Episodes

June 15, 2023

114. You Have To Learn How to Be Comfortable Being Uncomfortable - wi…

Summary: Do your dancers have the growth mindset it takes to really push themselves to improve? In today’s episode, I’ll be talking with the one and only Katie Groven of Dancer-Fitness.com about all things mental and physical flexibility for...

Listen to the Episode
June 8, 2023

113. Don’t Just Insist on More Effort From Your Dancers, There Is a B…

Summary: When we think our dancers are being lazy or don’t care, we tend to yell for full out and push for more energy because we assume the dancers aren’t giving us their full effort. But what actually is effort? How do you know what someone...

Listen to the Episode
June 1, 2023

112. 7 Tips for Effective Communication Between Coaches and Athletes

Summary: Healthy communication with our dancers starts with us dance coaches and teachers. We’re the role models for how we want to communicate in our programs and our studios and our teams. We establish the rules and expectations for how to talk to...

Listen to the Episode
May 25, 2023

111. 6 Dance Science Experts Share How They Would Change Dance Educat…

Today’s episode is an epic collaboration of six dance specialists and dance business owners. It’s a re-release of an episode of my friend Jeanne’s podcast, The Feis Fit Podcast. We all got together to record for her show, and she graciously gave...

Listen to the Episode
May 18, 2023

110. 5 Practical Tips for Team Building like Creating a 5-Star Practi…

Summary: Today’s episode is part three of a three-part series on team building. In the first two episodes of the series, we talked about the two different types of cohesion that your dancers are striving for, and we covered the four different...

Listen to the Episode
May 11, 2023

109. 4 Simple Factors that Influence Your Dance Team's Unity

Summary: Establishing cohesion and unity among a group of dancers is an ongoing process, and anyone who’s been a teacher or a coach for more than one year will probably tell you every group is different. One big reason why each group is different is...

Listen to the Episode
May 4, 2023

108. The 2 Types of Effective Team Bonding You Need This Summer

Team Bonding Series Part 1 Summary: Did you know there are two types of team bonding? I know many coaches believe that if dancers spend time together, both in and out of practice, they will bond. However, if you're not strategic about this, your team...

Listen to the Episode
April 20, 2023

107. From Fear to Intuition: How to find your own path to success

Summary: As a dancer, are you following someone else’s dream or your own? Do you have dreams of becoming a famous professional ballet dancer? Who do you think you need to be in order to be successful in the dance industry? My guest today is Susanne...

Listen to the Episode
April 13, 2023

106. My Top 10 Worst Coaching Mistakes and What to Do Instead

Summary: Whenever an event or a season is coming to a close, I like to think back and notice what went well, what didn't go so well, and what lessons have I learned. As I usually do around this time of year, I was recently reflecting on past seasons....

Listen to the Episode
April 6, 2023

105. Why the Best Leaders Always Share the Credit

Summary: As teachers, studio owners, and coaches, we often don't get credit when things are going well. If our dancers are doing well at competition, they are praised, and rightfully so. If we have a recital that goes off without a hitch, teachers...

Listen to the Episode
March 30, 2023

104. How to Build Positive Team Culture in Your Studio

Building team culture takes hard work. The question is, what must we do in order to actually build a positive team or studio culture with our dancers or how do we turn a negative team culture around? In today’s episode, I’ll be interviewing...

Listen to the Episode
March 23, 2023

103. 3 Tools to Increase a Dancer's Motivation [Framework Part 3]

Do your dancers get lazy sometimes? Do you not know how to motivate athletes as a coach? If your dancers are lacking motivation, there is something you can do about it!   Welcome to Part Three of my Framework Series. In today’s episode, we’ll...

Listen to the Episode
March 16, 2023

102. 3 Tools to Increase a Dancer's Resilience [Framework Part 2]

This episode is part two of the Positive Coaching Framework Series where we’ll discuss how to be a dance coach who truly makes a lasting positive impact on your dancers. If you’ve been teaching for a while, you might agree with me that today’s...

Listen to the Episode
March 9, 2023

101. 3 Tools to Increase a Dancer's Mental Toughness [Framework Part …

Summary: You may have heard there are four pillars to the Passion for Dance podcast: mindset, resilience, motivation, and community. All of the episodes revolve around those themes, and I chose that structure because it comes directly from my Positive...

Listen to the Episode
March 2, 2023

100. Small Moments and the Important People You Share Them With

Welcome to the 100th episode of the Passion for Dance podcast! In honor of the 100th episode, I wanted to do something special. My passion has become a passion for so many of you who are listening, so thank you for continuing to tune in, listen, and...

Listen to the Episode
Feb. 23, 2023

99. Confidence Myths You Should Avoid and What to do Instead

How do we improve our confidence? As teachers and as dancers, building our confidence is a big topic, and there’s a lot to it. I chose to tackle this big topic with a fellow mental performance expert by my side. My guest today is a fellow mental...

Listen to the Episode
Feb. 16, 2023

98. How to Strive for Excellence Without Being a Perfectionist

Are you a perfectionist? Do you work with perfectionist dancers? I was a perfectionist dancer and a coach, but now I’m a recovering perfectionist. Perfectionism is still a regular battle for me, and it’s really common in our dance industry....

Listen to the Episode
Feb. 9, 2023

97. 10 Miracle Benefits of Effective Imagery

Do your dancers like to close their eyes and visualize their routine before taking the stage? Does visualization help improve sport performance or is it just a popular thing dancers like to do? Did you know that visualization or imagery is not just...

Listen to the Episode
Feb. 2, 2023

96. Tips to Help You Prepare for Your Next Audition with Caitlin Sloan

Dancers, do you feel prepared for your next audition? Do you know what company or school you even want to audition for? Today’s episode is for all the dancers out there who are getting ready to audition. Caitlin Sloan of The Brainy Ballerina comes...

Listen to the Episode
Jan. 26, 2023

95. Why You Need a Daily Practice Intention for Growth and Focus

Summary:  The word “intention” is becoming a bit of a buzzword. There are so many influencers and psychologists alike who talk about all of the benefits setting your intention can have on your life, but what about setting an intention for a...

Listen to the Episode
Jan. 19, 2023

94. My Dancers are Being Lazy and Wont Work Hard, What Do I Do?

Summary:  It can be difficult to help someone who is not motivated to work hard. Sometimes we feel pressure, as a teacher, to be the complete source of motivation. Motivation is a mental process that initiates or sometimes it sustains an...

Listen to the Episode
Jan. 12, 2023

93. Why Setting Goals During Competition Season Can Be Harmful and Wh…

As a coach or a dancer, have you revisited the goals you set over the summer or at the beginning of your season? Have those big goals been on the forefront of your mind as you go to practice every week? There is no time like the present to get...

Listen to the Episode
Jan. 5, 2023

92. I May Have Failed in 2022 but I'm Finding my Purpose in 2023

Do you set New Year's resolutions or new goals this time of year, or are you like me and go through a reflection process to choose one word for the year that serves as a compass or a guide? While I do think goals can be very powerful when done...

Listen to the Episode
Dec. 15, 2022

91. How to Feel Happier and Achieve More with Reflection

Summary: Do you ever pause and reflect on your day or your week as a dance educator or a dancer? The truth is, sitting down with your favorite journal and truly reflecting on the current state of things is a bit of a luxury, but it’s one that’s...

Listen to the Episode