In this episode of the ROCC Pod, we connect with Lindsay Madison, founder of Visions Incorporated, a yoga studio with a unique focus on accessibility and community inclusivity. Lindsay shares her inspiring journey, starting with her early career in retail management in Chicago, where she rose to a high-powered role at Bloomingdale’s by age 21. However, her career path shifted unexpectedly when she experienced a sudden and rare loss of hearing due to a sinus infection. This challenging health event ultimately led her to yoga, which became both a personal refuge and, later, her profession.
After years of practicing and teaching yoga, Lindsay returned to Michigan, where her journey took on new meaning when her mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. Lindsay guided her mother through gentle exercises and breathing techniques post-surgery, which reinforced her mission to make yoga accessible to people of all backgrounds and health conditions. Today, her mother, a cancer survivor with one lung, regularly participates in Lindsay’s classes, embodying resilience and inspiring others in the process.
Visions Incorporated, Lindsay’s studio, offers both in-person and virtual classes that cater to a wide array of needs and levels. Classes range from brief, targeted sessions to longer, full-length practices, available through Zoom, on-demand, and free videos on YouTube. Lindsay provides options for all, including those who may face financial challenges, and she offers a variety of packages and a “pay later” option for live classes. Her approach is deeply personal; she emphasizes the physical and mental benefits of yoga, helping participants build strength, calm their minds, and practice breathwork to manage daily stress.
Lindsay also teaches chair yoga at senior communities, aiming to expand this offering through a 2025 goal of training other instructors in her inclusive teaching style. For those new to yoga, Lindsay reassures that flexibility and experience aren’t prerequisites; her classes are about self-connection and adapting yoga to individual needs, creating an inviting space for anyone interested in starting their practice.
Lindsay credits the Royal Oak Chamber of Commerce for helping her make valuable connections within the community and expresses excitement about growing her impact through these networks. For those interested in learning more, she can be reached via her website, visionsincorporated.com, and on social media, where she responds personally to inquiries.
In summary, Lindsay’s story is one of resilience, adaptability, and community spirit, and her dedication to accessible yoga has fostered an inclusive environment where everyone—from cancer survivors to yoga novices—can find their place on the mat.
More:
Visions Incorporated Website: https://visionsincorporated.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@visionsincorporated5861
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/visionsincorporated
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/visionsincorporated/
Email: info@visionsincorporated.com
ROCC Pod - Visions Incorporated
Speakers: Jon Gay, Lisa Bibbee, & Lindsay Madison
Lindsay Madison (00:00):
And if you come to that, you will probably meet my mom who will be there with her portable oxygen tank.
Jon Gay (00:06):
Oh wow.
Lindsay Madison (00:06):
Working her yoga practice 10 years after beating lung cancer.
Jon Gay (00:11):
Wow.
Lindsay Madison (00:11):
She is one of my biggest inspirations and a big reason that I teach the way that I do. She had one of her lungs removed, but we were doing breathing exercises in the hospital bed, and she'll tell you about how I had her lifting tuna fish cans when she got home laying in her recovery bed.
So, mom comes every Monday to make sure that nobody feels like they can't do something because hey, this woman with one lung and an oxygen tank can do it, so can you.
[Music Playing]
Jon Gay (00:49):
Welcome into the ROCC Pod produced for the Royal Oak Michigan Chamber of Commerce. I'm Jon Gay from JAG In Detroit Podcasts.
Lisa Bibbee (00:54):
I'm Lisa Bibbee, your realtor with CENTURY 21 Northland.
Jon Gay (00:57):
And I'm excited. A few months ago on a Friday morning coffee, I was chatting with Lindsay Madison of Visions Incorporated Yoga. We had a great conversation, and she said she wanted to come on the podcast, so we're thrilled to have you today, welcome.
Lisa Bibbee (01:08):
Welcome.
Lindsay Madison (01:09):
Thank you for having me.
Jon Gay (01:10):
So, we're recording this a few weeks after the Detroit Free Press Marathon. I want to hear about this story; you ran your own marathon during COVID?
Lindsay Madison (01:18):
I did. So, I am somebody who does what they say they're going to do, and I said I was going to run the Chicago Marathon in 2020. I signed up in November of 2019 and I started training, and I don't know if you guys know what happened in 2020, but the Chicago Marathon did not. But I had trained, and I was ready to run a marathon.
And so, when it got canceled, I came up with my own route, which took me out my front door. I was living in Ferndale at the time, and I got to run through Royal Oak and Berkeley and Clawson, and the west side of Detroit before I arrived back at my front door to the cheers of my sister and a couple friends after running 26.2 miles.
Lisa Bibbee (02:16):
Wow, that is so fascinating. And speaking of fascinating, your backstory is fascinating. Can you tell us about your time in Chicago and what you did there?
Lindsay Madison (02:27):
I can't tell you about all of it, but I will tell you about some of it. So, I grew up in West Bloomfield and I went to high school in Alpena, and wanted to be a theater actor. So, I moved to Chicago when I was 17, got into Columbia College Chicago, and pretty quickly realized that Chicago was an expensive city, so I needed to get myself a job to go along with that dream of mine.
And so, I started working at Bloomingdale's and while I was in college, I was working full-time at Bloomingdales, and by the time I graduated from college, because I had proven myself over the past three and a half years, they promoted me to managing about $11 million worth of business at their North Michigan Avenue store at the ripe old age of 21.
And it was a really incredible experience. I had the philosophy: I'll sleep when I'm dead. So, I just worked for like five and a half years straight, and it was an incredible city to do that in. I'm 40 now, I don't know that I could do that now.
Jon Gay (03:47):
I was going to say, you can do that when you're 20/21, but when you're 40, not as much.
Lindsay Madison (03:52):
But it was great, and it was I think really a key part of my foundation.
Jon Gay (03:59):
So, how do you transition from high powered businesswoman to yogi?
Lindsay Madison (04:04):
Well, you have a life-threatening illness, is what happened to me. Don't worry, it all worked out in the end, obviously. I lost my hearing when I was 23 due to a freak sinus infection that traveled to my ear. It was a one-in-a-million type of thing. Personally, I would've preferred to win the lottery, but here we are.
When I finally could go back to work, I had left Bloomingdale's and I was working in the corporate side of retail, so I was working for Sears Holdings in their Kmart apparel division, and I worked in what's sometimes known as a cubicle farm, and I would literally be banging into people's walls as I walked down the hallway because I could not walk a straight line.
One of my coworkers suggested that I try yoga. I Googled a studio, I found a teacher that I connected with, and it was the best thing ever. For me, it helped to quiet some of the anxious and worrisome thoughts that I had, and it helped me physically and mentally.
So, all I wanted to do was yoga, and now, that's what I get to do. It's been a long process. That was about 17 years ago that I lost my hearing, but it's been an incredible journey to get here.
Lisa Bibbee (05:34):
Wow, I love that story. And I love how yoga helped pull you back and literally created a whole new life for you. I mean, so many of us were running around in our minds literally are everywhere else except for in the present moment. So, that is one way you can actually help bring your mind back, is by doing yoga.
And people don't realize too, it's not just about stretching – it's strength building, and it's mind calming. There are so many good aspects to it.
Jon Gay (06:04):
Lindsay, you talked about finding a yoga instructor that you connected with. That clearly is something that you take to your practice now and connecting with your students. What would you say to somebody who has not done yoga? “Oh, I'm not flexible. Oh, this isn't for me. This is too ‘woo-woo’ for me,” or whatever.
I'm sure you hear all the different reasons to not do yoga. How do you connect with people and for lack of a better way of putting it, sell yoga to them?
Lindsay Madison (06:30):
For sure. There isn't a one size fits all approach to yoga, and what I've tried to do with Visions Incorporated is offer a variety of class styles, and that range from seated guided meditations, all the way to an active vinyasa practice, and then everything in between.
Classes also range in timeframe from five minutes to all the way up to an hour, sometimes more. And the recordings can be filtered based on what part of the body needs attention or what props could be used to make the movements more accessible.
Jon Gay (07:13):
You said recordings, you have in-person classes and virtual classes, right?
Lindsay Madison (07:17):
I do, yeah. So, there are a few ways that folks can connect with me. There are live classes on Zoom, there are on demand recordings, and the all-access membership is going to give folks the best value because you get both with a monthly subscription, but you can also purchase classes individually or in a class package.
There are also free videos on my YouTube page that will always be updated, so you can connect with me that way if financially things are tight.
Lisa Bibbee (07:51):
So, I love that you have such a variety of classes because so many people have different needs, and whether they want in person or they just want to do it from the privacy of their own home – I mean, that's actually how I started because I was embarrassed about the lack of flexibility that I had, and the last thing I wanted to be doing was in a room full of people watching me.
So, I love that online concept from the privacy of your own home. Are there any discounts or promotions that you run?
Lindsay Madison (08:19):
Yeah, absolutely. So, I already mentioned the all-access membership. As a new person, a new student, you can take advantage of a free week of that all-access membership. So, it's just all-access intro. You just go in there and take advantage.
If folks are listening to this and members of the chamber, there is a discount. I offer corporate discounts for companies that would like to provide virtual yoga for their employees. And then this is really important to me. There's also a little button at the bottom of every live Zoom class where folks can book for free now, and pay later.
Sometimes we need a live yoga class. We talked about the emotional support that yoga can sometimes provide, and you don't have to have your camera on, but it can be really nice to know that there's a community of folks out there sitting with their breath the same way that we're trying to sit with ours.
I have been in dark places before. I lost my stepdad to suicide in 2018. So, it's really important to me that yoga remain accessible in as many ways as I can offer it. So, if someone needs that, I hope that they will take advantage, there's no questions asked.
Jon Gay (09:41):
I love that. And I think there are a lot of places to go, YouTube, Peloton, other apps where you can do these giant classes that hundreds and thousands of people are taking, but there's a lack of personal connection there.
And I think what you're doing is unique in that not only are you supporting those who really need this in their lives, but you can make that personal connection with the people who are taking your classes.
Lindsay Madison (10:03):
Yeah, absolutely. I am not a doctor or a medical professional, but I have seen some amazing things working with folks in the last 15 years. And what's nice about the live classes is that there's a little time at the beginning of class and at the end when we're not recording the actual practice, and I can just chat with my students.
So, if there's a certain physical thing going on or you woke up sleeping kind of funny or, “Oh my gosh, my hips always hurt and I know when you're on, we're going to do some hip stuff …” I'm also available via email and social media, so someone wants to send me a personal message and they can't make it to a live Zoom, but they are a member, they can still have their needs met. I'll teach a live class and then offer that as recording for them. So, lots of different ways to connect personally.
Lisa Bibbee (10:54):
And there's actually two parts to yoga that I don't think a lot of people realize. One of it is the physical aspect, and the other which you had mentioned is the breathing. And the breathing, what I learned during my process was that it actually calms your entire nervous system down.
That's what basically carries through in our day-to-day actions, our kind of “monkey mind” brains as well as stressful situations when we learn how to control our breathing – I mean, it affects everything in our world.
Lindsay Madison (11:27):
Yeah, absolutely. I sometimes will joke that my job is to remind people to take a breath and that they have a neck, because we forget both of those things a lot.
Lisa Bibbee (11:39):
Well, and that's to say, think about anytime there's a heated argument going on, the first thing you say is just like, “Alright, let's take a breather. Let's step back from this, take a moment, take a deep breath. And if you're ever in a high stress situation, take that quick couple of seconds, take a deep breath in, let it out, and you'll be amazed how all of a sudden, your brain and your entire nervous system reconnects and helps you direct.”
Lindsay Madison (12:03):
Yeah, absolutely.
Lisa Bibbee (12:04):
Alright, so talk to us a little bit more about your live classes. I'd love to find out more details.
Lindsay Madison (12:08):
Visions Incorporated is all about bringing people together, and I believe that when they bring their wealth of experiences together and collaborate, that just makes everything better. And that's what Visions Incorporated is all about, getting clear on your vision and then bringing that to the collective.
So, folks can do that virtually, but then I also teach in person as well because technology is not always the easiest thing. So, I teach once a week in West Bloomfield, and this is in partnership with my friend Karen Faith's studio space, right at 14 Mile and Middlebelt.
This is a gentle yoga class every Monday at 4:30 PM, and if you come to that, you will probably meet my mom who will be there with her portable oxygen tank, working her yoga practice 10 years after beating lung cancer. She is one of my biggest inspirations and a big reason that I teach the way that I do.
So, I had done my own personal yoga practice and journey. I'd become a teacher. About 10 years ago, I moved to Michigan and my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer six months after that. And she had one of her lungs removed, but we were doing breathing exercises in the hospital bed, and she'll tell you about how I had her lifting tuna fish cans when she got home laying in her recovery bed.
So, that is a really important, and a key part of the way that I teach, is for folks who maybe feel excluded from a traditional yoga class. So, Mom comes every Monday to make sure that nobody feels like they can't do something because hey, if this woman with one lung and an oxygen tank can do it, so can you.
Folks can also work with me on a one-on-one basis, so I can work with you virtually or in person. So, I’m happy to come to folks’ homes. I have partnered with folks who are in the middle of cancer treatments, not just my mom. I've also partnered with busy folks who just want to get fit. So, if you need in-person instruction, I can do that.
And finally, I teach in-person chair yoga to several senior communities and independent living facilities in the area. So, my goal for 2025, I'm going to speak it aloud because here's the “woo-woo“ part. We're going to manifest.
My goal in 2025 is to educate other yoga teachers on this incredible specialty and expand the program to more facilities so that yoga is accessible to people who might be feeling excluded at this moment and who can't top on my virtual classes.
So, if anybody listening wants to help me manifest that, I'm all ears, and I'll come back on this podcast, and we'll talk about it next year.
Jon Gay (15:06):
It's almost a “vision board” for Visions Incorporated.
Lindsay Madison (15:08):
Yes, I love it.
Jon Gay (15:10):
Lindsay, we're thrilled to have you as a member of the Royal Oak Chamber of Commerce. How has your experience been with the chamber so far? What have you gotten out of your membership?
Lindsay Madison (15:17):
I love it. Everybody that I've met through the chamber has been so welcoming and so friendly. I have done business with people who are members of the chamber. So, Visions Incorporated has been the seedling of an idea in the back of my head for many years, but I've been a member of the chamber through other businesses that I've worked for since I moved back to Michigan 10 years ago.
So, I've been able to make friends and just really build strong ties with the Royal Oak community through the chamber. I love it.
Lisa Bibbee (15:53):
Awesome. We love that you're a part of our chamber. And now, Lindsay, we're going to switch directions and we are going to pull a totally random question for our fishbowl question of the day.
Jon Gay (16:06):
Alright. I'm going to put a disclaimer on this. The answer cannot be what you're doing now. The question is: if money and time were no object, what would you be doing right now? And you can't say teaching yoga.
Lindsay Madison (16:19):
I mean, I would be doing yoga. That just goes without saying. But no, I would buy the farm next to my uncle in Maui and I would live there, the end.
Lisa Bibbee (16:30):
Oh, I love that.
Jon Gay (16:31):
Lisa and I are big fans of Hawaii, so absolutely.
Lindsay Madison (16:34):
My uncle says anybody in our family is welcome to visit as long as he can see your return ticket before you arrive.
Lisa Bibbee (16:42):
Can you guys adopt me?
Lindsay Madison (16:43):
Sure.
Lisa Bibbee (16:44):
Let's go.
Jon Gay (16:45):
But you need the return ticket before you go out there, Lisa.
Lisa Bibbee (16:47):
Yup, that's the rule.
Lisa Bibbee (16:49):
Yeah, he didn't say when the return ticket had to be…
Jon Gay (16:52):
Lindsay, we're going to link to all of your stuff in the show notes, but real quick, give us website, YouTube, and best ways for our audience to connect with you.
Lindsay Madison (16:59):
Visionsincorporated.com is my website. Visions Incorporated on Facebook and Instagram are the best ways to connect with me on social as well as on YouTube. If you send me a direct message on any of those places, I will get it within five days. I'm not super plugged in, but I will respond as soon as I get it.
Jon Gay (17:24):
I'm envious. I wish I had that kind of separation of church and state.
Lindsay Madison (17:27):
I take care of my 98-year-old grandma, so when she says jump, I’ve got to run to her, but I'll be back to you as soon as she's in bed.
Lisa Bibbee (17:36):
Fantastic. Well, thank you so much for being on our show, and also thank you for inspiring so many people to start yoga and experience breathing and calmness in their life. My name is Lisa Bibbee, and I'm a realtor with CENTURY 21 Northland.
I put the “real” back in realtor, and we want you to love where you live. Questions about buying or selling your home? Call my cell at (248) 981-3610. My website is soldbylisab.com, and you can find me on YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram at soldbylisab. Let's connect.
Jon Gay (18:13):
And I'm Jon Gay from JAG In Detroit Podcasts, I'm the podcast guy. If you have any questions about podcasts, starting a podcast, improving a podcast, podcast industry, anything related to podcasts – you can find me on social at JAG In Detroit or on my website at jagindetroit.com.
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We want to thank you for listening to this episode of the ROCC Pod. It's produced for the Royal Oak Michigan Chamber of Commerce. More information about the chamber, chamber events, and how to get involved, you can visit royaloakchamber.com. Thanks everyone.