer an eco-friendly product to the yoga and wellness community because I know it holds real value and serves as a conduit to deal with the inherent stress of life. 

It has given me a sense of purpose knowing that we have not only created a product that supports sustainability but also supporting lives and giving back to something very close to my heart. 

It takes a village to run a business and I am so grateful to our community and our Corc Yoga team for their loyalty and commitment. We have grown because of our community. Corc Yoga has allowed me to meet some of the most amazing people and form meaningful friendships.

Being a wife

I was raised by entrepreneurs and so I know the importance of strong partnerships. My greatest partnership is with my husband, Sol.

Sol is the dreamer behind Corc Yoga. He grew up on the turbulent streets of Iran during the Iran/Iraq war. Since he was a child, he’s had a knack for overcoming obstacles. At the age of 17, he came to the United States and earned his degree in Communications from California State Fullerton.  

What role does Sol play at Corc Yoga? 

In addition to being a loving husband, dedicated father, and avid soccer aficionado, Sol is a multi-talented artist.

If something’s broken, he never fails to find a way to fix it and make it work. Sol can teach himself how to do anything and accomplishes whatever he sets his mind to. From handling commercial-sized machinery to operating Corel or designing anything from scratch.

To say he is handy is an understatement. So learning how to operate the laser machine was easy for him. The laser machine is what we use to brand and customize each of our mats. So it was very important someone on our team learn how to use it.

Being a mom

Corc Yoga is and always has been a family affair. But as a mom, I can struggle to balance work, my family, friends, and self-care. It’s easy to get pulled in multiple directions and it’s an ongoing learning process for me.

When I’m not wearing my entrepreneur hat, you’ll find me with a camera at the soccer field with Sol and our two boys. And when we’re not at the soccer fields, there’s a good chance we’re planning our next family adventure!

Do you have any memories when being both a business owner and mom collided?

As a mom and a business owner, it can be a challenge to balance the two. I can recall one time when I was frantically trying to fulfill a customized order while also fulfilling my mom duties: doing laundry while cooking dinner before running my kids to soccer practice.

Suddenly while lasering, a fuse blew out. Everything in the house shut down including our WiFi and the laundry machine (which, by the way, was washing my boys' soccer uniforms). It was a disaster. 

Sol wasn't there to bail me out so I had to count on my boys to reset our entire house.  Thankfully, they take after their dad and have also learned to fix things quite quickly.

It’s not easy managing the roles of business owner, wife, and mother. But when I see the positive impact of our work on the communities we’re supporting, it makes it all worth it. I want to thank you for joining us on this journey towards sustainable living for the mind, body, and soul. We can’t wait to change the world together, one mat, one person at a time.