By: Aimee Tariq
Some moments shift your entire trajectory. For Layla Kaur, that moment came in Tulum, on a yoga retreat she had almost not signed up for.
At the time, she was working as a property development strategist in London—a career that was stable, lucrative, and entirely unfulfilling. Days were packed with boardroom negotiations and endless emails. Her schedule was full, but her spirit felt empty. “I was checking all the boxes,” she recalls. “But I wasn’t connected to myself.”
What she didn’t know was that a week in Mexico would alter her definition of success forever.
Letting Go of the Hustle
The retreat wasn’t just a holiday. It was a pause. For the first time in years, Layla slowed down. Between sunrise yoga, journaling, and conversations with strangers-turned-friends, she started to recognize the tension she’d been carrying.
“It wasn’t just physical stress,” she explains. “It was the pressure of living by someone else’s definition of achievement.”
That realization cracked something open: if she wanted her life to feel different, she would need to build it differently.
The Seed of a New Mission
When Layla returned to London, she couldn’t shake the lessons from Tulum. Yoga wasn’t just a practice—it was a framework for balance, resilience, and presence. And she wanted to bring that framework into the business world she knew so well.
Within months, she left her corporate job and began laying the foundation for YogaHaus, her London-based brand. It wasn’t about creating another studio—it was about building a community. One that honored yoga’s cultural roots, championed South Asian teachers, and made sustainable products accessible.
Her pivot wasn’t effortless, but it was necessary. “I didn’t want to choose between ambition and authenticity anymore,” she says.
From Retreat to Reality
What started with one retreat evolved into a career that now spans continents. YogaHaus grew into a hub for inclusive classes and eco-conscious products, while Layla launched Build With Layla, her consultancy for wellness entrepreneurs.
She helps founders—yoga teachers, nutritionists, coaches—design businesses that are both profitable and purposeful. Her framework echoes her own transformation: slow down, reconnect, and build with intention.
“I remind clients that hustle doesn’t equal success,” she explains. “Systems, alignment, and clarity do.”
Why This Story Matters
Layla’s Tulum retreat isn’t just a personal anecdote—it’s a mirror for so many professionals who feel stuck in roles that no longer align with who they are. Her story shows that change doesn’t always begin with a business plan. Sometimes it starts with a pause.
By stepping away, even briefly, she saw her life in a different light. And that clarity became the compass for everything that followed.
Looking Ahead
Today, Layla is location-independent, guiding entrepreneurs worldwide while continuing to expand YogaHaus and Build With Layla. But she still credits that retreat as her defining moment.
“It taught me that balance isn’t found—it’s created. And when you design your life with intention, you can create a business that not only sustains you but inspires others.”
Her journey is proof that sometimes the smallest decisions—signing up for a retreat, booking a flight, saying yes to a pause—can lead to the most significant transformations.
The Ripple Effect of One Choice
What makes Layla’s journey so powerful is how one decision—signing up for a retreat—rippled into an entirely new chapter of her life. She often tells her clients that transformation doesn’t have to start with grand gestures. Sometimes, it begins with the courage to try something small, like stepping away from routine or investing in a new experience.
Her story has since become a blueprint for the entrepreneurs she mentors. Many come to her at crossroads, unsure how to balance ambition with well-being. Layla guides them back to the same principles she discovered in Tulum: clarity, intention, and alignment. When those values anchor your business, growth becomes both sustainable and fulfilling.
Looking forward, she hopes more professionals embrace pauses as catalysts for change. “You don’t need to wait for burnout to choose differently,” she says. “You can design your life now—and your business will follow.”
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