Founder Feature: Natalie Holloway of Bala

This Women’s History Month, we spoke with Natalie Holloway, co-founder of Los Angeles-based movement company, Bala. Certified yoga instructor, wife and mother, Holloway founded Bala after feeling burnt out with her advertising career and wanting something new. Bala has since been featured in the likes of Forbes, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and was dubbed one of “The 17 Items That Defined 2020” by Vogue.

Read her full interview below to learn more about her advice for entrepreneurs, how she brings mindfulness into her life and more. And, keep an eye on social for the announcement of the collaboration between CorePower and Bala, launching on March 28th, 2023.

How did Bala come to life? What is the origin story?

I spent my career in advertising working on large global brands. Frankly, my boyfriend at the time and I were completely burnt out and decided we would take a trip and quit our jobs for a year or so. We went on our journey throughout Asia and were doing yoga in Indonesia when we wanted a class that was super sweaty and this particular practice was very meditative. We started brainstorming on what would have made the class harder and we thought resistance. I actually went through yoga teacher training at CorePower! So the idea of weights and yoga was already ingrained in my brain. We started talking about weights and how the old school wrist and ankle weight trend went away because they were super ugly and sweat absorbent. And we said to ourselves, “this needs to exist in this world in a more functional and fashionable way”. So we sketched out the idea for Bala Bangles. I thought of CorePower classes and how I have never felt better than when I was doing a combo of yoga and weight training and how Bala Bangles would be such an amazing addition to people’s workout classes. We began our side hustle (as we called it) right then and there.

What is one important lesson you’ve learned throughout your journey in building Bala?

There are a lot of ups and downs and that IS the journey. That is the experience that I believe you are supposed to enjoy as an entrepreneur. No two days are the same. One day you might find yourself on an aspirational panel with amazing press and fun community events. The next day you might find yourself presenting to investors and them saying no, or dealing with major production delays. I think you have to really learn to roll with the punches and try not to get stressed out about the obstacles, while also enjoying the fun aspects of owning your own brand.

What advice would you give to other - specifically women - entrepreneurs who are looking to bring their passions to life? Can you share one or two pieces of advice?

Don’t overthink anything in the beginning. Just DO. And do it again. Thinking too much leads to paralysis by analysis. Try things and see what sticks. It is very important to experiment early on to understand what resonates with your customer. And, the customer is the most important part of your brand. Always ask yourself why does my customer care? Put yourself in their shoes. Listen to them. Try to be on the frontlines of customer communication so you understand how they think.

How do you incorporate mindfulness into your daily life?

Moments with my children and husband, walking outside as much as I can and yoga as much as I can and trying to take periods without my phone (basically hiding it from myself for a few hours).

What inspires you?

Traveling to beautiful places is always inspiring to me. To experience new culture, food, scenery always recharges my batteries and gives me new ideas. Talking to our Bala customers is also inspiring. I love hearing from them and it makes me feel like we are onto something special. It gives me the energy to keep going.

If you could give advice to your younger self, what would it be?

Be patient and enjoy the moment you are in. Time passes too quickly and you want to be able to look back and say that you were the most present that you could have been! Try not to waste time with the “I’ll be happy when…” mentality. That is crippling and there is always something shiny in the future to want. It’s all about the NOW.

What else do you want people to know?

You can workout with us for free on Balacize.com! And, the upcoming partnership between Bala and CorePower Yoga partnership is an absolute dream that I could never have imagined coming true when we first thought of the Bangles. It really is full circle for me since right before Bala came about, I went through their yoga teacher training program. I am such a CorePower fan and am so excited to launch our partnership together.