Hi I’m, Joanna Gaertner
I first stepped onto a yoga mat in high school. My field hockey coach brought me, and something clicked immediately. For one hour, my only job was to be in that room. In my body. Listening to what I needed. What everyone else was doing did not matter. There was no comparing, no competing. Just breath, presence, and the quiet reminder that I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
Outside of that room, life always felt loud and busy. But on the mat, I could hear myself again.
That feeling never left me.
Years later, after moving to Raleigh and searching for community in a new city, I found my way back to yoga, this time not just as a practice but as a calling. In November 2024 my friend opened a studio and invited me to be part of the team. In early 2026 I completed my 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training and now have the profound honor of creating that same space for others, guiding them to land in their practice, listen to their bodies, and let the mat be their only responsibility for that hour.
But I always knew the work didn't stop there.
My background in psychology gave me a foundation for understanding how people think, what drives behavior, and why we do what we do even when it works against us. But I always knew I wanted to work with people in a more personal, present way than a traditional path would allow.
For years I was an avid self-helper; reading, researching, listening to every podcast I could find, building tools for a more meaningful life. I got a lot of places on my own. And then I discovered coaching.
In 2023 a friend told me about Triangle Life Coaching Academy and I was immediately drawn in. We have coaches for sports, finances, careers, and education. A yoga teacher can feel like a coach. So why not for life, for where you are actually spending your time and energy and attention?
Coaching unlocked something the books and podcasts couldn't. Having someone lean in with me. A thought partner. A mirror. A space to think out loud and discover what I already knew but hadn't yet said.
Now I create that space for others.
Sessions with me feel a lot like the mat. A place to explore where your mind is taking you, what truly matters to you, and what you want to do about it. I do not come with your answers. You already have them. My job is simply to help you hear yourself again.
You have been finding your way back to yourself too. Let's do that together.