This week, Her Campus got to sit down with Frannie Ciolek, a Communication Studies major with an Entrepreneurship minor. She helps run Underground Yoga, and creates social media platforms for small businesses. She believes in a lot of personal development, and meditation is a big key for her.
Her Campus: What is the idea behind Underground Yoga?
Frannie: The biggest thing that I love about it is the idea of bringing yoga in to different elements. When I say that, just taking it out of the studio. I like it because it’s more inviting, it’s not as intimidating. The intention is always just, kind of, changing your perspective on where you can do things, and the interaction that happens. I love music, so it was a nice integration of DJs ranging from all different genres.
HC: What kind of events do you put on?
FC: We’ve gone on a cruise; we’ve done a couple festivals and clubs. Like I said, it’s taking what you normally think about one thing and then changing it up.
HC: Do you have a good team behind it? Â
FC: We have a great team, the guy that more or less is my mentor within it, and he’s the co-owner/founder, his name’s Tony, he’s amazing. Just the little things and the way I see him interact, he’s always like: “I appreciate you” to everyone within the process. I think that’s a huge point, when people feel appreciated, they go the distance.
HC: Was it difficult to get up and running?
FC: It was difficult to get going because it’s not always going to be a success in the way that you thought it, so those expectations that you set more or less set intentions and that’s how you get a positive mind frame, if you have the intention of having a great class and showing someone yoga that wouldn’t know it necessarily, instead of having the intention of having a packed class. When I changed my intention mind set, the class got more full. You have to relax your mind, and everything comes.
HC: Speaking of your mindset, it’s obviously very positive; how do you keep this and what caused you to have it in the first place?
FC: It’s a little tough today, but I love that this question’s being asked right now. I’m the kind of person that when I’m on top, I feel like I have to thank that person that was struggling and vice versa. When I’m struggling, I have to understand that it’s carving something out of me. That’s how diamonds are made, it’s pressure, but it definitely sucks. The hugest thing is listening, and that’s when you meditate, you listen to yourself and you silence everything, so you can have a better approach to what you’re looking at. When you just think the universe has your back, you’re not thinking everyone’s out to get you. If you believe in God, they say that He doesn’t give you anything you can’t handle. I truly believe that I ask to be strong, so therefore I’m going to get an opportunity to carve that out of me or embrace it. I feel the support is always there, we just have to take our blinders off and say that we’re worth that support. Â
HC: You’ve told me before about how you believe you can manifest things, can you tell me a little bit more about this?
FC: I truly believe this, I made a vision board the other day and I put these flowers on there and I kid you not the next day, I got flowers from someone that looked exactly like the ones on my vision board. If you ever want a bouquet, don’t buy it, don’t waste your time, just put it on the board. But I think you have to feel something before you actually have it, because the fact is, you’re gonna have it longer because you feel like it’s already yours and then when it comes to you, you’re going to be more aware of the opportunity because you’re looking at it every day.
Photo courtesy of Frannie Ciolek
By Katie Mercer