5.6.7.EIGHT

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra chats with Rachel Hamrick, Founder and CEO at Flexistretcher LLC. Hamrick’s company is built around her namesake product, the Flexistretcher — an elastic resistance band that simulates dance-specific or sport-specific movement patterns, focused on building flexibility and strength.

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra interviews Misha Tchoupakov, Assistant Professor in the School of Dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA). Tchoupakov's resume is impressive, having been classically trained at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow and having toured professionally for a number of ballet companies, including the Bolshoi Ballet (Russia), the Vienna State Opera Ballet (Austria), the Los Angeles Classical Ballet, and several others. Misha also has been teaching ballet since 1988 and, in addition to his work at UNCSA, currently serves as Resident Master Teacher for the Youth America Grand Prix Competition and as an international, touring ballet instructor.

On the podcast, Misha shares his unique and compelling story of dancing ballet in the Soviet Union and how this wonderful path was actually chosen for him. Yet, in light of being pushed in this direction, he reflects on the magic of the art and how, now, he finds joy in touring America and the world, teaching others how to hone their craft and how they can — and must — learn to work smarter, not harder.

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra interviews Misha Tchoupakov, Assistant Professor in the School of Dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA).

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra sits down with Lisa Schoene, Dance and Sports Medicine Podiatric Physician at Gurnee Podiatry and Sports Medicine Associates. Lisa, who founded Gurnee nearly 30 years ago, is also a certified athletic trainer and published author. Lisa has worked with dancers and athletes of all sports from all levels — from amateur to Olympic — and is also a traveling lecturer and a consulting podiatrist for several renown dance companies in the Chicago area.

On the podcast, Lisa discusses how she discovered sports medicine and podiatry, how she's found her passion in this industry, and how her career has evolved over the past 30 years. She shares some extremely practical advice for entrepreneurs that are looking to establish their own businesses, including some difficult barriers that entrepreneurs should prepare for. At the end of the day, for Lisa Schoene, hard work and treating people well are the paths to success, whichever profession you find yourself in.

Moving Quotes:

"With any business, A to Z, it's about customer service… I think that's what's allowed me to grow my business so well."

[On treating employees well] "When you're a business owner, they always tell you that, sometimes, it's not about how much money you pay somebody, but it's how much appreciation that you have for them at the end of the day that makes them happy at your business… Take good care of your staff because they take good care of you."

"I always knew that success was going to follow if I just stayed tried and true to good customer service — if I was walking the walk and talking the talk."

[On building her business] "It's been like birthing a child. This is my baby, after so many years. And it's been really fun — sometimes I don't know where the time has gone."

"As a female, we do have a lot of power. But I've never felt discriminated against through my career because I've always worked hard. I've jumped in there, and I've worked just as hard as any guy."

"When I retire, I hope that athletes, dancers, my staff and my students will be able to say, 'Hey, she did a good job. She did a great job with teaching. She really took care of me.' That, to me, is success... It's not about how much money I make as a doctor. It's really who I've impacted, how I've treated my patients, and how I've treated my staff."

"In business, if you have a bad employee, they can be a cancer in the office of your practice or in your business. Anyone that's been in business long enough knows that sometimes you have to cut the cancer out."

"If you just shoot for the stars, it doesn't matter if you're female or male. Anybody can do anything these days, if you set your mind to it."

Bullet Points (w/ timestamps) - Highlighting key topics discussed:

2:25: Lisa walks through her journey that landed her a profession in sports medicine and highlights her time studying dance.

4:17: Lisa reflects on how her background as a dancer equipped her for her current profession.

5:19: Schoene discusses her education in preparation for sports medicine and stresses the importance of loving your profession.

7:02: Lisa provides some advice for dancers on staying healthy and preventing injuries, including a discussion on internal and external injuries.

8:38: Schoene discusses how she became a published author and how a negative circumstance from her past nearly ended her writing career at a young age.

14:38: Lisa highlights some of the most influential people in her life that pushed her in the direction of podiatry and, ultimately, gave her the opportunities she has today.

18:10: Lisa discusses how it feels to be a female in her industry and explains that, no matter who you are, hard work pays off.

20:21: Schoene speaks on how she has overcome barriers in her entrepreneurial career and gives an example of a barrier that she's come across as a business owner.

23:31: Lisa reveals her favorite thing about entrepreneurship and what, in her opinion, is the biggest and most important factor in building a business.

27:26: Lisa closes the podcast with some advice for those that may be considering a career in sports medicine and recommends a path forward for these individuals.

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra sits down with Lisa Schoene, Dance and Sports Medicine Podiatric Physician at Gurnee Podiatry and Sports Medicine Associates.

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra chats with Katie Pilone, Co-Founder of Pop Up Pilates — a Pilates business whose mission is to positively impact communities, starting in Oklahoma City and moving across the United States. Additionally, Katie is a dancer at the Oklahoma City Ballet, an RP Pro Brand Ambassador, and a graduate of Butler University, where she studied Dance and Arts Administration with a minor in Marketing.

Katie is an extremely strong and driven woman, who is always looking for new ways to challenge herself personally, professionally, and creatively. On the podcast, Katie shares how her love for ballet was first discovered and walks from that point in her early life to where she is now — professional dancer and established entrepreneur. While discussing her journey, she shares a wealth of knowledge and wisdom around the value of education, the difficulty of dance, and the art of staying positive in difficult times.

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra chats with Katie Pilone, Co-Founder of Pop Up Pilates — a Pilates business whose mission is to positively impact communities, starting in Oklahoma City and moving across the United States.

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra chats with Mikko Nissinen, Artistic Director of the Boston Ballet and Boston Ballet School — the largest ballet school in North America. Mikko was born in Finland and has danced for numerous ballet companies, including the Finnish National Ballet, the Dutch National Ballet, Basel Ballet, and the San Fransisco Ballet, where he spent a full decade as principal dancer. Prior to his current role, Mikko served as Executive Director of the Boston Ballet, where he carried out a number of large-scale efforts such as a complete company rebrand and a move to a new, permanent performance home — the Boston Opera House.

Nissinen loves the art of ballet, and his passion for the craft is evident through his life and words. On the podcast, he discusses how dance has a transformative power that can even impact entire cultures. Mikko spends some time reflecting on his career as a dancer and how his best dance experiences have been rooted in the camaraderie of dancers that are selflessly performing for the good of the company. Perhaps most importantly, Mikko shares advice that is applicable for both dancers and non-dancers about leaning into your strengths and sharpening your weaknesses through diligent practice.

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra chats with Mikko Nissinen, Artistic Director of the Boston Ballet and Boston Ballet School — the largest ballet school in North America.

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra interviews Genevieve Weeks, Founder and CEO of Tutu School — a collection of boutique-style ballet schools for young children. Since its founding in 2008, Tutu School has adopted a franchise model and has grown to over 33 different locations across the United States. Prior to becoming a business owner, Genevieve was a professional ballet dancer, having received training from the School of Ballet Chicago, the American Ballet Theater, and from Suzanne Farrell at the Kennedy Center.

On the podcast, Genevieve discusses a wide variety of topics, primarily focusing on how entrepreneurship and dancing intertwine. She discusses how, from her earliest days as an entrepreneur, she felt primed for starting her own business but attributes many of these feelings towards her experiences from the stage. Weeks discusses her thoughts on the nature of preparation, how to succeed as a professional dancer, the importance of prioritization, and much more.