Yoga biz owner, uses grant to expand mission

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- CBS 58 introduced you to Joanna Brooks, proprietor of Embody Yoga, past summer. She had conscionable received a $25,000 assistance from the Jrue and Lauren Holiday Social Impact Fund.

The Milwaukee Bucks prima and his golden medalist woman donated a cardinal dollars to Black-owned businesses and non-profits. We checked successful with Brooks to spot however she's utilizing the wealth to grow her business, and her mission.

"Embody Yoga is here," said Joanna Brooks, pointing retired the yoga workplace abstraction connected a blueprint of her caller wellness center, simply called Embody.

The plans are each drawn up for Embody, which has recovered a caller location astatine 4650 N. Port Washington Rd. successful Glendale.

"Embody has been a imagination of excavation that I've been holding adjacent to my bosom for a fewer years now," Brooks said.

That imagination is rapidly becoming a reality. Brooks is already teaching yoga classes astatine the caller location, with overmuch much to come.

"We'll person massage, therapy services, we'll adjacent person intelligence health," said Brooks, who has a inheritance successful counseling.

Artist renderings amusement her imaginativeness for what the 2 yoga studios volition look like. One volition beryllium jungle-themed and filled with plants.

"Our jungle workplace volition virtually beryllium a jungle-- overrun with plants. Plants from the ceiling, plants successful the windows," she said with excitement.

The different workplace volition person a godforsaken taxable for blistery yoga.

"We'll beryllium playing R&B, hep hop, neo-soul," Brooks said of the vibe, which volition besides included lighting that tin alteration colors.

CBS 58 archetypal met Brooks astatine her workplace abstraction successful Milwaukee's Sherman Phoenix, soon aft she was named a JLH Fund recipient.

"That money has been truthful instrumental and truthful adjuvant for maine successful truthful galore ways," she said.

Brooks has gotten concern coaching and has raised much than $75,000 done a crowdfunding effort.

"In 25 hours, we deed our archetypal milestone, $25,000," she said, noting however amazed she was by the velocity successful which the wealth started being donated.

She's been touched by however galore clients and supporters person pitched successful to assistance her rise the wealth successful conscionable a month.

"I knew my metropolis would enactment me, due to the fact that they ever have," she said. "That's however we've made it six years successful concern and survived a pandemic. But $75,000 conscionable seemed similar a truly large goal."

Her ngo has ever been to stock yoga with radical of color. Brooks said her clients are impressed with the caller space.

"Already, immoderate of our students are like, oh, the abstraction looks truthful bully and we're truthful excited," Brooks said. "They are a portion of it. You know, it's for them."

She's besides committed to grooming caller teachers.

"There are truthful galore caller yoga teachers who are serving under-represented communities, conscionable similar Embody Yoga, right? And they request a beauteous abstraction to signifier in," she said.

Embody volition besides supply caller concern opportunities for different wellness practitioners, who volition beryllium capable to bash concern there.

"We'll beryllium besides supporting wellness practitioners, tiny concern owners focused connected wellness, by offering them truly competitory and truly reduced commercialized leasing rates," Brooks explained.

Her passionateness for yoga started erstwhile she was a kid. She'd aftermath up and signifier with Priscilla Patrick connected PBS. Years of hard enactment person led to this 5,000-square ft space.

"So walls volition spell up, flooring volition spell down," she said, pointing retired wherever operation volition beryllium starting this month.

She hopes to person Embody unfastened aboriginal adjacent year.

"What it's done for maine is near maine successful awe of however beingness works and however it guides america down a path," she said.

To find retired much astir Embody, sojourn https://www.embodyyogamke.com/.

And to donate to the crowdfunding effort, sojourn https://www.fundblackfounders.com/embodyyogamke.

To nominate an Everyday Hero, nonstop Natalie a connection astatine NShepherd@cbs58.com.