For most of us, there comes a moment when we pause and ask: Is this it? For Chad Underwood, that moment came during a routine commute to his desk job in Cincinnati. Stuck in the loop of long hours, back pain, and stress-fueled habits, the answer became clear: Something had to change.
So, on a cold day in January, 2013, Chad Underwood walked into his first Modo Yoga class in Cincinnati. A $5 Karma donation, a nudge from his fiancée to “get in shape for the wedding,” and chronic back pain were the catalysts that brought him into the hot room, but he had no idea that moment would shape the next decade of his life.
“I had never done yoga before,” he recalls. “I wore the worst clothes—baggy basketball shorts and a big T-shirt—and remember thinking, ‘Why would anyone do this?’” But despite the awkwardness, something powerful happened: the next morning, Chad woke up without back pain for the first time in years. Two weeks later, he bought an annual pass. That year, he practiced 180 times.
What began as a physical solution quickly evolved into something much deeper. And within a year, Chad had a new vision: to bring Modo Yoga to his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
Coming Home to Purpose
Though Chad had built a stable life working for the U.S. Government after law school, he knew something was missing. His original dream of becoming a high-powered attorney faded during the 2008 recession. “I just kind of fell into public service,” he says. “The jobs dried up, but the government offered good pay and great benefits.” Still, his real passion was entrepreneurship—and community.
That passion collided with purpose during a Christmas visit back to Columbus in 2013. Chad searched for a yoga studio that felt like Modo but came up empty. The idea took root: What if I brought Modo here? “Opening Modo Yoga Columbus became the dream. It was my way to come home, create something meaningful, and impact my community.”
He launched into studio ownership with his legal skills in hand, handling contracts, permits, and incorporation without outsourcing. “We saved thousands early on. And more importantly, I got to build something from the ground up.” His experience as a contract negotiator also gave him a unique calm in chaos—something essential when opening a studio, teaching classes, and still working a demanding day job.
Building Community, Navigating Change
Over the last decade, Chad has learned that balance doesn’t mean doing everything—it means building a team you can trust. “I can’t do it all, and I don’t want to,” he admits. “We’ve hired incredible studio managers. I should be the last line of defense, not the first.”
The Modo pillars guide both his studio leadership and his government work: Be Community, Be Accessible, Live to Learn. Whether managing a contract or a classroom, Chad believes in transparency, inclusivity, and open-hearted learning. “It’s not just about one loud voice,” he says. “It’s about serving the whole.”
That philosophy came into sharp focus when Chad went through a tough business breakup with his original partner. “I was scared to take it on alone,” he says. “But I wasn’t really alone. The community stepped in—teachers took on more, people helped in small but powerful ways. That’s when I understood what we’d really built.”
Anchored in Practice, Inspired by People
Yoga hasn’t just shaped Chad’s professional path—it’s steadied him through life’s hardest chapters: a divorce, the death of his father, infertility struggles. “When the world is spinning, that’s when the practice matters most,” he reflects. “It helps me be the calm in difficult conversations, whether I’m negotiating contracts or navigating personal chaos.”
One moment in particular reminds him why he does this work. A quiet, reserved student who had practiced at Modo Columbus for five years moved away and sent Chad a message. She had rarely spoken to anyone, yet she wrote a powerful email sharing how the studio helped her out of depression and suicidal thoughts. “She said our teachers and the practice helped her let go of pain and find the strength to move forward. I still think about that email to this day.”
Stories like hers keep him grounded—and grateful.
On Dream-Chasing, Legacy, and What’s Next
So how does he do it—two yoga studios, a full-time government job, and a young family?
“It’s not easy,” Chad says plainly. “But nothing worth doing is.” The key, he says, is knowing your “why,” staying organized, and investing in people you trust. “A yoga studio is really a community center. If you’re in it for the right reasons—community, not money—the rest will fall into place.”
To those on the edge of a big dream, unsure whether they can do it, Chad offers a simple truth:
“There’s never a good time to do anything. If your heart is telling you to go for it, don’t think twice.”
In the past year, Chad has opened a second location and welcomed his second child. For now, his goal is to breathe—and continue showing up, day by day, for the people who walk through his doors. Asked to sum up his journey in a single word, Chad answers without hesitation:
“Fulfilling.”
“I see people come in carrying the weight of the world. And I see it lift. Every single day. What could be better than that?”
And now, Modo Yoga is growing again—expanding into Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Dayton, Ohio. The community Chad helped cultivate is just the beginning. If you’ve been dreaming of building something meaningful, of bringing people together and transforming lives through movement and mindfulness, this is your chance.
We’re looking for purpose-driven professionals just like Chad to lead the charge.
👉 Ready to take the leap? Learn more about opening your own studio:
https://modoyoga.com/own-a-studio-form/