Daily Inspiration: Meet Meg Pacella & Amanda Shefsick

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Meg Pacella & Amanda Shefsick.

Hi Meg & Amanda, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
We started out as school teachers and active yoga participants.

When a local yoga studio was closing its doors, it sparked the idea of starting our own yoga sanctuary. As soon as the vision turned into reality, we started promoting our space at local events, farmers’ markets and all around town to get the word out.

We quickly started building a community before our doors even opened. This helped us when we opened our doors so that we had an established group already attending classes. We now have three studio spaces and over 10+ classes a day.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
In any fitness-based industry, you can experience the summer slide, where members will freeze or discontinue their memberships. This is a very hard time of year for us because, unfortunately, the overhead expenses don’t change, but we lose money coming in due to the membership loss. We have to be very mindful throughout the year to add additional offerings to help pad the summer months.

Another struggle is scheduling. It is hard to please everyone. It is also hard to make a slimmer summer schedule without upsetting people. However, the smaller summer schedule is necessary to keep our doors open. We are hoping we can continue to add in more programs and offerings and also more members so that we can continue to keep our offerings the same.

We have also found that being a women-owned business can be interesting in the way we are treated. We really struggled to open our doors, find funding, and overall, just the experience we sometimes receive from other businesses.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe you can tell us more about your work next?
She received a Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism, found herself missing the ocean, and moved back to San Diego shortly after college. In San Diego, she attended the National University, where she earned her Master’s in Special Education and Elementary Education. While studying to be a teacher, she began her yoga journey in San Diego, where she completed her 200-hour Core Alliance teacher training, sculpt teacher training, and level 2 vinyasa certifications at Core Power Yoga.

Shortly after her certification was complete, she traveled the world with her husband, David. Their travels took them to 37 countries and over 100 different cities. She stayed and immersed herself in different cultures around the world. In India they stayed at an Ashram where she learned various formats of yoga and received her certification in Ayurvedic Medicine.

When returning to the United States, she decided to pursue the path of elementary education and work as a kindergarten teacher in Chicago, Illinois. She welcomed her first child, Guthrie, in 2015, which brought her family back to Colorado to be closer to family. In 2017, they welcomed their 2nd child, Etta. While in Castle Rock, CO she has taught Special Education and 1st grade at Clear Sky Elementary.

She hopes to bring her love for kids into Peace Out Yoga, offering a variety of kid’s classes and workshops. She is a fitness enthusiast and hopes to also add some fitness elements to the studio through sculpt classes, health workshops, and programs.

Amanda Shefsick is a proud native of Colorado. She has spent the last 21 years living in Castle Rock, raising her family with her husband, Brad, and two teenage children. She works as a reading specialist in the Douglas County School District and has her Master’s in Community Counseling. She has been practicing yoga for 24 years. Yoga has always been a practice she applies to her life as a way to find wholeness. Yoga is not just practiced on a mat; it has become a way of life for her.

Amanda earned her 285-hour core alliance certification through Inner Connections Yoga Studio under the teachings of John and Jeanne Adams. She is excited to teach hatha-inspired, restorative, yin, and gentle yoga classes, create community workshops for both adults and children, and pass on gratitude, kindness, and love to bring the community together. The last year has created fear, anxiety, and pain for so many. She wants to create a space that welcomes people in to feel safe, loved, hopeful, and put back together.

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you, and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share?
Our business came in on the tail end of Covid. We had to install an ERV system to help with air circulation, which wasn’t a requirement before Covid. That was an added expense we were not expecting.

As far as the other aspects of yoga, we were just very mindful that everyone had their own comfort level and expectations. We opened our doors to those looking for community and love but made sure people felt safe and protected.

I think the valuable lesson is that community comes together in times of need, so it’s important to have spaces like Peace Out Yoga.

Pricing:

• $35 Unlimited Week of Yoga (First Timers)
• $139 Unlimited Membership
• $28 Drop-in

Contact Info:

• Website: www.peaceoutyoga.com
• Instagram: @peaceoutyogastudio
• Facebook: @peaceoutyogastudio