How to choose a niche as a yoga teacher with Sheridan Bibo
“If we know that we can help someone, I feel that it’s our duty to go out and share it in the world. Whether it’s hair loss or wanting to have a stronger core, they will benefit. It’s our job to go out and do that.”
- Sheridan Bibo
Feeling stuck with the idea of niching down?
You’ve probably heard me and many other people say “niching down will help your business grow,” but it’s so tough. I get it. I felt the same thing even when I knew that it was the way to grow my business.
Some of it is fear that if we get specific, we won’t be able to help as many people. And part of it is that we just don’t know who we want to work with specifically. That takes time.
This is the case for my guest today, and she shares how she had no idea what she wanted to specialize with at first — but she allowed herself time and it then presented itself.
Sheridan Bibo is a yoga teacher who supports women at various stages of their hair loss journey to feel more self-acceptance, step into their true power, and radiate confidence. Since losing her hair at 7 years old, Sheridan battled the ups and downs of hair loss, which inspired her dedication to yoga. Today she is motivated to assist others in moving past their own entrenched traumas and self-confidence issues through the practice of yoga.
And I’ve been blessed in life to call Sheridan a student of mine. She joined my membership, Thrive, when it was nothing more than an idea I had — seriously, it didn’t even have a name — and she hadn’t even finished yoga teacher training yet.
You’ll hear her talk about the struggles and also her thoughts on how you can take one step towards niching today. This is an inspiring one for sure!
Sheridan’s story of niching down in her yoga business
Sheridan knew from the beginning that she needed to niche down, but she struggled with it. There was a part of her that felt like she didn’t enough experience to know who she wanted to teach and she didn’t know what made her unique as a yoga teacher.
What finally resonated with Sheridan in regards to niching was the idea of speaking to the person that she wanted to teach as someone that she used to be. She was drawn to practices for mental health, confidence, acceptance, and empowerment.
She did a lot of self-reflection and asked herself: “What are the main things that affect how I view the world?” Two things immediately came to mind: Yoga, and her experience of hair loss. She realized that whatever she was going through, she always related it back to things she learned from her hair loss. It defined who she was.
“Everyone has something like that. Maybe it’s your experience with your mother, or the way you learn things. We all have certain lenses when we view the world. And that’s what makes us unique!” — Sheridan Bibo
At first, Sheridan had a lot of resistance. She thought niching down to yoga for hair loss was obvious and a little too personal. She needed time to integrate it before she could start sharing it.
But when she looked back on her own experience, she thought about the specific support she had wished she had 5 or 10 years ago when dealing with emotions around her hair loss.
“We’re a part of this club. The same way that anyone with back pain is a part of the club, or any type of experience or ailment. We all get to be part of these different clubs and have these really cool leaders, and I wanted to be that leader for hair loss.” — Sheridan Bibo
When Sheridan finally made the decision to niche down, there was a distinct shift and everything started coming together.
Reels — and how they can help you find your yoga niche
“Reels are really cool because they ask you to be really concise. When you have to be very concise, you really get to the meat of it.” — Sheridan Bibo
Sheridan posted a powerful instagram reel where she took her wig off. That is the moment that is etched into my brain as the moment that she made her stand and declared her niche.
Using reels is intimidating for a lot of people because they think you have to point and dance around. But you definitely don’t have to! You can do reels in your own way.
They can be helpful for niching down and really refining your core messaging because you only have a few seconds (15–30). You have to find the most powerful and clear way to say what you want to say in that small amount of time. It doesn’t allow you the time to beat around the bush. It makes you clarify the story you want to tell.
Whether it’s a powerful reel like Sheridan did, or a silly and fun reel, you get the point across super fast.
Reels might be an unexpected and surprising method of helping you niche down. Just give it a try and have fun!
Niching down helps you with your yoga marketing
“Step back and think about the web of life. We all need to be doing our best in order to serve the world and everything will flow from that.” — Sheridan Bibo
Once you niche down, everything gets easier!
Niching even helps you with your marketing! When you niche down, everything becomes more clear. Sales pages, websites, and social media posts all become easier to write.
Your words become so natural because you know exactly who you are talking to.
If you ever feel “salesy” or weird about writing your marketing copy, niching down helps with that as well. You’ve narrowed down, gotten specific, and you know that you can help your specific student with exactly what they need to feel better. It would be doing them a disservice not to help them!
“If we know that we can help someone, I feel that it’s our duty to go out and share it in the world. Whether it’s hair loss or wanting to have a stronger core, they will benefit. It’s our job to go out and do that. That makes marketing easier.” — Sheridan Bibo
Knowing that you’re truly helping someone will make it easier for you to show up. When you’re happy and excited, everyone else is happy and excited! It’s just good all around.
Niching down helps you fill your yoga classes and offerings
Another big bonus about niching down is that it can help you fill your yoga classes and offerings!
Once you niche down and start speaking directly to your specific student in your marketing copy, then your student can tell that you are speaking directly to them. They feel special and understood. And then they sign up for your offerings because they are certain that they are the right person for your offer.
If you speak in a general way to everyone, no one really feels like you’re talking directly to them. Remember: “Yoga for everyone” is really yoga for no one.
I get that it is so scary to serve just one person, but it’s also more powerful to serve ONE person very well and allow them to go out and make the world a beautiful and better place. The ripple effect is so powerful.
Be really clear about what it is that you do and what makes you special so that your studetns can understand your message is for THEM specifically.
Like Sheridan’s experience, it might involve going back, looking back at who you were and what support you wish you had 5, 10, 20 years ago.
Your next step
Your next step is to take Sheridan’s advice and take a step back to look at how the puzzle pieces are fitting together for you.
As you read through this article, what came to mind for you? What was bubbling to the top of your mind? Journal about it, share something on Instagram, talk to a friend, it doesn’t matter as long as you take note of what’s happening for you so you can allow this to help guide you over time. You never know — you might just stumble across your niche today!
Until next time, give yourself permission to niche down and grace along the way.
About Sheridan
Sheridan supports women at various stages of their hair loss journey with hair loss to feel more self-acceptance, step into their true power, and radiate confidence. Since losing her hair at 7 years old, Sheridan battled the ups and downs of hair loss, which inspired her dedication to yoga. Today she is motivated to assist others in moving past their own entrenched traumas and self-confidence issues through the practice of yoga. She accomplishes this through a deep understanding and constant study of the connection between mind and body and uniting the esoteric teachings of this ancient practice with valuable, evidence-based western sciences such as psychology. Sheridan has completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Certificate in Power Yoga and Healing Sequence and completed a certificate in Yoga Therapy & Yoga Psychology.
Sheridan’s Links
- Embodied Confidence — Sheridan’s first niched down workshop.
- Alive — This is the only course that combines coaching with yoga to help you find confidence and inner peace while living with hair loss.
- Instagram — @_sheridanruth_
- Website
- Sheridan’s instagram reel where she takes her wig off!
For more stories like this, listen to the Marketing Yoga with Confidence Podcast.
About Amanda McKinney (Marketing Coach for Yoga Teachers)
Amanda McKinney is a Marketing Coach with a passion for helping yoga teachers find the tools and the confidence within themselves to build the yoga business of their dreams. She does this through her podcast: Marketing Yoga With Confidence and online offerings. All of which focuses on building confidence and community with an extra dose of encouragement every step of the way.
