I was deeply ingrained in the Down Under community, going through their 300 hour teacher training and several assisting and mentorship programs before subbing and finally becoming a faculty member, teaching seven or more classes for two plus years.
When Justine, the owner, wanted to reopen the studios after Governor Baker announced phase three of reopening, I spoke to several faculty members, many of whom did not want to return but felt pressured to because they were told by her that they would lose their class time slots and that they would be filled by teachers who were willing to come back in person. To get management’s perspective of the situation, I sent this email on 7/11/20:
“Hi Michael and Justine,
I wanted to touch base about plans for reopening. I’m sensing a growing discomfort from many teachers about the potential dangers to students, faculty, and staff of reopening prematurely. It seems like a big gamble for people’s health, so I’m wondering if management might be able to explain more fully the rationale behind reopening so quickly. I guess the question is “just because we can, does that mean we should?“ Any insights you can share would be appreciated.
Thanks”
Justine called me immediately (and until my resignation did not communicate with me in writing), and she was angry. She accused me of threatening her and told me she should fire me on the spot. She had taken this email as a threat from what I imagine she interpreted as a shadowy organization of unionizing teachers spearheaded by me. During the course of this conversation I calmly asked if the studio needed to reopen to remain financially viable. She said no. When pressed further as to why we were reopening, she said that she trusted our governor’s decision. I told her that, though that was a rational response, some teachers were having emotional reactions to being asked to return in the middle of a pandemic that was, and still is, greatly affecting our physical and mental health.
Ultimately, I did decide to return to teaching in person but I needed to take some time off at the end of July to move and preserve my physical and mental health. On 8/6/20, I had a Zoom meeting with the new faculty director and I asked for two weeks paid time off. I also said, ideally, that I would like more control over my schedule and a fairer pay structure that was not dependent on class size. I said that I know Down Under prides itself on being the most sustainable place to make a living as a yoga teacher, but that they are not doing enough and their teachers, especially single female teachers, were struggling. He said he would convey this information to upper management.
On 8/10/20, I returned a follow-up call that the faculty director had made to me on Friday, the 7th. He expressed that I was “coming in hot” meaning asking too much and in too aggressive a way. He said that, despite what Justine had told me in our previous call, the studio was in dire straits financially and there was no way they could afford to give paid time off to its teachers (though I know that one teacher did in fact eventually get paid time off for illness). He said that if I was struggling so much financially I should “get a job at Market Basket” because lots of people were also struggling.
After that call, I phoned Justine to tell her that my requests were not aggressive demands, as she seemed to be interpreting them. She told me that the studio was in fact in the red but couldn’t share that information publicly so as to not spook the rest of the faculty. I questioned her as to whether a divided approach, sharing certain information with some members and omitting it with others, was really the most beneficial way to communicate. She said that I and anyone else who was dissatisfied could “look at the books” if we wanted. She then turned the subject to trying to ferret out the names of teachers that she thought I felt were also dissatisfied with the level of support Down Under could offer them at this time. I told her that I was “not an asshole” and would not throw anyone under the bus. I told her that I would tell anyone who has an issue to reach out to her directly. I left that conversation telling her that I understood Down Under could not offer me any paid time off at this time, but that I would like to broach the issues of pay and time off again after the studio survives the pandemic. I thought the issue was put to rest, but it was not.
The first week of September I received a voicemail from Justine that I had “breached contract,” and she was setting up a meeting with upper management and looping in the new director of the Boston Ayurveda School (BAS), with whom I had been working. I was just that week about to ramp up my involvement in the school by starting two weekly group coaching sessions and working closely with the doctors and practitioners on staff to support individual wellness plans for Down Under/BAS clients. This would have been a big step in my career to begin transitioning out of teaching group fitness yoga classes and into a more physically and potentially financially sustainable practice.
I learned during this meeting that Justine had called another faculty member and BAS teacher, with whom I had a close personal relationship as a friend and mentor. Justine used similar tactics with this person as she did with me in her attempt to uncover, and arguably punish, teachers whom she perceived to be threats. Justine got her to reveal private text messages that I had sent her about my dissatisfaction with Down Under and my conversation about it with a student who had become a friend over the years. (I had been warned by several other teachers not to “put anything in writing” and a few of my colleagues/friends would only speak over the phone and not text about Down Under for this reason. I texted anyway because I had nothing to hide.)
During the 9/4/20 meeting, Justine voiced her belief that I was “soliciting” students away from Down Under by expressing my dissatisfaction with the institution in private and asking for moral support from the fellow teacher to whom I sent the texts. She seemed to also take issue with the fact that I referred to myself as a socialist in the message, perhaps seeing that as a contrast to her position of reopening or expanding the studios. She threatened that if she were to fire me, I would never be able to be employed again (at least not by using her as a reference!).
During that meeting I explained the whole trajectory of what I believed to be the conflict between myself and Justine, starting with the email I sent about reopening. This was the first meeting I had with her with other people present, and she was very calm and collected. I believe she was coached by the faculty director, who is a licensed therapist, as she used mirroring language (So what I hear you saying is…, etc.) and generally let him mediate. The meeting ended with me agreeing to take six weeks off, unpaid. I needed the time off anyway, and I believe Justine thought I needed to “cool down” so I would not stir up what she likely perceived to be more trouble for her.
At my next meeting on 10/23/20, I had decided that I did not want to return to teaching group classes but would like to return to the Boston Ayurveda School, which is part of Down Under. At first Justine offered me an administrative position in the school, a job that, based on our previous conversations about my hopes for my career, she knew I would decline. When I insisted on coming back to a coaching role, Justine claimed that would be a conflict of interest because I would have to work closely with the teacher who gave her my text messages. Despite my having talked with this person and believing whole-heartedly that there was no ill will and we would be able to work in a professional capacity with one another, Justine insisted that it “takes time to heal wounds.”
It is my belief that Justine intentionally created this conflict between me and the other teacher so that I would be unable to return to the BAS. I ultimately chose to leave Down Under in December after my last corporate client did not renew their classes.
The relief I felt after leaving Down Under was palpable. It’s odd because I worked so hard to teach there and gave so much of myself to the studio to which, in Justine’s words, I was “married.” I feel this studio did not give me the support I needed and though I was not fired, Justine essentially made it impossible for me to return, perhaps because she viewed me as a potential threat in her belief that I was organizing teachers. The oddly worded “non-defamation” clause in our contract is ironic because it is Justine herself that crosses personal and professional boundaries, meddling in her employees’ affairs and stirring up drama between them to protect her own business ventures.