Today we’d like to introduce you to Howie Shareff.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My life, like that of many, has been an exercise in resilience since my VoyageRaleigh interview in 2021. Navigating family losses and arthritis has demanded a lot of my energy and resources each day. It has led me to adapt my activities and therapies to address issues as they present themselves. A positive result is an improved focus on what is necessary. I’ve learned to refine my activities for enhanced personal, and professional well-being. Here are some highlights and insights from the past four years of my serving as Executive Director of You Call This Yoga (YCTY).
As an outgoing person who thrives on social interaction, operating from home during the pandemic challenged my spirit. Ailing family added to my emotional challenges . Fortunately, a large garage to walk around in and have guests in, my home garden and yard work provided ongoing opportunities for experimenting, exercising and making video content (Check out “The Pandemic Diaries” on The You Call This Yoga YouTube channel. Disc golf continued to be a social and recreational outlet as I could play, laugh and move in nature with friends. My very supportive wife helps me daily.
It was an endeavor to define our audience as all of our programming moved online due to pandemic limitations. The ongoing efforts to attract, retain and engage our Board of Directors, teachers, donors and sponsors brought forth many lessons in best and not so wise practices. This keeps my brain full.
Lastly, sharing my daily routines in healing and a variety of yoga concepts provides an outlet for my creative efforts. My intention is for others to benefit, as I have, from mindful breathing and gentle movement. I invite you to explore the You Call This Yoga YouTube channel.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
A significant obstacle for YCTY is finding passionate, focused and committed people for the Board of Directors and a support team with a keen interest in our mission.
It leaves me wearing many hats and limiting my focus on fundraising. I have learned that this is common for nonprofit organizations.
Though I’ve been navigating this obstacle for years it doesn’t make life easier. Over the past year, I have been able to enroll a team of twenty teachers, donors and support staff to significantly expand our relationships and community impact across North Carolina.
The next challenge for me and YCTY is to transition to a more systematic approach to strategic planning, recruitment, development and retention. It is necessary to continue being a compelling community.
Growth for me is driven by the need to accept change. Management of arthritis and family losses require my daily focus and inspire my emotional growth and ongoing physical therapy practices. Meeting with people and sharing my life nourishes me and invokes greater empathy for others. My values, and those of YCTY, are resilience, inclusion and compassion.
I have learned that to succeed, YCTY requires time, money and people. With a shortage of any one, we adjust our goals and expectations, have a plan B, strive for excellence in deliverables, employ patience and engage advisers. All while breathing and moving mindfully!
Our current Board members from across North Carolina and Colombia, teachers, donors, sponsors, advisers and contractors have enriched our organization to what I believe is its strongest yet. Amazing initiatives over the last few years with local partners have provided a significant community impact across North Carolina.
YCTY provides 18 accessible yoga classes each week at no cost to participants. We have partnerships and four classes with insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC across the state and five with the nonprofit Meals on Wheels of Wake County in their Friendship Cafes. We are excited to be part of Raleigh’s Alliance Medical Ministry with weekly classes for 13 years in Spanish and English. We’ve offered classes in Greensboro, Durham, and Charlotte and in senior residences for several years. We plan to provide 900 classes by the close of 2025.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
That cited, new Board members from across North Carolina and Colombia, plus teachers, donors, sponsors, advisers and contractors have enriched our organization to what I believe is its strongest yet. Several key and amazing initiatives over the last few years with local partners have provided a significant community impact across North Carolina.
Currently, YCTY provides 18 accessible yoga classes per week at no cost to the participants. We have partnerships and classes with insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC (4) across the state, the nonprofits Meals on Wheels of Wake County (5) in their Friendship Cafes plus Raleigh’s Alliance Medical Ministry (weekly for 13 years in Spanish and English) and other public and private spaces. These include public classes in Greensboro, Durham, and Charlotte and privately in senior residences for several years. We plan to provide 900 classes in 2025 and have a total attendance of 10,000 .
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
I have learned that to succeed, YCTY, like any organization, requires time, money and people. With a shortage of any, one must adjust goals and expectations, have a plan B, be well above average in deliverables, employ patience and engage and learn from advisers.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://youcallthisyoga.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youcallthisyoga/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YouCallThisYoga/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/howieshareff/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5Z94CfoSZUUpgUiTHG9reQ
