Lewis Rothlein's Dealmantra

Lewis Rothlein

Ashtanga Yoga Teacher at Full Circle Yoga

Winter Park, Florida

www.fullcircleyoga.com

Lewis Rothlein is an Ashtanga Yoga teacher and the co-owner of Full Circle Yoga in Winter Park, Florida.  He is an amazingly gifted and talented teacher whose passion for yoga is transmitted effortlessly to all those who meet him.  I have the privilege of being one of his students as well as the honor of being able to call him my friend.  Thank you, Lewis, for your insight and dedication to your students.

When did you first start practicing yoga?

In my early 40's.  I was a marathon runner and my wife dragged me to a week-long yoga intensive in North Carolina.  I went, basically, because I thought there would be terrific hills for training runs.  And there were - but I fell in love with the yoga, and after some 15 years of big-time running, I stopped being a serious runner and became a serious yogi.

What is it about Ashtanga that resonates with you?

The movement, the physicality, the energy that courses through it, and most of all, the peace that underlies it.  Half the practice is physical, the other half is about getting the mind quiet.  Ashtanga is designed to get the mind quiet, and when it succeeds, which can be often, it is an unusually rich experience.

As yogis and yoginis we are always students of yoga.  Do you remember the moment you first started thinking of yourself as a teacher as well?

It's been gradual.  I think and read about yoga a lot, and I practice it a lot, and over time, I've learned so much about it that I'm able to give tips to students that they often are not aware of. Also, during a class that I am teaching, I can more and more intuitively and directly spot ways that students can change their poses to make them feel better and be more beneficial - and help the students make those changes.  During these times, I feel like a teacher, a transmitter of knowledge.  That said, I learn very much from my students, that is, they are my teachers too. And one of the things I teach best is a passion for yoga.  Students see my passion for it and pick up on it.

What are a few of the things you enjoy the most about teaching?

I love how the yoga brings smiles to the students' faces at the end of a practice.  I love seeing students grow in their yoga.  I love that I never know who's going to show up - it's different every time.

How did your passion for practicing yoga lead you to open Full Circle Yoga in Winter Park?

My wife and I were both teaching yoga in spaces we rented and knew that we loved teaching yoga, and this pipedream developed about opening a studio.  It had to be the perfect place though, and we looked for more than three years before we found it.  I actually always wanted it to be on the very street that it's on.  One day while on some chore, I saw the sign that said the location was available.  I looked through the windows and saw the high ceilings, and saw what looked to be adequate parking, then called Susan and with nervous excitement said, "I don't know, but I think I found the place.  You've got to see this!"

As a business owner, what types of negotiations do you routinely enter into?

Sometimes with teachers we bring in to do workshops, figuring out their percentage.  That's about it.

You describe the importance of the yamas in many of your classes.  What are they and how do you incorporate the yamas into negotiating?

They are ethical prescriptions - Thou Shalls and Thou Shall Nots - and tell us to be truthful and disciplined, and not to steal, be greedy, or be violent.  When you follow these, and I do my best to, you'll work an honest and fair deal, and won't be happy unless you do.

What yogic techniques do you utilize when negotiating?

Working from a place of calm and honesty and keeping ego as far away as I can - as I strive to do in my yoga practice.

What is your dealmantra?

"Here and Now."  Whenever I think these words, it brings me into the moment and allows me the greatest awareness.  It is so effective for me.

Krista Watterworth's Dealmantra

Krista Watterworth, Host & Interior Designer

Currently on HGTV's "Save My Bath"

Mon-Fri 5:30pm e/p

Fridays 8:30pm e/p

Saturdays 1:00 pm e/p

www.kristawatterworth.com

www.myspace.com/kristawatterworth

Krista is one of my best friends and one of my favorite people in the entire world. She is beautiful (inside and out), insightful, talented, witty (of course), and inspirational. She never backs down from a challenge, be it professional, personal, or spiritual, as is evidenced by her motivational dealmantra! According to Krista, "Acting is like designing in that you have to delve into the heart of a person or a character to find out their intimate secrets, and then create an entirely personal world around that." Thank you, Krista, for sharing your heart, personal world, and negotiating secrets.


When did you become interested in pursuing a career in the entertainment industry?

In nursery school, I had my first supporting role as Monkey in "Caps for Sale" by Esphyr Slobodkina. Then, a successful follow up performance occurred in junior high when I played the lead in "Snowy White," a modern adaptation of the fairy tale where the dwarfs were part of an unruly motorcycle gang. (I use a light-hearted touch in my description, but these two experiences really did set the foundation.) I didn’t return to the stage until my twenties, when I took my first method-acting class and began learning about Shakespeare. Around that time, I scored three national commercials and worked successfully as a print model. I was hooked, and went on to receive my master of fine art from the famed Actors Studio Drama School in Manhattan, where I attended the mandatory workshop moderated by our school dean, James Lipton, called Inside the Actors Studio (on Bravo).


How long were you involved in the industry before you received your first big break?

Honestly, it was a second career for me. My long time dream was a career in criminal law. I failed to meet the demands after one year of law school. How ironic that I was to end up in one of the most demanding industries: the business of entertainment! After receiving my graduate degree in theatre, I was one of the very few in my small class to be sought after by a talent manager. He helped place me with a legit NY agent and I was represented for television and film. After two years of making the rounds with all the major networks (NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC) during New York’s pilot season auditions (January through May), I was getting call backs and feeling rather excited about my opportunities in television. Then, after a trip to Los Angeles and meetings with casting directors, producers and agents, I was sent back to NYC for a meeting with the hosting division at Abrams Artists. That’s when I scored my first paying gig as a host on the national cable network Home & Garden Television, and I was given my own show called “Save My Bath” (now airing daily at 5:30pm e/p).

How can being a good negotiator help a creative person in the industry?

As “talent” I am represented by an agent, publicist and manager, but ultimately the success of my career rests in my own hands. When I am negotiating a new deal or contract, as I am now for a book I want to publish, I play the role of creative character (good cop). I show my enthusiasm and a positive outlook for my part in the project. Then, my representatives step in to play bad cop and deal with all the dirty work like money and legal issues. However, all the while, I am running the show from behind the scenes. I have to be tenacious yet easy to work with, and know exactly what I want so I can steer my representatives in the best direction for my end goals. Then, there’s regular follow up, and a constant need to always pass on new ideas for where I’d like to take my career. A great book called "How to Agent your Agent" by Nancy Rainford helped me to understand the industry in this regard. I know my boundaries when going into a negotiation. I know what I’m willing to accept, or not accept.  Most importanty, I’m prepared to walk away if my goals aren't met.

What advice can you give someone struggling to break into the industry?

Set a goal, read everything you can by successful people who’ve done it before you, and be tenacious in putting your plan in place. You can’t give up, that’s the key. My goal was television. It was too much of an undertaking for me, at my age, to focus on a career in television, film and theater. I found focusing in one area was manageable. I did everything I could to get there. Luck plays into the routine of career building, of course. Also, one has to be willing to accept certain variations on their dream result. I never thought, with a method acting background, that I’d end up hosting a renovation television show. Over the years, my “day job” went from paralegal, to restaurant hostess, and finally interior design. I found the latter to be another passion. So hosting a show about interior design was the best of both worlds for me.

When did you first realize you had a passion for design?

My interest in design began in 1977 at the ripe old age of seven. My hobby (or perhaps obsession) was drawing detailed dissections (elevations) of homes on a large art pad. The people in my virtual reality would chat, eat or sit quietly alone, perhaps reading in their favorite chair. I suppose it was a reflection of my own vision of an ideal life, and sometimes a slice of my actual life—in a sense, a family portrait or home portrait. It wasn’t always pretty (my family knew well how to argue and fight) but most of the time my drawings reflected the joy and laughter of a house filled with four sisters, complete with images of slumber parties and movie nights. Down the road I began to recognize that my designs were truly an artistic expression of my thoughts and dreams (however mundane at times). So for me, interior design is as natural as breathing and the way I enjoy communicating most.  I’ve furthered my formal study of interior design at the famed Parson School of Design in New York City.

When you are designing a bathroom on "Save My Bath," how does negotiation play a role?

Like in any business transaction, the biggest negotiation is with the client. I have to know when my client is willing to be pushed creatively, and when my vision begins to over burden the integrity of a project. In the three years in which I’ve been designing for my own business and on Home & Garden Television, I have found my own method is all about observation and really listening. I never want to design a space that doesn’t reflect the style, taste and character of the homeowner. In that sense authenticity is the value I cherish most.

How do you measure the "success" or "failure" of any given negotiation?

It’s quite simple, if I get everything I want and all parties seem contented as well, then it’s been a successful negotiation. Naturally, that rarely happens. But again, before I start a negotiation I know exactly what I’m willing to give up and I stick to those guidelines as best I can. However, negotiating is a creative process. Sometimes a client, television network or publisher will refuse to give me a certain element of my wants and desires, but will supplement with something new that I hadn’t thought of. That’s when it becomes fun.

Do you practice yoga?

Yes I do, and have for the past two years. Currently, I’m 24 weeks pregnant and I do prenatal flow yoga once a week with a private yoga instructor.

How can yoga help during a negotiation?

What I learn through the practice of yoga and meditation is patience, balance and breathing. In a negotiation, before I practiced yoga, I may have expressed disinterest or negativity at just the mention of something I disliked. Now, I breathe through a moment that is uncomfortable, much like I do in a difficult yoga position, and I watch my negativity pass. Then, I respond from a calm place. People quickly gain respect for this way of doing business, and I notice a very different and more positive response to this kind of poise.

What is your dealmantra?

“Fear the fear and do it anyway!”