Meet Julie Honeycutt | Owner, Walk on Water Yoga

We had the good fortune of connecting with Julie Honeycutt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Julie, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I was motivated to help people, especially young women. The name Walk on Water Yoga came from a personal place. I grew up surfing and paddleboarding and was inspired by the story of Jesus walking on water. Like Peter, I stepped out with little faith, unsure of what direction this business would go. All I really knew was that I was called to create an environment where people could experience the physical and mental benefits of paddleboard yoga while connecting with something deeper.

What should our readers know about your business?
The creative business idea of combining yoga on paddleboards came to me like a spark. I knew immediately that it was a unique experience that would make customers say “wow!”

The business, more like a ministry, is about people and connecting the client with life and nature. Most people lead busy lives with to do lists, social media, distractions, and sometimes we forget to breathe! My business was a response to that, in essence it was a call to meet that need, to reconnect people to the idea that every breath that they take, they are breathing the very name of God, YHWH. We specialize in paddleboard yoga and wellness experiences that help people reconnect with their faith, bodies, breath, and nature. So, there is a lot of laughter and joy, especially when people fall in the water!

I had to overcome my share of challenges. I did not come from a business background. A businessman once told me, “you are a social entrepreneur,” and that stuck. I just kept at it until I figured it out. Never underestimate the power of persistence! Most every sector I had been in previously, people cared more about the bottom line than people. That just didn’t resonate with me. I always cared more about people than the bottom line, which didn’t exactly have investors lining up at my door! I would say that the business wasn’t widely accepted in the Christian sector, wherein some thought I was “too new age” or the secular sector, who thought I was mentioning this guy Jesus too much. Anything truly good is rarely met without resistance. So, if anything, that just encouraged me. Once people worked up the nerve to attend a class, none of that really mattered. Hearts were softening and lives were being transformed. When everything was up and running, I decided to do something different. I had heard of concierge doctors, and I immediately thought, “Yes, I am like that!” So, instead of booking classes where clients joined in with strangers, I started booking by appointment only for bachelorette groups, retreats, private lessons, etc. I had already changed the venue from a studio to the bay or the beach, so why not flip the entire business model on its head by going directly to the client? I simply followed what God does with us. This is where I really saw changes in individuals and the community.

If there’s one thing I want the world to know, it’s that Walk on Water Yoga is about more than just yoga on a paddleboard or beach yoga. It is far beyond a typical fitness class. You will just have to come and see for yourself!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The most interesting places to check out in the heart of the city would be the Water Wall or the Menlil. If you are in town during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo or the Pasadena Rodeo, those are a must see! To cool off with little ones in the summer months, I recommend the Kemah Boardwalk, getting a snowcone at Sno Beach in Friendswood or an ice cream at Friendswood Scoop Shop. If you are visiting NASA, stop by Frenchies, where the food is amazing, there could be surprise visits from astronauts or movie stars at any given moment, and they treat everyone like family! In Galveston, perfect beach days would include breakfast at Bronco Burrito, Sunflower Cafe, or Mod Coffee, stopping by Southern Spears Surf, booking a yoga appointment with Walk on Water Yoga, visiting the Bryan Museum, eating at Gypsy Joynt, a burger at the Spot, or healthy at Lolo Kai Smoothies and Wraps.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to @lezliebrooks for recommending Walk on Water Yoga’s children’s book, The Legend of Cow Cat! Shoutout to the schools who entrusted me to read to their little ones or teach yoga classes there: Wee Wuns, Providence Classical, and Alvin Community College.

Shoutout to the support I have gotten from the local surfing and real estate community through the years: Southern Spears Surf Shop, Ohana Surf and Skate, Strictly Hardcore Surf Specialties, Galveston Island, Surfside, Waterman’s Restaurant, and The Texas Surf Museum.

Shoutout to all of my clients and friends, particularly the girls I grew up surfing “G-town Brown” with, for believing in my vision and for buying my books, and being repeat customers. Shoutout to Edoo Photography for taking photos when I couldn’t yet afford to pay you what you are worth! Haha. Shoutout to Shannon Reporting, Milby Shannon, and many others who walked alongside me and supported my surf journalism career which led me here. Thank you also to my pro- surfer friends for encouraging me to do yoga or paddleboard yoga: Rochelle Ballard, Kala Alexander, etc.
Thank you mostly to my family.

Website: https://www.walkonwateryogatexas.com/

Instagram: walkonwateryoga

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-honeycutt-a2b98412

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WalkOnWaterYogaLlc/

Other: https://www.amazon.com/Legend-Cow-Cat-Julie-Honeycutt/dp/B0DJG64SZP

Image Credits
personal photo- Keely Marsh Photography
additional photos- Walk on Water Yoga