Ragia Momtaz: Redefining What It Means to Be Rich

My path into wellness began with a desire to take hold of my life during a time of personal challenges. I believed deeply that our habits could help us change our circumstances, and that conviction led me to spend more than a decade exploring yoga and holistic well-being.

I enrolled in IIN’s Health Coach Training Program^™ hoping to expand my wellness knowledge, but the experience gave me something more: a framework that brought the many dimensions of health together and the encouragement to explore my bigger “why.” That process helped me name a dream I once thought was impossible—to write a book.

Today, I’m a yoga instructor, wellness advocate, artist, and author of Are You Rich? (AYR), which explores what it means to live a truly rich life beyond financial success. IIN continues to shape my whole-person approach, reminding me that wellness is never about one practice or area of life. Through my teaching and writing, I encourage others to begin wherever they are, trust the ripple effect of one small change, and build a life rooted in purpose, connection, and well-being.

Q&A: The Beginning

YOU’VE SPENT MORE THAN A DECADE WORKING IN WELLNESS AND YOGA. WHAT FIRST SPARKED YOUR INTEREST IN HOLISTIC HEALTH AND WELL-BEING?

A: My desire to “grab life by the horns,” as they say. I was facing many personal challenges, but I had a strong conviction that my habits could help me overcome anything.

WAS THERE A MOMENT WHEN YOU REALIZED YOU WANTED TO LOOK AT WELLNESS AS SOMETHING MUCH BIGGER THAN ANY ONE PRACTICE OR HABIT?

A: It wasn’t a single moment, but rather a gradual process. What you focus on expands, and when you’re passionate about something, it consumes you. Social media and social interactions can be great indicators of where your interests are leading you. My connections with like-minded people and the content appearing in my social media feeds were already taking me in that direction.

Q&A: Discovering IIN

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO ENROLL AT IIN, AND WHAT WERE YOU HOPING TO GAIN FROM THE EXPERIENCE?

A: My initial inspiration and the ultimate outcome were very different. At first, I enrolled simply to gain more general knowledge about wellness. But as I moved through the modules, IIN kept returning to the question, “What is your big why?” The program ensured that students developed their own sense of direction throughout the process.

Without thinking too much about it at the time, I said that my big why was to write a book. Back then, I thought I was being delusional.

YOU’VE DESCRIBED IIN AS THE “CONTAINER” THAT HELPED BRING EVERYTHING YOU WERE LEARNING ABOUT WELLNESS TOGETHER. WHAT DID THAT EXPERIENCE GIVE YOU THAT YOU WERE LOOKING FOR?

A: IIN felt like it tied all the loose ends together. It covered a vast subject but divided it into segments that made it easy and accessible for everyone, no matter where they were in their own journey.

WAS THERE A PARTICULAR CONCEPT OR LESSON FROM IIN THAT CONTINUES TO INFLUENCE THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT HOLISTIC WELLNESS TODAY?

A: Yes, the Circle of Life Tool®

The Circle of Life Tool® divides the different areas of your life into categories, helping you quickly identify where something may be lacking at any given moment. Those areas are always changing, which is part of the tool’s beauty. It reminds us that we are constantly evolving and that investing in ourselves will always be one of the greatest investments we can make.

First, identify the area that needs attention. Then, one step at a time, take meaningful action toward your individual well-being.

Q&A: From Teaching to Writing

YOU BEGAN SHARING BOOKLETS WITH YOUR YOGA STUDENTS AS A WAY TO ENCOURAGE HOLISTIC LIVING. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START PUTTING YOUR IDEAS ON PAPER?

A: I often found that students thought yoga or a healthy diet alone would fix a specific issue. But the answer is rarely that simple. To find balance, we must look at wellness from all angles.

When we are “not well,” the root cause is often much deeper. There is no quick fix or temporary Band-Aid. If an issue keeps recurring, it is often the body’s cry for help. That cry may be subtle at first, but if we don’t listen, it will intensify.

I began putting my ideas on paper to help my students better understand these connections. The good news is that when we truly listen to what the body is trying to tell us, we can find answers through holistic living. Once we begin improving one area of our lives by changing our habits, a domino effect unfolds, motivating us to do more of what is good for ourselves and others.

WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE TO HEAR FROM STUDENTS YEARS LATER AND LEARN THAT SOMETHING YOU SHARED STAYED WITH THEM OR MADE A DIFFERENCE IN THEIR LIVES?

A: When you follow your purpose wholeheartedly and realize that you’ve made a difference in someone’s life, there is no greater win, in my opinion. Since I was a little girl, I have aspired to make the world a better place.

WHAT INSPIRED THE AYR (ARE YOU RICH?) METHOD, AND WHAT DOES “RICH” MEAN TO YOU WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT A TRULY WELL-LIVED LIFE?

A: This is actually an interesting story, and I’m glad you’re bringing me back to it. The idea came from a conversation with friends about the people they considered successful. They only spoke about monetary wealth.

I didn’t see success that way at all. Some of the people they mentioned had stress-related health issues, difficult relationships with their families, and were generally unpleasant to be around. If monetary wealth is someone’s only measure of success, I believe they are in for a big disappointment.

To me, being rich means having a solid connection with the divine while nurturing yourself and others. It means knowing your passions and understanding what makes you eager to begin each day.

Q&A: The IIN Experience

LOOKING BACK, HOW DID IIN SUPPORT YOUR GROWTH—NOT ONLY AS A COACH, BUT AS A PERSON?

A: IIN encouraged me to look at wellness through a broader lens and consider my own relationship with health and well-being alongside the work I wanted to do with others.

That’s important to me because I don’t believe coaching is about standing outside someone’s life and telling them what to do.

It’s about curiosity, partnership, reflection, and helping people recognize their own capacity for change.

In many ways, the experience expanded the vocabulary I have for something I’ve been exploring throughout my career: What helps human beings thrive?

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE WHO FEELS CALLED TO HEALTH COACHING BUT ISN’T SURE THEY’RE “READY” YET?

A: I would ask them to get curious about what “ready” means.

Sometimes we’re waiting for readiness to feel like certainty. But many meaningful transitions begin before certainty arrives.

You don’t have to know exactly what your coaching practice will look like five years from now. You can begin by learning, experimenting, listening, and paying attention to what keeps calling you.

My own journey didn’t happen in a straight line. Education, leadership, trauma-informed practice, neuroscience, health coaching, entrepreneurship—they may look like separate chapters, but they’re part of the same story.

Sometimes the path makes more sense when you look backward.

Q&A: Making Wellness Personal

YOUR APPROACH ENCOURAGES PEOPLE TO LOOK AT WELLNESS HOLISTICALLY. WHAT AREAS OF LIFE DO YOU THINK WE SOMETIMES OVERLOOK WHEN CONSIDERING WHETHER WE’RE TRULY WELL?

A: Our thoughts and thinking create patterns. If you allow yourself to stay down, you will remain down. But if you grab life by the horns, as I mentioned earlier, everything will eventually settle into place—one step at a time and one day at a time.

FOR SOMEONE WHO FEELS OVERWHELMED BY EVERYTHING THEY THINK THEY “SHOULD” BE DOING FOR THEIR HEALTH, WHERE WOULD YOU ENCOURAGE THEM TO BEGIN?

A: Honestly, anywhere. Just one step in the right direction can create a ripple effect. You begin wanting more of what makes you feel good. You are the best person to determine where you want to begin. Start small and start slowly.

WHAT IS ONE PRACTICE OR PERSPECTIVE FROM YOUR OWN WELLNESS JOURNEY THAT YOU RETURN TO AGAIN AND AGAIN?

A: The power of our thoughts. I return to this again and again because it is my greatest struggle. There comes a point when you wake up and decide that you’ve had enough of your own self-sabotaging patterns.

For me, exercising, eating well, and creating healthy habits come easily. They are nonnegotiable and second nature. But I believe the essence and foundation of wellness is our ability to manage worry and negative thinking while maintaining a clear direction in life through faith. When I can sustain that mindset, everything falls into place.

Q&A: Reflection & Perspective

HOW HAS YOUR DEFINITION OF WELLNESS EVOLVED SINCE YOU FIRST BEGAN TEACHING YOGA?

A: It’s a beautiful journey that continues to unfold. Sometimes it’s pleasant, and sometimes it’s challenging, but it’s all part of the process. The truth is, I have learned the most from my setbacks.

I experienced an injury that forced me to stop teaching and practicing yoga. At first, I was devastated. Gradually, however, I realized it was time to shift my attention. My book became my main priority, and now, in retrospect, I see the injury as a tremendous blessing in disguise.

In the past, I sometimes used wellness as an escape from facing “real-life” priorities. My perspective has since shifted dramatically. Now, I face real life, and wellness supports me throughout the journey. It can be deeply uncomfortable because it takes me completely outside my comfort zone, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I find strength and stability in my wellness habits. Wellness has shown me—sometimes gradually and sometimes forcefully—what matters most. An authentic journey will not always be comfortable, but it will always be worth it.

WHAT HAS YOUR WORK TAUGHT YOU ABOUT THE POWER OF GIVING PEOPLE TOOLS THEY CAN USE FOR THEMSELVES?

A: This is my life’s purpose, word for word. I’m glad you’re expressing my passion with so much clarity. My work has taught me that the tools will continue to change and evolve, but the results are always magical.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN CARRYING A PASSION OR IDEA FOR YEARS BUT HASN’T YET TAKEN THE FIRST STEP TO BRING IT TO LIFE?

A: Just take one small step. That step could be having a conversation with the right person or enrolling in a course.

Q&A: Fun Favorites

WHAT’S ONE WELLNESS RITUAL YOU NEVER GET TIRED OF?

A: Connecting with nature. I’m fascinated by flowers and trees, and I love simply observing them.

IF YOU COULD SPEND A DAY LEARNING FROM ANY WELLNESS TEACHER, AUTHOR, OR THOUGHT LEADER, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY?

A: Elif Shafak, author of The Forty Rules of Love. She is an incredibly talented writer who weaves fiction and fact together in an unconventional way and with so much depth.

IF YOU COULD BE ANY FRUIT OR VEGETABLE, WHICH WOULD YOU BE—AND WHY?

A: A mango. I always say that mangoes accidentally fell from heaven to Earth.