This Mom Turned Her Battle Against Postpartum Anxiety into a Thriving Business

Before Tina Ardolino became pregnant with her first child, she was active in many different styles of fitness and yoga, and acquired class passes at every studio she attended. While pregnant, she found it difficult to find a class that was safe for her to take.

“I couldn’t use the packages I purchased because it was hard for me to take some of those classes while pregnant,” Tina said. “And then, I started thinking about how great it would be for them to offer prenatal-friendly classes.”

Once she had her son, Tina found herself battling postpartum anxiety—and her difficulty finding access to classes increased.

“I felt like I was in a dilemma with what I needed regarding holistic wellness and healing through yoga,” Tina said. “I was in desperate need of yoga and meditation, and I just couldn’t find a place to go where I could take the baby with me or that accommodated childcare.”

Instead of giving up, Tina decided to do something about the problems she encountered. She wrote up a business plan, and nine months later, Hapa Yoga was born in September 2012.

Hapa offers everything Tina sought while pregnant and after giving birth: fitness, yoga, and childcare in one location. Students at Hapa can select between classes like nonheated yoga, mat Pilates, barre and heated vinyasa, hot Hatha, and prenatal yoga. Plus, Hapa offers music and movement classes for children as young as six weeks and even offers classes for local college students.

Overall, Tina knew that the concept behind Hapa was something that other people could benefit from, so her business plan included a strategy to open a second location—and more. Three years after opening her first location, she successfully opened a second location in Eastlake. Now, Tina is now the franchisor of Hapa Yoga & Fitness after being approved for franchising.

“The last five years of growth have been amazing,” Tina said. “I wanted to make sure I was able to open a second studio, and that it was repeatable, which it was.”

Tina’s business journey has helped her grow personally, too. “About halfway through my journey, I had to change my perspective and look at the business from a softer side of healing people and not just the business standpoint,” Tina said.

Despite her success, Tina knows that it wouldn’t be possible without her staff. “I’ve been blessed with the team I have,” Tina said. “I have an amazing group of people with me.”

Tina also credits Mindbody yoga software with helping Hapa grow. “We would not be able to do business as smoothly without Mindbody software,” Tina said. “Starting a brand-new studio, I was nervous about that. Mindbody made everything easy.”

As Tina and the team at Hapa look toward future growth, they’ll continue to focus on healing, by offering yoga, fitness, and wellness to everyone, from toddler to postpartum parent.