Meet Marina Stirdivant of Connect Studio Space in City of Orange

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marina Stirdivant.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Marina. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I became a yoga teacher in 2011 after practicing for 2 years and feeling the transformation firsthand of how yoga was benefiting my life. At the time I was 19years old and a single mom to my daughter. I did everything from working retail to waitressing and cleaning homes to be able to pay for my certification. That was the first time I understood the importance of taking care of myself in order to better take care of others.  Luckily I had/have an amazing family and community of friends including a women’s mastermind group that I joined at 19 years old and I had much support in being daring in my journey to dream big. Ive always had a passion for personal development instilled in my by mom so I moved forward in 2014 to gain a holistic health coaching certification to help others on their health journeys. Throughout the years to come, I received my Barre certification, participated in many transformational programs and training for my own self-development, studied trauma-informed yoga and most recently begun my 300-hour teacher training at Ra Yoga in Costa Mesa. Today being able to own my own studio and build this amazing community while being able to raise my three kids full time is extraordinary and a gift.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Definitely not smooth, but I choose to believe that every challenge or struggle is a learning opportunity mostly to learn about myself and how I can better serve. I’m challenged daily by the balancing act of owning a business while being a full time mama. Many moments are chaotic getting my 13 and 5 year old around or teaching classes with my 1 year old on my hip. To me this is the beauty of the journey though, my kids are my greatest teachers and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Our business opened very quickly without any kind of investors or a real business plan, it was a leap of faith and definitely uncomfortable. I learned a lot really quickly and still making mistakes often but it keeps it exciting and we’re in a constant state of growth which inspires me most. Most of the other struggles came when I chose to be led by anything other than my intuition. Trying to fit in somewhere that wasn’t aligned with my vision usually gets me in a sticky place but luckily I’m to the point now where I can check myself pretty quick, if something feels off I can get back on track, staying in my lane is key.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Connect Studio Space – what should we know?
Connect Studio was born in a few swift steps; from me needing a dance studio for my daughter to take lessons in, then for myself as a teacher and living in a new city I needed a space to lead workshops and teach classes, to hearing amongst many of my fellow teachers that this would also be an interest for them as well and lastly having a trusted friend offer me this space. It sealed the deal for me to take the leap of faith. We are eight months old and the community and connections that have been built are priceless. I am most proud of the amount of people that say “I feel at home here”. I couldn’t be more proud of knowing that we have a created a safe space for people to not only teach what it is that they are passionate about but that each student or participant feels welcomed and appreciated. We have a piano and vocal teacher, reiki masters, yoga teachers, dance teachers, empowered workshops, sound baths, trainings, art classes, family workshops, moon circles, barre classes, prenatal, mom and me… and we’re growing. We have new teachers and students joining every week.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Oh my goodness, yessss! My husband, rooting me on even when he didn’t fully understand what in the world I was doing here, he just understood that I was extremely motivated to create more Connection and this was how we were going to make it happen. My Mom teaching me that contribution & gratitude is life-giving, to be still and trust in something bigger than myself.

My Mastermind girls, sister wives, fraud squad and best friends, Michelle and Heather, I would have never done this without them. My coach, Deborah Ivanhoff who has changed my life. She brought me back to my wholeness in one of the darkest moments of my adult life. She continues to teach me how to access my light while being compassionate of my shadows. Evelyn, my childhood bestie and my neighbor at the studio who told me about this space and encouraged me every step of the way. My brothers, Quinn checking up on me daily and keeping me laughing throughout, all my girls, you know who you are who fill my cup, all the amazing teachers that hold this vision with me and fill the studio with so much energy and light, my guides, and lastly my kiddos who make sure to remind me to not take myself so seriously and they’ve been down to ride the waves everyday with me. Forever thankful.

Contact Info:

• Address: 940 W Chapman Ave. Ste. 103B
  Orange, CA 92868
• Website: Connectstudiospace.com
• Phone: 9498877938
• Email: marina@connectstudiospace.com
• Instagram: @connectstudiospace
• Facebook: Connect Studio Space

Image Credit:
Quinn Stirdivant, Kevin Prudencio

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