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 ..read more

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, g ..read more

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 preli ..read more

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 conne ..read more

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 awaren ..read more

Today, I got to catch up with a good friend of the show, Glenn Kelich. You might remember him from season 1, episode 22 titled “The One Where Dancers are Human”. If you haven’t already listened to that one, please go back because it is GOOD. Glenn revisits the show to delve more into his own mental health as it relates to dance, gives us an update to introduce his very own mental health podcast, The Mental Game, and talks about how all his mental health education is informing his teaching practices. To connect with Glenn and The Mental Game, follow him: Instagram:@the_mentalgame and @jgkelich ..read more

Today I spoke with Alissa Nehrlichm. Alissa is a performer, inclusive dance artist, dance scientist, and SENr registered Sports Nutritionist. After training in Germany and South Africa, she went on to complete an MSc in Nutrition and Exercise Sciences. Alissa's goal is to improve dancers' access to evidence-based dance training and nutritional knowledge to support safe training for a healthy career. We speak about the importance of nutrition education in the dance space, as well as her involvement in some pretty amazing inclusivity programs. It was a really fun and informative chat! To connect ..read more

Chloe Freytag is a household name in the dance industry. Not only is she a contemporary ballet powerhouse, but she's also one voice of a generation of dancing mothers, those who have refused to put off motherhood in service of their dance career and have blazed new trails and redefined what it means to be a whole dancer and a whole person. Through telling her story of being fired for having a body shape that “couldn’t form certain positions” (what a ridiculous idea), she has gone through a personal revolution and come out the other side a stronger person and a better dancer. This episode is a ..read more

Today I spoke with the Resilient Ballerina, Jazz Bynum. Jazz is a company corps artist at Ballet West. She began training at the age of 5 with Hudson Repertory Dance Theatres’ after-school program. She continued her training at Maryland Youth Ballet and Dance Theatre of Harlems’ Residency Program at the Kennedy Center. Jazz has also received her B.F.A in Contemporary Performance with an emphasis in ballet from The Boston Conservatory. Her goals as a ballet dancer are to become a principal dancer, be a part of the change to normalize black faces in ballet companies, dismantle microaggressions i ..read more

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 eat ..read more