Jill Weiss-Ippolito
Founding Director and Yoga Teacher
UpRising Yoga
Los Angeles, CA USA
“There was no authenticity, there was nothing I was connected to...until yoga helped me heal.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationJill Weiss-Ippolito
Milestones
My road in life has taken me all over.
Her parents divorced when she was young, and her mother remarried a man who was extremely abusive.
Her mother had some yet-undiagnosed mental issues, and wasn't always equipped to take care of her daughter.
She started smoking marijuana in the sixth grade; by seventh grade, she was regularly going to parties and drinking until she blacked out.
Says her life was spiraling downwards-she called herself a "dead girl walking"-until she finally found yoga.
She had "deadened" her feelings with alcohol and drugs, but yoga helped her heal, and helped her clear her mind.
Her husband worked at a juvenile detention center in L.A. and saw a lot of trauma; one day, she asked if she could start teaching a yoga class there.
Coincidentally, her mother later pointed out that she'd picked up Jill from that same detention center as a child; she knew she'd found a calling.
Working with those children sparked a fire in Jill; she decided to start UpRising Yoga so that she could take on new yoga teachers and help more kids.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
Founding Director and Yoga Teacher
I use yoga to help heal trauma with incarcerated youth, foster children, and underserved communities that need it most.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Entrepreneurship
Sports
Helping People
Day to Day
I teach yoga in juvenile hall and underserved communities as well as Trauma Informed Yoga Trainings for all.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for everyone
Get involved in your community and help out wherever you can. Go where the love is.
Recommended Education
My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Myself:
"I'm just a dead girl walking. "
Challenges I Overcame
Drugs / Addiction
Gangs / Violence
Neglect
Interviewed By
Ready to Rise
Confronting systemic barriers to success
