Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Tabay Atkins

Tabay Atkins is changing the world. After witnessing the debilitating effects of his mother’s struggle with cancer, Tabay dedicated his life to his craft, becoming one of the most sought-after wellness practitioners. He’s worked with industry trailblazers including Deepak Chopra, the Kardashians, and Nike. Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Tabay about his journey in the health and wellness space.

PC: How did you discover your passion for health and wellness?
Tabay: I discovered my passion for health and wellness after watching how yoga practice healed my mom from the effects of chemotherapy and cancer. Seeing that inspired me to start teaching yoga (and other wellness practices) to help others stay healthy and well.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence/impact on your journey thus far?
Tabay: My mom has had the biggest impact on my journey. Everything that I have done and everything that I am is because of her. I would not have gotten into yoga if it wasn’t for her. Her journey toward health and her transformation is what inspired me to help others in their healing process. She has been the most loving, loyal, and supportive person in my whole journey.

PC: How did the partnership with Nike come to fruition? How does their mission align with your own?
Tabay: After following my journey, Nike reached out to me and asked me to be a Nike athlete. My mission is to keep people active and well. Nike is doing that as well but on a much grander scale. By partnering with Nike, I can share my knowledge of health and wellness with their audience, which expands my reach.

PC: You are America’s youngest 500-hours-certified yoga teacher. What has that accomplishment/milestone meant to you?
Tabay: When I was seven, I wanted to start teaching yoga. I didn’t want to start teaching that early so I could be the youngest. I wanted to start teaching that early because I had found my dharma. I knew that I wanted to use this ancient healing practice to help improve health and wellbeing. I started my teacher training and learned all that I could. When I was ten years old, I took my 200-hour vinyasa yoga teacher training. That made me the youngest certified yoga teacher, but more importantly, it made me a teacher. With my 200-hour certificate, I could then start teaching my own classes, which I immediately did. I didn’t stop there though. Since then, I have continued to educate myself in yoga and many other healing practices. I recently got my 300-hour continued education vinyasa certificate, making me the youngest 500-hour certified yoga teacher in the world. That is really cool. But everything I have done to get where I am and all the titles I have earned have not been simply for the titles. It has been so I can be the best yoga teacher for my students. The titles just came because I was so dedicated to start teaching and I happened to be the youngest. I actually didn’t know I was the youngest until after I got certified.

PC: You’ve used your platform to bring awareness to mental health. Have you always known you wanted to use your platform in this way? Why has it been so important to you?
Tabay: In recent years, I have learned more and more about mental health, and I have been using my platform to inform others about it. It is something relatively new that I am teaching and not something that I always knew about. Now that I know about it, I have been teaching people of its importance and how mental health and physical health are interconnected. You can’t have one without the other. Both must be balanced and prioritized.

PC: As we look ahead to the rest of 2022, what’s ahead for you?
Tabay: 2022 has been and will continue to be a busy year full of exciting projects! The year started off pretty exciting when we took over my grandpa’s gas station. We are also opening up a vegan food truck! It is called Tabay’s Mindful Kitchen. It is 100% vegan and 100% delicious! I have learned a lot so far this year. I got certified in plant-based nutrition and became a Reiki Master, and I plan on continuing my education in even more fields of wellness.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Tabay: LEGO’s Ninjago.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Tabay: Johnny English Strikes Again.

PC: Favorite book?
Tabay: Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chögyam Trungpa.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Tabay: Kourosh Yaghmaei.

To keep up with Tabay, follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

Photo Credit: Ben Cope // Stylist – Anna Schilling