Kirsten Kemp is a former full-time professional ballet dancer turned High-Performance Mindset Coach for dancers, International Speaker, and Founder of The Confident Dancer specializing in helping dancers break through the mental blocks that have been holding them back and build a confident mindset that allows them to feel and perform their best consistently.

Kirsten and I dive into all things confidence in this episode. What confidence truly is (and misconceptions you might have) as well as how your rigid expectations might be fueling your self-doubt. Kirsten gives us lots of tangible strategies for building authentic confidence, especially for dancers struggling in the audition space. This is one my my most requested topics - get ready for a drastic shift in your mindset!

Key Moments:

• Early dance training [2:04]
• Her transition to a professional dance career (and why she chose to go to college for dance instead of going straight into a company) [5:49]
• Why Kirsten chose to leave her professional dance career [9:13]
• Kirsten’s struggle with confidence as a young dancer [10:50]
• When you should leave a dance environment that isn’t serving you [19:17]
• What is authentic confidence? [22:19]
• Misconceptions about confidence [24:07]
• How rigid expectations fuel self-doubt [36:14]
• Strategies for dancers struggling with confidence in auditions [40:14]
• Her biggest piece of advice for dancers pursuing a career [49:26]

Connect with Kirsten:

KIRSTEN’S WEBSITE: https://kirstenkemp.com

INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/kirsten_theconfidentdancer

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@TheConfidentDancer/videos

THE CONFIDENT DANCER PODCAST ON SPOTIFY: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-confident-dancer

THE CONFIDENT DANCER PODCAST ON APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-confident-dancer-podcast/id1719883279

Links and Resources:

Get your copy of The Intentional Career Handbook

Get your copy of The Ultimate Audition Guide

Let’s connect!

My WEBSITE: thebrainyballerina.com

INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/thebrainyballerina

1-1 CAREER MENTORING: book your complimentary career call

Questions/comments? Email me at [email protected]