We were first introduced to Jodi Guber in the summer of 2014. We heard about her brand of yoga clothing, Beyond Yoga, thought it was cool, and left it at that. But then we dug a little deeper and found more about how the brand came into existence, and why Jodi herself is a major part of why this brand is super successful, especially in Hollywood.
What we learned was that every woman has a story, and if you take the time to listen and value who they are, you might be inspired and encouraged in great ways. Here, Jodi shares with us about growing up in the glare of Hollywood (her dad Peter Guber is a famous movie producer (‘Flashdance’, ‘Rain Man’, ‘The Color Purple’, ‘A League Of Their Own’ and many, many more) and why it did nothing to help her self-esteem as a young woman. In fact she had to literally leave Hollywood to find her confidence, and this journey to self acceptance is a core part of Beyond Yoga today.
Body image has become her business, and Jodi wants to ensure every woman has the ability to find their worth and value away from the media, and discover it within. Here’s what she had to say about the pressure women face today form magazines, the media and advertising, how she defines beauty today, and also what she thinks of Kim Kardashian.
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Tell us briefly about your background and where you came from?
I came from a type A personality set of parents who believed I could do anything I set my mind to. With that said, my childhood in no way was a breeze. Life seemed to be a series of challenges and struggles, be it with my weight, school, insecurity, lack of self esteem – but like they say (they seem to say a lot and seem to be pretty smart, whoever they are) ‘that which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ and it did.
While it was quite the pressure, the environment that I grew up in largely played a role in providing the inspiration and energy that helped me ultimately create Beyond Yoga.
How did you start Beyond Yoga?
The idea for Beyond Yoga actually started years ago when I was young and struggling to “fit in”. My father was a movie producer so I grew up in the world of Hollywood where I constantly felt the spotlight on me. I was lost in a sea of skinny and while I was not [skinny], it took its toll on me. However, the painful experience is what helped to shape Beyond Yoga.
At the tender age of 15, I had to figure out on my own how to flatter my body at any size, which is what Beyond Yoga is all about – clothes that fit and flatter everybody and every BODY, allowing women to feel good about themselves today right now just as they are.
I constantly struggled to find clothes that looked good and made me feel comfortable in my own skin and began to notice a large void in the marketplace.
What does Beyond Yoga mean, aside from just the clothing?
Beyond Yoga means many things to different people. For some, Beyond Yoga is a means to an end – simply workout clothes. To others, it is relief – clothing that makes you feel good, good about yourself and your body throughout your day.
To me, Beyond Yoga is about what lies beyond the physical aspect. My ultimate goal is for Beyond Yoga to be a part of changing the conversation around self-esteem and body image. Beyond Yoga is bliss and self-acceptance, and that is what I am hoping to sell.
My hope is that when people think of Beyond Yoga, thoughts of empowerment, happiness and positivity to come to mind.
Why is emphasizing self-confidence in women important to you?
We live in a world that is obsessed with being skinny, rich, beautiful, and young. All of these things are not about who we really are – they are external qualifiers that leave us often feeling less than. With technology today, imagery and information are bombarding us, feeding the very thing that we do not want, insecurity.
The goal is to feel good about who you are as a person, from the inside out. When you feel good about who you are and the decisions that you make, things seem to fall into place. When you are functioning from a place of self-confidence, you aren’t worrying about “fitting in” – you find that you belong right where you are.
Being in an image-obsessed city like Los Angeles, how hard is it for positive messages to break through?
HARD!! Let’s be honest – Hollywood is all about image and looks. But life is about so much more – when you truly look, you will find that there are people, groups and information out there that will support you in an authentic, meaningful, nourishing and fulfilled life that is based on quality and not quantity.
Surround yourself with people who share your path and passion and you will find that the journey gets a lot easier!
You come from a Hollywood family, how did being surrounded by the film industry impact your desire to see women empowered as you grew up?
Like I said above growing up struggling with my weight and self esteem was a challenge, but I also saw first hand the struggle that everyone seemed to be going through – I was not alone. Skinny or not, the adversity exists all around. I constantly saw how image and power could dictate people’s lives, decisions and outcomes.
I find that my friends, who are beautiful, thin and living full lives, still (somehow) manage to find something physical that they are unhappy with about themselves and I am always astounded by their lack of optimism.
The proof is in the pudding – when you believe in yourself, are kind to yourself, feel empowered and don’t believe the bullshit, anything is possible. This is available to every one of us BUT and it’s a big but – you cant outwardly say you want “that” while inwardly having doubt and insecurity. It does not work like that. We must own our passion; live it, breathe it and think it into existence! I know this to be true because I’ve experienced it firsthand. I found the love of my life at 41, built my dream business with a mission that hopefully means as much to others as it does myself (with an amazing business partner Michelle, and am living the life I always imagined. But I had to create it myself.
How would you define beauty?
To me, beauty is self-confidence. I wish that I could speak for all humankind when I say this but beauty has been influenced by society and beaten down our throats with unrealistic, highly edited images that dictate how literal beauty is “supposed” to be. But in actuality, beauty is truly a MIND SET – not a size, or a look, a hair color or a particular set of physical attributes. We feel very strongly about this at Beyond Yoga and since inception, have been committed to no body shrinking in our photos. Beauty is a way of living your life authentically, with a commitment to being the best that you can be.
Some feminists emphasize that beauty should not be about physical appearance, but you are tying positive messages in with a clothing range. How do you balance the two and defy those critics?
Beauty should not only be about physical appearance but at the end of the day, it is, and that’s ok. However, it also is about so much more and that is the message I try to get across, any way that I can. I am using the platform that I have built with Beyond Yoga, to send out a message of empowerment. We create beautiful clothes that are designed with a woman’s life, lifestyle and body in mind, in hopes to inspire them to feel great, just as they are right now. My goal is to make Beyond Yoga synonymous with positive energy, authenticity and integrity – and THAT IS BEAUTIFUL!
You have a loyal celebrity following (Charlize Theron, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, Blake Lively and Gwyneth Paltrow, to name a few); can you tell us a little more about who the women are that wear Beyond Yoga?
I feel very fortunate to have such influential women organically promoting our clothing. People love to read about celebrities in magazines and watch them on TV. When these women step out in Beyond Yoga, the awareness of the brand grows, as does the company and for that, I am incredibly grateful.
The women who wear Beyond Yoga are anywhere from teenagers to 80 + years old and simply want to feel good. The Beyond Yoga woman is someone who believes in a healthy, well balances existence both physically and mentally. She is a traveler and a woman of the world; she is successful and has a great sense of style. Our customer is Internet savvy and hopefully wants to be a part of the Beyond Yoga lifestyle, willing to stand for what we stand for, with a commitment to being the best you possible.
What are the main messages you want to share with women about body image?
Body image is such a hot topic today. Why do our bodies have to have an image at all, let alone a single image? Bodies come in so many shapes and sizes and the more we are open to true beauty, the more that bodies become acceptable. Look at what Kim Kardashian has done for body image – there was a time that her body would have been frowned upon and not looked at as beautiful! Love your body regardless of size. Your body is what keeps you walking, breathing and living.
However, if you aren’t happy or don’t feel healthy, you owe it to yourself to do something about it and that something is NOT dieting (dieting makes you fat – honestly it does – I am living proof and once I stopped, my life changed) – its simply loving yourself and making decisions that are loving to your self. I highly recommend the book ‘Within’ by Dr. Sabib Sadeghi – I am currently re-reading it and it is AMAZING! His bottom line is that we are all responsible for our outcome and we can change it at any time.
Love your body, all of it. Start to make decisions that reflect this and your body will love you back! Don’t get me wrong, this takes practice and is a work in progress for me as well, but I have seen the transformations firsthand and they are beautiful.
What makes you a powerful woman?
My ability to manifest, and my authenticity and integrity – period! I could say my family or my success but it isn’t. I had to work harder, longer and faster because of the stature of my family. My success came because of what makes me powerful!
What advice do you give to young women especially who are struggling with a body image crisis?
We all are responsible for our outcome and have the ability to change it at any time. This was my struggle for most of my life. It is still something that I work on daily but the struggle is no longer there. It is now an awareness and one that I am committed to.
I urge young women not to diet – the word alone has “die” in it – it is a slow and painful death. This is not a journey of deprivation but a journey of balance and moderation. If you want to change something, change your mindset. I also highly recommend ‘Intuitive Eating‘ by Elyse Resch – she is my personal nutritionist and my lifesaver.
Life is so much more enjoyable and full that I have given up dieting and committed to loving the body I have. I have found that the more I love what I have, the more that others do too! It’s infectious. Try it for yourself, it can’t hurt!
