While studying acting at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, I developed a particular affinity for community-based theater—(where a facilitator immerses themselves into an existing community and uses storytelling, mindfulness, and conflict resolution to create a theatrical performance that breaks down sociological barriers).

Alas, cut to one fateful evening in 2017 in the back of an NYC bar, what started as a serendipitous idea with a glass of wine in my hand while talking with the bar owner in the Lower East Side quickly turned into a worldwide phenomenon of social wellness entertainment I would soon call “Drunk Yoga®.”

“You’re a yoga teacher? You should teach me yoga, I can’t even touch my toes. **Touches toes** Oh, I guess I can touch my toes when I’m drunk.” -Bar owner

That moment would soon change my life forever. I jokingly responded to said bar owner, “Let’s do ‘drunk’ yoga!” Boom. Lightbulb moment. I thought, “This was it. What better way to make yoga fun and accessible than by infusing it with the social ritual of a happy hour?” So, I asked him if I could teach “yoga drinking game classes” in the back of the bar; he said, “yes,” and that’s exactly what I did. Except…nobody came to my classes for a month–mostly because they thought “Drunk Yoga” was a joke (understandably), but also because I was bad at marketing. In a last-ditch effort, I called a journalist friend. She published an article for Gothamist which instantly went viral. The next day, the IBTimes called me and asked, “Are you the CEO of Drunk Yoga?” I paused quickly to confirm with Google what "CEO" meant. “Sure! Why not?”

From there, my classes sold out for months. More press, more sales, and even a book deal were hurled my way at lightening speed. I trained 30+ teachers within the next two years and scaled to LA and Dallas, where Virgin Hotels bought exclusivity of my brand, just before the pandemic. During Covid, I pivoted to virtual (as one does), and that’s where things got interesting.

Ever since the pandemic, I’ve been mildly…(okay majorly) obsessed with the structure of belonging. See, when quarantine began, I was full-time CEO-ing Drunk Yoga®, and needed to quickly pivot all of our corporate events to virtual. Of course, because the nature of our interactive yoga party game is just that…a game, in order for us to play, it was vital for participants to turn on their Zoom cameras. This was a problem. Doing yoga—especially in front of coworkers virtually from their living room—can feel vulnerable. Unfortunately, at the time, my livelihood depended on it.

So, I got to researching. What are the essential components of community engagement? What makes humans want to participate within a collective experience (i.e. turn on their Zoom cameras)? On the flip side, what makes us feel the need to disengage and simply observe? After months of reading, inquiring, and trialing a variety of strategies, as well as developing a new *virtual* teacher training program for my instructors, I unlocked these four fundamental truths that remain consistent across all industries and demographics:1) A feeling of belonging can only be sparked within live moments of human connection.2) Belonging opens the doorway to community engagement. (In other words, community engagement occurs when belonging is felt.)3) Breaking “the rules” sparks belonging; structured play deepens it.4) The event facilitator is responsible for all of it.

After I discovered the above, I started developing my P.L.A.Y. Method as a recipe to help all facilitators (not just yoga teachers!), lead more engaging gatherings. And, with a newfound appreciation for the incredible power well intentioned facilitators (like you!) hold in shaping a greater sense of belonging in our modern, isolated world, I created created The Uplift Center. I’m so, so happy you’re here.