A Chronic Entrepreneur: Tina Bruce
Tina Bruce embraced entrepreneurism after being diagnosed with Post-Herpectic Neuralgia (a condition caused by a Shingles infection). Now, Tina is a Melbourne-based yoga teacher – Restore A Yoga Mum – with a passion for bringing the benefits of slow, mindful yoga to her community. Her classes are all about restoration and relaxation, focusing on a deeper sense of wellness and balance. Thank you Tina for sharing your story with us!
What’s your Chronic?
Post-Herpetic Neuralgia. A condition caused by Shingles infection.
Where/when were you diagnosed?
September 2015.
What does being an entrepreneur mean to you?
Being of service to my community. Creating a tribe. I believe it takes a village to raise a mum and I love connecting people through my classes and supporting other local women starting their own businesses.
What came first, the chronic or the entrepreneurism?
The chronic was the catalyst.
How did this path come to you?
My life completely turned around when I could physically no longer do my ‘career’ job. Experiencing chronic pain after a shingles infection was a result of not managing work stress and motherhood well. My job required me to wear heavy lead aprons in surgery which weighed too much on my body and the general unpredictable emergency nature of the industry just didn’t suit our family.
The path of yoga was the portal to healing myself as I slowly learnt that stillness, slowing down and mindful movement took the pain away. This then led to the path of being an entrepreneur as the idea of being my own boss and sharing a passion took hold.
Did you go through any sort of 12-stages of grief with the diagnosis or take it in its stride? How did the process manifest itself? Did you immediately reassess your life?
Yes. If you are talking about a classic, ‘dark night of the soul’, I went through that. It felt like my identity was taken away in an instant and I was left vulnerable, egoless and scared. It really was a blessing though as it forced me to reassess my values and learn some self compassion. I felt a strong calling to learn as much about being a yoga teacher as possible and there was never a question about what I was going to do when I finished re-training myself. It was clear that I needed to find a safe space for women to simply stop and breathe so opportunities just presented themselves, and then boom, I was in business.
Did you seek out or join organisations representing your chronic for support or did you find comfort and answers elsewhere? What would you recommend in hindsight?
No. I became my own healer because I could not find anyone who had my condition under 60 years of age anyway. Lots of people get shingles but usually the pain goes away after three to six months. There are support groups online however I found them to be quite negative. It really has been a solo journey of discovery as I have thrown myself deeper into the practice of meditation and a healthier lifestyle. I have a most impressive library of self-help books too which I constantly draw from to support myself and research for teaching.
How have you changed, if at all, in your relationships, decisions and values?
Everything is much more simple. I live an uncomplicated life dropping my kids to school, picking them up and teaching in between. The family and my health is my priority before anything else.
What is your life philosophy and has this changed?
Have a daily quiet practice where you actually shut your eyes down and listen to silence!
What do you wish you’d known before?
Life is not a race.
Are you on any treatments? Why/why not?
My second ‘dark night of the soul’ came after I became addicted to opioid pain killer medication. My doctor prescribed these at the time so I could function however they resulted in a dependence for three years. A pain worse than the original pain is withdrawing from opioids. I am happy not to be taking these anymore. I have discovered the powerful effects of Reiki and energy medicine as a form of therapy as well as spiritual direction.
What advice do you have for others starting out on this journey?
Find yourself a tribe for support. Believe you have the power to choose the way you want to live your life. Don’t give a damn about what other people think.
What is a ‘bad day’ for you?
If I want to crawl back into bed after dropping the kids off I know I am on struggle street.
What do you do on a ‘bad day’?
Meditate, a ritual bath and then into bed with a book. I also do these things on a good day 😉
How do you deal with stress?
My children test me on this on a daily basis and I think I have just learnt to pick my battles. I do yoga, go for a walk along the beach and meditate twice as long as normal. I like to also look at the bigger picture and sometimes just staring up at the moon and the stars in wonder can put stress into perspective.
What do you struggle with the most?
Being very sensitive. I’m an empath and feel the suffering of other people in my own body. I realise this comes with the ‘wounded healer’ territory so am learning to manage my own energy so I can give more.
What are you most proud of?
Building a community of like-minded women who are now my closest friends. Also, hosting my first Yoga Retreat called the ‘Tired Mama Retreat’ was a pretty awesome moment. I love witnessing breakthrough moments and mini miracles when women realise they have the power to heal themselves.
Best bits of being a Chronic Entrepreneur?
You can design your own working hours and holidays and answer to only you. I am an introvert by nature so I find this balance very rewarding.
Worst bits of being a Chronic Entrepreneur?
I still get really uncomfortable cancelling clients when I feel unwell so being a solo operator is the trickiest.
Are you a 5-year planner or are you winging it?
Divine timing.
Dream weekend plans and have these changed?
A surf and yoga retreat with my husband at a beautiful beach with incredible seafood and wine.
Ultimate dinner party guests?
Oprah
Russel Brandt
Frida Khalo
Ghandi
What advice would you give your younger self?
Probably that she has nothing to prove. She is already perfect and to follow her heart even if it doesn’t please her parents.
What’s next?
There will be more. I’m about to undertake further study in Intuition and Energy Medicine. Words seem to find me so perhaps a book at some stage. 😉
How can people find you? (on social media)
They can find me at @restoreayogamum or www.restoreayogamum.com.au
Let us know what you think below and share your story with us on Instagram tagging @achronicentrepreneur and using the hashtag #achronicentrepreneur.
