What happens when you try to teach yoga in a small town that's convinced you're recruiting for a devil cult? This week on The Unqualified Yogi Podcast, we sit down with Jenna Goble—founder of Flow Yoga and Fly Yoga in St. Louis—to find out.

Jenna shares her journey from stay-at-home mom in West Plains, Missouri, to accidental yoga entrepreneur in a town where rumors spread that she was literally a devil worshiper bringing people into her cult. She started teaching yoga (before she was even certified) in the back of a disgusting gym with carpet and metal walls, where the owner slapped her ass and said "good luck, honey" when she asked to use the Zumba room. Because sometimes the price of admission is pretty high when you're trying to bring wellness to unexpected places.

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT:

Small-Town Yoga & Overcoming Prejudice: Jenna discusses what it's like to introduce yoga to a conservative community where people are genuinely suspicious of your intentions. From one friend showing up to the first class to building something so successful they couldn't fit everyone in the room anymore, this is a real story about grassroots yoga teaching and community building without any of the Instagram-perfect wellness industry nonsense.

Building Yoga Studios from Scratch: Learn how Jenna went from teaching in borrowed gym space to opening Flow Yoga with a business partner, and eventually creating Fly Yoga in St. Louis. We discuss the realities of yoga studio ownership, why she ultimately chose to close a successful business, and what it's really like to run a wellness business when you're not interested in becoming a wellness influencer.

Roxanne's Arrest Record: In true Unqualified Yogi fashion, we take a detour through Roxanne's surprisingly extensive history with law enforcement. Stories include: stealing her friend's mom's car at age 13 with 12-year-old boyfriends in the backseat, a fake ID incident at a 3am bar involving a red Mitsubishi Eclipse with custom plates (R-O-X-Z-A-N, naturally), a hit-and-run in a Corvette wheel well, and spending the night in Richmond Heights jail over an unpaid ticket while her kids waited for pickup. Because yoga teachers are real humans with messy pasts, not enlightened beings who emerged fully formed from a meditation cushion.

Why Yoga Studio Vibes Actually Matter: We dig into the intangible differences between yoga studios and why some spaces just feel better than others. Jenna shares why she prefers certain studios over others (even when the amenities are objectively worse), and we discuss what creates that sense of community and belonging that keeps people coming back—spoiler: it's not the fancy amenities or Instagram-worthy design.

ABOUT THE UNQUALIFIED YOGI PODCAST:

We're Gary Martin (200-hour RYT, PRO EDU founder) and Roxanne Quinn (experienced yoga teacher), and we're credentialed skeptics bringing you an anti-guru wellness podcast. We're qualified enough to know what we're talking about, unqualified enough to admit we don't have all the answers, and irreverent enough to laugh at the absurdity of wellness industry culture.

Expect evidence-based information, dry humor, real yoga teacher stories, honest discussions about mental health and wellness, and zero namaste-in-bed bullshit. We punch up at the wellness industry, not down at people trying to feel better.

GUEST: Jenna Goble (founder, Flow Yoga & Fly Yoga)
HOSTS: Gary Martin & Roxanne Quinn

Visit us at theunqualifiedyogi.com for more conversations about yoga, wellness, and meditation without the guru worship.

Not for everyone. And that's the point.

Music for this episode was licensed through Artlist license # 973498