Chelsea G.
Community Yoga Instructor & Operations Lead
Chelsea Gaetani, a Virginia native, has a multidimensional professional background in small business marketing, entrepreneurship, yoga instruction, and management. Growing up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, she was fortunate enough to become involved in her family’s little winery as a young adult.
Â
Her experience led to a part-time career and passion for wine and small business that she still carries today. Chelsea graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from George Mason University in 2012 and moved to Logan Square, Chicago in 2016. Her journey with yoga started after realizing she had fallen victim to the daily pressures of her corporate career in Washington, D.C. while experiencing the all-too-common symptoms of anxiety. At a neighborhood yoga studio, she discovered that vinyasa yoga was full of creative movement while simultaneously exercising the mind using the power of breath & meditation.
Â
Already interested in the body and how intelligently it can serve us, she wanted to share her love for this practice with others. She received her 200-hour yoga teacher training from Zen Yoga Garage where she soon after created a pop-up-based yoga event and offered it to her community in Chicago. Fast-forwarding to rebranding that concept, expanding her business, and pivoting that business to reach a bigger audience in the virtual space during 2020, she, like many, faced the struggles of what it’s like to be a small business owner during a pandemic. Seeing the light after a tough few years, Chelsea has recently taken on new roles in the wine industry and remains active in its’ thriving community.
Â
Her most recent venture is joining Woke Chicago, a BIPOC Women-Owned non-profit organization that aims to provide trauma-informed mindfulness programs to underserved communities. Woke aligns with her values in that yoga needs to be easily accessible to everyone so they can benefit from the rewarding practice, especially at a young and impressionable age. For pleasure, Chelsea enjoys live music, the excitement of going somewhere new, connecting with people that bring her joy, and a swoon-worthy glass of wine!