We had the good fortune of connecting with Melinda Nag and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melinda, are there risks you’ve taken that you are really happy about in retrospect?
When I was younger, I always knew I wanted to help people. I didnt know what that would be until a trip to D.C. my sophomore year of college led me to the Supreme Court. I knew then I was going to law school and I wanted to be a prosecutor. I graduated from law school in 2006 and was fortunate to receive a position at the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office. I had a wonderful career at the DA’s office. I never thought I would own a yoga studio! That was not in my life plan. With a very stressful job, I needed to find an outlet. I began doing triathlons with Team in Training and later went on to complete three Ironman distance races. My legs were so tight so I decided to try hot yoga. I fell in love and began practicing daily. I loved it so much I got my yoga teacher certification a year later. In May 2016, my husband and I were presented an opportunity to buy the yoga studio where I had been practicing, Sumits Hot Yoga. We made it our own and named it Soul Sweat Hot Yoga. Although this was very exciting, I loved being a prosecutor and had worked so hard to get there. I could not choose between the two, so I continued to do both. In the Fall of 2019 I had the unique opportunity to teach yoga for the Dallas Cowboys football team. How could I say no to that? And just like that, I left my job at the DA’s office. I was chief prosecutor of our child abuse division when I left the office. I had spent years training and speaking on the topic of child abuse. It was my passion. I felt like I was making a difference and that feeling is priceless. I had a great job, great benefits and a steady paycheck. I left it all to invest myself 100% in our business, which had quickly become my second passion. We were able to open our second studio in Colleyville in January. Now I am busier than ever! Running a business is not for the faint of heart. It takes a lot of grit. It takes pulling yourself through bad days and staying positive when it feels anything but. But it is all worth it. I am still helping people, just in a different way.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Soul Sweat Hot Yoga was formed in May 2016. I am most proud of the community we have built. Our studio is much more than yoga- we are family. Based on my own experiences, I felt not all fitness studios were welcoming. Every one has their first class. We all start somewhere. Sometimes I feel people forget that so it was very important to me that all feel welcome from the moment they open the door. Soul Sweat is a place where you always find a friendly face. One of the decisons we made that has helped contribute to our success was our move to our current location. We were in a smaller space on Camp Bowie Blvd and in November 2018 moved to a state of the art studio in Near Southside. We had outgrown our old space and we wanted to give our community the perfect place. It took us over year to find the perfect space and once we did, I knew this space was made for us. The building was a shell and we spent 8 months working through the stress of a buildout. I learned to be patient (still working on this!) and always go with my first instinct. Its almost certainly always the right one.

Any great local spots you’d like to shoutout?
Fort Worth is the best city! I grew up outisde of Dallas and went to undergrad at the University of Texas in Austin. When I came to Fort Worth for law school, I felt I had found the perfect combination of both! This was my happy medium and I wanted to stay. My favorite area is where we live and where our Fort Worth studio is located- Near Southside. We are all small businesses and the community support is like no other. I would spend the day here. Hit up any of the local places and you can’t go wrong!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I could never do this alone. My husband, Jayson Nag, is the perfect partner. Not only in life, but also in business! He owns his own law firm in Fort Worth and is very business savvy. I came from a career in public service and had little idea the ins and outs of successfully running a business. We are the perfect combination: he does the business side and I do the yoga! And of course our Soul Sweat Hot Yoga community. Between the staff and students, I could never ask for a better group of people. They inspire me every day.

Website: SoulSweatYoga.com
Instagram: @soulsweathotyoga @soulsweathotyogacolleyville
Twitter: @SoulSweatYoga
Facebook: @soulsweathotyoga @soulsweatyogacolleyville
Youtube: Soul Sweat Hot Yoga

Image Credits
Tiffany Camille Photo Bev Childress

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