Anna
Haddad
Before Anna pursued her dream of becoming a yoga teacher and entrepreneur, she was a hedge fund executive who enjoyed various other athletic pursuits, including participating in marathons, tennis, triathlons, and training for her black belt in Tae Kwon Do. She took a leap and left her job on Wall Street to complete a yoga teacher training.
Anna
Haddad
Before Anna pursued her dream of becoming a yoga teacher and entrepreneur, she was a hedge fund executive who enjoyed various other athletic pursuits, including participating in marathons, tennis, triathlons, and training for her black belt in Tae Kwon Do. She took a leap and left her job on Wall Street to complete a yoga teacher training.
After finishing her training, Anna co-founded her first startup, an urban-inspired yoga apparel line. She discovered her passion for building brands rooted in community, creativity, and connectivity. With that in mind, she co-founded her second startup, bYoga, a dynamic vinyasa yoga studio in Montauk, NY. One Yoga House Brooklyn and One Yoga House Montauk are her newest ventures.
She is deeply passionate about connecting with students, community-based organizations, charities, and female-owned businesses. She hopes to make yoga accessible and a lifelong practice for all members of the One Yoga House community.
Anna received her yoga teaching certification from Pure Yoga, and has also studied at Woom Center and Yoga Vida. In addition to One Yoga House, she has taught at bYoga, Yoga Vida, Equinox Sports Club, lululemon, Pure Yoga, as well as one-on-one private sessions, corporate off-sites, and women’s networking events.
Questions. Answers.
What makes a house a home?
When the space embodies how we live and how we want to feel—welcoming, comforted, reflective, happy, and secure. It is a thoughtful reflection of who we are and our values: authentic, thoughtful, genuine, creative, engaging, accepting, and loving.
Favorite Brooklyn Hang Out Spot
Our “backyard,” Brooklyn Bridge Park—it’s where my husband proposed, where we built our home together, where we got married, and most recently, where I am building my second yoga studio with views of the Brooklyn Bridge, NYC skyline, and the Statue of Liberty. It represents beauty, freedom, abundance, opportunities, peace, and love.
When have you felt the most proud?
When I took a huge risk and left a profitable career on Wall Street to pursue my goal of working for myself. Despite feeling scared, I had faith that I would learn new skills, meet the right people along the way, and uncover my purpose and true nature. I see how fearlessness showed up for me whenever I was faced with challenges, and the perspective of a deep knowing that I was being groomed for something bigger guided me through some rough patches. It was important to me to encounter setbacks with integrity. To rise, but not at the expense of others. To make a genuine impact on the culture and community, with humility and grace.
What are you most passionate about outside of yoga?
Traveling and leading retreats around the world. I know this relates to yoga, but it’s really about taking myself and others outside of our comfort zones, connecting with people, building community, and recognizing that no matter our differences, there is more that ties us together, a shared humanity. It’s a sacred time, where all are encouraged to focus on simply being vs doing or achieving, where we are guided toward accessing a very conscious part of the mind that grasps the whole picture, embraces what is possible, and discerns what is genuine.