Meet Charlotte Gallagher: RYT500, Owner SUP Y’ALL®

We had the good fortune of connecting with Charlotte Gallagher and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Charlotte, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I knew that after working for a company for 5 years that I was ready to expand on my own. I had enough experience under my belt to feel comfortable and confident enough to go for it. I wanted to have the freedom of being my own boss, making my own schedule, making more money, and ultimately having a sense of ownership that “I did this.” And that I don’t need to ask for permission anymore.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
In terms of my career, I love that I’ve dabbled in many different roles since college. I’ve worked in restaurants, time-share, an orthopaedic office, have taught English overseas, was a social media coordinator for Big Dog Fleet Feet, and do freelance writing for the Columbusite. I have a Journalism degree and have always loved to dig deeper, go on adventures, and learn new things. But the one thing I have stuck with is being a yoga instructor. Besides a year break I took in 2018-2019 due to burn-out, I have been teaching ever since to all ages and levels primarily at River Flow Yoga and Wellness, but also in other facilities around Columbus.
SUP Yoga has always been my summer gig since 2014, and a lot of the teaching skills I’ve acquired came from River Flow Yoga, my 500 hour training in Wilmington, NC, and other various trainings I’ve taken on the side. I’m proud of myself for continuing to be a student, for that’s how I have continued to grow personally and professionally. It was not easy to get where I am today. I’ve had to follow my own advice that I tell my students every day – “Just keep coming back to the breath. Keep showing up. Steady the breath, and we steady the mind.” And this HAS to be a consistent practice to work. I grew up with chronic anxiety attacks since age 13, took Xanax for awhile, and constantly went to the ER thinking I was having a heart attack. When I finally understood that this was happening because of my thoughts, fear of sensations and labeling them as bad, and not breathing properly – I was able to start making changes. This is why I owe yoga my life and want to share it with others who may be going through the same thing.

The year I took a break from teaching taught me a lot in terms of putting up boundaries for myself, not saying yes to everything, and truly observing how I was teaching and why. I asked myself many times, “Ok, what do I need to change or reveal within so that I don’t burn-out again?” And these are serious questions we find ourselves asking on the yoga mat (or board) as well. What do I need to shift or change in this pose or with my breath so that I stay balanced, healthy, and stable? There’s so much more going on than just the physical aspect.

Same applies to paddleboard yoga – I remind my students that life is wobbly. It’s not always going to be pretty. We’re going to fall or fail. And we must do it over and over again to get stronger and not care if anyone sees it happen. Everyone is concerned with their own life anyway, so no one truly cares if you fall. I ask students who are afraid of falling off of a paddleboard (into water mind you that’s cooling and forgiving) – “If you’re scared of that, just that, falling into water, then where else in your life are your afraid to fall? Life is too short to be embarrassed or staying stuck because we’re afraid of not being perfect. I’ve learned that it’s just our ego protecting us. So I tell it thank you for protecting me, but I don’t need you right now. One of my favorite phrases is “feel the fear and do it anyway.”

Because of my yoga practice, my own self-determination, and being supported by friends and family, I have been able to overcome my anxiety, run several half-marathons, full marathons, an ultra, have biked across the country and own my own business. I also recently took a role as Collaborator with River Flow Yoga to coordinate events and outreach programs around the city with other small, local businesses in the wellness industry to help connect sub-communities in Columbus who are on a similar mission of serving and educating others about the importance of health in mind, body, and spirit.

I’ve now expanded my SUP Yoga classes with the non-profit W.I.L.D. (outdoor education for women) to surrounding water destinations once per month, plus a few overnight retreats. I’m also offering a SUP Yoga Teacher Training this summer.

Even before COVID, I’ve been through some really dark, rough moments, but have always powered through, and it’s what has gotten me here today. I’m sure I’ll go through a few more in life, but I have the tools to be able to handle them now. Keep returning to the breath and showing up and changes will surely happen. On the bottom of my SUP boards is the word “Breathe” as a friendly reminder to my students as they flow – or fall. Breath is truly our healer. And remember that everything is temporary, so we might as well soak up every bit of life that we can.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh, this one’s easy. 🙂 We would spend the majority of our time in Uptown Columbus where there is plenty to eat, drink, and the Riverwalk is right there. We would definitely rent bikes from Ride On Bikes and bike down the Riverwalk to Oxbow Meadows and back (about 18 miles roundtrip). We would stroll down to Waveshaper Island to watch the kayakers and white-water rafts go down the rapids and enjoy the view, I would probably take them Whitewater Rafting as well at Whitewater Express and paddleboarding of course at the Chattahoochee Paddle Company. I would take them to River Flow Yoga for the ultimate yoga experience and go on a group run with Big Dog Fleet Feet. We would have breakfast and coffee at Iron Bank, lunch at Banks Food Hall, and dinner at Nonic. Freeze Frame for dessert. I would take them to Pine Mountain, Providence Canyon, and Flat Rock Park to go hiking and end the days with beer at Chattahoochee Brewing Company or at the rooftop bar at Hotel Indigo. Whoever is visiting must clearly be ready to spend all their time outside and active!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to Austin, TX where I first tried stand-up paddleboarding and fell in love with it. Shoutout to the Yoga Den in Jacksonville, FL where I got SUP Yoga certified in 2014. Shoutout to Katie Jacobsen in Columbus, GA who welcomed me with open arms to help her teach SUP Yoga classes on the Chattahoochee River until 2015 when she handed over the reins for me to take over. Shoutout to Whitewater Express in Columbus, GA who I worked with for 5 years and was able to use their boards and equipment and gain experience on the water. Shoutout to Alexander Cabral who owns Heavy Eddy SUP and introduced me to inflatable boards and put the bug in my ear to get my own. Shoutout to my husband, Adam Gallagher who came up with the name SUP Y’ALL® so we went with it. Shoutout to Tom Mulhall who owns Chattahoochee Paddle Company in Phenix City, AL (on the other side of the Chattahoochee River) and who welcomed me with open arms to start a business partnership, gave me a place to store my boards, and helps tremendously with shuttle service and transferring the boards to surrounding water areas. Shoutout to everyone who has come out to try SUP Yoga, returning customers, and to those who have bought one of my boards to spread the benefits of outdoor recreation.

Website: https://supyallyoga.fitness/

Instagram: @supyallyoga @i.am.charlotte