Featured in Mentor’s Collective
Interview with Lewis Schenk: Creativity and Self Care with Crystal Hoshaw of Simple Wild Free
Crystal Hoshaw is a mother, writer, longtime yoga practitioner, and founder of Simple Wild Free. She shares mindful strategies for deep nourishment through her online course, Creative Self Care. Crystal lives a simple life enjoying the trees and mountain peaks with her family in Washington state.
For more details, visit their website here.
Here we sit down with Crystal, to know a bit more about her journey as a health and wellness coach.
Q. What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
Crystal: I never thought of myself as “becoming an entrepreneur” per se, but became one because I saw it as a vehicle to share my passion and reverence for a different kind of health and wellness, one that’s built on a foundation of deep care, intuition, and creativity rather than selling supplements or preying on harmful myths about the body.
Q. How did you get started?
Crystal: I’ve been into health and wellness since I can remember, but my first official “professional” role was as a yoga teacher at Yoga Yoga in Santa Clarita, CA. That’s where I did my teacher training, learned about Ayurveda for the first time, and started laying the foundation for what would become Simple Wild Free and the Creative Self Care course.
I knew I didn’t want to teach commercial yoga – I wanted to go deeper, I just didn’t know how yet.
Later, I took on a marketing role while studying yoga, dharma, and Ayurveda in Thailand and found I had a knack for it.
After working in marketing in San Francisco, I learned a ton of tools for actually building something out of everything I’d studied. I saw the way startups worked from the inside, and learned the communication channels necessary for really supporting a business and getting something meaningful out there to the world.
Q. What was your biggest startup challenge? What steps did you take to overcome it? What did you learn?
Crystal: My biggest startup challenge has been getting the word out. Gone are the days of hanging a sign in town square and getting clients that way. The marketing component is a full time job in itself, and I don’t know what I’d do without the knowledge I gained from my previous role in marketing.
I’ve also found that flying solo can be a big challenge, so I’m extremely grateful for my virtual assistant and everything she does for me. I also cherish the network of female entrepreneurs I’ve become a part of. They’re there to commiserate, support, and share their experiences. It’s definitely made me feel like I’m a part of a movement rather than just creating my own thing in a vacuum.
Q. What is the Most Memorable Thing You’ve Done Since you Started your Business?
Crystal: The most memorable thing I’ve done since starting my business is the connections I’ve built. I’ve developed relationships with incredible female artists, makers, crafters, entrepreneurs, wellness pros, and more.
Then there are my course members. Those connections are so rich and meaningful, so full of wisdom, reflection, and joy. There’s simply no outer accomplishment that could compare to the beauty of the connections I’m making.
Q. What is one book you recommend, and why?
Crystal: How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell. This book showed up on hotel room shelf just when I needed it. It’s a beautiful, well-researched ode to slowing down enough to remember that life is right here waiting for us.
It’s a great antidote to the typical Silicon Valley productivity rhetoric, and it’s written by a Bay Area local, so I really enjoyed her insights and mentions of local landmarks.
Q. What are your top 3 favourite online apps, tools, or resources and what do you love about them?
Later – I couldn’t have a social media presence without it! It helps me schedule across platforms, and I lean very heavily on it.
Canva – I have way too much fun making pretty assets, ebooks, etc. using this tool. It gives me the ability to pretend I’m a graphic designer even though I can’t use photoshop to save my life.
Vibely – This is the future of social communities! I love what they have to offer my community, from live chats to streaming rooms to coordinated challenges. It’s everything I need to support my members without the clutter, ads, and persuasive design on other social platforms.
Q. In terms of legacy, what is the mark you’d like to leave on the world?
Crystal: When I think about the mark I’d like to leave on the world, I’d like to know that I helped people get in touch with who they really are and develop a greater intimacy with life. Whether it’s one person or ten thousand, that’s what I’m going for.
Q. In one sentence, what’s the best advice you’d give to someone just starting out on their entrepreneurial journey?
Crystal: Be authentic. Don’t take opportunities that don’t feel aligned with who you are and what you value. It’s never worth it.
To keep up to date with Crystal and her journey, connect with her on Instagram and Vibely.
This article was originally published on MentorsCollective.com.
