Influential Businesswoman Awards 2018

12 Acquisition International - 2018 Influential Businesswoman Awards IW180020 Best Health & Wellness Education CEO - USA ChildLight Yoga ® women particularly in my field, and playing big, having the strong voice and confident decision- making ability needed to effectively lead and grow. However, I no longer feel that dichotomy quite as much. Within our all-female organization, we clearly defined team roles and responsibilities, established a set of core values together, and committed to living and modelling what we are teaching such as being mindful, thoughtful communicators, and creating an internal culture of positivity and respect which also trickles out into the world.” Alongside running ChildLight Yoga ® and Yoga 4 Classrooms ® , Lisa is also author of a number of books on how to teach yoga and mindfulness to the young, including Yoga 4 Classrooms Activity Card Deck (2011); Yoga for Children: 200+ Yoga Poses, Breathing Exercises, and Meditation for Healthier, Happier, More Resilient Children (2013); as well as the recently published Yoga for Children - Yoga Cards: Yoga Poses and Mindfulness Activities for Healthier, More Resilient Kids (2018). She is also a contributor to Best Practices for Yoga in Schools (2015); contributor and sponsor of the Research Repository: Yoga, Mindfulness and Meditation for Children, Adolescents and in Schools (2016); and contributor to the first research study to use subjective and objective data to examine the acute and longitudinal effects of a school based yoga intervention in young children published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine. As a national presenter, Lisa speaks regularly on a range of topics including yoga and mindfulness for children as well as business, entrepreneurship and personal sustainability. Her studio and training centre located in Dover, NH, the headquarters of her national organization, was recently honoured as the region’s “Small Business of the Year,” for its notable national growth as well as for its’ ongoing contributions to the local community. Established by Lisa in 2005, ChildLight Yoga ® and Yoga 4 Classrooms ® are both internationally- recognized organizations which draw on Lisa’s vast experience in the yoga and education spaces to offer a range of innovative trainings and products to support young people and those who care for them. Lisa shares an insight into how she came to create this dynamic company and how she uses her experience to support those she teaches. “Drawing on my experience, I decided to create ChildLight Yoga ® 13 years ago. With a degree in Communication in hand, I spent 10 years as an Advertising Executive and Marketing Director, followed by five years as a Business Manager for a multi-million-dollar property development firm, all of which proved excellent education and experience as foundation for success as an entrepreneur. “The health and wellness industry has grown exponentially since I got started. Specifically, there is an increasing focus on whole child health, particularly in schools, as educators, administrators and policy makers are realizing that social, emotional and physical health is the foundation needed for academic and life success. The market is dominated by women with innovative ideas and a deep desire to help and support children, and I am proud to be among them as I work to provide innovative, accessible solutions for providing yoga and mindfulness education to youth and in schools.” This positive, supportive approach is something that Lisa cherishes, and was key part of her decision to move from working in business to starting her own business, as she highlights. “Working in a corporate environment in leadership positions and then as CEO of my own company, I have sometimes been challenged to find a comfortable balance between being nurturing and compassionate, as is often expected of ChildLight Yoga ® and its’ school-focused brand, Yoga 4 Classrooms ® , provide evidence-informed yoga and mindfulness education to children and youth, as well as training, products and resources for parents, educators, yoga teachers, allied professionals, schools, community organizations and others who support the physical, social and emotional well-being of children, young people and families. We invited Founder and CEO Lisa Flynn, a leading expert in the field of yoga and mindfulness for children internationally, to talk us through how she draws on her past experience and knowledge of this sector to offer her clients innovative solutions that meets their individual needs and promotes youth wellness. Company: ChildLight Yoga Contact: Lisa Flynn Address: 53 Washington Street, Suite LL100, Dover, NH 03820, USA Phone: 001 603 343 4116 Website: www.childlightyoga.com & www.yoga4classrooms.com