Meet Carissa Fernandez | Master Pilates and Yoga Instructor

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

Hi Carissa, we’d love to hear what makes you happy.
So many different thing make me happy. A sunny day. Taking long walks with my dogs. Traveling to new places. Eating at new restaurants with my friends. Being able to do something for a living that helps others. In my career as a Pilates and Yoga instructor, I am able to use my knowledge of the human body to help my clients move better and become pain free. That is very fulfilling to me. I also am the volunteer Grants Director for the nonprofit Music is a Language, Inc. we bring music education to Title 1 schools who have lost funding to these programs. Helping children have access to music education brings my heart joy.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am the owner of the business Ebb and Flow Yoga and Pilates. My business works out of various locations in the Denver area. I teach at Apex in Arvada, Elixir Pilates in Wheat Ridge, and Peace of Mind Pilates in Denver. I also recently partnered with another Pilates Professional and will be offering Pilates services through the Send Me A Pro app or by emailing me directly.

I moved to Denver two years ago from Santa Cruz, California. It is always hard to rebuild a community of friends and clients when you relocate. I had to redesign my offerings and go back out and market myself again. Denver is much bigger than Santa Cruz and there is a lot more competition. I needed to make myself stand out to get clients. It takes patience and perseverance but business will eventually start to grow due to word of mouth and recommendations. It is not always easy to work on your own, but it is so worth the freedom of running a business according to your own values and goals.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If one of my best friends from out of state was visiting, I would take them to a show at Red Rocks or the Mission Ballroom depending on the season. I would take them to either Restaurant Olivia or Spuntino for dinner. I would take them to The Electric Cure after for a drink. I would definitely take them to either Crown Hill Park or Sloan’s Lake on a walk with my dogs.

As far as getting out of the Denver area, I would take them to Rocky Mountain National Park for the day and then hit Boulder on the way home. If we had a few more days I would take them down to Crested Butte, which is my favorite place in Colorado. We could then go to some of the hot springs in Southwestern Colorado and maybe even go to the San Juan’s, which I have never been to but I heard are beautiful.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate my Shout Out to my mom, Darlene Fernandez. She is the Special Education Director for the town I grew up in. She works incredibly hard and is a very selfless person. She has always inspired me to want to do work that helps others. She has also been a great role model for me because she works so hard for what she believes in and this work really helps children have a better experience in school.

Website: https://ebbandflowyogapilates.com/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/ebbandflowyogapilates

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carissa-fernandez-276597152/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarissaYogaInstructor

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDYBWZ2mM6ihYt9E-UEX-KA/

Image Credits
Pink Poppy Media (first headshot)