If you’ve been following YBC® for a while, then you know that this all started in 2012 as a way for me to share yoga tips and insights through my blog. Now, six years later, it’s grown from being a hobby I was passionate about into my full-time job. Thanks to the YBC® community’s interest, there is now just too much work for one person to do. From writing and managing blog content, to creating and organizing impactful workshops and trainings, to finding and curating the best products for the Mantra Boxes®, it’s grown to be more than I can singlehandedly do in a day and so slowly over the years, I started hiring and creating a little team to help me. Today, I have the most amazing team supporting YBC®, and I realized we’d never really done a post about them. I honestly feel like these witty, intelligent, and knowledgeable people have come into my life at just the right time for just the right reasons. Each one of these team members contributes to making YBC® what it is today - a successful, dynamic, and supportive modern health and wellness lifestyle brand. Over the next few months, you’ll be seeing more team posts (we’re going to share what each of us is currently reading very soon!), so I thought it would be a great time to share a bit about the public facing team members!
If you have any comments or questions for them, please be sure to comment below. Also, if you have any content you’d like us to cover, from a workout to a recipe, please email LG, our Editorial Director and let her know!
Katie
Me and my itty, bitty pitty, Layla!
What is your YBC® role?
The blogger formerly known as Pooks, my name is Katie (YES YES Y’ALL IT’S THE REAL ME!), and I am the YBC Love and Relationships expert... or more accurately put, just some woman dating in 2018 who actually has no idea what she's doing, but is figuring things out as she goes, and loves sharing her learnings with the YBC® community! Because frankly, teamwork makes the dream work - even with dating!
How did you and Candace meet?
HA! This is a good one. Back in high school I was a camp counselor, a.k.a. a rag doll-making, swim lesson-teaching, booger and dirt connoisseur. A fellow counselor and good friend of mine from camp ended up going to school at the University of Connecticut, where he dated Candace! Before we met in person, Candace and I used to chat on our LANDLINE dorm phones. Yeah you heard me, this was basically back in prehistoric times. Fast forward more than a decade, and HERE. WE. ARE. - doing blog thangs, but most importantly being friends that love and support each other through thick and thin, always.
What is something someone might be surprised to learn about you?
That my day job is actually working on drugs that help women with cancer live longer and more fulfilling lives after treatment!
Give us two truths and a lie (and tell us which one is the lie).
Unlike my short, hairy, brunette self, my brother is tall, blond, blue-eyed and perfect. #adonisDNA
I won my high school class burping contest (GO WILDCATS!) and also…
Tomatoes are gross
LIE: TOMATOES ARE THE MOST DELICIOUS AND I LOVE THEM. In fact, I am (for better or for worse) kind of a tomato snob (thanks mom!). On a related note, I’m surprised that Instagram hasn’t banned Allison for posting all that #tomatoporn on her feed ;)
Where can people find you outside of YBC®?
In Boston, where I spend my time spooning my pit bull, doing burpees, being an equally opportunity cheese consumer, and skipping town to travel to far off lands. OH, all of this when I'm not bound by the chains of Corporate America for my day job - which, for the record, I love! If you’re interested in following the chronicles of my life outside of YBC, in addition to keeping tabs on my upcoming blog posts, find me at @katiewarriorprincess on Instagram!
Allison
What is your YBC® role?
I am the Contributing Food Writer for YogaByCandace®, creating recipes for the masses and sharing awesome finds in the vast culinary world.
How did you and Candace meet?
Candace and I have known each other since we were nuggets! We grew up on the same street in a small bucolic town in Northwestern Connecticut. I have very fond memories of us riding bikes up and down our dirt road, singing “Love Shack”, and even attempting to start our own version of The Babysitters’ Club with her next door neighbor Amy! (The latter never panned out. Ha!) We went to the same elementary school through 4th grade, as well as the same high school. Though we rolled with different crowds in our teens years, our respective social media and blogging work eventually reunited us!
What is something someone might be surprised to learn about you?
Rumors have it that I am related to Ethan Allen! And yes, when I tell people that, I have had to correct some when they say, “Like the guy that founded the furniture store chain?” Not quite. Try “American Revolutionary War Patriot.” 😂
Give us two truths and a lie (and tell us which one is the lie).
In 2008, I had my spleen removed, along with the football-sized benign tumor in it! My friends and I still lovingly refer to it as my “Spleen Baby”.
In middle school, I placed in the top three for our school’s geography in all three years, advancing to the Connecticut State Geography Bee when I was in 7th grade.
I have worked at a major NYC hospital since 2009 for the same department. Though I am currently a data analyst, I started off my tenure as a data collector and staff educator. The main part of that job was covertly observing staff to make sure they used proper hand hygiene when dealing with patients. I would approach and give them immediate education if they didn’t! My co-workers and I were called the “Purell Police”!
LIE: I placed 2nd in my middle school’s geography bee in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade, but never made it to the state level. However, Alex Trebek, the host of the National Geography Bee, did send me a letter in 8th grade commending me for my efforts! Pretty cool!
Where can people find you outside of YBC®?
Physically, you can find me wandering around New York City, soaking up all it has to offer. Information Super Highway-wise, I update my blog - Seek Satiation - with new recipes, and you find both recipe creations and great food around New York City (and beyond!) on IG @seeksatiation ; check out my IG Stories on a daily basis if you want to see how much of a dork I often am. Ha!
Lauren
Lauren and her son Hudson.
What is your YBC® role? Oh man, where do I even start?! My role at YBC® has changed over the years. I started towards the end of 2012 and during that time my role was minimal. I helped Candace respond to emails, did administrative work, organized the office and took business calls on behalf of YBC® in the early days. As YBC® grew, so did my responsibilities, title and role. Today, I’m YBC’s Marketing and Events Director. My main role is to manage brand collaborations/relationships, assist in planning domestic and international retreats, workshops and other events, and source and identify like-minded small businesses to feature on our platforms we know our community would love to know about. Like LG, you’ll also find me at some of our workshops and retreats taking photos, setting up, and helping with anything that needs to be done.
How did you and Candace meet? Funny enough, Candace and I actually met for the first time at her wedding. We had mutual friends in CT, where we both grew up and would go for the occasional hike in Manchester, CT that summer with our pups. Funny story! One time, Candace had Buckles off leash momentarily when he caught a glimpse of a deer off in the distance - in a flash he was gone. It took us about 20 minutes of calling his name before he came back. It was still a few years - when we were both living in Europe - that I started working at YBC® and the rest is history!
What is something someone might be surprised to learn about you? I think a lot of people would be surprised to learn that I suffer from severe situational anxiety; it comes and goes without warning but usually piques when I travel solo to a unfamiliar place, have to show up to a party or event by myself, or meet someone new for the first time.
Give us two truths and a lie (and tell us which one is the lie).
I have two Bachelor’s Degrees in Marketing #themorethemerrier. One BA in Marketing with a concentration in sports and one BA in Sports Media and Entertainment. I was actually the Valedictorian of my graduating class at Full Sail University where I gained my second degree.
I reached the summit of the 3 largest mountains in the US: Denali, Mount Saint Elias and Mount Foraker by the time I was 16 years old.
I’ve never seen the Finale episode of any TV series I’ve ever watched. I refuse to believe that the series has ended and live forever in suspense.
LIE: I reached the summit of the 3 largest mountains in the US: Denali, Mount Saint Elias and Mount Foraker by the time I was 16 years old. HA! The highest thing I climbed by 16 was the dreaded pull-up bar in my High School gymnasium.
Where can people find you outside of YBC®? You can find me just outside Denver in your typical quiet suburban neighborhood where the hubs and I are raising our 17-month old son, Hudson. We spend the majority of our time outside with our dog, Manny, soaking up the gorgeous weather and views of the Rocky Mountains. If you love endless photos of adorable toddlers, you’ll enjoy my IG where I shamelessly post nothing but photos of Huds. #sorrynotsorry
Danny
Danny leading strength and conditioning at YTT TN.
What is your YBC® role?
Strength and Conditioning coach; I teach the Strength and Conditioning and co-teach Anatomy classes at the Namaslay® YTT teacher trainings. I am a CrossFit Level 1 Coach (CF-L1). I also edit all YBC® YouTube videos and the Namaslay® with YogaByCandace podcast episodes. Lastly, I work with Candace on the business side of things for Mantra Box®, social media promotions and travel partnerships.
How did you and Candace decide to work together?
As I noted, I’m a CF-L1 and met Candace at a CrossFit gym where I helped her better understand her form and how to increase her strength. She’s always interested in bringing helpful content to her community and thought I’d be able to provide additional insight for those looking to add strength training to their yoga practice. I come from an entrepreneurial family, and so the business side of things (contracts, pitching, sponsorships), just evolved naturally.
What is something someone might be surprised to learn about you?
My full time job is a 5th grade teacher. People always seemed shocked by that.
Give us two truths and a lie (and tell us which one is the lie).
When I was young, my two older brothers convinced me that we had another brother living in the wine barrels in our cellar. I didn’t go in our basement by myself until I was around 17 years old.
Driving home from college one night, I flipped my SUV on the side of the road and totaled it without a scratch on me. I left the car at some gas station on the side of the road and never went back for it.
I am a die hard Yankees fan and I try to go to as many games as possible.
(LIE - the 3rd one. I love the Mets more than anything; I have never stepped foot into Yankee stadium and I never will.)
Where can people find you outside of YBC®?
In the gym. The gym pretty much dictates my mood. On days where I can get to the gym and have a good workout, I am much happier. If I miss the gym or am too tired to go, I usually regret it. I am trying to find a good balance and not let a missed gym day affect me too much. There is just something about getting into the gym, putting life on the back burner for a while and just squatting. It is truly the best therapy out there. But people can also find me on IG (yes, I’m back on).
LG
Big T about to go for a dip
What is your YBC® role?
I am LG or ‘the other Lauren’ and I’m Editorial Director and assistant content creator (be sure to drop me a line if you have content ideas you’d like to see on the blog!) for the YogaByCandace blog, and as a Certified Personal Trainer, I also lend support as a Strength and Conditioning coach for Namaslay® Yoga Teacher Trainings.
How did you and Candace meet?
I have followed Candace’s blog and IG for about two years now, and earlier this year they posted a job opportunity for someone to do a one-off project. The qualifications were listed as looking for someone with: excellent grammar, a can-do attitude, and an interest in health, fitness and pop culture. Check, check, and check! At the time I was on leave from my day job with my son Teddy, so I said ‘that sounds like me!’ and sent in an old resume on a whim. Luckily, I nailed that first project and clicked with her team, and now, six months later, I am Editorial Director of her blog and an assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach, and just returned from Tennessee where I taught strength to the newest graduates of Namaslay® 200hr. YTT. You’ll also find me at some of her workshops (D.C., Dallas, and Scottsdale) taking photos, setting up, and helping with anything that needs to be done.
What is something someone might be surprised to learn about you?
I just resigned after seven years as a member of the Foreign Service with the U.S. Department of State where I lived and worked abroad as an assistant to our nation’s Ambassadors and Regional Security Officers at our U.S. Embassies in Bucharest, Kabul, and Bangkok. Once my son Teddy was born, I realized I did not want to split up my family (my husband is a Lt. Colonel with the U.S. Army so he has his own assignments) and continue life abroad, so I made the decision to follow my real passion - family, health, fitness and wellness, which lead me to YBC®!
Give us two truths and a lie (and tell us which one is the lie).
I once worked as a personal assistant to a Saudi Arabian Princess.
I can speak four languages including English, Romanian, Arabic, and Thai.
I dropped out of flight school when I was 17 because I hated the early mornings.
Lie: While dropping out of flight school is one of my biggest regrets, I only wish I could speak four languages! I do know some Romanian, and some ‘taxi’ Thai, but none of it is fluent and I don’t speak any Arabic (though I do have an Arabic tattoo on my forearm).
Where can people find you outside of YBC®?
Come find me on Instagram or on my own blog, www.thatgingerlatte.com