We need the fitness industry overall to be more inclusive and inviting towards people who don’t fit the “fitness mold”. We need more environments that are inviting to people of all sizes, abilities and beliefs.
~ Mandy
Meet Mandy Enright, the fashion finder who wants every single woman to feel like Wonder Woman. Mandy singed on with Zyia because she is believer in what the brand activate within each of us. In her words, “you’re going to run faster, jump higher, hold handstands longer because you look and feel confidently amazing and NOTHING is going to get in your way. So watch out world!”
We sat down with Mandy in advance of the VibeWell Yoga Festival (she is one of our amazing sponsors!) to talk fashion, function, nutrition, personal growth, doing it all, confidence, and living with purpose.
My mission is to teach people simple food and movement solutions that fit into their lifestyle and responsibilities, not detract from them.
~ Mandy
As soon as you see Mandy’s styles, you’ll understand that her line echoes her soul; it’s colorful, creative, fun, functional, and perfect for studio-to-stree style (MUST HAVE).
Check out our interview with the woman behind the BOLD!
Tell us about your company. What do you do? What’s your mission?
I am a registered dietitian and fitness/yoga instructor. With Team with ME: Nutrition & Fitness Consulting, I specialize in corporate wellness to help busy professionals avoid the common pitfalls of overwork, burnout, unhealthy eating habits, limited exercise, and overall lack of self-care. Before becoming a dietitian, I was the burnt-out corporate professional and I knew there had to be a better way to live. I now advocate for people to make themselves a priority when it comes to their health and self-care by helping to implement programs at their work that includes education, hand-on demonstrations, movement, and meditation. I’m super excited to have added Zyia Active into my business offerings as well, which allows people to feel confident and excited to get out and move by wearing flattering athletic apparel!
My mission is to teach people simple food and movement solutions that fit into their lifestyle and responsibilities, not detract from them.
Who (or what) inspires you, and why?
I don’t have any one specific person I can name. I’m truly inspired by anyone who bucks the system and goes against the normal standards of “go to college, get a job, work, retire, the end”. There are so many amazing people who are entrepreneurial and finding their own path. It’s scary, but when you see the success so many people have had who have chosen to pave their own way, it makes it less scary when you decide to go that route.
Do you have any mentors? Who? How have they influenced you?
To this day, I still keep in touch with my former bosses, Steve and Carol, from when I worked in advertising. I remember when they left our agency to go out on their own to start their own business together, and I thought they were crazy to leave behind our comfy corporate lifestyle. Fast-forward a few years, and I was ready to reinvent myself. I remember reaching out to them and telling then I wanted to go back to school to become a dietitian and start my own business. I received nothing but praise and encouragement on my bravery and ambition to leave behind my career in advertising to pursue something new. Up to that point, I thought only super rich people had their own businesses. I never thought it was possible to have my own business outside of Corporate America. They warned me it would be a scary and stressful experience, but totally rewarding because everything was MINE.
Yoga isn’t just doing cool poses for Instagram. Yoga is this amazing manifestation of something starting in your head and making its way out into the world. And at the same time, yoga is this big cozy blanket you can wrap yourself in when you need a little peace and escape from the world outside.
~ Mandy
What does “yoga” mean to you?
Yoga isn’t just doing cool poses for Instagram. Yoga is this amazing manifestation of something starting in your head and making its way out into the world. And at the same time, yoga is this big cozy blanket you can wrap yourself in when you need a little peace and escape from the world outside.
What’s your creative process like?
So. Many. Post-it Notes! Seriously, my home office is filled with sticky notes stuck all over the walls with ideas for programs, presentations, blog posts, and more. My “Notes” in my phone has also become another place for brain dumps. As I think of things, a new Note is born. The nice part about that is I can search for them later when I’m trying to go back and revisit things.
When it comes to yoga and fitness, music is my muse. I throw on a playlist or artist I’m digging that day, roll out a mat, and just move. If I can remember, I try to write things down, but otherwise I let my body take me where it’s feeling that day.
What have been some of your biggest challenges as a female founder? What have you learned.
When I was first starting out, I didn’t have a solid plan in place of what I wanted to be offering and really WHO I wanted to be helping. I was trying so many things and going down so many dead ends that it was exhausting! Taking the time to step back, do some personal soul searching, and talk with other experts to bounce around ideas has been so helpful in gaining clarity around what I ultimately want my business to be.
My greatest lesson is that failure isn’t just a right of passage. It’s a must in order to grow!
If you could go back and tell yourself one thing before beginning your business, what would it be?
Nothing will go according to plan – so write your plan in pencil because you’re going to be making a lot of revisions! You’re going to have failures, mistakes, and mess-ups. No business is a success overnight (because even those “overnight successes” had a lot of failures before them). Be ok with it! Everything is a learning experience to make you and your business better. And you don’t have to work 24/7 o your business for it to be successful.
How do you want women/people to feel when they wear your brand?
Like Wonder Woman! You’re going to run faster, jump higher, hold handstands longer because you look and feel confidently amazing and NOTHING is going to get in your way. So watch out world!
What “old school” ideas are you challenging with your brand?
That work and a healthy lifestyle have to be mutually exclusive! We spend more time than ever at work and doing work-related activities. The idea of a 9-5 job is dead. So with that, you need to learn how to be more of an advocate for yourself when it comes to making time for YOU! Whether that’s eating lunch, getting up from your desk to go outside and get fresh air, putting yourself in an electronics time-out, or making time for exercise or social engagements.
The idea of a 9-5 job is dead.
~ Mandy
When it comes to Zyia, people think that athletic wear is only made for fitness models. The truth is, we need the fitness industry overall to be more inclusive and inviting towards people who don’t fit the “fitness mold”.
One of the main reasons people don’t go to gyms or start an exercise program is because they are self-conscious about their appearance and abilities. We need more environments that are inviting to people of all sizes, abilities and beliefs. That’s one of the reasons I love yoga so much – there is a style and place for everyone in the yoga world.
I have been teaching fitness for over 10 years, and there is nothing that makes me a Prouder Mama than seeing someone transform from shy, timid, and low self-esteem to a strong, confident person. And if they happen to be wearing something that makes them feel look & feel amazing in the process, then let’s elevate and celebrate that!
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A little about Mandy Enright as a human:
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