Conversations with Traci Lundstrom

Today we’d like to introduce you to Traci Lundstrom.

Hi Traci, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always been someone who felt called to help others. Before I ever imagined owning a yoga and fitness business, I worked in human services—as a nurse, a daycare manager for individuals with developmental disabilities, and even as a Taekwondo instructor for children. I loved that work. It felt like purpose.

In my mid-thirties, my life took an unexpected and deeply challenging turn. I found myself navigating the complex realities of domestic violence—an experience that often unfolds gradually, and in ways that can be difficult for others to fully understand. Truthfully, I didn’t understand what was happening myself. My commitment to the relationship blinded me to the escalation, until it could no longer be ignored. At that time, the criminal justice system did not yet have the awareness or language to fully recognize the cyclical nature of abuse or the lived experience of survivors. As a result, I faced consequences that forced me to step away from the career I had built in human services and begin again, without a clear roadmap forward.

During that period of upheaval, I was introduced to yoga for the first time. What began as a simple class became a powerful anchor. Through breath and movement, I experienced moments of steadiness and self-connection when much of my life felt uncertain. Yoga offered a way to come back into my body with compassion rather than fear, and it became an essential tool for healing—one that reminded me that even in the midst of disruption, we can find presence, resilience, and a path forward.

When I returned home, I focused on rebuilding with purpose. I became a yoga instructor and began teaching service-based classes in the jail to support others who were navigating life transitions. I created a small website so people leaving the facility had a place to continue their practice and feel connected. That simple idea became the foundation of what is now my business.

From there, I went back to college, earned a psychology degree, and published research on the benefits of yoga. I expanded my teaching into gyms and companies, grew the reentry program to offer free community classes, and earned advanced yoga, personal training, and corrective exercise credentials. Over time, I began writing trainings and workshops for yoga teachers and fitness professionals, blending strength, flexibility, and mindful movement.

Today, as I transition my business into All Around Yoga & Fitness, my work is rooted in everything I’ve learned along the way: that many people feel disconnected from their bodies for different reasons—stress, pain, trauma, overwhelm—and that movement is a powerful way to come home to ourselves. My mission is to help people develop curiosity about their bodies, build mobility and strength, and move with more confidence, compassion, and awareness.

My journey wasn’t traditional, but it shaped me into the teacher, trainer, and guide I am today. And it taught me that transformation is always possible, no matter where you’re starting from.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road definitely hasn’t been smooth, but every challenge has shaped the work I do today. After my life shifted so dramatically in my mid-thirties, I had to rebuild everything from the ground up. Losing the ability to work in the field I had always been part of was incredibly difficult. I had spent years in human services, and suddenly I had to figure out an entirely new direction for my life and career.

There were also many internal struggles—rebuilding my confidence, learning how to trust my own voice again, and staying committed to moving forward when the path wasn’t clear. At the same time, I was navigating external barriers, from employment limitations to societal stigma. These things don’t disappear overnight, and they take a lot of resilience to move through.

Starting a business without a blueprint or financial cushion was another challenge. I didn’t begin with a big plan or a strategic launch; I started with a simple desire to stay connected to service and to help others feel supported in their own bodies. Every step after that required patience, resourcefulness, and a willingness to adapt.

Even when I began expanding into fitness, personal training, and advanced yoga education, there were moments of imposter syndrome—wondering if people would take me seriously or understand the passion and intention behind what I was building. And as a one-woman business for many years, managing the teaching, the administrative work, the finances, the program development, and the community outreach often felt like juggling five full-time jobs.

But the biggest shift came when, after fourteen years, the justice system acknowledged the truth of what had happened and overturned my conviction. That moment brought healing, but it also required me to rethink what my future could look like now that a weight I carried for so long had been lifted. I recognized that, just like our physical bodies, carrying consistent loads can have a long term effect. Even after the weight is lifted, there is work to be done in order to repair, and return to our most optimal state of being.

Through all of this, movement was the one constant that kept me anchored. Yoga, strength training, and mindful awareness helped me rebuild from the inside out. Those practices taught me how to stay present in the midst of uncertainty and how to reconnect with my own body and sense of self. They’re also why I’m so passionate about helping others do the same—because I know firsthand how transformative it can be.

So no, the road hasn’t been smooth. But it has been meaningful. It has taught me resilience, empathy, patience, and a deep understanding of what it means to start over. And every struggle has strengthened the foundation of the work I now share with others.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Today, my work sits at the intersection of yoga, fitness, and mindful movement. I specialize in blending strength training, functional mobility, flexibility, and body awareness into a cohesive approach that helps people reconnect with themselves in a meaningful way. I often describe it as creating a deeper curiosity for the body—helping people explore how they move, where they feel strong, where they feel limited, and how they can build more balance from the inside out.

I’m best known for integrating yoga with evidence-based fitness principles. My advanced yoga training, combined with personal training and corrective exercise certifications, allows me to create programs that are accessible, intelligent, and supportive for people of all backgrounds. Whether someone is dealing with chronic tightness, old injuries, stress, trauma, or simply a desire to move better, my goal is always the same: to help them feel grounded and capable in their own bodies.

One of the areas I’m most proud of is the teacher and professional trainings I’ve developed. I run a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training and will be launching an Advanced 300-hour program this summer! I teach specialty workshops like Yoga 4 Fitness that informs other fitness professionals of the concepts that make yoga a beneficial part of anyone’s fitness journey! I teach adjustments workshops and many other courses that blend mobility, strength, and mindful awareness. These programs were created not just for people who want to teach, but for those who want to understand movement on a deeper level—people who want to help others feel empowered through their bodies.

I’m also proud of the work I continue to do in reentry support and trauma-informed education. Although I now serve a wide range of students, maintaining a connection to community service is essential to who I am. I believe that movement and mindfulness should be accessible to everyone, regardless of history or circumstance.

What truly sets me apart is the path that brought me here. My background in human services, my lived experience, my academic research, and my fitness expertise all blend together into a perspective that is both compassionate and informed. I don’t teach from theory alone—I teach from a life that required me to rebuild from the ground up. Because of that, I meet people exactly where they are, without judgment, and help them discover what is possible in their own bodies.

Ultimately, the work I do is about transformation—quiet, steady, sustainable transformation. And I’m proud that the programs I’ve built and the community I’ve grown continue to support people through every chapter of their journey.

What’s next?
Looking ahead, I’m genuinely excited about the next chapter of my work. All Around Yoga & Fitness is growing into something bigger and more expansive than I ever imagined, and I’m leaning fully into that vision.

One of my biggest focuses is continuing to develop trainings and workshops that blend strength, flexibility, mobility, and mindfulness. I want to create more programs that help people understand their bodies in a deeper and more functional way—programs that empower them to move with confidence, curiosity, and long-term resilience. That includes expanding my 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training, growing the Advanced 300-hour program, and offering more specialty courses that bridge yoga and fitness.

I’m also looking forward to building a stronger online presence, so that people can access these trainings and classes from anywhere. The goal is to make high-quality education and mind-body programming available to a much wider community, including those who might not have access to these resources locally.

Another dream of mine is to eventually offer affordable, accessible retreats that bring people together for movement, mindfulness, community, and personal growth. I’d love to create experiences that are available on a sliding scale so that individuals from all financial backgrounds—including those in reentry—can participate.

And while I don’t know yet if it will be in the next three years or five, I do envision having a physical space or studio where yoga, strength training, and mindful movement naturally coexist. A place where teachers can train, clients can explore their bodies, and community programs can thrive.

More than anything, I’m looking forward to continuing the mission that has guided me from the beginning: helping people reconnect with their bodies, discover the strength within themselves, and realize that transformation is always possible—no matter where they’re starting from.

Pricing:

• Workshops & Courses- visit website
• Yoga Teacher Trainings- visit website
• 1:1 Personal Yoga & Fitness Journey- visit website
• Reiki sessions- visit website

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.allaroundyoga.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracilundstrom/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allaroundyogahome
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/traci-lundstrom-83232a54/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@allaroundyoga-tracilundstr8850