Meet Darby Dowdell of Dunedin

Hi Darby, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My yoga journey really began while I was an undergrad at Auburn University 2010-2015. Post graduating, I decided to get my 200-hour Vinyasa Yoga certification, May 2016. I moved to Atlanta and worked heavily in the retail industry… not teaching at the time because I loved fashion and my major at Auburn was Apparel Merchandising, Design, & Production Management…I actually started manufacturing my very own designs in India right out of college… I had a booth at America’s Mart Tradeshow where I sold my collection… After about 2 years of manufacturing I found it to be quite draining on my bank account and couldn’t stay afloat… I was also working as a Luxury Designer Stylist in the Collector’s Department at Nordstrom, Phipps Plaza in Buckhead, Atlanta. I later moved on to be the Sales Supervisor of Joie at the Shops of Buckhead… I lived on the 14th floor of the most luxurious apartment complex called, The Residence at Buckhead and Joie was attached to our building so you can only imagine how convenient that was for me 🙂

A year went by and I had an opportunity to be on a reality TV show called, Temptation Island, filmed in Maui…… I made it on the show but quickly learned it wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies so I didn’t last long in that environment……… when I got back to Atlanta I felt SO LOST, didn’t have my job and wasn’t sure where my life was going……everything seemed to come to a halt…. I’m a natural hustler… always working toward bettering myself and the others around me…… I knew I could turn to my yoga practice to find inner balance and peace……. I picked up a few jobs but couldn’t afford the ‘Buckhead’ lifestyle anymore I planned on moving out Jan. 2019.

During my birthday celebration Oct. 2019… still living in my high-rise apartment in ATL… somehow my phone fell off my balcony 120ft….. I thought okay! I’ll reach out to people on Facebook and let them know I should be receiving a new phone in a few days…….. while looking through my messenger I noticed a message from a gentleman… the caption read, “I recognized your last name on my suggested friends list and asked my mom about your family and she gave me these photographs of you and I fishing in the Bahamas as children…” I was like okay open message…. I saw the photos and realized it was legit because, my mother was in the photo…I then kind of remembered seeing these a long time ago but didn’t know this person anymore…….. I told him thank you for reaching out, if you’re ever in Atlanta here’s my number contact me…… a day or so went by and my mom reached out me…. she said, “Darby, do you remember the Daniel family?” I said, “oh yes, isn’t that the guy I was telling you who messaged me on Facebook?” she said, “yes, he actually messaged me and has asked permission to talk to you.” I was like “OMG, okay I’ll reach out to him tomorrow when I get to work”……………… I contacted him and said thank you for reaching out but, if you don’t visit Atlanta soon, I won’t remember this…… so he flew up a week later and we went to the Auburn vs. Ole Miss game………….WOW WE HIT IT OFF! When I dropped him off at the airport he said, “let me book you a one-way ticket to Tampa” …. a few days went by and I quit my job in Atlanta and moved to Florida to be with him………. Keep in mind, I practice yoga on a daily basis and when we moved to Clearwater Beach, I was in search for a studio…… I couldn’t find a studio near me like the one I left in Atlanta. I used to wake up for the 6am power vinyasa flow classes every day or go in the afternoon so, I needed a yoga studio near me! During my discovery I realized there wasn’t a yoga studio on Clearwater Beach…… I thought, wow this is my calling to open a studio and share my journey with others………SO that’s exactly what I did…… I opened a yoga studio March 2020 on 55 Papaya St. Clearwater Beach, FL. AND then the pandemic hit hard everything started to close and Clearwater was like a ghost town but I still hustled my business…. I ended up running into several business owners on the beach like, Shannon Forlini – the owner of Forlini’s Italian Restaurant and come to find out she did yoga everyday but the studio she was going to closed and so I stated teaching private classes to her almost every single day during the pandemic….. other business owners later joined like Janet Parkinson- owner of Extreme Pizza …. all of these ladies had friends who later started coming to my classes…. I taught at the Mandalay Park, on the Beach, and in my studio…………these ladies really helped me get my business started, I can’t think them enough for their support and dedication. Unfortunately, I closed my studio August 2020 because the pandemic hit my studio very hard and I couldn’t pay the rent anymore…. Another surprise came upon me, I got pregnant! LOL. My boyfriend and I moved to Dunedin where I still teach yoga at LA Fitness locations, Dunedin, Palm Harbor, Seminole, & St. Pete. I also teach at the Dunedin Community Center. I plan on opening my studio again someday but right now doesn’t seem to be a good time for new business owners. I stay positive and know that I’ll have a studio again.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as relatively smooth road?
I was in a traumatic car accident at the age of 20…. While driving to the Florida vs University of Tennessee football game I was hit from behind at a standstill by an 18-wheeler. I didn’t see him coming and if I did there was nowhere for me to go as I was on a two-lane highway. Life Flight and the Jaws-of-Life rescued me from my BMW X3. I pulled out from my sunroof, placed in a helicopter and flown to the UT Med. I was placed in a medical induced coma for 14 days as my brain was swelling extremely fast. Also, my jaw was broken and several teeth were missing because mouth basically ate the gear shift. My parents were notified and had to identify me by my tattoos. My recovery was a long process and I’ve preserved through so much. I’m a much stronger person today.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I love to design women’s evening gowns and contemporary clothing. Since moving to Florida and opening my yoga studio I don’t really have the time to design anymore. When I lived in Atlanta, I felt inspired all the time…now all of my energy is poured into healing others through the journey of yoga. Which I am very grateful for 🙂

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Those who attend my yoga classes would say, I challenge them in the most positive way.

Pricing:

• 1-1 Private Session $60
• 1-1 Private Session $60

Contact Info:

• Email: compassyoga2020@gmail.com
• Website: http://www.compassyogaclearwater.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/compass_yoga2020
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CompassYoga2020