181: Introducing The American Yoga Council with Andrew Tanner

In this episode of The Mentor Sessions, Francesca talks with Andrew Tanner, founder and CEO of the American Yoga Council (AYC), about his vision for creating a healthier, more sustainable yoga ecosystem. Andrew brings more than 20 years of experience as a yoga teacher, studio owner, business consultant, technology leader, and former Yoga Alliance executive. His career has taken him from teaching and owning multiple yoga studios to working at Kripalu and Yoga Alliance, co-founding the Berkshire Yoga Festival, and now building a new credentialing and professional organization for yoga teachers. The conversation goes far beyond the American Yoga Council itself. Francesca and Andrew explore the problems with the current yoga teacher credentialing system, why yoga teachers need better business education, how mentorship can transform professional development, and why Andrew believes the yoga industry needs to "grow up." They also have an unusually candid conversation about Andrew's experience leaving a high-demand spiritual organization, the power dynamics that can exist within yoga communities, institutional resistance to change, and why transparency is one of AYC's core values. In this episode, you'll hear: The challenges of power, money, loyalty, and authority within spiritual communities About Andrew's work at Kripalu and his belief that institutions heal by creating something new rather than remaining stuck in the past Andrew's work at Yoga Alliance and the Standards Review Project Why he became disillusioned with the existing credentialing and accreditation model The creation and mission of the American Yoga Council Why AYC operates as a public benefit corporation rather than a nonprofit Why Andrew believes yoga studios should be viewed as "third places" and hospitality businesses Andrew's vision for the future of yoga and the American Yoga Council Resources Mentioned:  www.americanyogacouncil.com Listeners can use the code FRANCESCA30 for 30% off an AYC membership. This episode is brought to you by OfferingTree, an easy-to-use, all-in-one online platform for yoga teachers that provides a personal website, booking, payment, blogging, and many other great features. As an added bonus, If you sign up at www.offeringtree.com/mentor, you'll get 50% off your first three months (or 15% off any annual plan)! I'm proud to be supported by a public benefit company whose mission is to further wellness access and education for everyone.