Story & Lesson Highlights with Auburn Haney of Community

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Auburn Haney. Check out our conversation below.

Auburn, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
“My life has been an endless stream of callings—each one arriving louder and more intense than the last. Right now, I’m being called to step into two things that once terrified me: launching a nonprofit and building a full content-creation agency.

For years, I’ve supported everyone else’s dreams—business owners, studios, community leaders. I’ve helped them tell their stories, find their voice, and build their presence. But answering this new calling means finally doing that for myself.

The nonprofit is about expanding the impact I’ve been making quietly for years: uplifting women, empowering youth, and creating community through movement, creativity, and leadership. It’s the work I’ve been doing in pieces—now asking to become something bigger, more structured, and more transformative.

The content-creation business feels like the next evolution of my purpose. I’ve always been the one behind the camera, scripting, producing, guiding, storytelling. But stepping into it as a business requires me to be seen in a new way. To own my expertise. To trust that my voice, my vision, and my creativity deserve space on the stage—not just behind it.

These callings feel bigger than me. They require faith, courage, and a completely different level of leadership. But they also feel aligned, like everything I’ve been building—through the Glendora Chamber, through The Yoga Dance Co., through community events and partnerships—has led me right here.

And I’m finally ready to stop being afraid of how big the vision is… and start walking toward it.”

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, I’m Auburn Haney—a community builder, creative strategist, and the woman behind multiple passion-driven projects that all share one purpose: connection. I currently serve as the Social Media & Business Development Coordinator for the Glendora Chamber of Commerce, where I help local businesses grow through storytelling, marketing, and community engagement.

I’m also the founder of The Yoga Dance Co., a movement-based community that blends aerial arts, yoga, and confidence-building for kids, teens, and adults. Through this studio, I’ve watched people transform—not just physically, but emotionally and creatively—which is what inspires everything I do.

Beyond that, I’m building a content-creation agency and laying the foundation for a nonprofit focused on empowering women and youth through movement, creativity, and leadership. Every project I touch is rooted in the belief that community can change a person’s life—and creativity can change their confidence.

What makes my work unique is that all of my brands overlap: storytelling, movement, leadership, and community. My career has never been linear; it’s been a series of callings that have pushed me to grow, serve, and create spaces where people feel seen and supported. And right now, I’m stepping into the biggest chapter yet.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
As a child, I believed I was “too much”—too loud, too bossy, too creative, too outside the box. I was the kid with big ideas, big energy, and big opinions, and I spent a lot of years trying to shrink myself to make others more comfortable.

I don’t believe that anymore.

Now I see that the things I once thought were “too much” are actually my superpowers. That boldness, that creativity, that instinct to lead and build and imagine—that’s what shaped every chapter of my life. It’s what allows me to run businesses, create community, develop programs, and help others step into their own confidence.

What I used to see as flaws are now the exact things that make me who I am, and they’re the qualities I’m most proud of.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Was there ever a time I almost gave up?
If I’m being completely honest—yes, almost every day.

There are days when the weight of everything I’m building feels like too much. Days when I question whether I’m qualified, whether I’m strong enough, whether I’m doing right by my community, my family, or myself. There have been moments where I’ve cried in my car between meetings, or sat on the studio floor after everyone left wondering how I’m supposed to keep showing up when I feel empty.

But what I’ve learned is that “almost giving up” doesn’t make me weak—it’s part of the journey. It’s the space between who I was and who I’m becoming. Every time I reach that edge, something grounds me again: a student telling me they feel braver because of my studio, a business owner saying they feel seen because of our Chamber work, my son watching me show him what perseverance looks like.

I don’t push through because it’s easy. I push through because the work matters, the people matter, and somewhere deep down I know I matter too.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
Is the public version of me the real me?
Yes—almost to a fault.

What people see is genuinely who I am: the energy, the passion, the leadership, the creativity, the community-building…it’s all real. I don’t really know how to be anything other than fully myself. But that honesty comes with a cost sometimes. Being so open means people see the strong parts of me, but they also see the cracks—the exhaustion, the pressure, the vulnerability underneath everything I pour into my work.

I’ve learned that authenticity is my strength, but I’m also learning how to protect the softer parts of myself. Because the public me is real—but she’s also carrying a lot. And I’m finally learning that I can be genuine without giving the world every piece of me.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
What do I understand deeply that most people don’t?
That everything comes and goes. Life moves in waves—some gentle, some overwhelming—and we don’t get to control the tides. But we do get to choose how we ride them. That understanding has changed everything for me.

Most people don’t realize how much power there is in practices like yoga, breathwork, and movement. They’re not just workouts—they’re tools that retrain the nervous system, calm anxiety, and give us space to respond instead of react. Yoga taught me how to stop gripping so tightly to outcomes, how to stop trying to control other people, and how to let things flow through me instead of consume me.

I used to stress about every detail and every possibility. Now, I understand that peace doesn’t come from controlling the world—it comes from controlling the way I meet it. That’s the lesson I carry into my work, my studio, my community, and my life: the waves will always come, but I get to decide whether I resist them… or learn to ride them with grace.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://theyogadanceco.com
• Instagram: @theyogadance.co
• Facebook: The Yoga Dance Co
• Yelp: The Yoga Dance Co
• Youtube: The Yoga Dance Co

Image Credits
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