CorePower Yoga, the nation’s largest yoga studio brand, announces today its commitments for advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) across the CorePower organization, the communities it serves, and the yoga industry as a whole as part of its “Power Forward” initiative.
In 2020, the brand announced new diversity and inclusion initiatives for its employees, teachers and business, led by CEO Niki Leondakis, who joined CorePower in January of that year. As part of that ongoing work, it established a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Council, comprising teachers and leaders from across CorePower that have direct input and impact on the company’s key strategic focuses and represent a diverse range of perspectives and expertise. The company also rolled out its BIPOC Teacher Training Scholarship Program, which covers full tuition for members of the BIPOC community and has awarded almost 1,900 scholarships to date, laying the foundation for a more inclusive and diverse teacher base. In addition, CorePower committed to supporting the long-term growth and success of BIPOC businesses and providing a platform to amplify their stories and products; to date, 25% of retail inventory includes BIPOC or women-led brands and it has vowed to increase that by 15% in the next three years. It has also remained dedicated to charitable giving by raising funds through free and donation-based classes for charities that support and advocate for a range of underrepresented heritages and identities.
“The values of DEI&B continue to shape our business priorities as we co-create a CorePower we are all proud to be a part of,” says CorePower Yoga CEO Niki Leondakis, who is also Co-Sponsor of the brand’s DEI&B Council. “As we enter 2023, we are setting clear goals to create accountability and achieve meaningful change, ensuring that each and every member of our community is welcomed to come to the mat regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual identity, age or body type – both inside the organization and in the communities we serve.”
The brand’s newly announced three-year goals are centered around its employees, culture, community, and partners and align with the pillars of CorePower’s DE&IB strategy, which is focused on four areas – creating an inclusive student experience, having an inclusive work environment, ensuring a diverse workforce, and leveraging the company’s platform to drive a positive impact on society. CorePower is committed to “Powering Forward” – cultivating a workplace where employees from all backgrounds and experiences feel confident that their voices will be heard and their contributions welcomed, in addition to driving meaningful change in its effort to democratize yoga and diversify the yoga community as a whole.
Specific goals for the next three years include:
- Increase representation of BIPOC senior leadership to 25%
- Increase representation of BIPOC managers to 40%
- Increase representation of BIPOC employees across organization to 37%
- Increase representation of BIPOC yoga instructors to 45%
- Grow percentage of inventory of BIPOC/women-owned or founded brands to 40%
CorePower is also committed to increasing the hiring rate from its BIPOC Teacher Training Scholarship recipients and will continue piloting community forums and mentorship programs designed to support enrollees and advance their teacher training journeys.
“As a company guided by our values and purpose, we know that creating an inclusive and equitable workplace is imperative to our business and people, and ensures that we’re supporting all of our current and future employees and teachers,” says Tamarah Saif, Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Co-sponsor of CorePower’s
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Council. “We are committed to building on the foundation we’ve established to support sustainable, long-term change at the company, and these specific goals will guide us to an even stronger and more successful future.”
Founded in 2002 in Denver, CO., CorePower Yoga was created to make the transformative benefits of yoga accessible through a fitness-focused approach. Today, it is the nation’s largest yoga studio brand with more than 220 locations in 22 states, digital livestream and on-demand classes, and thousands of passionate, accredited yoga teachers providing the opportunity for students to breathe, move and sweat together and discover the magic that happens when physical meets mindful. CorePower Yoga offers intensely physical workouts that are rooted in the mindfulness of yoga, blending these attributes for a thoroughly holistic and modern approach that is accessible to everyone.
About CorePower Yoga
CorePower Yoga shares the transformative power of yoga with every mind, every body, everywhere through its physically intense workouts rooted in the mindfulness of yoga. CorePower Yoga is the nation’s largest yoga studio brand with more than 220 locations across the country, digital livestream and on-demand classes, and thousands of passionate, accredited yoga teachers providing the opportunity for people to breathe, move and sweat together – and discover the magic that happens when physical meets mindful.
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