Meet Praxis advisor Amanda Kingsmith.
Amanda is a dynamic entrepreneur on a mission creating a life of travel and exploration where she creates value from all corners of the world.
I caught up with her between adventures to talk about her fascinating life, unconventional career path, and her experience as a Praxis advisor.
Why are you excited about being a Praxis advisor?
I am excited and passionate about being an advisor because of the participants I have the opportunity to interact with. I have yet to meet a Praxis participant that doesn’t leave me feeling excited and inspired. Each of my conversations are unique and tailored towards the needs of the individual participant, so I never know what to expect when I enter an advising call. I love how different each of my calls are and how my relationship with each participant is unique.
I am also passionate about education, and I don’t feel that college is serving the needs of every student. I love being a part of a company that is changing the world for the better, and providing opportunities for people who don’t feel like college is the right fit for them. I have chosen to live a life that is “off the beaten path” and I’m excited that I can help other people find their path and provide them the support they need during this exploration.
What is the coolest project you’ve worked on in the past few months?
Ryan and I launched a Yoga for Men course on Udemy, which we’ve been talking about doing for months. It was awesome to finally see it come to life and to get some great feedback on it.
I also gave M.B.Om (my yoga business podcast) website an upgrade. My website is a lot cleaner and more professional looking, and I have turned it from a blog to a resource for yoga teachers. It has been awesome seeing an increase in website traffic and podcast downloads.
What are some of your hobbies and interests outside of work?
I’ve been fairly successful at combining the things I’m most passionate about into my revenue sources, which is pretty amazing. But, when I’m not “working”, I love practicing yoga, traveling, hiking (or just being outside in general), reading, writing, going to movies (and eating a butt load of popcorn), hanging out in really cool coffee shops drinking lattes, and eating good, healthy food. My favorite cuisine is Mexican, and I will make a point of finding good Mexican food in every new city I visit! Guacamole may just be the key to my heart.
You currently do a few things for a living. You manage yoga studio, an online course, as well as a popular travel podcast. How do you manage it all?
Managing everything that I do has come with a lot of practice and trial and error. What I have found to be the most effective is to have dedicated days for different projects. On Monday, I work on my yoga podcast and online business; on Tuesday, I do my yoga studio management; on Thursday, I work on The World Wanderers; and Friday is my dedicated Praxis day. I always have one day dedicated to relaxation and I try to keep one day flexible for other odd projects that need working on, like doing my taxes or creating a course on Udemy.
Obviously, this doesn’t always work out and I have to be flexible with my schedule, especially since I am working from all over the world. My day timer is key for me to stay organized and not miss deadlines or calls!
What is the most Praxian thing you’ve ever done?
When I completed my yoga teacher training 2 years ago, I entered the industry wanting to teach, but I found that I wasn’t equipped with the knowledge I needed to have a successful career. My training hadn’t taught me anything about the business side of being a yoga teacher, and I found that the resources on the internet were either expensive or not very practical.
So, I started an interview based podcast on the business of yoga to learn from other successful yoga teachers. I started it as a way for me to learn how to be successful in the industry while creating a resource that other new yoga teachers could also learn from. I did that just over a year ago, and now I have become an authority on the business of yoga.
Where are you currently working from?
I just spent 2 months working from a kick ass coworking space in Ubud, Bali. Now, I’m in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
What are some of the participants in your cohort currently working on?
Isaac Chapman just finished the program and is moving back to his hometown of Philadelphia, where he’ll be working remotely for his business partner.
Shelby Lewington is currently setting personal PDPs to get her closer to her goal of opening a clothing line.
Olivia van Wormer received a promotion in her first month with her business partner and has crushed her sales quota every month since her promotion.
Evan Le just started a new internship with author Alex Epstein in Houston.
Morgan Aldous had a YouTube channel go viral literally overnight, meanwhile he has made a massive change in his lifestyle that has resulted in losing almost 30 pounds.
Where can we learn more about you? Do you have a blog? Product/service? Any relevant links we can promote?
I have a personal website that is mis-mash of all the different areas of my life.
You can learn more about my yoga business podcast at Mastering the Business of Yoga, and if you are a dude who is new to yoga, you can check out our Yoga for Men course here.
This post is part of an ongoing series covering Praxis advisors.
Advisors at Praxis are typically a few years ahead of their careers than participants and are able to offer participants not only practical career coaching but invaluable life advice.
Praxis has a roster of multiple advisors, all of whom come from different backgrounds and have various areas of expertise, who meet 1-on-1 with our participants every other week for the entire nine months of the program. The participants get to pick who they meet with based on personal preferences and professional goals.
