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Living Your Legacy
AYA Art of Aerial Founder on Healing Postpartum Depression Through Aerial Yoga
00:17:23
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- [00:00]
A
I feel very passionate and very honored to spread their awareness not just of aerial, but mental health and through body movement. Because there's various ways that you can use your body to move that stagnant energy out. Right. And my way is through Ariel.
- [00:20]
B
Michelle Frank is a resilient, heart centered founder and the visionary behind Aya, a sanctuary where yoga and aerial arts come together to inspire healing and self discovery through. Through her studio and global training in aerial and yoga, she has created a supportive community where individuals, especially mothers, can reconnect with their strength, heal emotionally and physically and rediscover their potential. Talk about being an aerialist. What is an aerialist?
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A
First, there is a really big misconception that I'd like to debunk. It's not just circus, it's not just tumbling, it's not just, you know, gymnastics and flexibility. It really is building trust within yourself to hold yourself up. What started the journey is like finding out what I was feeling inside. It's okay. And how am I going to feel better and what am I going to do about it? And that's where Ariel came into place. And I really do believe it saved my life because it really was life changing. It spans the globe like a super high cold Internet.
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B
Elvis Preston. 5 Today, Apple Paul is going to reinvent. It's not over until I win. The Living your legacy podcast for those who live to leave a legacy that's extraordinary. The impossible has happened. Oh, that is sensational. Jordan Open Chicago with the lead. You said Paul is the fastest man on the planet. You can live your life. Welcome back to another amazing episode of living your legacy with the Inside Success Network. I am Ray Gutierrez. Joining me today is Michelle Frank. She is the founder and the leader of aya. What is aya?
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A
It is an aerial studio in Austin, Texas.
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B
Oh gosh. You know, I was in Austin for three years, but it wasn't quite the same. Often. Often I was out in Lakeway and it was during COVID so I missed out on the entire party. Locked away.
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A
That's where I'm at.
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B
You're in lake.
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A
Nice.
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B
Dude, is that 711 still there?
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A
It's probably still.
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B
Oh my God. That's 11 was a godsend. That was like my home away from home. Hell yeah. Lakeway. Yes.
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A
I'm right off the street from the Lakeway dealership.
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B
Dude, did you know that the undertaker used to live there?
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A
No.
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B
He used to be our neighbor. He used to live in that in the Lakeway before he moved out.
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A
Yeah, it's a very like quiet, quiet Little bougie area there.
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B
When the zombie apocalypse happens, we won't even hear it. Sorry. Yeah, that's why I had a really good time during COVID out of Lake Quake.
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A
We didn't so funny that you were actually.
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B
How insane.
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A
Alignment.
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B
Yeah. Here we go. All right, so let's talk about purple.
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A
Thank you.
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B
Yeah.
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A
Purple is my color.
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B
It means health. It means, well, being like it, it's, you know.
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A
Yes. I'm definitely trying to embrace the masculine and feminine energy and I feel like purple is it, you know, it's not just, you know, one color or another. I think it's very. Combines the both me masculine and feminine energy.
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B
I one of my mentors, he's the guy that got me the job at PlayStation. His favorite color was purple. So every time I see purple, I'm like, dude, you're here. So. Hi. Hi. Hi. Not Jeff.
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A
Hi. Hi. Aya.
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B
So you're literally fresh off the legacy mayor's conveyor belt.
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A
Yes.
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B
You had an amazing session with Lauren.
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A
Yes.
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B
What was it like for you being interviewed and asked all these very intimate questions?
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A
Well, it was very. I feel like it's also part of like the breakthrough into sharing my experience.
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B
Absolutely.
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A
So I think being in the hot seat, as you guys call it, really does make you like breakthrough in a different way for sure. As especially when you're trying to express your journey and your purpose.
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B
Right on. I'm really intrigued about your journey. I cheated a little bit. I read your story. Script. Anyone that's a friend of Ayahuasca is a friend of mine.
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A
Oh, thank you.
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B
Well, we'll jump on that trip in one second. But let's talk about before your journey and before the discovery of color, before you found and heard your heart and soul. Where, where do you begin? Where does the pain begin?
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A
It begins with the loss of the self, you know, when feeling lost and then the mental awareness of that. I think the awareness is where the key is, is being aware that, hey, I'm not well.
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B
How did you make that discovery? Were you on this track of like, I'm unwell but I can, I can still met as fast, I can still pull off my tricks. Hahaha, look at me. And finally combusted.
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A
No, no, no. It was just like after my last pregnancy I was going through the postpartum depression and that's what really started the journey is after my last pregnancy I was not feeling good in my own skin, in my own body. Like I wanted out of my body. Like I didn't even want to be in My own body, you know, and finding the outlet and understanding, hey, it's. It's something that's going on internally within that I need to explore more what is going on within, you know. And so mine was a lot of childhood trauma that I put off that comes back that needed to be addressed and to work through.
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B
I completely can relate. But this is your journey. I don't want to get into that. It's funny because you and I share that similar trajectory of being in Austin. I found a lot of lost people in Austin. They were just trying to find a way. I got kind of bizarre. My trajectory was from the. From the Bay area into Austin and back to Miami, where I'm from. From that journey was a lot of folks lost.
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A
Yeah.
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B
And finding their purpose. Especially during COVID talk about finding your purpose and killing off that ego and going purple, let's put it that way.
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A
So it's. It's really the discovery of the South. And what started the journey is like finding out what I was feeling inside. It's okay. And how am I going to feel better and what am I going to do about it? And that's where Ariel came into place. And I really do believe it's saved my life because it really was life changing.
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B
So Lola tells me you got very emotional in the interview and that's okay. I get very emotional as well. Emotions. It's essentially you're feeling something. The frequency is different in the room and the way you respond is crying. Yeah, that's okay.
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A
Yeah.
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B
Can you tell about. Tell folks what you feel when you're one of our legacy makers. And also my mentors, Kira, very emotional person, very transparent. Talk about that energy, that frequency you feel.
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A
So I really feel like it has to do with some people have more sensitive, like are more sensitive than others. I think it's called high sensitivity. And I happen to be one of those people that just feel everything and. And it reflects, you know, so what people are feeling sometimes reflects on me and I take it very personally. And then sometimes the way I feel is also very. Can go the opposite way as well. So it's just. I feel like it's like also triggering to people the work that you do or the work that you don't do, that's a reflection within to one another. Right. So what, you know, you see in me, what I see in you.
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B
Right.
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A
And that's why we're like leg way I see you. Yeah. I think that's. That is really bringing the awareness of what you're feeling and the emotions and the way you can express it.
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B
Right on. Talk about being an aerialist. What is an aerialist?
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A
First, yes. This is a great question, because there is a really big misconception that I'd like to debunk. It's not just circus. It's not just tumbling. It's not just, you know, gymnastics and flexibility. It really is building Tris. Trust within yourself to hold yourself up. So essentially, you're building trust within yourself to be able to push through the tricks, the moves and everything that comes with the practice is also very mental. Mental and emotional, because you can't be like, oh, I cannot do this. Because you can't think about anything when you're in the midst of trying to do a new trick or pose, because if you get caught up in the thought, then you lose your train of physical being, basically. That's where the mind over matter comes super important in Ariel.
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B
Right. Where the Jedi part comes in.
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A
Right.
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B
It's like, do it or not. There is no try. Yeah, take a shot. Every time. I've said that on this podcast, that'd be 300 shots so far anyways. But, yeah, yeah, you're literally just letting go. You're essentially transposing. You're removing the body and the self. And now you're just in this state of flux. Talk about getting into that energy. And. And a lot of singers and dancers get into this area of flux where it's like, I don't even remember doing X, Y and Z because I was. My heart was there and my brain was this way. Yeah. And I. When I triangulated all that, it just became music.
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A
Exactly, exactly. It's like you don't know where the source is coming from. You just know that you're channeling it. Because, you know, when I was going in 10 months postpartum to my first training, and she's like, we're gonna do and learn this today. I'm like, I don't think. No, that's. There's no way I can do that. And they're like, oh, no, you're gonna do all this and more. And so she pushed me, challenged me to break through and really empowered me and inspired me to be where I'm at today. My first aerialist teacher, Lydia Michaels. Thank you.
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B
Right on. Well, shout out to Lydia. So now you're sharing your journey, your story, through your episode of Legacy Makers, but you have a brick and mortar, a location where folks can.
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A
Yes.
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B
Can come and you share your story and brand. Talk about that experience onboarding. What do I see When I knock
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A
on your door, a sanctuary. So my studio in Lakeway, it's Bali themed, and I brought it during my last yoga teacher training. My 300 hours I completed in Bali, and I brought back Bali with me. So that's where the inspiration came from. I had already rented the space before I. I had the theme for it. So I leased it, went to my yoga teacher training, and then I came back with the theme of my studio, which is. Which is Bali themed. So I really want my students to come in and not feel like they're in the city. Not feel like you're in Lake Way, not feel anything that you're feeling. I want you to come and escape from it all. So that's why I really think of it as a sanctuary, as a temple. And in Bali, everybody in Bali in their homes, have temples like this is in their homes, in their backyards, everybody has a temple, a sacred space where they can. Where they can, you know, pray, meditate, whatever your. Your way of releasing is, but being intuitive to that practice to release and have that safe space to do it correct.
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B
It's something I coached during COVID where I was coaching entrepreneurs. I'm like, we're entering an age of, like, you no longer have the eye contact and handshake. You just have this zoom box.
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A
Oh, my God.
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B
So you need to build your. Your sanctuary at home, where it's like, that's where I get to be that person and sell exactly. The camera, the lighting is right at the right moment. And then you get even, like, more ethereal. It's like, well, at 6:00am it's right when the sunlight hits me and I get so inspired and I drink my tea and I get to charge whatever the hell I want to charge. Exactly. And then that's when the. The entrepreneur hustle begins.
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A
Oh, yeah.
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B
You know what I mean? It's just like, I have been given the divine, the spiritual wealth. Now let me. Let us all ascend together. Especially in Lake Way. Very powerful area of Lakeway. You can feel the change. You go to Austin on 6th street, you're like, oh. And then you're out on Lakeway. It's like, free.
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A
What's up with that? So that's what I'm trying to actually focus on is, you know, at first I thought, oh, I'm not doing good because I'm not in the city. Oh, I'm not doing good because, you know, nobody knows of Lake Way. But then now I'm thinking about it, I was like, maybe I should use this as a Selling point. Like, get out of the city. Let's make a day out of it. Go to, you know, Lake Travis, come do yoga, then go get a massage, have Mexican food. There's, you know, like, there's so many other things that you can escape from, even from the city, just for like an hour or two to calm the mind and just, even the drive is nice and scenic, you know, so it's like the hills of, of Texas.
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B
That's exactly what I say. I'm like, where did you live? Like, I lived in the hills of Texas. Like, what is it? Like, it's Lake way. So I'm glad that's where all the
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A
Californians are hiding at.
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B
Yes, that's. That's exactly where I was hiding. And all my friends were either in Lakeway or out in Brickell. Here. Miami.
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A
Oh, yeah, yeah.
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B
So now there's been another grand, grand exodus where like Burkle has grown 10 times as large the last three years and now they're all here. All the San Francisco nerds that built all the apps or we're obsessed with now are heading in Brickell. That's fun and it's making it impossible to live in Miami. Thanks. Oh my God.
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A
California, everywhere.
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B
Actually, no, thank you for maturing Miami. It needed to grow up. That's something I felt in Austin. I'm like, that energy from the bay is coming to Austin. That energy from New York is coming to Austin. When is it going to come to Miami? And it's finally arriving. Like folks like yourself, this show, folks like Lauren, your crew, which by the way, that's an amazing camera. They're doing the real thing. So like, welcome aboard. Like it's Star Trek meets Star Wars. Yeah.
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A
It actually held me since day one, since the beginning of my journey. And there's nobody else that I would have had with me.
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B
Yeah, man, it's like.
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A
It is, it is. It's like everybody that's been with me since I opened the studio is still with me now. And it's like the tight knit community that the ones that are, you know, going to be your supporters and there for you.
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B
So how do you feel? Like you had all these cameras on you? You've had your own cameras, you got very vulnerable and now you're sitting in this random podcast with me. How does it feel to be an entrepreneur?
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A
I feel excited. Muy excited.
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B
Muy excited.
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A
Muy excited. But yeah, I feel like I feel very passionate and very honored to spread their awareness not just of aerial, but mental health and through body movement. Right. Because there's various ways that you can use use your body to move that stagnant energy out. Right. And it doesn't have to be through Ariel. Whatever your thing is, as long as you're making time to move the energy of your body out, I think is, is the key. And my way is through Ariel. Right. So Ariel is just a, a very infinite way that you can utilize to let that energy out. Because you can use the silk in various ways. It's not just one. You can never know it all.
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B
Sure.
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A
So that's my fav part is the endless learning of the journey with Ariel.
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B
Who is your common customer? Like who's your common client?
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A
So we have right now our, our, our number one regulars and members are our stay at home moms. They're during the day we have our, you know, little community of stay at home moms that come and take classes back to back. So they'll stay there for two or three aal classes and then go do a yoga class upstairs since I do have a separate yoga studio. And then we have our kids classes in the evening that has been just, you know, expanding. And we have a wait list right now going on with kids classes. We're developing a kids semester and adding more kids program in the evenings because it's been such a big, a big turnout with the kids classes.
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B
Right on. So what's next for you? Are you ever getting it out of Lakeway? Are you gonna go international? What's next for you?
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A
Yeah, I'm trying to definitely. The goal is to franchise the aerial studio part of it to the city.
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B
Eventually.
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A
Yeah, eventually. And then, yeah, of course, I would love to see Aya, you know, nationwide have little like franchise everywhere where we can heal people through the art of Ariel. As I was telling Lauren, I feel like they're under the Ariel art. There is an umbrella, right? There's the aerial silks, there's the Ariel hammock, Ariel Lyra aerial straps and Ariel pole. So there's a whole like I feel category that's missing that needs recognition in the Ariel arts as also putting it in the health and wellness category.
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B
Right on. I, I, I gotta do this plug. I have a good friend of mine, she was the lighting director for all the Naughty Dog games, like the Last of Us and Uncharted. And she was an aerialist.
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A
Oh yeah.
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B
So like you're the lighting director. She doesn't even play video games. Yeah, yeah, she's an aerialist and she, and she's downloading that energy and she's like, well, I just light design games that I don't even play. I'm like, what? So, like, I completely get it. So that. That's. That. That's quite an honor to have you, and I hope the legacy maker's journey has been profound and affirms your existence.
- [16:52]
A
Thank you. I really appreciate it, and it's an amazing experience. I'm honored to be here and a part of it.
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B
Right on. Well, thank you so much. That concludes yet another episode of Living youg Legacy. Anything you want to plug before we call cut?
- [17:05]
A
No, I think that's it. Thank you. I appreciate that.
- [17:08]
B
Rock and roll. Yeah. Thanks again. And for inside success, I am Ray Gutierrez.