Capital, Trauma-Informed Practice & a Cautionary Tale — With Nana Amoako-Anin (Part 1)

Nana Amoako-Anin has lived a genuinely international life — including a stint as a prosecuting attorney in Manhattan — before finding her way into yoga and opening her own studio in Ghana. In Part 1 of this conversation, she and Rebecca get into something the yoga industry rarely names directly: access to capital, and what it means for the future of this work. They also unpack the term "trauma-informed," questioning whether academic language is actually serving the people it's meant to help, and look honestly at how the US wellness industry burned hot and fast in the 2010s, organized itself around deep individualism, and ultimately failed to build infrastructure for its own workers. It's a candid look at what other parts of the world might do differently — and why.

Rebecca SebastianJuly 2, 2026access to capital yoga, yoga studio funding, trauma-informed yoga, yoga industry infrastructure, wellness industry individualism, yoga studio owner Ghana, Nana Amoako-Anin, working in yoga podcast, international yoga business, yoga industry capital, embodied education, yoga trend report, yoga industry critique, sustainable yoga business, global yoga industryComment

Yoga Therapy Jobs in Clinical Settings — With Jenna Csont & Whitney Pasch (Part 1)

A lot of yoga therapists were told — or assumed — that salaried, benefits-included jobs simply didn't exist in this field. Jenna Csont and Whitney Pasch are here to complicate that story. In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Rebecca talks with Jenna and Whitney about their work at a trauma-therapy clinic in the Chicagoland area, where they bring yoga — in all its forms, not just movement — to clients who might never have found their way to a studio class. They get into what clinical yoga therapy actually looks like day to day, what level of training is required, the relationship-building it takes to earn real respect inside a western medical setting, and the bigger conversation about accessibility and yoga's roots. This one will have you thinking about what's possible.

Rebecca SebastianApril 9, 2026yoga therapy jobs, clinical yoga therapy, yoga therapist salary, yoga therapy in healthcare, yoga in western medicine, trauma-informed yoga, yoga therapy career, salaried yoga jobs, yoga therapy training, yoga accessibility, Jenna Csont, Whitney Pasch, working in yoga, yoga therapy podcast, yoga therapy ChicagolandComment

Let’s Get Weird: Neuroqueering Yoga, Teaching, and the Art of Doing Things Differently

In this final conversation with Becky Aten and Theo Wildcroft, we dive into the concept of neuroqueering—the practice of disrupting what’s considered “normal” in both neurotypical and heteronormative culture. Through laughter, curiosity, and deep reflection, we explore how yoga spaces can move away from rigid, productivity-driven ideals and instead celebrate unusual bodies, brains, and ways of being.

We talk about queerness as a refusal of capitalist productivity, the deep intersections between neurodiversity and trauma, and why morality has quietly shaped how yoga is supposed to look and feel. This episode invites yoga professionals to embrace experimentation, question the “why” behind their teaching choices, and allow a little more weirdness—because that’s often where freedom, healing, and creativity live.

Rebecca SebastianJanuary 29, 2026neuroqueering, neurodiversity and yoga, queer theory yoga, trauma-informed yoga, inclusive yoga spaces, neurodivergent yoga, yoga and capitalism, productivity culture wellness, yoga teaching philosophy, working in yoga podcast, neurodiversity trauma, queer wellness, yoga culture critique, yoga professional education, The Back Room yogaComment

Designing for Everyone: Neurodivergence, Experience, and How We Build Yoga Spaces (Part Two)

In this follow-up conversation, we go deeper into what inclusive design actually looks like in yoga spaces. From sound engineering and sensory considerations to universal design principles and the social model of disability, this episode explores how centering neurodivergent people from the beginning—not as an afterthought—can radically change how yoga is taught, experienced, and shared. We also reflect on how trauma-informed practices translate, why lived experience must guide decision-making, and how training future teachers needs to evolve.

Rebecca SebastianJanuary 22, 2026neurodivergent yoga, inclusive yoga spaces, universal design yoga, trauma-informed yoga, accessibility in yoga, yoga space design, sensory-friendly yoga, social model of disability, disability justice yoga, neurodiversity and wellness, yoga teacher training reform, lived experience in yoga, inclusive wellness design, working in yoga podcastComment

Making Room for Everyone: Neurodivergence, Grace, and Inclusion in Yoga

What does it actually mean to create inclusive yoga spaces for neurodivergent people? In this episode, we explore the intersection of trauma-informed yoga and neurodivergent safety—while also modeling what it looks like to learn in real time. You’ll hear moments of curiosity, missteps, and grace as language evolves in the conversation, offering a powerful reminder that inclusion isn’t about perfection. It’s about willingness, reflection, and designing spaces that welcome everyone from the very beginning.

Rebecca SebastianJanuary 15, 2026neurodivergent yoga, neurodiversity and yoga, trauma-informed yoga, inclusive yoga spaces, accessibility in yoga, yoga for neurodivergent people, disability justice yoga, inclusive wellness culture, learning in public yoga, perfectionism in wellness, yoga professional education, working in yoga podcastComment

Ericka Thomas and Trauma-Informed Movement

Rebecca SebastianMarch 28, 2022Sunlight Yoga + Apothecaryyoga teacher, yoga, trauma-informed yoga, movement professionals