March 27, 2018

Conversations with the Inspiring K. Tuesday Werner

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to K. Tuesday Werner.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have been practicing yoga since 2007. My journey as a business owner of Surya Yoga and Wellness started in 2016 with lots of hard work and dedication, just like the practice of yoga itself and same with other businesses, it is equipped with the joys and difficulties.

Surya Yoga and Wellness’ mission is grounded in values and beliefs about what constitutes effective yoga teaching and promoting wellness. The mission reflects the value of every yoga teachers and to provide a welcoming, beginner-friendly and compassionate yoga studio that foster and support community and the environment.

Each class is infused with ancient yogic teachings, the perfect balance between active and passive postures, and a supportive, nonjudgmental community. Surya Yoga and Wellness offer a wide range of services from regular yoga classes, meditation classes, exploratory workshops and integrative therapy. Put together, these services create a whole-hearted blend of tools that can powerful transform our client’s life.

Surya Yoga and Wellness values the practice of yoga for the social, emotional, physical, intellectual and community health and well-being. We value and respect individuality and are committed to serving others and dedicated to harmonious working relationship and team work.

In addition to Surya Yoga and Wellness, my friends and I started a telehealth company called, Aztelehealth.

The foundation of this telehealth business was based on our background as Nurse Practitioners and the intention is to bring healthcare to the community with ease and convenience using technology and innovation. We have all experienced the seemingly endless wait in the waiting room of the doctor’s office, taking off work causing lasting consequences especially the working poor populations in lower and middle income populations. With this said, the time it takes to travel to, and wait at, the clinic or hospital is one of the biggest barriers to accessing healthcare.

While, for rural populations, the distance to the nearest health facility and lack of transport is a significant challenge, in urban poor communities, hours of traffic and rigid work schedules disallow people from seeking professional medical care. With the rise of advancing technologies and use of iPad, laptop and smart phones, Aztelehealth aimed to address the critical time constraint that prevents many individuals from accessing healthcare. Aztelehealth uses virtual technology to communicate important preventative healthcare information and facilitates long-distance clinical care.

As a business owner of Surya Yoga and Wellness and Aztelehealth, I believed in health promotion and well-being of all ages and all stages of life.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, about 20% of small businesses fail by the end of their first year. By the end of their fifth year, 50% go under; and by the tenth year, that number rises to 80%. With this survival rate in mind, having a couple businesses made me feel anxious and afraid from the get go. My team and I had difficulty finding customers, generating leads, hiring the right people and balancing quality and growth. There are times when I feel like giving up and to start all over again. There are several times when I have to step back, rethink and revisit my strategies.

With everything that I have learned and experienced so far, I would say to other women, particularly young women who are just starting, is first take the opportunities even when not ready, as they said, “fake it til you make it”. To let people know what you do well and to learn how to express your value and to quantify your value; most of all, to be resilient and have the confidence to take more risks early on, even if it means that you might trip along the way, because ultimately you will learn from those experiences.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Surya Yoga and Wellness and Aztelehealth story. Tell us more about the business.
Surya Yoga and Wellness started in 2014 with a mission to provide a welcoming, beginner-friendly and compassionate yoga studio that foster and support community and the environment. This reflects Surya’s understanding and commitment to yoga as a practice supporting physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual and community health and wellness.

Each class is infused with ancient yogic teachings, the perfect balance between active and passive postures and a supportive, nonjudgmental community. Surya Yoga and Wellness offer a wide range of services from regular yoga classes, meditation classes, exploratory workshops and integrative therapy. Put together, these services create a whole-hearted blend of tools that can powerful transform our client’s life.

Aztelehealth mission is to provide fast, quality healthcare to our patients in the comfort of their own home. AZTelehealth is a HIPAA-compliant Telehealth platform utilizing audio and video communication with patients anywhere in Arizona for immediate care and treatment. Patients interact in real-time through secure, video chat that is meant to substitute a face-to-face in-person visit.

We adopt real-time telemedicine (synchronous) solutions to give the providers and their patients the added convenience of virtual provider visits, improve their care outcomes, boost work-life balance and reap many other benefits.

It would be great to hear about any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve used and would recommend to others.
Women in the business world are still considered the minority in spite of women comprising 57 % of the total U.S. job market (52 % of all management roles and professional occupations, such as physicians and attorneys). I think the barriers that hinder women’s career advancement and leadership are multifactorial and deep-rooted and have endured for generations. These includes beliefs and perceptions held by both men and women (mindsets) and lifestyle choices. A woman’s choice of work-life balance such as family choices and priorities are not negative, but are considered as a barrier as it contributes to the leadership gender gap.

Pricing:

Surya Yoga and Wellness First class $10
Surya Yoga and Wellness Special $40/40 Days Unlimited
Surya Yoga and Wellness Monthly Membership $79 Unlimited
Aztelehealth $80 per Virtual Clinic Visit
Aztelehealth Subscription (12 month) $20/month for family and $10/month individual with $0 virtual visit
Aztelehealth walk in $99

Contact Info:

Website: http://www.suryayogaandwellness.com/
Phone: 480-310-7600
Email: info@suryayogaandwellness.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suryayogaandwellness/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suryayogaandwellness/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Suryayoga14

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