One thing that separates good dancers from great dancers is their ability to believe in themselves. It's true for students, teachers, and professionals. When you're pursuing any dream at any stage of life, there is so much power in believing in yourself. But that's a lot easier to say than to actually do. It's hard to translate that into real progress.

In today’s episode, I’ll be sharing about having faith in yourself and believing in your abilities so that you can take that first step towards your goals. We’ll talk about the importance of shifting  your perspective and how, spoiler alert, there really is no top of the staircase. If you've ever wished you had a little more confidence to get started at something new, I'm going to tell you how to take that first step! “Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.” - Dr. Martin Luther King

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Episode Resources: https://chelseapierotti.com/175

 

Are you a flexible dancer or have easily hyperextended joints? Dancers with hypermobile joints might love the ability to show off tricks and skills as a dancer, but is it dangerous to be that hypermobile? I’ve been wanting to talk to a medical professional about hypermobile joints in dancers, so my guest today, a dancer turned doctor, is here to explain it all!

Dr. Linda Bluestein is renowned for her expertise in hypermobility disorders. As the founder of Hypermobility MD, she offers specialized medical care to individuals grappling with all these kinds of conditions. And Dr. Bluestein is the driving force behind Bendy Bodies, a worldwide coaching practice aimed at empowering and supporting individuals with hypermobility, many of whom are dancers. Dr. Bluestein is also the founder and host of a wonderful podcast, Bendy Bodies with Hypermobility MD, where she shares valuable insights and resources.

In this episode, I asked Linda all the questions I think dancers and dance teachers might ask. Dr. Bluestein clarifies the difference between hypermobility and flexibility, when hypermobility is concerning and when it's not, and when and how to get help. She also shared why gut health and flat feet are often related to hypermobility, which I found really interesting, and she has very practical, helpful advice for dance teachers as well. Listen into this crash course in hypermobility with Dr. Linda Bluestein!

Episode Resources: https://chelseapierotti.com/174

Connect with Dr. Bluestein on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hypermobilitymd/

Hypermobility MD’s Website: http://www.hypermobilitymd.com

Listen to Bendy Bodies with Hypermobility MD Podcast: http://www.bendybodiespodcast.com

Follow the Bendy Bodies Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bendy_bodies/

Connect with Linda on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypermobilitymd/

 

This episode is a continued conversation about team leadership. Last week's episode was all about identifying a truly committed team leader and how to help the whole team be more committed. There is an entire spectrum of commitment, and it's very important that any team leader is one of the top two tiers. So if you missed that and are considering a formal team leadership this year, go back to episode 164 and check that out first!

Usually, I’m all for team leadership. There are so many good things that can come of it, but that's only true if it's the right people. There are team dynamics and situations where formal leadership doesn't make sense. In today’s episode, I’ll be sharing about the three reasons not to have dance team captains or formal leadership, especially in high school and college programs. I’ll also discuss the benefits of creating a leadership committee if you have multiple strong leaders on your team. Tune in to hear all about my top three reasons not to have dance team captains and what you could do instead!

Journey to Elite Captain Course: https://chelseapierotti.com/leadership

Episode Resources: https://chelseapierotti.com/165

Dealing with an injury can be devastating to a dancer. And it’s not just the physical pain, but the mental load that we deal with during recovery is substantial. As dance educators, many of us have been through this ourselves, or we’ve had our students struggle with serious injuries that just break our hearts. But why does being injured hurt so much mentally as well as physically, and how do we help? In this episode, I share a case study of how I helped one dancer through a serious injury so you have some tools and ideas you can use the next time you have a dancer who needs support. 

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Show Notes and Resources

https://chelseapierotti.com/77

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to visit me on Instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti for more mental skills advice for dancers.

 

If you’re a dance teacher who feels like you can’t dance like you used to but just chalk it up to being old, you have to listen in to today’s episode. My guest today is a functional dietitian who was also a studio dancer, college dancer, and cheered for the Kansas City Chiefs. Kelsey sat down with me to talk about improving your ability to sustain energy during long performances and competitions and why we need more minerals in our diet. I seriously learned so much, and not to give it all away, but we need more minerals when we’re stressed, which includes physical stress like exercise! Kelsey also shared her important advice about the dangers of coffee (and no, she doesn’t just tell you to quit caffeine) and so much more. 

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Show Notes and Resources

https://chelseapierotti.com/76

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to visit me on Instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti for more mental skills advice for dancers.

Have you heard of the term toxic positivity? It’s becoming a bit of a buzzphrase, so I want to dive into this complicated topic.  I’m seeing it more and more on social media and hearing it in conversations with the dancers I work with. Sometimes is a great conversation, and other times there’s a lot of misinformation going around. I even recently asked my community on Instagram if they had experienced toxic positivity and 96% said yes. There is clearly an issue, and I think it’s time we talk about it. So in this episode, I explain what it is and what it isn’t, give you some common toxically positive phases to avoid, plus some better options of what to say instead.

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Show Notes and Resources

https://chelseapierotti.com/75

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to visit me on Instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti for more mental skills advice for dancers.

As you may know, one of the main themes of this show is resilience. I love talking with successful and talented dancers about their own resilience journey and to hear what they can teach us about perseverance and following your dreams. As for today’s guests specifically, they not only have multiple ballroom championship titles, but they have also coached and worked with some of your favorite dancers on shows like SYTYCD and DWTS. They even wrote a children’s book that I can attest my 6-year-old loved. There are some wonderful words of wisdom in this episode so listen in as Corky Ballas and Carolina Orlovsky share their inspiring stories of resilience and advice for following your dreams.

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Show Notes and Resources

https://chelseapierotti.com/74

ChloeBook.com

@corkyballas

@carolinaorlovsky

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to visit me on Instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti for more mental skills advice for dancers.

There are so many times I’ve heard dances say things like “I can’t do left” or “I’m not a turner.” And of course, there are many times I’ve thought those things too. As a coach, it honestly wasn’t a lot better. I would think, “I wish I could be as talented as she is,” or “I can’t do that like he can.” But I’ve learned something over the years that I want to share with all of you today. We lie to ourselves a lot. Maybe we don’t mean to, maybe we don’t even know it, or maybe we really believe those negative thoughts in our own heads. But we can be better. So let’s talk about the lies we tell ourselves and what they really mean.

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Show Notes and Resources

Freebie: 23 Growth Mindset Questions

https://chelseapierotti.com/73

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to visit me on Instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti for more mental skills advice for dancers.

 

If you are a dance educator long enough, you will go through some big life changes that will impact your career and your dancers. When you have something big happening in your life like a wedding, a medical issue, the birth of a child, or moving, it usually causes a lot of stress and can be hard to navigate as a leader. When I think about my own big life changes over the last 15 years, I know I would start to just go through the motions, or stress about what it all means for my dancers. But even really positive changes can be difficult to cope with. So in this episode, I share some advice about how to handle big life changes as a leader.

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Show Notes and Resources

https://chelseapierotti.com/72

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to visit me on Instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti for more mental skills advice for dancers.

Are you an assistant coach? Do you have an assistant in your program? Maybe you’re in the school setting and lucky enough to be an assistant coach.  Or maybe you’re a head coach doing everything alone and wishing for some help! While this typically applies to a school or all-star setting with head and assistant coaches, it can also apply to studio teachers and owners who have younger teachers that report to you.

If you work with more than one dance educator but you have to be on the same page sometimes and this episode is for you. I’m going to share a little about my journey as a head coach with and without an assistant, and if you have assistants, the 4 questions you should ask them at the beginning of the season, plus if you are the assistant, I have some questions you should make sure to ask of your head coach or studio owner before we get back to the fall season. 

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Freebie Download: Assistant Coach Questions 

https://chelseapierotti.com/71

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to visit me on Instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti for more mental skills advice for dancers.

 

Last summer, I hosted an online conference called the Confident Dancer Summit, where 20 different dance educators came together to teach a short course on different aspects of confidence. It was a great weekend and I decided to share one of those inspiring conversations with you today. One of the summit speakers was Mary Wendt, an incredible woman I’ve had the pleasure of working with a few times. She’s the Education director for the  USASF (or US All-Star Federation). For her class at the summit, she paired up with another USASF director Kinshasa Garret and they brought together other successful coaches and had a panel discussion about increasing dancers' confidence.

This episode is PART 2 of this conversation, so if you missed last episode, go back and start there! Here is part two of the Confident Dancer Summit Panel discussion with Mary Wendt and Kinshasa Garret.

All Resources Mentioned in Today’s Show:

https://chelseapierotti.com/70

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to visit me on Instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti for more mental skills advice for dancers.

Last summer, I hosted an online conference called the Confident Dancer Summit, where 20 different dance educators came together to teach a short course on different aspects of confidence. It was a great weekend and I decided to share one of those inspiring conversations with you today.

This summit class brought together many successful coaches and had a panel discussion about increasing dancers' confidence. I love how this turned out and am excited to share it with you. I’m going to break it up into two parts, so here is part one of the Confident Dancer Summit Panel discussion with Mary Wendt and Kinshasa Garret.

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All Resources Mentioned in Today’s Show:

https://chelseapierotti.com/69

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to visit me on Instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti for more mental skills advice for dancers.

Do you have a teaching or coaching philosophy? Personally, it took me years to come up with my own personal teaching philosophy that was really specific to me and not just words you say on a job application. It took years of experience, challenges, successes, and choices. After all of that time, my personal coaching philosophy is simple but powerful. And above all else, as an educator, I have learned why it's so important to reflect and come up with your own personal teaching or coaching philosophy. So in this episode, I’m going to share why it matters, how it will save you so much time in the future, and some tips to get you started if you haven’t written one before. And of course, I’ve got a free resource for you to help you tackle this if you’re up for it.

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All Resources Mentioned in Today’s Show:

https://chelseapierotti.com/68

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to visit me on Instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti for more mental skills advice for dancers.

I'm hearing coaches and studio owners tell me every day how commitment levels are different and how dancers don't seem as committed as they used to. Then you add the need to have leadership on our teams, either formal or not, and if most of your senior-level dancers aren't committed, now what do you do?

In this episode, I'm going to share the idea of a Commitment Continuum. I’ll break down the six levels of commitment for you because understanding where your dancers fall on that continuum helps you improve their commitment to your program. This continuum will give you a solid foundation to open the conversation with your dancers in which you can set clear expectations about the level of commitment you’re looking for from them. Tune in to learn about the commitment continuum and how you can use it to get more from your dancers!

Roadmap to Choosing the Right Captains: https://chelseapierotti.com/roadmap

Journey to Elite Captain Course: https://chelseapierotti.com/leadership

Episode Resources: https://chelseapierotti.com/164

Today’s guest is Caroline Liviakis, she is the Founder and Executive Artistic Director of the Caroline Liviakis Dance Company (CLDC), choreographing and producing live performances and interactive experiences. In her most recent project, she brings her creative visions to digital form as a choreographer and director of film, music videos, and commercials. Caroline currently teaches at Loyola Marymount University and is currently in pre-production for her debut feature-length film: Lessons In Love.  And towards the end of our conversation, today shared this amazing idea…What happens if dance isn’t just a backup to the star of the show, but dance is actually an integral part of telling the story?! It’s an amazing vision for our dance industry.

Caroline and I talked about transitioning from dancing for fun to choosing it as a career, the importance of connecting with the audience in commercial dance, the importance of cultivating relationships and what networking really means, and some great advice for those of you trying to chase your own dance career passions. 

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/67

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to visit me on Instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti for more mental skills advice for dancers.

This episode is a little heavier, but I’m learning to lean into the hard, so I hope you’ll join me. I’m grateful that there is a growing conversation around mental health, increasing awareness and hopefully supporting your dancers. However, I also think that can leave dance educators feeling like they should be doing more or that they don’t know enough to be responsible. Consider this episode an introduction to help you feel more comfortable with this challenging topic and know where to go next. I’m going to clarify the difference between mental health, mental illness, and mental toughness. I cover some current statistics on mental illness in athletes, and finally, what YOU can do to support your athlete’s mental health.

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All Resources Mentioned in Today’s Show:

https://chelseapierotti.com/66

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to visit me on Instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti for more mental skills advice for dancers.

Today’s guest is Stephanie Westbrook, who is based in Sydney Australia, and currently coaches the University of New South Wales Warriors Premier Dance Teams. Over the years her teams have won multiple National Championships, multiple international bids, and multiple Dance Grand Champion titles, and Stephanie has also received several awards for choreography. In this conversation, Stephanie shared with me that she only gets 1 hour a week with her team… one hour! It’s crazy to me, so I asked her all about building team morale and trust, and she shares some great exercises to try in the summer to set the team up for success, turning things around when morale is low, what it means to be competitive, and Stephanie's great advice to “drop it and swap it!” She also shares advice on how to start a team from scratch and her coaching non-negotiables. This was such a fun interview and I’m excited to share it with you now, let’s get to it!

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to visit me on Instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti for more mental skills advice for dancers.

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/65

If you’re a part of this community, I am pretty confident you are a lifelong learner and someone who cares about being the best version of yourself. Not every dance educator out there will spend time reading books, listening to podcasts, and attending conferences in an effort to improve. But you are here… so let’s talk about personal growth today.  When you are reading or listening and consuming all this new information, is it always focused on how you can be better for your dancers? What about a purely personal mission of YOUR growth? Today let’s focus on you the teacher and coach and not your dancers, here are 5 simple ideas to help you focus on your own growth.

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All Resources Mentioned in Today’s Show:

https://chelseapierotti.com/64

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to visit me on Instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti for more mental skills advice for dancers.

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/64

It’s summer, which for me as a mental performance consultant means busy season! Lots of dance studios and coaches want to focus on mental skills training in the summer, which is great. It’s our “off-season” or as I like to say, “improvement season”. So in today’s episode, I want to address a question I get a lot… when should I teach my dancers about mental skills? It’s a great question, so let’s talk about when it’s best to train for mental skills.

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Interested in having Dr. Chelsea teach a Mental Skills Workshop? 

https://chelseapierotti.com/services

All Resources Mentioned in Today’s Show:

https://chelseapierotti.com/63

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to visit me on Instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti for more mental skills advice for dancers.

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/63

Summer is often a time of vacations and relaxing, but also, intensives and summer camps, and usually whole love of planning! If you are someone like me who loves a good planner, color codes everything and enjoys mapping out your season, I’m excited to share my planning process with you. And if you are NOT a planner, I encourage you to stick around. While it may not come as naturally as it does for others, that doesn’t mean you can’t do it.

If you want to see some growth in your dancers next year, let’s talk about the 4 step planning process that will help you make it happen.

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Annual Reflection Download

https://chelseapierotti.com/reflection

Planner Download

https://chelseapierotti.com/planner

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to visit me on Instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti for more mental skills advice for dancers.

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/62

We know that being a dance coach with a positive impact is more than teaching dance skills and helping your dancers perform well and achieve competitive success. But how? What are the coaching strategies that actually help you teach your dancers those important life skills? How do you challenge them and help your dancers achieve mental strength and perseverance while also supporting their mental health? Well, there are 3 key pillars of being a positive dance coach and it’s all inside the Positive Coaching Framework

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Relevé: A community for coaches on the rise

https://chelseapierotti.com/membership

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to visit me on Instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti for more mental skills advice for dancers.

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/61

In this episode, I talk about the need for a little tough love in coaching. I’m not telling you to be mean and rude, but there is a time and place when it is our job to challenge our dancers. It’s a common misconception that positive coaching means going easy on them, but that’s not true.  This episode explains how to give your dancers some tough love when they need it, because I know sometimes it’s hard to be hard on them. But there is a time and place, and process, for doing just that. And your dancers will be stronger for it.

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Work with Dr. Chelsea

https://chelseapierotti.com/services

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to come visit me on instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti for more mental skills advice for dancers.

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/60

Today's episode features two special guests, who are both professionally accomplished and exceptional dance educators.  As I say in the episode, sometimes you just click with people right away because you are grounded in the same philosophy and approach to life, which is why I clicked so quickly with Joe and Michelle.

In today’s conversation, we talk about our passion for dance and teaching, why we believe dancers can't take a compliment and need support from us now more than ever, and how we can help our students define success and get through the hard times. 

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JAM Podcast

Joe and Michelle’s Dance Podcast

@jamdancepodcast

Thrive Dance Experience

@thrivedanceexperience

https://thrivedanceexperience.com/

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/59

Coaching and teaching dance is hard, it’s really rewarding, but hard. It’s easy to feel beat down sometimes. When your dancers aren’t listening, when the parents are pushing every last button, when your hardworking dancers aren't seeing the competitive success you wish for them… it can feel so defeating.

So today I want to share a short message for you in the hopes it might help on those harder days when you feel like you don’t want to do this anymore. This is a simple mindset shift that might help you through… Never Regret a Day.

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Did you know Dr. Chelsea is available for speaking at your next event?

Learn more at: https://chelseapierotti.com/servies

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to follow me on instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti for more dance mindset tips!

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/58

 

It's really challenging to teach resilience and confidence and motivation if the team culture is awful. Maybe you've been a part of some incredible cultures as a dancer, or maybe you've been part of some really bad ones. Either way, culture is the foundation that all other mental skills need to thrive. Whether you're at a studio or a school team or an all-star gym, the culture of that group can make or break your ability to work on those positive mental skills.

There are twelve ways that you can quickly destroy a culture, which is a lot to go into in just one episode. So in today’s episode, I'll be sharing about three of those culture killers. I’ll break down how a lazy warmup, complaining, and bad body language can affect your team culture. Listen in to learn how to take control of your team culture!

12 Culture Killers Free Resources: https://chelseapierotti.com/culture

Other epidose resources: https://chelseapierotti.com/163

This episode is a continuation of last week where I talked about 3 of the key qualities to look for in a captain. If you choose to have formal leaders, I believe choosing a captain is one of the first and sometimes more difficult decisions you make at the beginning of the season. But once the appointment is made, your work has just begun. Developing leadership skills is an ongoing process, every day, all season long.  You can’t assume they will automatically be a good leader. Even if you believe they have the right personality, they’re a talented athlete, or have already demonstrated skills as a ‘natural leader’. That doesn’t mean they actually know what to do if you give them a leadership role. 

A captain’s influence is powerful. If you spend the time to specifically help your captains develop into the type of leader you want, you will be able to make sure their influence is in line with your vision and direction for the team. Let’s talk about 2 key actions you can take to develop strong leadership skills in your captains.

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Mentioned in the Show:

Free Download: Roadmap to Choosing the Right Captains

Journey to Elite Captain

Self-Paced online leadership course for dance team leaders: Journey to Elite Captain

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to snap a screenshot and tag me on instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti as you’re listening to the episode. 

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/57

If you choose to have captains or formal leaders of any kind on your team, that choice can shape your entire season. And I believe the choice of who makes a good dance team leader has nothing to do with dance technique! When you are thinking about who will make the best leaders, there are 3 key characteristics to look for. And this isn't just me talking from experience, although that’s always in there too. This is based on science and a lot of research on what makes a high-quality, effective peer leader. This episode covers the 3 most important leadership qualities to look for in your dance team captains.

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Mentioned in the Show:

Free Download: Roadmap to Choosing the Right Captains

 

Journey to Elite Captain

Self-Paced online leadership course for dance team leaders: Journey to Elite Captain

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, research references, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/56

I feel like many of us are having a hard time lately. There’s a lot of burnout, overwhelm, and negativity. And I get it! There are so many reasons why our work is hard right now. But you aren’t alone. And sometimes we all need a little pick-me-up and reassurance that we’re on the right track. Over my years of coaching, I’ve definitely had some dark moments. Times when I felt like I was completely lost, a terrible coach, and my team deserved so much better.

But I learned a lot in those dark moments. So today I’m going to share a little advice about what I learned in my darker moments, with the hope it reminds you to look for the bright side.

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Need more support Coach? Check out Relevé: The community for dance coaches on the rise

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/55

 

Have your dancers ever experienced success at competition, and then started to back off on the hard work that got them there and act like they can coast through the rest of the season? This phenomenon of slacking off after success is not something we talk about often in the dance industry, but I think it’s important to address. How do you stay motivated after competitive success? I’ve got 3 tips to help you do just that.

 

Related Episodes Mentioned in the Show

Episode 18: Growth Mindset

Episode 3: Dealing with Disappointment

 

Did you enjoy today’s episode? 

Please share it with your dance friends!

 

Positive team culture doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t happen without a lot of effort and intentional team building. But in today’s episode, I want to share the 4 step process of how to go from a group to a team. And spoiler alert… it includes conflict. You have to go through the storm to come out the other side. So here are the 4 steps to go from a new group that just came together, to a true team that reaches its full potential.

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Looking for help with dance team culture? Dr. Chelsea is available to host workshops with your dance team to help you create the positive team culture you're looking for. Email to inquire about pricing and availability! https://chelseapierotti.com/services 

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to snap a screenshot and tag me on instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti as you’re listening to the episode. 

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/53

Have you ever thought about using your dance experience and education to do something other than teaching dance? Now, if you are a dance educator out there who loves what you do, I’m certainly not the one to tell you to leave. But, I have a guest today who opened my eyes to what is possible for dancers who might be ready to break the mold. I invite you to listen in today with an open mind, and maybe you’ll see things in a new light too. Today’s guest is Erin Pompa, she is the host of the Dance Boss Podcast and helps dance professionals launch virtual group training programs and increase revenue to 5k months. Erin is on a mission to help dance professionals build wealth financially, spiritually, and emotionally.  Erin and I talk about our identities as dancers and dance educators, the mindset challenges of starting your own business and paving your own path, and share some inspiring stories of other dance professionals who have taken the life lessons dance taught them and turned them into a whole new career.

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Mentioned in Today’s Show:

Erin Pride & the Dance Boss Podcast

 https://erinpride.com/

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to snap a screenshot and tag me on instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti as you’re listening to the episode. 

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/52

We all want dancers who are hard working. Dancers who show up and stay focused during class, Dancers who put in 100% effort even if the teacher isn’t looking. But how do you create an environment where classes and practices are full of that type of dedication? In this episode, I share 3 things dance educators can do to encourage hard-working and self-motivated dancers.

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Mentioned in Today’s Show:

23 Statements and Questions to Encourage a Growth Mindset

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Dr. Chelsea would love to speak at your next conference or create a private workshop for you and your dancers. Find out more at https://chelseapierotti.com

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/51

Today is the Passion for Dance Podcast’s birthday! One year ago, I started this journey, and because I launched the show on my actual birthday, it’s also my birthday! So, to celebrate one year and 50 episodes of the show, I figured it was time to share a little more about my own story and some moments in my dance life that shaped who I am today, and why I do this work. I’m getting a little more personal today, but many of you asked to hear my story and I think all of us have important moments in our dance lives that shaped us. And when I went to prepare for this episode and look back over those important moments a pretty clear theme emerged.

All of my life I have been shaped by trying to please others while staying in my values. And the constant struggle between people-pleasing and staying true to who I am, became the foundation of a lot of the work I do now.

So, here is a little bit about my personal dance journey and the lessons that came out of them...

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Mentioned in Today’s Show:

Positive Coaching Framework Free Training

https://chelseapierotti.com/framework

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to snap a screenshot and tag me on instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti as you’re listening to the episode. 

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/50

What if we were “Like a Boy?” Would you treat us differently if we were male athletes? The LSU Tiger Girls had a clear and powerful message in their recent hip hop routine, the choreography was top-notch, and the dancers are so talented. But have you ever wondered what it felt like to coach the team through this journey?

I wanted to celebrate the person behind the team. The one who, along with her assistant coach, had to deliver the bad news when they couldn’t compete, the one who picked them back up and wouldn’t let them quit, and the coach who created a team culture of humble hard-working athletes that stole our hearts and got us all fired up. This is the story of the LSU Tiger Girls, straight from Coach Kandace. 

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Mentioned in Today’s Show:

Instagram: @lsutigergirls

 

Doctors for Dancers

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to snap a screenshot and tag me on instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti as you’re listening to the episode. 

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/49

Do you know the difference between a dietitian and a nutritionist? My guests this week are both, and the distinction is an important one becuase it means they have the education and training, plus the dance background to go with it, so they can support you and your dancers' nutrition needs.  I have Melissa and Yasi from MY Dance Nutrition on the show today, and we purposely wanted to record and get this out to all of you in the thick of competition season when you’re preparing for long days or traveling to national championships because they have great advice for how to fuel your dancers for competition. They even have a bonus for you during the episode, so listen in to hear more about the Fueling for Nationals Coaches Guide. During the episode, we talk about diet culture, our relationship with our bodies as coaches and teachers, that carbs are your friends, recovering from long days, having snack time at practice, and even how to support your dancers around food when they walk into practice eating candy or sugar cereals. 

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Mentioned in Today’s Show:

Website: My Dance Nutrition

Instagram: @mydancenutrition

Click the website link and sign up for our email list to receive the Dancer's Plate handout and bonus - Fueling for Nationals Coaches Guide.

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to snap a screenshot and tag me on instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti as you’re listening to the episode. 

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/48

While I'm on a mission to create happier, more successful dancers through positive mental skills, I'm also someone who loves to be inspired by dancers who are living their dreams and are also honest about the hard work it takes to get there. My guests in today’s episode are here to do just that and pull back the curtain on their journey from studio to competitive college team to the Radio City Rockettes.

Caitlin and Courtney Sullivan, known to many of you as The Sullivan Twins, are here today to share their journey and how their mental skills helped make their dreams happen. They talk about values, content creation, training plans, and, of course, the mindset behind it all. While they are professional dancers and they achieved their dream of being Rockettes, they actually didn't make the cut after their first year auditioning. But their story of resilience and being present in high-pressure situations will inspire you to never give up on your dreams!

Follow the show for more great episodes: https://followthepodcast.com/passionfordance

Episode Resources: https://chelseapierotti.com/162

 

Today's guests are Pro Dance Team Coaches and Founders of the Cultivate Code, Sabrina, and Amira. These women have a wealth of knowledge about dancing in the NBA or NFL and I think a lot of our conversation translates to high school and college teams as well. We talk about mentoring professional dancers and why it’s so different, giving honest feedback as a coach at any level, the importance of coaching the whole dancer, finding your confidence as an NFL or NBA dancer, misconceptions about what it takes to really takes to be successful in the pro dance team world, and my new favorite topic: coaching your dancers to have a learning mindset. Listen in today for great coaching advice from Sabrina and Amira.

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Mentioned in Today’s Show:

Website: The Cultivate Code

Instagram: @thecultivatecode

Growth and Gratitude Journal: https://www.cultivatecode.co/GGJ

3-Day Cultivate Confidence Challenge (happening Feb 6, 7, 9) - https://www.cultivatecode.co/ac

LCS Clean & Confident Waitlist page (cart opening Feb 15-22)  - https://www.cultivatecode.co/lcsccwaitlist

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to snap a screenshot and tag me on instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti as you’re listening to the episode. 

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/47

Making a genuine connection with each of your dancers can be really challenging, but it’s so important as a teacher or coach that we try and connect with our dancers. I’ll be the first to admit that this doesn’t come easily, or rather some relationships are easier than others. Over the years there are dancers where there was an instant and easy connection, and others that took a lot longer. So in this episode, I want to talk about how we can reach out and connect with our dancers using something you may have heard of… Love Languages. 

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Book a Workshop with Dr. Chelsea!

https://chelseapierotti.com/services
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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to snap a screenshot and tag me on Instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti as you’re listening to the episode. 

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/46

Why do we compete? If you have dancers who take on big national championships every year, why? Have they lost track of why? Throughout my consulting career, I’ve had the privilege to travel to a few different national dance team championships, as a mental skills consultant or a judge, and sometimes as a spectator who simply loves watching dance competitions. On the way home from one such event recently I really started to think about what these trips to nationals mean to the dancers and coaches who compete. I know how much time and energy goes into competing, as well as the hard work on the backend from judges and companies who run the event. So, what is it all for?

 

I decided there were 5 lessons that really hit home for me this year, and I hope at least one resonates with you too.

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Join the Community of Dance Coaches: Relevé

https://chelseapierotti.com/membership

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to snap a screenshot and tag me on instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti as you’re listening to the episode. 

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/45

Do you think that being a professional dancer is out of your reach? I definitely thought so as a young dancer, but my guest today taught me a lot about chasing your dreams through being yourself. Joining me today is Sonja McCord, a professional dancer, a marketing expert, and CEO of her own incredible company. Sonja is a classically trained dancer who has performed with  Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Nashville Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and Dance Theatre of Harlem. She is also a pointe shoe specialist for Capezio and has used her marketing expertise to travel internationally to educate, lead, and advise professional dancers, artistic directors, and dance businesses on branding, visibility, marketing, and artist development. Sonja and I talked about having an identity crisis after a professional career ends, building your brand online, being your authentic self and setting clear goals, shaking up the dance industry, and even a little about Beyonce and Lady Gaga. 

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Mentioned in today’s show:

Sonja McCord:

dance@thesonjamccordx.com 

www.thesonjamccordx.com

@STARRINGSONJA

@THESONJAMCCORDX

Mental Skills Workshops with Chelsea

https://chelseapierotti.com/services

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to snap a screenshot and tag me on instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti as you’re listening to the episode. 

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/44

I don’t set New Year’s resolutions, even though I’m a big fan of goal setting. And there’s a good reason I don’t set one big goal for the year. Because in order to have effective goal setting all year, it’s important to have an overarching focus and reason for those goals. I need a sense of purpose first. Sure, it’s good to figure out what you want to change and set goals to make that change happen, but understanding WHY you’re going to change is more valuable. That leads to the HOW which allows for you to set small actionable goals.

So rather than setting a New Year’s resolution, I set a one-word intention for the year, and in this episode, I’ll share why the one word process works, the impact of past words I’ve used, I’ll walk you through my process, and share my word for 2022 with some encouragement that you consider coming up with your own word for the year. 

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Mentioned in today’s show:

Mental Skills Workshops with Chelsea

https://chelseapierotti.com/services

Jon Gordon’s Book: One Word

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to snap a screenshot and tag me on instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti as you’re listening to the episode. 

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/43

I am a firm believer that we should not have to coach alone on an island. And if I’ve learned lessons along the way, I’m going to share those lessons with anyone who’s interested in learning. Plus, I’m invested in my own learning as well. And today I want to take you behind the scenes a bit and share some of the great lessons and resources being shared inside the membership. I talked with 4 member coaches who all shared resources or lessons they learned inside Relevé, so you can listen in today for 4 ideas of mental skills resources you can take with you to your team. From journaling to community support, to mental preparation for competition, these coaches have some great advice to share. 

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Mentioned in today’s show:

Relevé: A Community for Dance Coaches on the Rise

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to snap a screenshot and tag me on instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti as you’re listening to the episode. 

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/42

Mental skills are how you get the most out of your physical skills, and it helps ensure your dancers peak at the right time, and compete at their highest ability. Whatever physical skills you have trained are what you see on the competition floor.

See, confidence is just one aspect of mental skills training, but it’s an important one. And while every coach wants athletes to have mental skills like focus, resilience, and confidence during competitions, we often only talk about them and train for those mental skills during competitions. We try to build resilience and confidence through the act of competing.

But mental skills should be practiced when your body is calm and you aren’t in a stressful environment. You want to practice these skills when you’re relaxed, master them in that scenario, then move on to using those mental skills in competition. This episode gives you one idea of how you can do just that… by developing a pre-performance routine.

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Mentioned in today’s show:

Confident Dancer Formula

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to snap a screenshot and tag me on instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti as you’re listening to the episode. 

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/41

Recently I had the chance to sit down with Bri from Apolla Performance and professional dancer Chelsie Hightower, who you might recognize from So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars. Chelsie and I found each other when a mutual friend connected us because she knew I would resonate with the mission behind Chelsie’s clothing line. Inside Out works to produce dancewear that encourages the next generation to know their worth. That mission for understanding your personal value and worth struck home for me, so I immediately wanted to connect and work with Chelsie.

That brought us both to Apolla’s Beyond the Steps show where Chelsie, Bri and I worked together to try and answer the question, “how do we encourage mental toughness in our dancers while still validating their feelings and emotions? It was such a good conversation I wanted to share it with you here so this is my conversation with Bri and Chelsie about encouraging mental toughness in our dancers.

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Mentioned in today’s show:

Dance Inside Out 

Dance Elevated

Apolla Performance

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to snap a screenshot and tag me on instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti as you’re listening to the episode. 

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/40

I feel like in the dance industry we use the word passion to mean your performance on the floor, to be believable, and truly go for it. But honestly, it’s a lot more than that.

If you have a passion for dance, I have some important news for you to consider: your passion for dance may be hurting you.  In this episode, I share some of the psychological research on passion to highlight the fact that there are two different types of passion: harmonious passion and obsessive passion. I’ve bet you’ve seen both types of passion in the dancers you work with, and maybe even in yourself, and understanding the difference can go a long way to ensure a career filled with joy.

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to snap a screenshot and tag me on instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti as you’re listening to the episode. 

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/39

Work-life balance is a myth, and I have some thoughts on the idea that I want to share with you today. There are so many self-help books and podcasts, and influencers out there telling you how to balance in work and life so that you never feel overwhelmed or guilty. I argue that true balance is impossible.

But not because it’s impossible to balance, but because I don’t believe your life and your work should be in opposition to each other. The phrase “work-life balance” implies these two things are sitting on opposite sides of a scale. And in order to be happy, you have to figure out how to keep these two things balanced every minute of every day. When the scales slightly tip one way or the other, you feel guilt, shame, and a sense of failure. In this episode, I talk about the harm of that myth and what you can do about it.

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Mentioned in the episode: Time management and life organization expert Kelly Nolan

https://www.kellynolan.com/

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to snap a screenshot and tag me on instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti as you’re listening to the episode. 

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/38

One of the most accessible mental skills that makes a real impact on your growth as a dancer is goal setting, but I've seen goal setting fail when it's not done well. While a method like SMART goals can be commonly used, I have a better way. This new method takes a very important step beyond the SMART method, and dancers that I've worked with who used this new method instead saw some pretty amazing results. So let's make sure you're setting yourself up for success.

This episode is part two of a two-part series about goal setting. We’ll break down the GWHOP Method, and I’ll give real-life examples of how I used this method with a team I worked with. By the end of this episode, you'll have a clear roadmap to the scientifically-supported new goal setting strategy, a method that improves motivation, focus, happiness, and performance! 

Values & Goal Setting Course: https://chelseapierotti.com/catalyst

Episode Resources: https://chelseapierotti.com/161

If you’ve ever experienced a rehearsal where dancers aren’t giving full effort, there’s eye-rolling or disrespect, it’s incredibly frustrating and it could be a sign the dancers lack accountability. Accountability is when you do what you say you’re going to do to the best of your ability.  Accountability doesn't mean perfect or without mistakes, but if you promised you’d do something, you do it.  And it’s more than being accountable to the coach or teacher in the room.  We don’t want a group of dancers who only do what they’re told when someone is watching. We want them to do the right thing even if no one sees them. We want a group of dancers where everyone is accountable for themselves AND accountable to each other. 

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to snap a screenshot and tag me on instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti as you’re listening to the episode. 

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/37

Let’s talk about stress. Stress is something we all deal with, but today I want to share something with you that you might not have heard before… science has actually taught us that stress can be good for us! I know that sounds crazy but stick with me for this episode and I’ll tell you all about it. Also, this episode is a little different... I’m going to speak directly to the dancers. Now dance teachers and coaches out there this is will certainly still be helpful for you, but I’ve had some requests recently to cover this topic in a way you could simply share with your dancers. So, this is that episode! Listen in, and then feel free to share with your dancers. This is my take on the upside of a dancer's stress.

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Mentioned in the show:

Stress Management Tools free downlod

Book: The Upside of Stress by Dr. Kelly McGonigal 

*affiliate link*

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to snap a screenshot and tag me on instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti as you’re listening to the episode. 

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/36

Do you feel like competing is an important part of your dance life? What would it look like if your dancers didn’t compete? My guest today is Chasta Hamilton. She is the author of Trash The Trophies: How To Win Without Losing Your Soul, and the owner and artistic director of Stage Door Dance Productions. Chasta is reinventing the dance education model by focusing on character development and community involvement over the traditional competitive approach. Chasta and I agree that dance is a wonderful mechanism for teaching our dancers important life lessons, and I bet many of you agree with that too, but Chasta’s perspective on how dance teaches those life lessons is pretty unique. 

There are affiliate links below, which means I get a small commission if you follow the link to purchase Chasta's book. It's no additional cost to you, and supports both of us!

Mentioned in Today’s Episode

Book: Trash The Trophies: How To Win Without Losing Your Soul

Website: https://chastahamilton.com/

Nonprofit: Girls Geared for Greatness

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Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts!

Be sure to snap a screenshot and tag me on instagram @dr.chelsea.pierotti as you’re listening to the episode. 

Check out the full Show Notes, including episode highlights, key takeaways, exclusive resources, and more: https://chelseapierotti.com/35