Today I spoke with Haylee Thompson of Rethink Dance. Haylee is a dance enthusiast from Willmar, MN. She studied Dance Ed at the University of Auckland in NZ was inspired to bring back her knowledge & teach dance to all ages and abilities.

Haylee encourages people around her to pursue their passions & be exactly who they were created to be. Her positivity and authenticity inspires others to reach their highest potential and has led to the creation of Rethink Dance.

Rethink is on a mission to create a global community committed to understanding others, shifting perceptions, and changing lives. Through educational programs, outreach, volunteering, and an annual film festival Rethink beautifully connects the community through dance.

To connect and get involved with Rethink:

Website: www.rethinkdance.com

Instagram: @rethinkdance

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on my personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use any of the content to diagnose you or anyone else of any mental or health condition.

If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow the pod on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave a review. (I might even read it on the next episode!)

And don't forget to check out the show sponsor, @we.are.minding, or at www.wearemindingthegap.org

Today I spoke with Nina Madsen Puckett of Erase the Stigma Through Dance. She very bravely shares her journey with mental health and how that journey has inspired a platform for mental health advocacy. Just a heads up you will hear a few bleeps in the conversation. These are present simply to delete specific medication names mentioned on the show, and are there for health and safety purposes.

Nina is a dancer, choreographer, licensed massage therapist, business owner and mental health advocate.  She has her BFA in Dance from UNCG and also studied at the Theatre Academy of Finland and the Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts.  She is a Certified Movement Analyst from the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies and founded Erase in 2020.

To connect with Nina and Erase the Stigma:

Website: www.erasethroughdance.org

Instagram and Facebook: @erasethroughdance

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional. Anything you hear me say on the show is based on my personal experience and perspectives and should not be considered medical advice. By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use any of the content to diagnose you or anyone else with any mental or health condition.

If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/ Other resources can be found here:   

The theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow the pod on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave a review. (I might even read it on the next episode!)

And don't forget to check out the show sponsor, @we.are.minding, or at www.wearemindingthegap.org

Today I spoke with Josh Spell, licensed social worker. He danced with Pacific Northwest Ballet & Kansas City Ballet. He currently works with dancers around the country centering on dance from a holistic perspective and offering a variety of mental health tools.

Today, I finally talk about THE topic, eating disorders. I mention in the interview, that I kind of feel like I have been putting it off, honestly. I’m not sure why, but when I have been putting something off and check in with myself, it is usually because of some deeper reason. In this case, it's my own struggle with disordered eating. I finally felt ready to broach the subject, and Josh did not disappoint.

He specializes in the treatment and prevention of eating disorders and has created a specially designed protocol he is currently implementing with the Pacific Northwest Ballet School. He gives some great practical advice for teachers, directors, and parents of dancers on how and when to communicate with dancers who may be struggling.

This was such an informative conversation full of great advice for teachers, directors, and parents, and I can’t wait for you to listen!

To connect with Josh:

Website:

https://flexiblemindcounseling.org/

Instagram:

@spellbound20

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on my personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use any of the content to diagnose you or anyone else of any mental or health condition.

If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow the pod on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave a review. (I might even read it on the next episode!)

And don't forget to check out the show sponsor, @we.are.minding, or at www.wearemindingthegap.org

Today’s episode is a truly uplifting example of how dance institutions can bring in programming to facilitate the development of excellence in dance, without compromising dancers’ mental health. In fact, they can work to improve the dancers’ quality of life!

I spoke with Sarah Gonzales, the Pre-Professional Education Program Director at Keshet Dance and Center for the Arts. At Keshet, their vision is, “To celebrate the art of dance and be a welcoming home for the intersection of the arts, artists, and audience; actuating a flourishing environment for empowered individuals, nurtured communities, and sustained equity.” Not only is this their vision, but it is manifested in an amazing program full of mentorship, excellence, and love.

My hope, or at least one of them anyway, for the future of ballet, would be for all dance institutions to adopt similar visions and facilitate happy, healthy, well-rounded dancers.

To connect with Keshet:

Website: http://www.keshetarts.org/

Instagram: @keshetdanceco

Facebook: @KeshetArts

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on my personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use any of the content to diagnose you or anyone else of any mental or health condition.

If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow the pod on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave a review. (I might even read it on the next episode!)

And don't forget to check out the show sponsor, @we.are.minding, or at www.wearemindingthegap.org

Hello dancers! Today I am doing something a little different. I had on the pod my good friend Olivia Cinculli. (you might remember her from season 2, episode 3, where she spoke about her own retirement journey, mental health, and becoming a mom). Olivia and I share our experiences with ballet on TV and in movies. How we feel about them, share about how they’ve affected us, and ask some pretty big questions about how they affect the ballet culture and how audiences view dancers because of them.

Also, before we get started, when we are talking about male and female genders and depicted roles, we explore the bulk of TV shows and movies in mainstream media. Unfortunately, these explore mostly cis-gendered roles, so that is the primary context of our conversation today.

This episode may have some topics that may not be suitable for all ages or that may be triggering for some. Parental discretion is advised. There is mention of abuse, drug use, and eating disorders.

There is a lot of ballet-related content out there, and our discussion cannot cover all of it, but we’ve done some homework, and I think this will be an entertaining discussion.

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on my personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use any of the content to diagnose you or anyone else of any mental or health condition.

Follow Olivia on IG @oliviahcianciulli_dance

If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow the pod on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave a review. (I might even read it on the next episode!)

And don't forget to check out the show sponsor, @we.are.minding, or at www.wearemindingthegap.org

We have all heard that dancers need “tough love” to succeed in an oftentimes harsh environment. With everything we’ve learned this season about dancers’ resilience (see episode 8 for more!) I am starting to question a lot of practices that, I will admit, have used in the classroom. But what does tough love mean, really? Where’s the line? What works and what doesn’t from a psychological standpoint? What damage can be done along the way?

In this episode, I sat down with Jo-Anne La Flèche, the resident psychologist at L’École Supérieure de Ballet du Québec to uncover just how positive tough love can give dancers of all ages exactly what they need.

Jo-Anne is also the Co-President of Healthy Dancer Canada. To find their resources, follow them on IG  @healthydancer_canada or on their website, https://www.healthydancercanada.org/

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on my personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use any of the content to diagnose yourself or anyone else of any mental or health condition.

If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow the pod on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave a review. (I might even read it on the next episode!)

Autonomy. Did you know that this is one of the forces behind motivation, passion, and even burnout? Having autonomy helps you feel most... yourself. It helps to grow your intrinsic (inner) motivation. It is what makes you feel whole in the moment and encourages you to keep going, even when things get difficult.

I spoke with the brilliant Dr. Sanna Nordin-Bates, a leading sports psychologist and lecturer in the dance field at the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences. Her research spans topics like creativity, disordered eating, and so many more. We sat down to chat about what autonomy is and how it can help dancers young and old. We cover everything from motivation, burnout, teaching ideas and so much more. 

To learn more about Sanna’s research, click here.

You can follow her on Twitter @DancePsychSanna

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Also, a special thanks to the show sponsor, Minding the Gap.

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave the pod a review. (I might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, I'd love to hear from you!

Parents... amIright? They’re always advocating for us, looking out for us, loving us, and helping us become our best... but parenting is hard (from what I hear, anyway). And parenting a preprofessional dancer today comes with its own set of challenges, family dynamics, and ups and downs. I was so thrilled to sit down with the one and only Jennifer Milner and hash it all out. Jennifer Milner is a ballet coach and Pilates trainer specializing in dancers. After a successful dancing career, she got certified in Pilates and mentored under Marika Molnar for dance medicine. She’s trained dancers from the Royal Ballet, NYCB, ABT, San Francisco Ballet, Kirov Ballet, and more. Jennifer is passionate about shaping healthy dancers, both physically and emotionally. Not only has Jennifer accomplished so much in the ballet world, but she is also a ballet mom. We spoke about the challenges kids face today, what choices she and her family have made, and how she helps her students and their parents navigate those challenges. She even gives some genius suggestions on how to have those uncomfortable conversations with your artistic director or teacher when you feel like something isn’t quite right. Whether you are a parent, student, teacher, or professional dancer, this episode has something for everyone. To Connect with Jennifer, you can find her: IG @jennifer.milner FB https://www.facebook.com/jennifermilnerbodiesinmotion Website: www.jennifer-milner.com  Stay up-to-date with her partnership with minding the gap at www.wearemindingthegap.org Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/ Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0). Follow us on Instagram! Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com If you relate and find this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, I’d love to hear from you!

It is turning into a very nerdy November! Today I had the honor of speaking with Dr. Paula Thompson.

Paula is a Professor and dance coordinator in the Department of Kinesiology, California State University, Northridge. She is also a licensed Clinical Psychologist, a certified Sport Psychologist, and works in private practice in Tarzana, California. For over thirty years Paula Thomson has been a teacher at numerous international schools, most notably Julliard School of Music, Banff School of Fine Arts, University of Cape Town - South Africa, the University of Limerick in Ireland, Opera Works,  Stratford Shakespearean Festival, and the Canadian Opera Company.

Paula has an impressive body of research on several mental health topics for dancers. Today we spoke about how childhood and adult trauma can affect the rate of injuries, orthopedic surgeries, and recovery outcomes. It was fascinating and really sheds some light on why managing mental health is so important!

To learn more about Paula’s work, click here: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Paula-Thomson

To read her books, click here:

https://g.co/kgs/6b15cu

For the IADMS webinar on mental health for dancers, watch here:

https://iadms.org/our-programs/webinars/

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and find this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave me a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

Time for a research update! Strap in because this is a super-sized episode! I just couldn’t cut any of these nuggets! Today I was able to speak with Minding the Gap‘s very own Kathleen Gaines to get a breakdown of the amazing mental health research being done at Point Park Univeristy. The results are in from the first round of research and boy let me tell ya...there were some shocking revelations.

We talk about everything from self-esteem, anxiety, depression, body-physique anxiety, resilience, and how dancers cope with it all! The research is fascinating, but even more so are the ways in which the school and teachers are making real changes in the classroom every day, and are seeing the dancers dance better!

It doesn’t have to take several generations to make a change! These are just a few small examples of easy changes schools and companies can make to make learning and working environments safer, happier, and healthier!

To connect with Minding the Gap you can visit the website at:

https://www.wearemindingthegap.org/

on IG @we.are.minding

On FB @wearemindingthegap

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and find this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (I might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make the show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, I'd love to hear from you!

Hello dancers! Just popping in to say hello. I have a couple of updates to share with you today and will be back next time with an incredible guest with some mind-blowing research. Cannot wait to share with you!

ALSO, Drop in the comments…

1. Your FAVORITE guest so far who you’d like to hear more from
2. Your DREAM guest who you know would have a lot of great things to share!

Thanks again to all of you for supporting me in this journey. I am so grateful for each and every one of your likes, messages, reviews, follows, and encouraging words!

As always. If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room.

If you are curious about finding mental health help, you can find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services. Just check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow me on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (I might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

Today I spoke with Caitlin Sloan, who you may know on IG as the Brainy Ballerina! Caitlin is a dance educator and career mentor based in Madison, WI. Following a decade-long career dancing with companies including Ballet Tucson and Missouri Contemporary Ballet, she founded The Brainy Ballerina. The mission of The Brainy Ballerina is to empower aspiring dancers with the tools they need to succeed in a professional career both on and off the stage.

We spoke about how she has built a business around helping dancers navigate their careers, but also about how she has been able to implement these strategies into her own life. She also speaks candidly about her own struggle with mental health and how therapy changed her life.  From retirement, directorship, motherhood, and beyond, The Brainy Ballerina is definitely someone to follow.

To connect with Caitlin, visit her:

Website: https://www.thebrainyballerina.com

Etsy: Etsy.com/shop/thebrainyballerina

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/thebrainyballerina

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/thebrainyballerina

Pinterest: www.Pinterest.com/thebrainyballerina

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, I’d love to hear from you!

Today I spoke with Leigh Skvarla, National certified counselor and advisor to Minding the Gap. We focus on her work around self-talk as well as checking in on the state of ballet companies and dancing mothers.

We dive deep into what self-talk is, what is “good vs. bad” (it’s not what you might think!), how it affects us in and out of the studio, and how parents, teachers, and other dance leaders can facilitate productive self-talk, not just for performance, but for life!

We also touch on a very hot topic these days in the dance world…dancing mothers. Advocacy for you and your child’s rights, getting back to dancing and making sure you have the right team around you.

Leigh Skvarla is a licensed professional counselor who holds a Ph.D. in Sport & Exercise Psychology and a Master’s in Counseling from West Virginia University. An honors graduate of Bucknell University, Leigh now lives and works in western Pennsylvania, and serves as the co-founder of The Center for Grit and Growth and an associate advisor for Minding the Gap.

To connect with Leigh, check her out here:

The Center for Grit and Growth (co-founder):

Website - https://thecenterforgritandgrowth.com

Instagram - @the_center_for_grit_and_growth

Minding the Gap (affiliate/adviser):

Website - https://www.wearemindingthegap.org/

Instagram - @we.are.minding

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on my personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use any of the content to diagnose you or anyone else of any mental or health condition.

If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow the pod on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave a review. (I might even read it on the next episode!)

And don't forget to check out the show sponsor, @we.are.minding, or at www.wearemindingthegap.org

Today I spoke with Christopher Hampson. Aside from his notable credits as a dancer and choreographer with companies like English National Ballet, Christopher joined Scottish Ballet as Artistic Director in 2012 and was appointed CEO/Artistic Director in 2015. The Company has performed across the world, and Christopher has brought some of the most sought-after dance creators to work with Scottish Ballet, while also developing in-house talent. Christopher is on the Boards of Central School of Ballet and Ballet Black.

In this episode, we chatted about many aspects of the ballet world where change must happen. From issues with artistic leadership, power dynamics in a ballet company, diversity in ballet, to helping dancers retire, this conversation was one for the books.

To connect with Scottish Ballet:

https://www.scottishballet.co.uk/

IG: @scottishballet

Facebook @scottishballet

Christopher’s response piece to the Guardian article mentioned in the show: https://www.scottishballet.co.uk/articles/does-ballet-have-a-race-problem

Christopher’s Ted Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FjeP9_YmiU

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

...and don't forget to check out our sponsor, Minding the Gap at www.wearemindingthegap.org

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

Today I spoke with Jenny Accettura, a Registered Dietitian and founder of Centre Stage Nutrition.  With a 17 year history in dance that included ballet, contemporary and Scottish dancing, she understands the unique challenges that dancers face in fuelling for performance with unrealistic body image expectations.  Her passion is helping aspiring, professional, and retired dancers fuel for optimal performance and build a healthy relationship with food through 1:1 counseling and nutrition workshops.

To connect with Jenny, you can find her

• On Instagram @centrestagenutrition
• Or at www.centrestagenutrition.com

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow me on Instagram! @dancebetterpodcast

Don’t forget to check out the show’s sponsor, Minding the Gap at www.wearemindingthegap.org

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (I might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make the show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, I’d love to hear from you!

Today I spoke with the brilliant Alice Aschwanden, the owner of En Pointe Consulting, a career and mindset coaching business for dancers. Alice is a ballet geek who tried, and failed, to put away her pointe shoes.

She danced professionally with Alberta Ballet and Zurich Ballet, and after a successful career went on to university to complete a Bachelor of Arts (psychology) and a Master of Social Work (counseling). She taught ballet, pilates, and barre, and worked in the education sector, before pivoting to her dream role- a mindset and career coach for dancers.

She works 1:1 and in small groups with aspiring and professional ballet dancers, and even with parents of young dancers, helping them to gain the courage, confidence, and clarity to thrive, both inside and outside of the studio.

To connect with Alice, follow her on IG @enpointeconsulting or go to her website: www.enpointe.org

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

Check out our sponsor, Minding the Gap here

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (I might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

Today I spoke with my good friend and fellow teacher, Olivia Cianciulli. Olivia has danced with the Joffrey Ballet, Ballet Theatre of Maryland, Charlottesville Ballet, and The Louisville Ballet. Olivia has trained in both the United States and abroad while working with many notable ballet instructors from around the world. She currently serves as an instructor at the former Pennsylvania Ballet, now Philadelphia Ballet, as well as Wayne Ballet… and she is the mom to two beautiful kids and wife of another former dancer, now pianist, Joe Cianciulli.

We spoke about the ins and outs of retirement, mental health, and how she came back to ballet through a discovered love of teaching.

To connect with Olivia, check out her IG @oliviahcianciulli_dance

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

Today I had the pleasure of having back my podcast bestie, Courtney along with Ola Tarnowski to talk about the ballet company reimagined. Ola is an Indianapolis-based professional ballet dancer, theatre performer, dance educator, and Pilates instructor. She co-founded Ballet Initiative, a dance collective, which focuses on providing a safe, inclusive, artist-forward environment for local professional dancers.

You can connect with Ballet INitiative

www.balletinitiative.org
Instagram @BalletINitiative
Facebook: @balletinitiativeindy

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is personal experiences and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out Mental Health America. 

Today's episode is proudly sponsored by Minding The Gap. You can learn more about their services here: www.wearemindingthegap.org

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

Welcome to Season 2 Everyone! So happy to be back and learning with all of you!

In today's episode, I spoke with two representatives from Dancers Connect.de Dominic Hodal and Shai Ottolenghi. Dancers Connect De is a neutral and informal platform aimed at professional dancers in permanently employed ensembles as well as the independent dance scene in Germany, but open for all.

Their mission is to create safe spaces for communication and discussion, promote education and information sharing, advocate for the dancers perspective and encourage artists to actively participate in all aspects of their art form and society, and to take action towards more fair and supportive working structures for artists is an inspirational and aspirational one. Their organization is an inspiring story, and an important one in the global inclusivity and fair work conversation in dance.

To follow and connect with Dancers Connect De, follow them...

Instagram: @dancersconnect.de
Facebook: @dancersconnect.de
web: www.dancersconnect.de

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on personal experiences and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out Mental Health America www.mhanational.org

Today's episode is proudly sponsored by Minding The Gap. You can learn more about their services here: www.wearemindingthegap.org

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

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For this week, Courtney and Sarah wanted to catch you guys up on a few things... First, they go back and reflect on THIRTY EPISODES in Season 1! It has been an incredible journey of growth, friendship, and learning so many things about the ballet world, and how it can and will move forward. And they make a bittersweet announcement. Sadly, this will be the last episode with Courtney, as she moves into the next phase of her life as an entrepreneur, but do not fear! Sarah will be back with SEASON TWO in just four weeks. To continue following Courtney on her journey and connect with her go to: www.courtneyulrich.com and of course, follow her on Instagram @courtulrich, and join her Facebook group, Strong and Struggling Zillenial Women here!  Please remember that Sarah and Courtney are mental health professionals, and anything you hear them say are experiences from their lives and should not be considered medical advice. If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/ Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0). Follow the pod on Instagram! Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (I might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

Today Sarah and Courtney spoke with Zachary Whittenburg about many areas of ballet culture: hiring practices, company structure, inclusivity, and how all of that ties into the mental health of dancers.

Zac spent ten years as a professional dancer followed by a freelance career including performance, teaching, and choreographic work with many prominent companies including Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, BJM Danse Montréal, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and North Carolina Dance Theatre, now Charlotte Ballet. Zac is a regular contributor to Dance Magazine, a panelist and guest speaker, and tweets @trailerpilot about contemporary culture, politics, and the performing arts.

Founding board secretary for the Chicago Dance History Project, he serves on the artistic advisory council for High Concept Labs, and consults on a variety of programs for artist support and equitable funding in the cultural sector. As associate director of marketing and communication at Hubbard Street, he represented the company on the Chicago Dancemakers Forum consortium. As communications and engagement director at Arts Alliance Illinois, he helped promote the value of the arts and give voice to a creative state.

You can follow Zac at

@trailerpilot

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trailerpilot/

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trailerpilot

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/trailerpilot

Please remember that Sarah and Courtney are mental health professionals, and anything you hear them say are experiences from their lives and should not be considered medical advice. If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Courtney @courtulrich

Sarah @techballet

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

Sarah and Courtney spoke with Alea Brown about her experience as a pre-professional student. She brings a fresh perspective on the challenges of being a pre-professional dancer in the era of COVID, college auditions, and everything in between. Alea is a 17-year-old high school senior and pre-professional dancer with the Colorado Ballet Society. She plans to attend the University of North Carolina School of the Arts this fall to continue her training in classical ballet.

To follow Alea's college journey, follow her at: @Alea.YunCai.Brown

To check out her jewelry business, please visit her website at
https://joyfulcloudsdesigns.wixsite.com/joyfulcloudsdesigns 

and on Instagram at @joyfulcloudsdesigns

To follow Colorado Ballet Society, please visit their website at
https://www.danceinthesprings.com/ and follow them
@ColoradoBalletSociety on Instagram and Facebook

Please remember that Sarah and Courtney are mental health professionals, and anything you hear them say are experiences from their lives and should not be considered medical advice. If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Courtney @courtulrich

Sarah @techballet

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

 Today Sarah and Courtney spoke with Dr. Christina Donaldson. Christina serves as an Advisory Panel Member for Youth Protection Advocates in Dance (YPAD), an organization dedicated to building empowered dance communities and keeping kids healthy and safe in all dance environments. Christina is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with a private practice in California an Adjunct Faculty member at Antioch University, and a guest lecturer at various Universities and Community Colleges on the topic of eating disorders. Recently, she co-founded Soul Meets Body, a self-esteem workshop for dancers.

Today we spoke with Christina about the work being done with YPAD, and how to identify, navigate, and change the spectrum of abusive studio culture.

To connect with Christina and YPAD:

Christina's IG: @dancin.dr.t
Christina's website: http://www.drchrsitinadonaldson.com/
YPAD IG: @ypadnow
YPAD website: ypadnow.com

Please remember that Sarah and Courtney are mental health professionals, and any of the things you hear them say are experiences from their lives and should not be considered medical advice. If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Courtney @courtulrich

Sarah @techballet

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

Today’s episode is an important discussion...perhaps one of the most important ones I have had on the podcast over the last two years. I address something that is going on in the ballet competition world today. You might have heard of it, know someone who has done it, or even engaged in it yourself.

I am talking about misrepresenting health data on competition applications. This episode might be triggering for some and shocking for others, but it is an important conversation. I bring on Stephanie Potreck of Ausdancers Overseas, who has been conducting field research on the topic, and the preliminary results are disturbing.

Please know that neither Stephanie nor I have the answers…but we both strongly believe that opening the conversation is the first step in affecting change. We also have not spoken to any competition representatives regarding this topic. All we have is self-reported data from the dancers themselves. Listen on to hear the results of the data, and how you can get involved.

To connect with Stephanie and engage with her research on this topic:

Survey Website: https://ausdancersoverseas.surveysparrow.com/s/ballet-and-dance-competitions/tt-df6fb27607

Instagram: @ausdancersoverseas

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional. Anything you hear me say on the show is based on my personal experience and perspectives and should not be considered medical advice. By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use any of the content to diagnose you or anyone else with any mental or health condition.

If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

The theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow the pod on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave a review. (I might even read it on the next episode!)

And don't forget to check out the show sponsor, @we.are.minding, or at www.wearemindingthegap.org

Today Courtney and Sarah spoke with Chloe Angyal. Chloe is the author of the new book, "Turning Pointe: How a New Generation of Dancers is Saving Ballet from Itself," which is available anywhere you buy books. Chloe’s book is a fascinating read about inequality in the ballet world, and how it affects dancers everywhere. Her message is truly a powerful one.

To schedule a free presentation with Chloe for your school or company, go to https://chloesangyal.com/

You can connect with Chloe on Instagram @chloe.angyal.writes

Please remember that Sarah and Courtney are mental health professionals, and anything you hear them say are experiences from their lives and should not be considered medical advice. If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Courtney @courtulrich

Sarah @techballet

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

In today's episode, Courtney and Sarah spoke with Jackson Jirard about his extensive research in psychology and dance and what a social-emotional revolution in the ballet industry looks like from his perspective.

Jackson is a Bostonian artist and educator. He received his BA in Psychology from Stanford University, his M.Ed. in Human Development & Psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and has been researching power, responsibility, and emotional well-being in ballet companies for many years. He’s danced professionally with Ballet Austin in Texas, Sacramento Ballet in California, and Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre. More recently, he’s choreographed for a musical and major motion picture (New Repertory Theatre's "Oliver" and Columbia Pictures' "Little Women" respectively), performed in an opera, and even a tap-jazz-ballet. Having grown up in Massachusetts, Jackson continues to excitedly re-familiarize himself with the New England scene as the newly appointed Associate Director of Rehearsal for Life's Urban Improv.

You can read Jackson's newest article, Why Every Ballet Company Needs an Emotional Counselor here: https://jxjirard.medium.com/why-every-ballet-company-needs-an-emotional-counselor-ca594d9be8e0

Please remember that no one on the show today is a mental health professional, and anything you hear us say are things from our lives and should not be considered medical advice. If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Courtney @courtulrich

Sarah @techballet

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

Today, Courtney and Sarah unpacked one of the prevailing afflictions in the ballet world today: comparison. They shared their earliest memories with comparison in dance, how it can lead to distorted constructive criticism, and how it shows up in adulthood. They also shared some quick tips and resources that help them combat it.

Please remember that Courtney and Sarah are not mental health professionals, and anything you hear them say are experiences from their lives and should not be considered medical advice. If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Courtney @courtulrich

Sarah @techballet

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

Hey everyone! Today Courtney and Sarah spoke with Sophia Martins from Neuroscience of Dance. We dove deep into neurodiversity and how it affects all parts of the ballet world.

Sophia is an international dance neuroscientist, dancer, performer, and dance teacher. She trained in dance therapy and somatic practices, has a double degree in Psychology and Forensic Psychology and worked as a mental health practitioner for 4 years. Through her Neuroscience of Dance project and Dance Integrated Healing Method, she provides neurocognitive and dance healing tools.

As a coach, she talks about coping with injuries, neurological recovery, improving class environments and teaching techniques, overcoming struggles (memory, equilibrium, learning difficulties), improving mental well-being, improving dance skills, and using dance for healing purposes.

Currently, she still takes part in research, conducts the Dance is Medicine Podcast and teaches cognitive neuroscience and brain imaging research methods.

To connect with Sophia, you can find her on Instagram at

@neuroscienceofdanceartscience

And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neuroscienceofdance/

Below, you will find all the links to her workshops, research, and other resources on neurodiversity.

https://linktr.ee/neuroscienceofdanceartscience

Use coupon code WELLNESS for 20% off her workshop, Dance Wellness Programme: Movement Neuroscience & Healing.

Please remember that no one on the show today are mental health professionals, and anything you hear us say are things from our lives and should not be considered medical advice. If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Courtney @courtulrich

Sarah @techballet

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

In today's episode, the girls spoke with the amazing Georgia Canning. Georgia shared with us some incredible tips on how she developed her studio culture that fosters inclusivity while maintaining a Vaganova curriculum.

Georgia is the Founder of Balanced Ballerinas - podcast, vlog, blog, and community dedicated to breaking down the elitist barriers usually associated with ballet and providing a more holistic approach to ballet training. Georgia is also the co-owner and Director of GC Dance which is a studio for school-aged students on the Gold Coast, Australia. 

To connect with Georgia, you can find her business on Instagram @thebalancedballerina and @balancedballerinas.

Click here to find the pod and a few other goodies! https://linktr.ee/thebalancedballerina

Please remember that no one on the show today is a mental health professional, and anything you hear us say are things from our experiences and should not be considered medical advice. If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Courtney @courtulrich

Sarah @techballet

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

In today's episode, the girls spoke with former professional dancer and now graduate student, Glenn Kelich. He spoke candidly about his experience as a football player and ballet dancer, struggles with concussion injuries, and ways we can change the ballet world for the better.

Glenn was both a high school football player as well as a pre-professional ballet student. He went on to graduate from Indiana University’s rigorous ballet program with a Bachelor of Science in Ballet as well as a degree in Sports Marketing and Management.  Following graduation, he danced with the Kansas City Ballet and the Indianapolis Ballet for three and a half seasons.  Now he is a graduate student pursuing a master's in Mental Health Counseling from Indiana University.  

To follow Glenn's journey, connect with him here:

Instagram @jgkelich 

and his inspiring IG, Mindset hacks - @the_mentalgame

Please remember that no one on the show today are mental health professionals, and anything you hear us say are things from our lives and should not be considered medical advice. If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Courtney @courtulrich

Sarah @techballet

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

In today's episode, the girls spoke with former professional dancer, Suvi Honkanen. Suvi was born in Helsinki, Finland, and began her ballet training at age five at Helsinki Dance Institute. She went on to train at Russia's Vaganova Academy and danced professionally with Finnish National Ballet for nine years before transitioning into writing and journalism in 2019. 

Suvi recently wrote an article in Pointe Magazine titled “As ballet looks towards its future, let’s talk about its troubling emotional demands” and in this episode, Courtney and Sarah go even more in-depth on her experiences and opinions on how exactly this acknowledgment and change can occur in the ballet world. 

To follow Suvi, you can find her on Instagram @susuvi

To read her other work mentioned in the show at https://suvihelenahonkanen.medium.com/

If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. Find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services and find a therapist by clicking here: https://www.mhanational.org/

The theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast 

Courtney @courtulrich

Sarah @techballet

OR If Facebook is more your speed: www.facebook.com/dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

Hey friends! Courtney and Sarah recorded a mini-episode for you to celebrate 20 episodes! We're taking a bit of a spring break.

The ladies return next week with an incredible episode with Suvi Honkanen. Check out her recent Pointe Magazine article, "As Ballet Looks Toward Its Future, Let's Talk About Its Troubling Emotional Demands" and get ready to learn all about the woman behind these powerful words.

Hope you all are taking some intentional time to rest this weekend as well and we'll see ya next week!

We would like to include that if you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. Find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services and find a therapist by clicking here: https://www.mhanational.org/

Our theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and now Facebook!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

www.facebook.com/dancebetterpodcast

Courtney @courtulrich

Sarah @techballet

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

In this ep, Courtney and Sarah got together for a chat about the all too common mindset around "my way or the highway". They spoke about how this shows up in the studio from a day-to-day student perspective with ballet techniques, styles, teachers' beliefs, and what it means to "make it". 

Please remember Courtney and Sarah are not mental health professionals, and anything you hear them say in this episode should not be considered medical advice.

If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. Find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services and find a therapist by clicking https://arc.mhanational.org/mha-affiliate-network.

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Courtney @courtulrich

Sarah @techballet

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

Welcome back Terry! In this ep, the girls brought back their very first guest, UK-based dance psychotherapist Terry Hyde. In this conversation, he dug deeper into the web that is perfectionism. We all hear that word a lot these days, and we know that it can be harmful, but what can we do about it? Terry walked us through what defines perfectionism, when to know it is becoming a barrier to your success, and how to navigate it. 

You can connect with Terry on Instagram @counsellingfordancers  and on his website www.counsellingfordancers.com. 

Don't forget to follow his insta for updates on his dancer wellness app and a new book coming out this fall! 

If you are interested in the quiz we spoke about and the work by Gretchen Reuben, you can find it at https://quiz.gretchenrubin.com/ 

We would like to include that if you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. Find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services and find a therapist by clicking here: https://www.mhanational.org/finding-help 

Our theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0). 

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Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast 

Courtney @courtulrich 

Sarah @techballet 

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com 

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

Today, I spoke with Erin Sanchez. Erin is an advocate, educator, and developing applied researcher. She collaborates to improve dancers’ health, well-being, and performance through healthy working/training conditions and positive, strengths-led psychological services and education. In 2021, she released her first book, Psychological Skills for Dancers, with Prof Dave Collins and Dr. Aine MacNamara.

We speak about the reasons why challenge and adversity can be a good thing, what the research is showing us, and how you can navigate your own challenges and personally define your success.

To connect with Erin’s work:

National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science

• Website: https://www.nidms.co.uk/
• IG: @nidms.uk

One Dance UK

• www.onedanceuk.org
• @onedanceuk

Personal Safety for Dance

• https://www.personalsafetyfordance.com/

To buy her book, Performance Psychology for Dances by Erin Sanchez, Dave Collins, and Aine Macnamara:

https://www.crowood.com/products/performance-psychology-for-dancers-by-erin-sanchez-dave-collins-aine-macnamara

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on my personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use any of the content to diagnose you or anyone else of any mental or health condition.

If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow the pod on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave a review. (I might even read it on the next episode!)

And don't forget to check out the show sponsor, @we.are.minding, or at www.wearemindingthegap.org

In today's ep, Courtney and Sarah spoke with Taylor Behringer, a life-long dancer, educator, & mom, helping professional dancers heal their relationship with their bodies. She is a certified PAUSE Breathwork Facilitator & Life Coach, who works with the somatics of the body to help dancers find safety & peace with their bodies. Her work as a coach for professional dancers provides a unique perspective on the relationship between their bodies and how they show up in the studio. 

You can connect with Taylor on Instagram @taylor_behringer 

And her website https://www.taylorbehringer.com/

We believe that holistic approaches can be helpful when integrated with the care of a licensed healthcare professional. To find a local mental health professional, you can find services and a therapist by clicking here: https://www.mhanational.org/finding-help

If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. 

Our theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Courtney @courtulrich

Sarah @techballet

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

In this ep, Courtney and Sarah spoke with Dr. Lucie Clements, The Dance Psychologist. She is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Chichester and a Chartered Psychologist. She now runs a business as a  dance psychologist along with her academic position. She supports dancers across the world, including India, Hong Kong, and the USA. She is particularly interested in the interplay between the environment and the individual in developing a rounded healthy dancer, not just a technically "perfect" performer.  

She spoke in-depth about the psychology surrounding auditions.  From the preparation to the aftermath, she gave brilliant techniques dancers can adopt. She also spoke on the psychology of financial motivation from both the student and professional's perspectives as well as some of the psychology behind healthy student-parent dynamics. So much good stuff!

You can connect with Lucie on Instagram @thedancepsychologist

You can learn about her programs on her website at

www.thedancepsychologist.com

If you love the illustrations on Lucie's Instagram as much as we do, you can connect with the artist, Kate Hester, on Instagram @kate.illustration_

Follow.

We would like to include that if you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. Find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services and find a therapist by clicking here.

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Courtney @courtulrich

Sarah @techballet

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

In today's ep, Sarah and Courtney began a series about retirement; engaging in conversation with dancers who are going through or have transitioned out of being a professional dancer. 

That transition looks different for everyone and in this part one episode, we interviewed Sadie Sommer, a former dancer with Nashville Ballet. She spoke to us about having a balanced life as a dancer and how that affected how she transitioned from the stage to working in a support role in the social research field. We also spoke about motherhood and what that has meant to her. She spoke honestly and candidly about her experiences and it was such an honor to witness. The transition can be hard, but with the help and support of loved ones and professionals, it can also be a beautiful one.

This ep is super relatable for all the dancing mammas, professionals, and former dancers. Sadie would like to mention that if you have the opportunity to support local dancers in these times, please reach out to your local ballet company for donation opportunities to support dancers and staff.

We would like to include that if you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. Find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services and find a therapist by clicking here.

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Courtney @courtulrich

Sarah @techballet

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

In this episode, the girls spoke with Kathryn Morgan. Kathryn is a YouTube phenom, ballet influencer, author, coach, YAGP judge, and the creator of Kathryn Morgan Online, Kathryn Morgan and Friends, and so much more.

She shared her amazing journey through being a preprofessional, getting hired at NYCB, a seven-year retirement and harrowing health journey, her comeback to the stage, and now creating her own space in the dance world. Kathryn is a true phoenix, rising from the ashes time and again, and is a true inspiration to us all.

You can follow Kathryn on Instagram @kathryn_morgan

To experience her platform (find her articles, videos, classes, and even get one-on-one coaching) 

visit: www.kathrynmorganonline.com

The music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Courtney @courtulrich

Sarah @techballet

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

In this ep, Sarah and Courtney sat down with Susanne Puerschel, creator of Pointe to Rise, an empowerment society for dancers and other artists. We spoke to her about the mindset involved with competing at an elite level.

Pre-professional competitions are a growing pillar in the ballet industry and it is crucial to have a solid understanding of your mindset as a competitor as well as to "arm" yourself with a good headspace as you step into the competition season. 

Susanne came with all the tips and insight to help you develop this healthy mindset for yourself! She is a wellness entrepreneur, podcast host, former international ballerina and experienced principal chief executive officer. She's dedicating her time now, after working in cooperate America and running her own businesses, to building community among dancers and artist, providing mindset and high performance coaching and building a media company that will be the springboard to revitalizing the Arts.

You can connect with Susanne on Instagram @pointe_to_rise

On Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/susanneguides

and her website is https://pointetorise.com/

The music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Courtney @courtulrich

Sarah @techballet

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

In today's episode, the girls spoke with the brilliant force behind Minding The Gap, Kathleen Gaines. She is a former professional dancer, turned journalist and now creator of an amazing mental health research and education platform for dancers. Her work has been most recently highlighted in the Dance Teacher Magazine article, Inside Point Park’s First-of-Its-Kind Dancer Mental-Health Program, but it all started in 2017 when she wrote the article that went viral for Dance Magazine, Why Are We Still So Bad At Addressing Dancers' Mental Health? She spoke in depth about the inspiration behind starting this movement, and how she plans to change the future of dance. 

You can learn all about Minding the Gap here:

https://www.wearemindingthegap.org/

And connect with them on Instagram @we.are.minding

Additionally, you can find the work by Sanna Nordin-Bates we spoke about in the episode regarding the link between perfectionism and creativity here

If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. Find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services and find a therapist.

The music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Courtney @courtulrich

Sarah @techballet

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

In this ep, Courtney and Sarah spoke with Katrena Cohea with Different Drummer Dance, a studio owner and dance wellness educator. She dove into just how wellness practices can be easily integrated into studio life so your dancers can approach their training with the best mindset possible. She gave us some actionable tips and insight so if you are a studio owner, teacher, or director, you will want to grab a pen and a notebook!

You can connect with Katrena on Instagram at @diffdrummdance

and find all her amazing workshops and trainings at

https://www.differentdrummerdance.com/

The music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Courtney @courtulrich

Sarah @techballet

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

In today's ep, the girls spoke with the incredible Jess Spinner, creator of the Whole Dancer platforms. 

Coming from her perspective as a certified health coach as well as drawing on her own experiences as a dancer, she spoke about what it means to be in a healthy place as a pre-professional ballet dancer. When it comes to mindset work as well as eating habits, Jess has become the go-to for dancers to repair and replenish themselves. She gives some great "how tos" on the day-to-day caring for your whole body and mind.

To connect with Jess:

website, blog, coaching: www.thewholedancer.com

IG - @thewholedancer

FB PAGE - www.facebook.com/thewholedancer

FB GROUP - www.facebook.com/groups/1904164039852451

The music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Courtney @courtulrich

Sarah @techballet

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

In this ep. Courtney and Sarah sat down with success coach and wellness mentor, Elizabeth Sullivan. She has years of experience working with pre-professional students, helping them uncover and change those mental blocks surrounding their bodies, their technique, and their artistry.

This episode really uncovered the roots of how your mindset can, and will, affect all aspects of your dancing life.

You can book a discovery session with Elizabeth here: https://easullivan.com/

The music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Courtney @courtulrich

Sarah @techballet

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

Are you ready for part 2 of our episode with Abi Stafford? We are!  In part two, Abi discusses more in depth about how her mental health has played a role in her company years and we also discuss how mental health plays a role within the inner workings of a multi-generational professional ballet company.  Her vulnerability and wisdom lends itself to such a unique perspective given the rank she has achieved and her words serve as an inspiration to all dancers.  Please once you've listened to this episode, share with your dance friends and colleagues and help us spread this empowering message across the ballet community.  This was such an empowering conversation, and we hope it inspires all of our dancers out there to take charge of their careers and blaze new trails for mental health in the dance space. The opinions shared in this episode are those of our guest's, and not of Dance Better LLC or any co-host. You can read all of Abi's amazing articles here! https://www.dancemagazine.com/u/abistafford https://www.pointemagazine.com/u/abi-stafford check out her project with Dances Petrelle here: https://www.dancespatrelle.org/ The music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0). Follow us on Instagram! Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast Courtney @courtulrich Sarah @techballet Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

FIFTY EPISODES?! I am filled today with so much happiness and gratitude that I  have been able to now publish fifty episodes of conversations that are so dear to my heart. I have met the most amazing people, and I have so much hope for the direction of the ballet world. It is therefore with great pride, gratitude, and excitement to present to you…

The one and only Biscuit Ballerina. Shelby Williams is a soloist with the Royal Ballet of Flanders & the creator of Biscuit Ballerina, a satirical ballet account that addresses unhealthy perfectionism & advocates for mental health awareness. Biscuit Ballerina has been featured in the New York Times, Pointe Magazine, Dance Europe, & Dance Spirit, and Dance Europe Magazine nominated her for best performance by a female dancer.

It was SUCH an honor to get some one-on-one facetime with the ballerina we all know, love, and can totally relate to. Her satirical IG and website not only crack us up, but help us through those tough times of perfectionism and allow us space to laugh at ourselves. If laughter is the best medicine, she has earned that MD!

To connect with Shelby:

Instagram: @biscuitballerina @shelbygrooves

Facebook: www.facebook.com/biscuitballerina

Website:  www.biscuitballerina.com

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on my personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use any of the content to diagnose you or anyone else of any mental or health condition.

If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow the pod on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave a review. (I might even read it on the next episode!)

And don't forget to check out the show sponsor, @we.are.minding, or at www.wearemindingthegap.org

In this ep, the girls sit down with world renowned NYCB principal ballerina Abi Stafford. They get into some real talk about mental health in the professional ballet world and how that affects everything from hiring to casting, and everything in between. This was such an empowering conversation, and we hope it inspires all of our dancers out there to take charge of their careers and blaze new trails for mental health in the dance space.

The opinions shared in this episode are those of our guest's, and not of Dance Better LLC or any co-host. 

You can read all of Abi's amazing articles here!

https://www.dancemagazine.com/u/abistafford
https://www.pointemagazine.com/u/abi-stafford

The music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Courtney @courtulrich

Sarah @techballet

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

This one goes out to all the dancers of 2020 experiencing a *different* Nutcracker this year. In this ep, the girls relive their best--and worst Nutcracker memories from their favorite rolls to most embarrassing moments. This episode celebrates all that is Nutcracker...including the crippling anxiety of wearing tutus and midriff costumes (oof!).

Music selections include "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0), as well as Tchaikovsky's Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy arranged by Kevin Mac Leod and used through the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) 

Follow Us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Courtney @courtulrich

Sarah @techballet

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review--we’d love to hear from you!

In today's ep, the girls spoke with Jordan Nichole of the Ballet to Business Podcast. The life of a professional ballet dancer may appear glamorous, however, with beauty, there’s also sacrifice and pain. She became a professional with the San Francisco Ballet at 18 and danced as a corps de ballet member for 7 seasons. After suffering through many seasons of injuries, she endured one of her worst injuries in February of 2019, causing her to undergo surgery. However, it was through that season of not being able to dance, that she thought, “Well, what CAN I do?”

Enter, creating Ballet to Business, a podcast where both current and former ballet dancers share how the character traits and experiences they’ve gained from ballet help them in life & business today! Tune in to hear her story of pushing through her potential, leaning into her patience, and fiercely pursuing her goals all the way through the chaos of 2020.

You can follow Jordan and all her projects at

https://jordannicoleh.com/about

Ballet Project www.balletproject.tv - Ballet to Business now has a video show!

and follow her on IG @ballettobusiness

The music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Courtney @courtulrich

Sarah @techballet

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review--we’d love to hear from you!

In today's ep, Courtney and Sarah revisit those formative teenage years. Tune in to hear all about vying for parts, friends, favorite costumes, and then perhaps some oversharing about boob sweat, butt sweat, and period mishaps. We dive into it all. No pun intended. This is a lighter ep full of fun stories and sharing. We hope you find it fun and uplifting! Welcome to the teen years.

The music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance Better podcast on Instagram @dancebetterpodcast

Courtney @courtulrich

Sarah @techballet

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review--we’d love to hear from you!