How do you stay motivated when you’re not training for a competition?

For many ballroom dancers, competitions provide built-in motivation: deadlines, structure, goals, and a clear sense of purpose. But what happens when you’re not competing — or when you’ve intentionally stepped away from the competition floor?

In this episode of Ballroom State of Mind, we explore why competitions are so motivating in the first place, and more importantly, how to recreate that same sense of drive, focus, and momentum without a competition on the calendar.

You’ll learn:

• Why motivation often drops when competitions disappear

• The psychological reasons competitions work so well

• How to create structure, purpose, and progress on your own

• Ways to stay engaged and inspired without pressure or burnout

Whether you’re taking a break from competing or simply want to enjoy dancing without constant deadlines, this episode will help you stay connected, consistent, and fulfilled in your dancing journey.

Go HERE for info on how to get private and group coaching to take your dancing to the next level. Your coach handles the dancing, and Ballroom State of Mind uplevels your mental and emotional game!

Get on my email list to get the latest info about offers and announcements!

This podcast has been going for 5 whole years! What's happening now?

Listen in for an update on the state of the podcast and the Ballroom State of Mind Coaching Program.

For information on how to join the Ballroom State of Mind Coaching Program, and what it's all about, go HERE.

Get on my email list to get the latest info about offers and announcements!

In this episode, we're talking about a very real—and often emotional—part of every dancer’s journey: transitioning to a new teacher.

Whether your teacher retired, moved away, or the relationship became strained, these changes can leave you feeling everything from relieved to heartbroken to totally confused. You might find yourself comparing your new teacher to your old one, romanticizing the past, or even wondering if your former teacher ever really cared about your development at all.

✨ In this episode, we’ll explore:

• Why teacher transitions can be so emotionally charged

• How to stop comparing or villainizing (and why both keep you stuck)

• What healthy processing looks like—and what slows it down

• Why your growth is never dependent on just one person

• How to find connection, ownership, and progress with a new coach

This episode is a gentle but honest look at the emotional side of switching teachers. If you’ve ever made a change (or are considering one), this episode will help you find closure, confidence, and direction for what’s next.

RARE discounted sessions are available through December 2025 in packages of three! Go HERE to buy (no limit! Expires 12/31/26)

You can also join the group without private coaching for a limited time! Go HERE to sign up!

Get on my email list to get the latest info about offers and announcements!

In this episode, Amber introduces a powerful new concept that came straight out of a recent coaching session: The Three Pockets of Growth. Whether you're a brand-new dancer or a seasoned competitor, you will always have three pockets — your mastery pocket, your transition pocket, and your un-met skills pocket. Understanding these pockets helps you walk onto the competition floor with clarity, confidence, and compassion for where you are in your dance journey.

You’ll learn:

• What the three pockets are and why ALL dancers have them

• Why it’s normal to feel unsure before a competition

• How the “transition pocket” becomes your biggest and most dynamic space

• Why unmet skills are not a problem

• How to reframe competition readiness so you stop feeling behind

• How competitions actually reveal your pockets — and why that’s a good thing

This episode will help you feel grounded, empowered, and right on track in your growth, no matter your level. Dance what’s in your pockets today — nothing more is required.

In This Episode:

• Pocket 1: The skills you’ve mastered

• Pocket 2: The skills you’re actively developing

• Pocket 3: The skills you haven’t learned yet

• How skills shift naturally between pockets

• Why dancers never “have everything” and never should

• A healthier way to approach and interpret every competition

If you’ve ever worried that you’re “missing something” or you’re “not ready,” this episode is your permission to breathe. Your pockets are exactly as they should be.

You are invited to an OPEN COACHING CALL this Friday at 11:30 PT. ⁠Get on my email⁠ list to get the link!

The doors to the Ballroom State of Mind Coaching Program are NOW OPEN! Go ⁠HERE⁠ for more info! 

DANCE STRATEGY CALLS⁠ for NEW CLIENTS are currently open!

Sometimes we go to a competition and we feel motivated, ready, on top of the world and ready to slay! And other times we ride the struggle bus and hang on tight trying to just make the best of the circumstances.

In this episode we talk about the latter and how the victory in that case looks like perseverance, grit, and managing yourself when it's really hard to do that.

Mentioned in the episode is an interview with Dan Messenger of the World Dancesport Network that we did while at OSB. Find that HERE

The doors to the Ballroom State of Mind Coaching Program are NOW OPEN! Go HERE for more info! Doors close 12/15/25

See also podcast episode 94 about the 50/50

DANCE STRATEGY CALLS⁠ for NEW CLIENTS are currently open!

As a ballroom dancer, community is essential for success! In this episode, we welcome Christine Bar Noel to tell us all about the Dance Wellness Community, of which, Amber is on the panel of practitioners!

Dancers looking for support, self-care, real-life tools and resources, and a place to meet with dance friends to talk about ALL THE TEA, need to hear this episode!

We know you'll definitely want to listen in for the awesome resource coming to a competition near you in 2026!

Go HERE to find the Dance Wellness Community and get a free trial week to the inner circle.

Go HERE to benefit from Christine's work as a high performance coach!

DANCE STRATEGY CALLS for NEW CLIENTS are currently open!

You are always training something—so what are you training?
In this episode, we unpack why focus feels harder than ever and how modern life has quietly trained us to favor distraction. You’ll learn how to retrain your attention like a muscle, clear the mental clutter that keeps you scattered, and bring intentional focus back to your dancing and daily life.

Amber shares practical ways to strengthen concentration—both in everyday moments and on the competition floor—so you can stay present, connected, and in control no matter what’s happening around you.

Whether you struggle to stay focused in ballroom lessons, drift during dance practice, or lose presence when you compete, this episode will help you reclaim your attention as your most powerful tool.

You’ll learn:

• Why distraction has become our default setting (and how to undo it)

• How to train focus in your dancing like any other discipline

• What physical, emotional, and mental factors quietly sabotage attention

• Simple “focus reps” you can build into daily life

• How to use focus to improve your practice and performance on the floor

Dance Strategy Calls are back on and you can ⁠book one now⁠ if you'd like to investigate private coaching! Bring your dance concern and we'll strategize in a short 30 minute mini session!

Many ballroom dancers have an issue with comparison! We see so many great dancers around us and want to be great as soon as possible! But looking around too much at what's outside us can lead to us neglecting the gifts that we possess. 

Dancers are interested and inspiring because each is different and unique. To be like everyone else would be a mistake! In this episode, I offer a bit of a metaphor to help us reset our perspective and gain renewed interest in what we have to offer and why focusing on that instead of what we lack will change your dancing in the best ways! 

Dance Strategy Calls are back on and you can ⁠book one now⁠ if you'd like to investigate private coaching! Bring your dance concern and we'll strategize in a short 30 minute mini session!

Frustration isn’t a sign you’re failing—it’s proof you’re learning.

In this episode, Amber reframes frustration as evidence you’re operating in the learning zone, not the comfort zone. You’ll learn why frustration is normal, how much of it comes from the story you’re telling yourself, and how to keep moving forward even when it feels uncomfortable.

You’ll discover:

• Why frustration means you’re on the right track

• How your thoughts can turn up—or turn down—the intensity

• The link between resilience and frustration tolerance

• A simple process to reframe and move through it

Frustration doesn’t have to stop your progress. In fact, everything you want is on the other side of it.

Dance Strategy Calls are back on and you can book one now if you'd like to investigate private coaching! Bring your dance concern and we'll strategize in a short 30 minute mini session!

Why would a coach ever tell you not to listen to her?

In this episode, I’m flipping the script. I walk through four reasons you might think I’m not the right person to guide you — and then show you why those very reasons are exactly what make me the right coach for dancers like you.

From not being a professional dancer, to making mistakes, to not having “fancy letters” after my name, to not telling you exactly what to do… each of these “weaknesses” is actually a strength.

By the end, you’ll see that what disqualifies you in your own mind might actually be what makes you perfectly positioned to shine.

Get on my email list HERE to be notified when the Ballroom State of Mind Coaching Program reopens it's doors for Private and Group Coaching!