Who is Robin and what is ROYOLA?

Hello world! Welcome to my little corner of the internet. Allow me to introduce myself and share parts of my story with you. I’m Robin Yolanda Orbeta Lacambra. ROYOLA is a sort-of acronym of my name that a friend started calling me and it managed to stick. I was born and raised in Tkaronto, Turtle Island (Toronto, ON Canada). My parents met in Tkaronto after immigrating from the Philippines, my mom from Quezon, Isabella and my dad from Calaocan, Manila. My mom’s native language is Ilocano, which my dad doesn’t understand. They both speak the colonial language of Tagalog. They tried to protect me from our prejudiced world by cutting me off from their culture and my ancestry. They only ever spoke english to me. I speak French more fluently than I can either Tagalog or Ilocano. I was raised internalizing systems of oppression. I have steadfastly been working to dismantle my inner oppressor since first meeting it in 2004. This work is a life-long practice, friends. So if you’re just meeting your internalized oppressor, buckle up and take care.

I am a mother of two. They are 5 and 3. They are wild. They are sweet. They are my biggest teachers. I am a partner to one of the kindest, most generous and willing humans. He gives me hope that white men can be stewards of social justice.

I am the founder of @goodbodyfeel and #GBFTT, which lives at the intersection of self-care for community care. I call myself an empowered embodiment educator - blending practices like Pilates, yoga and mindfulness. I am a somatic coach, social justice advocate, compassionate business consultant and eager student of diverse movement and mindful practices. I share from anti-oppression, trauma aware and eating disorder informed frameworks because I myself am healing from these things. I have studied with countless amazing teachers that inform the way I teach and share. My most notable are Michael Stone, Dana Regan, Diane Bruni, Yoga Detour and Kathryn Bruni Young. When I realized that my most impactful teachers were white or have passing privilege, it lit a fire under me to get over my imposter syndrome, get visible and get loud so that people that felt I represented them could feel like they could take up space too. These teachers remain strong supporters for me.

I am committed to being a for-profit small business that centres socialist values by experimenting with sliding scale pricing, service exchange and bursaries for marginalized communities; finding a viable balance of access & abundance.

I am passionate about creating and strengthening bridges between different industries and social causes. There is always an intersection worth exploring, uplifting and sharing.

Creation mode is my favourite mode. I created the Sharing Privilege Online course, exploring how we can sustainably share our individual privilege to create more access and abundance for more people. I also offer lectures on Movement for All Bodies: Language and Sequencing (for instructors), Empowered Embodiment: Ego as Ally, Body as Resource, Ambition as Service, and Anchored Ambition: How to grow a career while reducing harm to self, others, and the planet. Online courses for these lectures are coming soon.

I don’t identify as an academic. But I am always learning and am enrolled in some sort of course annually. My advocacy work is born from my lived experience and my compassion for folks that also don’t have the option to live apolitical lives.

Sharing is my jam. Sharing accessible and inclusive spaces has always been a driver in me. I dropped out of university halfway through my 3rd year studying Philosophy, Political Science and French because I had an opportunity to uplift the emerging creative community in Tkaronto, in my dad’s auto-mechanic garage (Rolly’s Garage, now Bellwoods Brewery) on Ossington Avenue. I shared the space with anyone who wanted to try a thing, share their thing, manifest their thing. Often these creatives were priced out of other places or were denied opportunity. People who loved it, loved it. People who hated it, hated it. And it is the same story now with the way that I run GOODBODYFEEL or offer my other practices.

I am aware that I can be polarizing. I am aware of the privileges I hold, and because of the oppression and trauma I have endured or continue to face, I am so committed to sharing whatever privilege I have. I am aware that I have so much more to grow aware of and in my continued awakening, I will cause unintentional harm that I commit to learn from and not repeat.

If you’ve made it all the way here, and you are still down to follow my journey, thank you. This is me. I will post about my offerings, my joys, my family, my heartaches and my hope. My posts might inspire you or make you feel uncomfortable and I invite you to get curious about your reactions. Let us all expand our capacity for full spectrum feels.

My hope is that in continuously sharing my story and journey so candidly, that you’ll feel emboldened to do the same. My hope is that you will feel inspired, not alone, supported and courageous. My hope is that you believe that you truly belong, that you carve out your deserving space without doubt and create connection so that more folks feel the benefits of belonging and compassion.

Ya? Let’s do this.