While getting her PhD in sociology from Temple University, Sheena Sood, CLA ’19, worked as an adjunct and taught yoga to adults and children. She quickly realized the need for the children to connect with their physical and mental well-being through yoga and began incorporating yoga sessions for her preschoolers.
When the pandemic hit, her adjunct teaching went remote and yoga classes stopped. She had to figure out a way to pivot her yoga business.
“I found myself wanting to create digital content for kids to connect them with yoga, even while they were learning at home,” says Sood.
As she began creating content using zoom, she saw students from around the country joining her yoga sessions. Inspired, she worked to create content that was accessible to children no matter their location or income level. This is when Sood founded Yoga Warrior Tales and began using Korra, her real-life dog, as a mascot to guide the children through her lessons.
“Through Yoga Warrior Tales, we are connecting children with the magic of love, justice, and peace through storytelling and yoga,” says Sood.
In 2019, Sood submitted her idea for funding consideration to the Lori Hermelin Bush Seed Fund, which is hosted by the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute (IEI) for women-founded ventures to get funding, mentorship, and a community of support from other women in entrepreneurship. The IEI supports Temple students, alumni faculty, and staff that want to become entrepreneurs, freelancers, and creatives through workshops, mentoring opportunities, pitch competitions, and non-diluted seed-funding.
“I met with a couple of mentors during the grant process, and they helped me create my business plan,” says Sood.
The mission of Yoga Warrior Tales is to give children the skills they need to develop healthy relationships with themselves, deal with everyday challenges, and teach social justice. The biggest highlight of the process being that she achieves this mission through her own creative process and purpose. Her advice to other entrepreneurs: remind yourself of your business’s mission.
“Big ideas can happen in baby steps — remember the purpose that drives you,” says Sood.
To support Yoga Warrior Tales, you can check out their website for the new season as well as merchandise. You can also look on their social media for updates on the show. Learn more about how the IEI supports creative entrepreneurs on our website.