Episodes

Summary: When it's time for competition season, there are usually two types of dance teams. First, there’s the dance team who usually all gets along and enjoys working together. Then, there’s the dance team that doesn’t actually get along all...

Do you feel like you have a good work-life balance, or do you feel like the dance side of your life can sometimes tend to take over? If you feel like you have too many passions and it's impossible to do it all, I have a better plan for us: work-life...

Dancers, how far is the gap between what you want and what you actually have right now? If you have big dreams, I hope there's a gap between where you are now and where you want to be. But how big is that gap, and do you have a real sense of the hill...

Dancers today are seemingly terrified of failure. They might be scared to try something in front of other people, or they might be scared of looking silly or stupid in class, and they hold themselves back. As a passionate dance teacher, you've...

Leaders who are happy and effective will create a team of hardworking dancers who enjoy their time together. A negative leader though, can ruin an entire season. I’ve always loved having strong leaders on my dance team, but sometimes the dancer who...

Since it’s Thanksgiving week here in The States, I’ll be taking time off to be with family and away from screens and work, but I didn’t want to leave you without another episode to help improve your dancer's mental toughness. This is a...

Why do people choke? You've been cleaning your routine for months, you’ve spent hours in technique classes, and the routine looks flawless. Then finally the time comes to take the competition floor, and someone chokes with a random mistake that...

As a passionate dance teacher, do you ever feel overwhelmed or struggle with making decisions? I know after a day of teaching, I often struggle to make a simple decision about what to eat for dinner. If you've ever felt overwhelmed, especially with a...

Do you feel like your dancers are focused, dialed in, and confident when it’s time to take the stage, or do they seem nervous, distracted, and scared? As a passionate dance teacher, you might feel like you've done your best to prepare your dancers...

Have you ever looked at another dance teacher who you admire and just felt jealous or had the thought, “How can I compare myself to these top people in the industry whose career I wish I had,” and then use that comparison for inspiration, or if...

Have you ever trained your dancers for a competition, drilling a dance routine over and over, only to have the dancers make a big mistake onstage that came out of nowhere? It feels so frustrating when you think you’ve done all you can to help your...

If you want dancers with more focus in class or more personal accountability, there is one mental skill that dancers need first. Maybe you’re frustrated right now because dancers aren't taking corrections or are just going through the motions in...

In this episode, I’m talking with New York City-based professional dancer, Courtney Ortiz. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to audition and perform in New York City, she shares some great advice on the mental aspects of being a...

Do you need confidence to perform well, or do you need to perform well before you can feel confident about yourself? Confidence is one of the biggest mental skills dancers are usually working on. Whether we are a new studio dancer or a...

Good leaders think about the legacy they want to leave behind, even if they are years away from leaving the helm of the ship. I had the extreme pleasure of watching the national tour of Hamilton when it first came to town, and I left the show inspired...

Helping your dancers find the drive to work hard in class is a constant struggle for a lot of us. I think we all want to help our dancers show up with confidence and work hard every day and teach them to keep fighting when it gets hard. There are a...

My guest today is inspiring the dance world by documenting his return to dance. Miller Daurey is a former professional team dancer who quit dance at 19, just when his career was really taking off. He has a new docuseries called Back to Great where he...

Welcome to part three of my goal-setting series! If this is the first time you're tuning in, please feel free to back up a few episodes and start with part one of this goal-setting series. However, if you’re a loyal listener, you’re set up and...

In last week’s episode, we talked about the different types of goals and why dance competition goals can actually hurt your motivation. In today’s episode, I’m going to add some more info about why goal setting works and how it works, so not...

Summary: Good goal setting improves confidence, motivation, and your actual performance. To be completely real with you, most people get this wrong. I spend a lot of time helping dancers set goals over the summer, and I hear a lot of goals like, “I...

Grit is in the dancer who works so much harder than the naturally-talented dancer who slides by. Grit is in the dancer who doesn't quit on a new skill and in the dancer who gets back up every time she falls. Even if you're not familiar with this term,...

In today’s episode, I’ll be tackling one of the biggest issues I hear about all summer: accountability. I hear from teachers and coaches who feel like it’s gotten so much harder to get their dancers to follow through on expectations lately. I...

In today’s episode, I am back with Dr. Megan Babkes-Stellino to answer some of your questions about dance parents! If you missed part one, pause and go back and listen to Episode 115 (link below!). We had some great feedback and incredible questions...

Summary: Each year I set a word of intention rather than a New Year’s resolution, and I usually stop and do a deep reflection on my intention at the end of the year. Like most of us, I’m always learning and growing, and I’ve learned if I don't...