Shortcuts:

0:39—Intro to Laura's brand and mission

3:13—Before our work together, what were the main problems you were struggling with?

4:22—What has been the overall impact of our work together? What has changed in your business?

Transcript from live interview between Laura, Founder of Laura McKinzie Yoga, and Daniela, Designer and Founder of The Humanista Co.

Daniela:

Hey Laura! How are you?

Laura:

I am well, how are you?

Daniela:

That's awesome. I'm good, I'm a little hyper on caffeine so that's always fun.

Laura:

Hoping to get some soon, yeah caffeine.

Daniela:

Yes, you can't you can't go wrong, it's a nice elixir. So, I don't want to speak for you—I think it's best if you can  tell us a bit about yourself first. So if you could kind of introduce yourself and your brand and your mission overall, we'd love to hear more about it.

Laura:

Sure. So I'm Laura McKinzie and I created my business, Laura McKinzie Yoga many, many years ago. I've been a yoga teacher here in Arizona for almost two decades now. I've been training yoga teachers for almost nine years and I love everything yoga. I created Laura McKinzie Yoga as just a way to really support the business aspect, which is getting paid to do what you love, and I had a website. I, you know, continued to go out into the world and really share my creative vision as much as I could and then it came time where I could feel this momentum. I've been training yoga teachers for a while and I absolutely love that and I knew that I wanted to do more to support new yoga teachers as well as teachers who've been  teaching like me for a really long time. And so within that I created an ebook used for yoga and I knew I needed a platform to launch it. And in came the lovely Daniela.

And I was so fortunate to have found you, as you know, I just think everything was meant to be and I needed to rebrand Laura McKinzie Yoga so that I could continue to put out into the world what I was feeling in my heart. Which was support and unconditional love and joy, you know, I wanted a platform where I could really express the joy that I feel on the regular. Not that there aren't bad days and, you know, but also to be able to help support others with tools in order to not find your joy but just come back to it when it's time.

You know, in came this beautiful website as a platform for my book and my one-on-one coaching and my heart. It just expresses my heart in a really big way.

Daniela:

That's so beautiful. Yeah, I mean your website does a lot! You came to me to do a rebrand project so it really encompassed everything. You had a website already but, you know, you came to me to refresh it and I'd love to hear a little bit more

about what—you know, you had a website already you had a brand, you're well established—but what were what were kind of the main struggles you were having that caused you to look for a web designer in the first place?

Laura:

You know, I would say on the surface it was functionality. It was knowing that I had this ebook and I wasn't sure how I would launch it on my page. So I think I reached out in my mind with this idea that I needed more functionality for my website. But what I didn't realize until we started working together was I really needed direction and I needed—I knew what I was doing in here but it was like, "How do I put that out there? How do I  promote something that you feel so passionately in your heart?"

And so as we worked together on the rebranding of Laura McKinzie Yoga, it was like all the direction that I was really in the end looking for—again, it wasn't the reason why I originally reached out for a web designer—it was, thankfully though, what was revealed in our sessions together.

And I think that that was the most powerful support that I received was in the branding sessions that you and I had together. You did such a beautiful job at extracting from me something that I didn't know if I could find words for.

And then suddenly, you know, here it is on a page and I felt so inspired by it and I thought, "My gosh, that's what I really want to be able to put out into the world is something that when I read it I feel inspired by it as well." So again, functionality in the beginning, but you know you got me with the with the branding sessions and that was the best.

Daniela:

So it sounds like what you really got out of it not just a beautiful functional website but it was like we really worked together to dig deeper into your vision, your heart, like your whole purpose for Laura McKinzie Yoga to begin with. And really getting you more aligned and more clear with those driving forces behind it.

Laura:

Absolutely. And I think especially because Laura McKinzie Yoga was a business for so long, to be able to come back through and you sort of look at this as a rebrand but it's like, well, it's already been a business, what more do I have to say, and it's like, oh, I have a lot more to say and to express and to be able to put out there. But like I said, that was sort of—it was a little bit of a surprise for me.

That was definitely a beautiful surprise once we went through the brand sessions and the clarity that came from that was life-changing for me. 

Daniela:

Wow, that's amazing to hear. I mean, that's like the highest compliment, you know, of working with someone that it changed their life in some way. So I'm just thrilled that it had that impact on you and your business and it sounds like, overall, working together really helped you find your voice even more. 

Laura:

Absolutely, and in a different way because, again, as a trainer of yoga teachers I talk a lot and so it was nice to be able to talk but then you did such a beautiful job at taking my ramblings and really it's like getting rid of the minutia—it's like the stuff that you know was just extra words—and then really honing in on the message and that was a really beautiful process for me to be able to get rid of all the filler and then just hone in on the message.

And what I want to share, and who I am now—because again, I've been doing this a long time—but who I am now is totally different than who I was when we started. I'm more confident, I'm just more clear. Because I'm just more confident and clear with my message and I'm even more purposeful. 

Daniela:

That's beautiful. That's an amazing impact. Yeah, wow! Confident, clear, purposeful, this woman knows what she's doing and she's going for it. 

Laura:

And doing it with your help with your amazing skills.

Daniela:

That's amazing, Laura, and I know we're friends on Instagram, we're friends in real life now, and it's just so awesome for me to—you know, our work is over now for the most part and just to see you kind of skyrocket with it and like your Instagram for example, you're just killing it you know choosing the images and all the captions. It's like I can feel the very strong alignment and purpose behind your voice.

Laura:

The stock images that you supplied through the rebrand, you know, that was a life-changing moment for me, too, because it really captured the vision of my brand.

I mean, from color to feel across the mood board and then to be able to have these beautiful images to play around with has been really fun for me and it's been a beautiful creative outlet. But it started with what is you know a stock image that really feels like Laura McKinzie Yoga, it really feels like the brand and then from the logo which is—I just get nothing but compliments on—again, to those stock photos. I feel more confident posting on social media now, I feel like it's a great use of the visuals in order to tell the story that is whatever I'm posting that day.

Daniela:

Oh, that's amazing to hear! Yes, so we've got the visual storytelling, we've got it all, and yes I'm so happy that this work has been, you know, that our time together has been transformative for you, it sounds like.

Laura:

Absolutely, absolutely, yes and we're—you know, I just adore you and we had not met prior to this right, prior to me reaching out and having you do my website and or the rebrand of the business, but I'm so glad that I followed that feeling that said reach out because from the first time we spoke on the phone, I just knew that you know you were the person to be able to bring this to life. Because it really had to, you know, sort of die a slow death and so it was like bringing it back to life again.

And I think you can feel it in me, too, like I feel more revived. I feel more expressive, I feel more confident and really excited about the future of Laura McKinzie Yoga as I continue down this road of marketing.

But really just sharing what I'm passionate about, so wow I mean could it get more powerful than that? I don't know. It's so good and I didn't care to say any of this, you didn't pay me anything, nothing. Absolutely, really, really am excited, I want to do everything I can to be able to support your vision as well because you give so much to others within this process and so that's why I was so happy to be able to sit and talk about everything that I received from this experience that goes way beyond a functional website—that's the key.

Daniela:

Yeah, that's what I strive for too, because a brand is so much more than just a website. It's much, much deeper so I know you have to jump off soon so I'm super grateful for your time, Laura, and thank you for sharing your amazing experience it really just warms my heart you know to be able to support inspiring people in this way and I've definitely gotten a lot of inspiration from working with you, too. So it really it goes both ways, you know.

Laura:

Yeah, thank you I appreciate that.

Daniela:

And I guess just the final words I wanted to say because they're the catch the "Laura-isms" that I'll always remember—you know, you always say, "We're going on your a journey to joy" it's a big part of your brand and, "Be bold in your joyful expression" that's it, I think that's sort of the biggest part of the brand or the biggest message is to be bold in that joyful expression even when it's hard to. And those words will stay with me forever and they're crystal clear, I love them.

Well, thank you, Laura, thank you for your time. I know we'll talk soon we'll be in touch, and I'll talk to you later!

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