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0🌱 Guest: Jill Stout - International Yoga retreat leader, mom of 2, world traveller
Imagine waking up in Machu Picchu, moving through sun salutations as the first light spills over ancient stone, breathing in the crisp mountain air. Or picture yourself in Maui, stretching your body as you smell the salt of the ocean, weaving flower leis with your hands, then plunging into the sea with joy and freedom.
This is the life that Jill Stout has intentionally designed—leading yoga retreats around the world, raising two daughters, and building a business rooted in travel, mindfulness, and connection.
Behind the dream is a story of courage, trade-offs, and small intentional steps. Jill went from corporate retail to yoga teaching, from buying secondhand clothes to make ends meet, to building multiple income streams—including a thriving retreat business.
In this episode, my yoga teacher & friend Jill shares how she became a true life architect, and why she believes you can too.
If you’ve ever longed for more freedom, more intention, or simply a life that feels yours, Jill’s journey will inspire you to pick up the pen and start designing.
⏳Episode Guide:
01:12 Guest intro - Jill Stout
02:13 From corporate retail to yoga
04:00 Choosing family & flexibility over financial security
06:00 First steps into yoga teaching during maternity leave
09:15 Financial planning & creating a safety net for big changes
10:00 Buying a lake house → turning it into rental income
12:40 Partnership in marriage | supporting each other’s leaps
14:00 Rethinking family roles & pressures on working moms
18:23 Everyday design: balancing self-care & motherhood
21:40 Building her retreat business: training, first trips, lessons learned
25:10 Behind the scenes of dreamy international retreats in Peru, France, Hawaii...
29:28 What looks easy but is actually the hardest part
33:10 Biggest challenges as both mom & retreat leader
39:00 Early retreats in Spain & France
43:00 Rapid fire Q&A
44:30 Closing reflections
49:13 Connect with Jill | hobokenyogi.com & @hobokenyogi
🎙Host: Bonnie Ma
Fortune 500 Product Director | Working Mom | Co-Active Life Coach
📌 Working Mom Lab is a podcast exploring self-growth, work-life design, and the many possibilities of being a working mom.
💬 I’d love to hear what resonated most with you in this episode. And if there’s a guest or topic you’d love to hear on the show, drop me a note!
【Connect with Jill】
Instagram: @hobokenyogi
Website: hobokenyogi.com
【Connect with Host】
Xiaohongshu: @邦妮麻麻
Email: bonnie.icfcoach@gmail.com
