JILLIAN ScHIAVI
yoga teacher / artist / unofficial life coach | @jillyink
Brooklyn, Oakland, Vermont
breathe. stretch. go outside. work smarter, not harder. live in more than one place. do more than one thing.
Jillian Schiavi thinks you should breathe. stretch. go outside. work smarter, not harder. live in more than one place. do more than one thing. it’s what she does, and she herself does it because someone once gave her similarly sage advice. “i met a woman my last year in college. she was recounting her multifaceted life in New York, and i knew immediately that i wanted to have a non-linear path, to make decisions based on energetic feeling, expansion, and abundance.” here’s how she does it.
where do you live?
“i currently split my time between Brooklyn, Oakland, and Vermont. i live with my darling fiancé and his two daughters.”
why do you live where you do?
“i love the vibrancy and creative energy of Brooklyn. in a city of constant movement and change, people show up with integrity and are willing to collaborate, be there for one another, and make space for so much diversity. i’ve lived in NYC twice: first between 2004 and 2010, and again from 2017 until now. i grew up in Milford, Massachusetts, and have also lived in Chicago, Oakland, and Manchester, VT!”
what path led you here?
“i met a woman at a movie theater my last year in college. she was recounting her multifaceted, highly creative, daring life in New York, and i knew immediately that i wanted to exist in a way where i could connect with people, use my talents and skills on a daily basis, and travel. to have a non-linear path, and to make decisions based on energetic feeling, expansion, and abundance.
so when i discovered, sitting at the desk of my first post-college job in publishing, that i was not on that path, i pivoted. yoga teacher training, graduate school for art and writing, and beginning a freelance lettering business all helped me build business sense, confidence, compassion and stamina. my own experience, wedded with my fiancé’s entrepreneurial background and prowess, ignited even more creative vision. now we run six businesses together in Brooklyn and Oakland, divvying up responsibilities and tasks based on what we each love to do.”
what inspires and drives you?
“nature. my love. other creative women being bold and building businesses and movements that bring peace, joy, resources to people’s lives. my yoga practice — and specifically the myriad of opportunities to practice ahimsa and compassion off the mat.”
something you’ve realized “on the job”?
“not everyone wants to wake up to the sound of a yoga class happening outside their window — no matter how inspiring!”
we are living in crazy — but important, for so many reasons — times. what is life like right now for you?
“traveling back and forth to continue building businesses and living my bicoastal life dream. basking in the glow of having all of our businesses survive the pandemic, and come out the other side even more improved and beloved by the community. exploring the many intricacies, delights and challenges of becoming a stepmum to two spirited young girls. and! renovating property in Vermont to house guests for my wedding this fall!”
your summer plans, summed up in three words?
“Tulum bachelorette party!”
something you’re doing this summer that you couldn’t last summer?
“getting to see my out-of-state friends and family more consistently!”
the takeaway from the past year you’ll keep with you as you “re-enter” life?
“for me, my partner, and our family, we’ve been living as fully as possible from the moment we drove up (and subsequently stayed for six months) to Vermont on March 13, 2020. every opportunity to explore something new and reopened, we did it. so for me, this has been a constant phasing in. a lesson in truly enjoying each moment of newness and familiarity. but the one thing that we’ve gotten very good at — that i will continue to practice and cherish — is strong nonviolent communication.”
we’re halfway through 2021(!!). what’s the single best thing you did so far this year?
“get engaged to the man of my heart!”
piece of époque on current rotation?
“ohhhh, the orion crop top — a swim top that doubles as a yoga top! i look forward to the day when i’m practicing on the beach and can just run into the waves wearing it!”
three random items you can’t live without?
“Micron pens, access to nature, my Air Pods. (i’ve taught online yoga now from so many random locations, and these are the best Bluetooth headphones for noise cancelling!)”
all-around life hack you swear by?
“fifteen minute naps. you can train yourself! start in the middle of the afternoon somewhere in natural light. set a timer for fifteen minutes, lay down, and close your eyes. when the timer ends, stretch and get up! you may not fall asleep the first few (hundred) times, but eventually your body will get the signal that this is rest and recharge time. fifteen minutes at 3 o’clock is better than any amount of caffeine, and keeps me going — especially on days when i’m needed in multiple ways at vastly different businesses.”
not-so guilty pleasure?
“rewatching my favorite series from the nineties and early two thousands while doing design work. Felicity, Gossip Girl, on repeat, forever.”
mantra?
“be bold. be unapologetic about your emotions. live free of expectations.”
anything else to add?
“i’ve learned so much about expanding my comfort zone, especially surrounding risk-taking with money from my fiancé and partner. i wish that girls and women were taught that they have financial agency, power, and knowledge, and it gives me great hope to see my stepdaughters learning all of this from a young age. let’s teach our girls through real world experiences that working smartly and efficiently can create even more abundance, pride, and enjoyment than working hard (or a lot).”