Today we’d like to introduce you to Beth James.
Hi Beth, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve been a yoga teacher for over 20 years, after I graduated college in anthropology I traveled on a backpacking trip with my college boyfriend through New Zealand and Southeast Asia. This trip truly changed my life. It changed my world view. It had me completely enamored with cultures and religions of the east and when I returned home, I no longer wanted to go to graduate school for anthropology – I felt pretty lost. It was at this time that I started going to Yoga; begrudgingly at first through my mother, but little by little every class something in me began to shift and it had nothing to do with my physical body. It was all about my mind and my mindset. I noticed how quickly Yoga affected my mood and made me feel calm at the time I had never felt this type of calm and eventually I became hooked. I had been teaching about 7 years as a career and I was definitely getting burned out plus, I was barely making any money when I had an idea to start a festival in the woods of my hometown. I had no idea that this would become the bread-and-butter of a very successful six-figure business.
Barefoot and Free Wellness Festival brings over 1000 people every summer and this summer we’re celebrating our 12 year..
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This is has not a smooth road in fact I would say it’s a dirt road with a lot of potholes and construction haha!
I like to say that I’m what you call an accidental entrepreneur because I started with just an idea & a dream. My passion was about yoga, community connection, and being a nature. There were so many things that I did poorly in the beginning years of running a business and I really feel that it’s only been in the past four years that things have started to click as far as embodying what it takes to be a CEO of a wellness business. The year of Covid was a very hard year for me because almost all of my retreats and gatherings are in person. I was unable to work besides teaching yoga online. It was also the year that I got divorced, and I almost declared bankruptcy- it’s strange to say that in the midst of so much turmoil and a crazy identity crisis I had a huge transformation and it was exactly the year that I needed. After COVID – what I found in the following years is that people were even more eager to be in community to be an in person events and it has become so important to me to keep providing these for people because I see how truly meaningful and life-changing these events can be.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Most people in the yoga community would know me for my yoga and wellness festival but also because I’ve been teaching yoga for over 20 years and I lead international retreats. Retreats are truly my favorite part about what I do. I am a natural, born wonder luster- you can ask my mom she said as far as she can remember I wanted to go everywhere, live everywhere and stay for as long as I possibly could. Taking people around the world on epic adventures is one of my greatest joys, this is because you see what happens to people on a retreat. I love watching the transformation. A lot of people arrive feeling a little bit of anxiety going to a new place. Travel can be stressful. There’s so many unpredictable unknowns .
But in every trip, the same sort of trajectory happens a few days in, people start to bond and form friendships, they start to settle in and really taking the surroundings of the new place where we are staying, and most importantly, they start to learn about themselves without being busy, without having a list of things to do, without needing to have their titles and their work and their families that require most of their time at home they get to learn a new part about themselves and it’s amazing to watch what happens when they do. They find deep relaxation, they find deep healing, and they also see how this life is meant to be lived experienced & loved. This is my favorite part. I am told by those in my community that I’m a great connector. I pride myself showing up authentically me. I don’t have it all figured out. I’m an imperfect human. I don’t try to pretend to be your guru or to be better than you I just walk right beside you. I think this is what people like the best.
What’s next?
I am a Gemini and I am just always dreaming up new creations. I have so many goals and dreams for my business. I would like to take the yoga wellness festival to other parts of the country. I think it would be amazing to have another festival somewhere warm in the winter months.
I’m also always dreaming up new retreats. I have a couple on deck for the remainder of the year and I’m about to launch them for 2027. This is also the year that I plan to do more public speaking. I’ve had the opportunity to share my story on stage a few times, and I would love to travel around the world doing that more.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.barefootandfreeyoga.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barefootandfreeyoga
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1DK6VaJyc6/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-james-01663919a
