Cassandra Muscara is a dear friend who inspires me greatly, and I’m so excited to share her story with you on the blog today! Cassandra left her previous gig as a corporate VP to pursue coaching, teaching yoga, and living her best life. As she says, “My mission today is to teach women the tools they need to recover from burnout so that they can realize their true potential, their true power.” I love seeing the impact Cassandra is making through her work and the way she leads by example. Here is some of her story about what has led to her success, both in yoga and as an entrepreneur.

When did you first start practicing yoga? What kept you coming back to your practice?

I started practicing yoga over 10 years ago. It started as a way to stay "fit" and it has developed into so much more than that. As my practice continued to deepen I started to connect deeper to my Self as well. The yoga mat is a place for me to just "be." Through all of the stages of my life it has supported me and has always been the practice I keep coming back to.

What advice do you have for someone who’s new to yoga who needs help starting out?

Just start :) You don't need to be flexible or lean or anything. You just need a body and you just need to start. Yoga looks different for every person out there and part of the exciting part of practice is finding a style and teacher that you enjoy. My biggest piece of advice for beginners is to try out as many local studios as you can and find one that feels like home.

Was there a moment when you knew you wanted to become a teacher? What inspired you to do a training and how did it go?

I didn't know that I wanted to be a yoga teacher until I was mid way through my teacher training evaluation at the end of my 200hr yoga teacher training. I remember I was in the middle of my evaluation (sweating in the front of the class) and I felt in my bones that this was a modality I wanted to share with the world. I enrolled in my teachers yoga teacher training because I wanted to heal my body. I was experiencing a ton of pain in my body from sitting at a computer all day, my shoulders were a mess! I chose my teacher for a few reasons, one of the main being that she specialized in alignment based yoga. I wanted to learn more about anatomy and more about proper alignment so that I could heal my shoulders and prevent injury. I loved the teacher training so much that after I graduated from the 200-hour program I enrolled in my teacher's 300-hour certification, followed by her ambassador program and left Body Temple Yoga School as the top trained student.

How did you build confidence as a new teacher?

Repetition + Commitment + Studentship. These are the three things that helped me build confidence as a new teacher. I practiced teaching A LOT. I taught my husband, I taught my friends, my family and anybody who I could get on a mat. I committed to showing up as a yoga teacher even when I was terrified, and believe me, in the beginning I was! The more I practiced the more I developed as a teacher. I also committed to investing in my training every year. I wanted to continue to develop my style of teaching and was committed to learning new tools that I could support my students with. I walked into my first training over six years ago and every year since then I have invested in another year long training. I am passionate about "up leveling" and I know it benefits my students greatly. Confidence comes with the courage to show up, the courage to commit to your growth and the courage to keep learning.

What’s it like being an entrepreneur? What inspired you to create your business?

Being an entrepreneur is WILD. It challenges me every single day and I wouldn't have it any other way. My father is an entrepreneur and I feel grateful that I grew up watching a parent chase their dreams. Running a business has been an incredibly healing experience for me. I left my role as a Vice President in corporate and started my own business teaching women how to recover and prevent burnout. I love that being an entrepreneur gives me financial freedom, time freedom and the ability to make money doing something that I love. I love that every dollar that comes my way means another woman is investing in herself and healing from burnout.

What has been the number one thing that has helped you increase your income as a yoga teacher? And/or as a coach?

Hiring a business mentor who believes in me and pricing my programs based on results versus hours. It is very common for new yoga teachers to price based off of hours. The biggest mindset shift I had around pricing was results-based pricing versus pricing by hour. I used to charge $100 an hour for a private session. I did a re-haul on my offerings last year and now I offer 3-month packages instead of 1-off sessions. I realized that my students got way better results when I work consistently with them for 3 months versus coming to 1 session. I also based my new prices off of the results they achieved after 3 months working with me. I was able to do this because I cleaned up the worthiness wounds I still had around money. So really, the #1 thing is becoming the person who can increase your prices which usually means letting go of the limiting beliefs that are keeping you stuck around raising your prices.

What has helped you create a mindset around abundance, knowing your worth, and charging appropriately?

Continuous inner work + investing in my education each year. Running a business and specifically pricing your offerings will definitely uncover any unworthiness wounds you still have! I continue to do the inner work so that I can show up as the best version of myself and create a mindset of abundance. When I do the work and feel worthy it is easy for me to see that this world is full of perfect clients for me and they are coming my way! When I side step the work and feel "not enough" I get stuck in scarcity thinking and start to believe that nobody wants what I am offering. It is a constant practice! Having a business mentor has also been key in all of this. I continue to invest in myself because I know that I need support. I can't do it all on my own. Many of us (especially women) get stuck in lone wolf thinking: "I have to figure this out on my own." When I receive support I am able to rest in that support which then allows me to take care of myself, see my worth and price accordingly.

What advice would you give to newer teachers or those newer in their business to help them think like a 6-figure entrepreneur?

Incorporate rest into your business + take messy action + invest in support. Many of us can get stuck in go go go mode, which is a bit ironic considering we teach our students to embrace slowing down. Make sure that you take care of yourself and put a high value on your rest and self care. When your nervous system is grounded you will easily be able to achieve the 6-figure mindset. Clean up any perfectionism traits you are holding onto and take messy action. Invest in support. It is honestly a game changer! Lastly, start showing up as the 6-figure entrepreneur now. Invite your future self into your day to day actions, this will change your life.

What do you enjoy most on your off days? What helps you relax and stay balanced?

I love hanging out with my family! I have a 15 month old baby angel and 90-pound puppy German Shepherd and I love going on adventures with the family. Slow mornings with hubby, baby and puppy are my JAM. I also make sure to schedule in time for my own personal self care. Some of my favorites: yoga (of course), float pods, sauna time and walks around Lake Merritt.

Anything else you want to share? :)

In case nobody had told you this today, you are doing a great job! Keep going and reach out for support whenever you find yourself feeling stuck! I specialize in helping women prevent and recover from burnout so that they can create from a non stressed out state! If you ever need support managing your stress you can find me on Instagram @thrivewithcass.

Wow, thank you Cassandra for sharing openly about your experiences and for doing what you do. I highly recommend Cass and her work! Definitely go give her a follow for more ideas about how to live a happy, healthy, balanced life.

If you want to learn more about Cassandra you can visit her website: https://www.cassandramuscara.com/

You can also read the interview I did with her years ago after she visited Rachel Brathen (@yoga_girl) in Aruba for a mission trip!

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