Thursday, January 12, 2012

Gals We Admire: Angie Continisio

When Angie Continisio was let go from her corporate job, she saw it as an opportunity to do something she had dreamed about for a while—opening a yoga studio dedicated to children. 


Name: Angie Continisio
Profession: Children & Adult Yoga Instructor
Twitter handle: @KidsButterfly

Describe your typical work day, from start to finish
My typical day begins at 7:00 am and ends at 9:30 pm. Mornings begin with breakfast with my boys. I then walk the younger one to the school bus stop and drive my older son to school. Once the boys are settled in school, my workday begins at 9:00 am either teaching yoga at a daycare, an elementary school, a high school, a senior’s centre, or my personal studio. My afternoons are spent networking, meeting with potential clients, setting up trainings, workshops, classes, etc. I pick up me kids from school at 3:30 pm and head home to make dinner. At 6:30 pm it is back to the studio for more classes.

When you were a kid, what did you want to grow up to be?
I wanted to be a school teacher. I had a huge chalkboard at home and when my friends or cousins came over, I would give them each a paper and a pencil. I would pretend I was the teacher and they were the students. I would recite spelling words and then write them on the board. I would correct their quizzes with my "treasured" red ballpoint pen!

What do you enjoy most about your job?
Meeting like-minded people and spending time with the children. My students keep me in the present moment. I can let go of my own expectations and give them the space to be who they are now – children. I love knowing they’re having fun doing something that is so not only good for them but that they will carry the yoga skills they learn beyond class and into their normal everyday routines.


What do you find to be the biggest challenge in your profession?
I believe my biggest challenge teaching yoga to children and owning a yoga studio dedicated to the physical and mental well-being of children is to convince parents, educators, and therapists that children are born "natural" yogis and that through yoga, they will be given the gift of being able to nurture their bodies, minds and spirits.


Do you believe you had a "calling" for your profession?
Yes! One morning after 18 years in the corporate world I was told by the HR Director that I was being "let go". I gathered up my belongings and walked out of the building on a sunny February day feeling like I had literally "let go". I felt like 20 pounds had been lifted off my shoulder. I felt as free as a bird. I drove home with a smile because I knew that the closing of this door would allow me to open a new door doing something I had been dreaming of for a few years. I dreamt of a place of community where children and their families would come to connect and share in wellness and spirit and where they would immerse themselves in the healing energies we each bring into this world. Six months later, Kids Butterfly Yoga opened its doors!


What are the three most important pieces of career advice you would give to other Canadian Career Gals?
Keep learning.

Follow your passion.

Believe in yourself.

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