Sage Rountree: PhD Scholar Turned Yoga Entrepreneur with 13 Books, Strong Legacy

I live in North Carolina with my husband Wes, and together with my business partner, Lies Sapp, I co-own Carrboro Yoga as well as the Hillsborough Spa and Day Retreat.

My first yoga class? I hated it. It felt confusing and far harder than I expected. Savasana left me completely baffled. Nothing about it drew me back. But during my first pregnancy, prenatal yoga became a bridge. That's when I finally felt the union and presence yoga offered. By my second pregnancy, I felt the call to teach. Every class from then on showed me something new about myself, my practice, and how I could serve others as both student and teacher.

Facing Challenges Along the Way

The biggest professional challenge came when there were no viable academic jobs after my PhD. I had to pivot completely, letting go of the path I thought I was building. On the personal side, I battled serious imposter syndrome like so many new teachers do. I constantly questioned whether I belonged in front of the room and feared being found out as a fraud.

There were also practical challenges. When I worked part-time in publishing after having kids, my husband encouraged me to calculate the real costs. Childcare, gas, car expenses, work lunches, clothes—it all added up until my paycheck was funding the job itself rather than adding to our family. It was eye-opening, scary, but also liberating.

The Leap into Business Ownership

I stumbled into studio ownership in 2010. I had been teaching at Carrboro Yoga since it opened in 2004. On New Year's Day,

I called the founder to invite her to assist me at Kripalu. Her reply changed everything: she was moving across the country and asked if I wanted to buy the studio.

At first, I didn't want to own a studio. I didn't want to deal with customers. But I didn't want to lose the community or the Monday night yoga for athletes class I loved. In class, I turned to one of my students, Lies Sapp, who was in her “year of yoga,” and floated the idea. She checked the books and found the business profitable, but not something she wanted to run full-time. Instead, she suggested we split the ownership, each bringing half the work and half the profit. We took the leap together—and discovered the customers were the best part of it all.

Growing the Business

Specialization became the key. By focusing on yoga for athletes, I worked with casual runners, elite professionals, college teams, NBA and NFL players. That focus opened doors far beyond what I imagined. It also created the backbone for teacher training programs where I developed both new and experienced teachers.

Over time, I expanded through writing and media. I have written or co-written 13 books that serve as both inspiration and marketing. I launched the Yoga Teacher Confidential podcast, built a YouTube channel, and created Comfort Zone Yoga—my virtual studio with a thriving free community called The Zone, along with the Prep Station Membership and continuing education programs.

What makes it work is the ecosystem: the books establish authority, the podcast and YouTube channel build trust, and the virtual studio scales the impact.

Lessons I've Learned

Specialize, don't generalize. Trying to be everything to everyone dilutes your impact. A niche not only strengthens your work but also amplifies your credibility.

Be the guide, not the hero. My job isn’t to impress or be the star. It's to help students shine as the heroes of their own journey. Shifting into that mindset changed everything for me.

Do the math. Ego or appearances can lead to bad decisions. Sit down, calculate the costs, and make choices based on clarity and reality. My Message to Founders

Source support. Don't try to do it all alone. Whether it's bookkeeping, social media, or operations, find partners or outsource. Energy belongs where your genius is, not in tasks that drain you.

Find your niche and own it. Generalist messaging is forgettable. When you speak directly to a clear audience with a clear solution, you cut through the noise.

Most of all, see teaching as service, not performance. When you focus on giving your students exactly what they need, you build lasting trust and impact.

Business Takeaways from Focused Niche

Owning a specific niche allows you to stand out, command authority, and attract high-value clients who truly resonate with your work. Guide Mentality

Your business thrives when you shift from trying to be the hero to being the mentor. That perspective builds deeper relationships and stronger loyalty.

Strategic Math

Every business decision has a hidden cost. Run the numbers, stay realistic, and base choices on clarity, not appearances.

Ecosystem Effect

When your offerings feed each other—books, podcasts, memberships, and free communities—you create a self-sustaining business cycle that multiplies growth.

At , we don't just share inspiring stories — we break down what makes yoga businesses succeed. By learning directly from real founders and entrepreneurs, we extract actionable lessons and proven strategies you can apply, so you can avoid common mistakes, feel more confident, grow faster, and make bold choices with clarity.