Meet Alexandra Ramirez | Program Director & Community Outreach

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

Hi Alexandra, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I think one of the most important qualities of a successful career, is a healthy work life balance. For a good portion of my life, I’d wake up and immediately check my phone, email, scroll on social media, and absorb myself in the days tasks just to prove that I was hard working, driven, and committed to my work. If you’re interested in a shortcut path to burnout, this is the way! I realized that drowning myself in work only made me unproductive, lazier, and farther away from my goals. The moment I became aware of the burnout within myself, I became a heck of a lot more intentional about setting boundaries, I took action steps to take care of my health, my mind, and made it a point to spend more time doing things outside of work that I enjoy with people that I love. One of my most important work life balance practices to date comes from the one hour self-care practice every morning that now replaces social media scrolling. This is the 60-minutes each day where I meditate, draw, read, walk in nature, etc. as a way to ground, honor my boundaries, and create a success plan for myself. Over time, my work life balance blossomed. My self worth increased, my productivity and drive broke through and my work became a reflection of my commitment to take care of myself first. Life is about balance, and our work life and career are no different.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
As a part of a small non-profit organization, I wear many hats! As the Program Director and Community Outreach for the South Florida Chapter of Yoga 4 Change, I lead a team of passionate yoga instructors, engage with the community, and oversee all programming and fundraising efforts. I think what sets me apart is my ability to adapt to ever-changing situations. I love meeting new people and sharing Yoga 4 Change’s story. I’m a big-picture thinker and natural leader who promotes freedom of expression. In my role, I’m most proud of how far I’ve come and how much I’ve been able to grow my chapter over the span of a few years. My journey with Y4C began as a yoga instructor, it didn’t take long for me to take interest in a more involved role so I began helping the staff with social media and fundraising. I must have done something right because I was offered a leadership position soon after that has gradually evolved into the position I’m currently in. I’m most excited about the upwards direction of our organization and the wonderful opportunities on the horizon. In my opinion, most things of value don’t come easily. It takes putting in the work, dedication and persistence. This has not been an easy road by means, many doubts and bouts of burnout, some failures and missed opportunities along the way. But in these struggles, came love, support, connection, and empowerment. Being able to help others and show those who are struggling that they deserve to heal, and they have the tools within them makes it all worth it. I would not trade these challenges for the world because they are the stepping stones for my growth and success which have overflowed into my region, my team, and the communities that we serve. Throughout this process, I’ve learned patience, authenticity, boundaries, and more compassion than I thought possible and I want the world to know that they are worthy of love, more than enough, and always supported,

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is a fully loaded question! There’s so many great places to take someone in South Florida and I would want to take them everywhere! Me and my friends idea of a good time means hanging out in nature and supporting local small businesses. If we were visiting Miami, I’d probably take them to Aguacate Juicebar & Sanctuary, Wynwood to try Coyo Tacos, maybe hit up Oleta State Park to canoe and paddleboard or make our way down to the lighthouse in Key Biscayne for a beach day.

If we were going a bit more north to Fort Lauderdale, I’d take them to Downtown Hollywood to try some vegan cupcakes at Zalie Cakes, try Kava from Twisted Roots Kava Bar and then make our way to Yellow Green Farmers Markets where we’d get lost for the day.

I’d also plan to take them to restaurants like Tatt & Tacos (can you tell I love tacos?), The Alchemist at Lola’s Market in Wilton Manors, and Casa Sensei. We’d get a drink from one of the amazing Breweries in the area: LauderAle, the Beer Garden at Craft Beer Cellar, and play with puppies at Barkyard Brewery to name a few. In my opinion, I love the people and places that are authentic, real, and have a great energy. Places where there are lots of plants, places where people care about the environment and the community at large. The hidden gems are definitely the most worth it.

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’m dedicating my shout out to a wonderful non-profit organization called Yoga 4 Change (Y4C). Y4C offers an evidence-based yoga, mindfulness, and meditation curriculum to underserved populations and is my current employer. Yoga 4 Change is more than just a job for me though; it is the support, mentorship, love and encouragement that I receive along the way. Yoga 4 Change’s partners, the wonderful group of women I work with everyday, my team of dedicated yoga instructors, and the students we serve have all played a part in my journey to self-discovery and growth. I have experienced doubts, failures, and missed opportunities within this organization that in turn paved the way for confidence, triumphs, and great successes. I am so grateful for the Executive team that I get to work with everyday because through them, I see different points of view, I learn to listen with intention, and problem solve with grace. A shoutout to my team of yoga instructors is in place because they have taught me what it takes to set boundaries, lead with compassion, and lead by example. There are so many other people that deserve an honorable mention for my success: My partner who has lifted me up in the darkest times, my close friends who are always reminding me to take care of myself (and practice a healthy work life balance), and my mom for raising me to be strong, independent, and authentic, always.

Website: www.y4c.org

Instagram: www.instagram.com/y4c_official

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/yoga-4-change

Twitter: www.twitter.com/yoga_4_change

Facebook: www.facebook.com/yoga4changesoflo

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZpwrT1k2hEuHwZwqmh7t2g