Corey Heyman is a force of nature for goodness. She came to South Florida and became a logistics and client care facilitator for a Healthcare company. She also became a yoga instructor.
As someone who sees life’s bitter and sweet moments in technicolor, Heyman gained her footing in the world of yoga over the daily grind of the corporate world. She solidified this wandering life query by teaching yoga around Delray Beach, and on the beach.
It was during the Covid lockdown that she dreamt about creating a place for people to do yoga and come together for a common cause – that of creating a community for self-improvement and joy.
So that is exactly what she did. She got together with local healers, food vendors and others who saw the path of equality outside the confines of a corporate structure. She called it Coco Market and started the journey at Veterans Park with 30 vendors and 40 guests.
Through it all Heyman had a vision for something less concrete, yet more ethereal. “I had been dreaming about creating a safe space for people to explore their own health and wellbeing with no strings attached. I thought I would teach yoga, and people would come to my classes.”
She also thought Coco market would help build her yoga brand. But the creation of any dream leaves the outcome in the hands of something more powerful than the mind can extract.
The irony of this magical thinking changed in an instant. The Coco Market became such a popular Centrifugal force for goodness (and graciousness) that Heyman was busy orchestrating its development. She gathered like-minded locals to show their wares, got yoga instructors to teach classes, healers to heal, added live music and family-friendly activities.
The result was that it changed the vibrational essence of Veterans Park immediately. Though Heyman has only taught one yoga class in the three years of its existence, she has created a haven for those around her. “I was meeting people who had lost their jobs after Covid and wanted to go after their dreams in a big way. They didn’t want to be tied to a corporate structure, they wanted to follow their passions.”
Aris Carrington, who calls himself the Coconut Chief, is one of those people. He started selling coconut water in 2020 and has been thriving as a vendor at the Coco Market now held at Old School Square.
“Coco Market has helped me grow my business. When I visited Florida as a child someone would cut a coconut and put a straw in it so I could drink it. Now I am that person, and the Coco Market has brought it to life. A lot of magic happens there.”
You bet it does. There are free classes that range from yoga and sound healing to growing your own herbs. There are healers like Faryl Moore and healing modalities that range from red light therapy to tarot card readings and healing massage. Coco Mar-ket is also a place where friendship and camaraderie become intertwined in a graceful dance of goodness.
That was the master plan for this New York native, whose father Bill instilled in her a stellar work ethic and love of Yoga.
“Coco Market is my everything – it allows people to be free to be who they are and feel love. We embrace everyone to a fault.”
This intention does indeed fill up Old School Square once a month on a Sunday. Vendors have built businesses and made contacts for future growth. Friendships have been created and vendors and non-profits get to support one another and create a metaphorical circle of awareness.
There is also a sweet reverberation among those who come to show their wares or perform a service. “I know multiple people who moved to Delray because of the market, and couples and best friends who have met there. Friendships and business relationships (even romantic relationships) have formed at Coco Market as well,” said Heyman.
One reason there is such synchronicity in the personal and professional realm is that Heyman looks for people who “pour their blood, sweat and tears into their brand.”
People like Iam Hedendal, owner of Florida Honey Bees.
“Corey’s initiative has united South Florida’s wellness community, providing a thriving space for small businesses like mine to grow. Her passion and dedication have not only strengthened local connections but inspired personal and professional growth for many of us.”
Hedendal sees Heyman as a visionary and compassionate leader who saw a need and filled it with goodness.
You don’t have to convince Laura Reiss, founder of the non-profit Kindness Matters 365 of that. “Corey Heyman is an innovative, creative, conscious community leader. She has dedicated her time to the betterment of each of us by creating safe, joyful, spaces for everyone to enjoy. She also supports small businesses doing really good things in the world. Our community, and the world, is a better place because of Corey.”
Kindness Matters 365 is often at Coco Market handing out buttons that say, “Kindness Matters” and showing onlookers that kindness is not something to dream about, but rather be about.
Nonprofits benefit from Coco Market by getting exposure to raise funds, awareness and meet volunteers. It’s also a place where companies like Altitude Water can be seen and heard. Like all the vendors and guests at Coco Market Alti-tude Water has a higher purpose. They make water out of humidity in the air and have a trailer that can go where natural disasters (like earthquakes and hurricanes) strike.
CEO of Altitude Water, Jeff Szur is in awe of this young woman who creates monthly magic. “Corey is a visionary who created a wellness space that incorporates cutting-edge technologies, education, fun, joy, and vendors selling products needed for a healthy lifestyle and sustainable community. She understands that community is important and so is meeting in an environment that encourages interaction.”
This sense of community is what many were lacking after life began its descent online. Heyman saw it coming and instead of moving aside she created a center of gravity to create real time community.
“After Covid people had a need for community that was paramount. I also saw an uprising of people interested in health and wellness. They wanted to take care of both their mental and physical health.”
Part of this wellness journey is the need for connection. In that realm Heyman is the Master of Ceremonies. She brings in musicians that lighten the load of reality, and people of all ages dance to their own delight. There are hula hoops for the young (and young-at-heart) and drummers who match the heartbeat of those who listen.
It’s as if Heyman has bottled happiness and spread it around Old School Square like a glowing earthly balm. Just last month 200 people took the free morning Kemetic yoga class, and 85 vendors attended.
Heyman puts the entire market together yet shows no signs of angst or stress. She walks around perfectly synced up for the occasion with an ethereal control that seems effortless. She attributes this steady flow of grace to her intention and belief in possibilities that flow with the tide, not against it.
If mindfulness is the key to greatness, then Heyman is a great teacher. She often shows up on Facebook with videos to help viewers navigate through challenging or changing times. She shares what she learned from courses she takes and helps people to unwrap earthly wisdom from wise beings.
To those in her orbit, or circling around it, Heyman is a gift worth cherishing. In one of her latest Facebook posts she wrote, “The right doors won’t open for you until you are the version of yourself that’s supposed to walk through them.”
Everyone knows that Heyman needs no locksmith.
