About the Podcast

Creativity Connects with Mikki Wilson is a Creative Collective podcast that goes beyond the brand and into the authentic journeys of women entrepreneurs who are members of the Creative Collective. Each episode, host Mikki Wilson sits down with a woman business owner from the Creative Collective community to explore her unique path, what drives her, and where she’s headed next. This series illuminates the moments, motivations, and messy middles that shape women’s experiences as creators and business leaders in the creative economy. Jenni Stuart Fine Jewelry supports this podcast series.

The Power of Generational Legacy

When we explore the stories of women entrepreneurs in our community, we often discover that the seeds of their success were planted long before they opened their doors. For Shanel Anderson, founder of Soul City Yoga in Lynn, Massachusetts, those seeds were carefully tended by her grandfather, a GE employee who ran a landscaping business on the side. Watching him manage receipts and build his enterprise sparked a curiosity that would eventually bloom into one of the few Black women-owned yoga studios in Massachusetts.

In our latest conversation, Shanel shared how this early exposure to entrepreneurship shaped her approach to business ownership. “You could be a business as a person?” she remembered thinking as a child, watching her grandfather work. This revelation—that individuals could create their own paths—became the foundation for everything that followed.

From Personal Crisis to Community Solution

Sometimes our most significant challenges lead us to our most meaningful work. For Shanel, the journey to founding Soul City Yoga began with a traumatic birth experience. After a difficult first pregnancy where she admits she “did not move my body, did not walk,” she found herself seeking a different path for her second pregnancy.

The discovery of prenatal yoga transformed not just her second birth experience but her entire understanding of wellness and body awareness. As she explained to us, “It’s not just meditation—it is strengthening your body and taking care of yourself and helping your range of motion and preventing injury.” This personal transformation sparked a desire to share these benefits with others, particularly in her hometown of Lynn, where yoga studios were notably absent.

Creating Space Where None Existed

During her yoga teacher training, while others discussed quitting their jobs or teaching part-time, Shanel had a different vision. She wanted to bring yoga to Lynn, initially thinking she might teach in her church basement. But a meditation and vision boarding workshop challenged her to think bigger. The result? A journey that she describes as walking on “lit tiles” like in Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean video—everywhere she stepped, doors opened and opportunities appeared.

What makes Shanel’s approach to building Soul City Yoga particularly powerful is her intentional focus on disrupting traditional wellness spaces. Having experienced unwelcoming environments during her early yoga journey, she was determined to create something different. “I’m mostly here because you don’t want me to be here,” she shared candidly about her persistence in spaces that weren’t initially welcoming. “But I serve a purpose here.”

Redefining Community in Wellness Spaces

As we explored what community means in today’s entrepreneurial landscape, Shanel offered a profound perspective that challenges us all to think differently. For her, community isn’t just about gathering like-minded people—it’s about creating spaces that “reflect actually the world that we live in.” At Soul City Yoga, this means intentionally welcoming all kinds of people, regardless of their size, shape, or orientation, into the same space.

This approach to community building extends beyond the yoga mat. When discussing her connection to Creative Collective, Shanel emphasized the importance of communities where “the people that you move with and call community also call you community when you’re not around.” It’s this authentic reciprocity that creates the ecosystems entrepreneurs truly need—support systems that acknowledge all aspects of our lives, not just our businesses.

The Legacy of Access and Belonging

What struck us most in our conversation was Shanel’s unwavering commitment to accessibility. “There should be no financial barrier to wellness,” she stated firmly. This isn’t just a business philosophy—it’s a mission rooted in her own experiences and her desire to ensure others don’t face the same barriers she encountered.

The impact of this mission became even more poignant when Shanel shared that her grandfather, who had provided the initial funding for Soul City Yoga, had recently passed away. His presence at her ribbon cutting in 2016 represented not just family support but a passing of the entrepreneurial torch. That small loan, given with faith in his granddaughter’s vision, has grown into two thriving studio locations in Lynn and Malden, touching the lives of countless people in the process.

Building Ecosystems, Not Just Businesses

As our conversation drew to a close, we found ourselves reflecting on what Shanel has truly built. Soul City Yoga represents more than a successful business—it’s an ecosystem that nurtures personal growth, community connection, and collective strength. Her studios in Lynn and Malden have become spaces where vulnerability is welcomed, where being off-balance is part of the journey, and where differences dissolve in the shared experience of breath and movement.

For those of us in the creative economy, Shanel’s journey offers valuable insights. Success isn’t just about filling a market gap—it’s about creating spaces that reflect our values, honor our histories, and serve our communities authentically. It’s about recognizing that when we build from a place of personal truth and community need, we create something far more powerful than a business. We create belonging.

Continuing the Conversation

As we witness entrepreneurs like Shanel Anderson transforming personal experiences into community solutions, we’re reminded of the power of inclusive leadership in the wellness industry. Her work at Soul City Yoga challenges us all to consider: How are we creating spaces that truly welcome everyone? How are we honoring the legacies that made our work possible? And how are we building ecosystems that support not just business success but community transformation?

We invite you to explore these questions with us and to discover how Soul City Yoga continues to expand its impact across Lynn and Malden. Because as Shanel reminds us, we’re stronger together—and that strength starts with creating spaces where everyone can show up exactly as they are.

Credits:

• Hosted by Mikki Wilson, founder of Dot Connector Consulting
• Produced by Randyll Collum for Peabody TV (peabodytv.org)
• A Creative Collective podcast (creativecollectivema.com)
• Sponsored by Jenni Stuart Fine Jewelry

Episode Description

In this powerful episode of Creativity Connects, host Mikki Wilson sits down with Shanel Anderson, founder of Soul City Yoga and one of the few Black women to own a yoga studio in Massachusetts. Shanel shares her transformative journey from a difficult first pregnancy to discovering prenatal yoga, which ultimately led her to create inclusive wellness spaces in Lynn and Malden.

Drawing inspiration from her grandfather’s entrepreneurial legacy and her Barbadian roots, Shanel discusses how she’s disrupting traditional yoga spaces to ensure “there should be no financial barrier to wellness.” The conversation explores themes of community building, generational legacy, and the importance of creating spaces where everyone can show up authentically.

Key takeaways include:

• How personal transformation can spark community solutions
• The importance of representation in wellness spaces
• Building ecosystems versus traditional networks for entrepreneurs
• Honoring generational legacy while creating new paths
• The true meaning of inclusive community building

Connect with Shanel Anderson and Soul City Yoga:

• Lynn Location: 192 Oxford Street, Caldwell Building
• Malden Location: 126 Pleasant Street
• Website: [Soul City Yoga website]
• Social Media: [Soul City Yoga social handles]

Credits: Hosted by Mikki Wilson, founder of Dot Connector Consulting.

Produced by Randyll Collum for Peabody TV (peabodytv.org), A Creative Collective podcast (creativecollectivema.com).

Sponsored by Jenni Stuart Fine Jewelry