Managing dance recitals can feel overwhelming, but with the right strategies, you can turn chaos into a well-oiled machine. In this episode, I chat with Joe Naftal, a recital management expert and lifelong recital veteran, about how to streamline your check-in process and improve communication with parents, staff, and dancers.

Joe shares practical tips to help studio owners avoid common pitfalls, delegate effectively, and ensure a smooth, stress-free show experience. Plus, he introduces ShowSculptor, an innovative recital management platform designed to simplify backstage logistics and parent communication.

✨ In this episode, we discuss: ✔️ The biggest challenges studio owners face with recital management ✔️ Strategies for organizing backstage spaces and volunteer roles ✔️ How to improve communication with parents and staff (without the overwhelm) ✔️ The power of delegating tasks so you’re not doing everything yourself ✔️ Tech solutions that make recital logistics easier than ever

💡 Links & Resources: ✅ Try ShowSculptor: https://www.showsculptor.com

✅ Connect with Joe Naftal on Instagram: @joenaftal   @showsculptor

✅ Work with me through coaching: https://www.gingerhaithcox.com/coaching

✨ If you found this episode helpful, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with fellow studio owners! Let’s make recital season stress-free and successful! 

About Joe

A serial entrepreneur, Joe Naftal is a second generation dance studio owner, theatre maker, brand and marketing expert, technology guru, and educator. By his mid-20s, Joe had founded a portfolio of companies that collectively help dance studios across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, including ShowSculptor, Standby in the Wings, and Penny Prima. He is a published author, a production designer for theatre and dance, a member of the board of directors for a performing arts center and a modern dance company, and an adjunct professor of theatre design. A product of arts education and a staunch advocate of business in the arts, he is committed to helping studio owners realize their dreams and grow their businesses into the future.

www.naftal.com

https://showsculptor.com

In this episode of Life Coaching for Dance Studio Owners, Ginger Haithcox shares a heartfelt message about a common misconception in the dance studio industry—believing that more students will solve all your business challenges. While marketing is important, it’s not a magic fix for deeper issues like financial mismanagement, high staff turnover, leadership struggles, or poor pricing strategies.

Ginger breaks down why studio owners often fall into the trap of thinking that growth equals success and offers a fresh perspective on what truly creates a thriving, sustainable business. She shares practical strategies for optimizing operations, refining pricing structures, and strengthening leadership so that growth doesn’t lead to burnout.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the pressure to constantly enroll more students, this episode will help you shift your focus to building a business that supports both your financial goals and your well-being.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode: ✅ Why adding more students won’t fix financial, staffing, or leadership issues ✅ The hidden cost of marketing when retention and systems aren’t in place ✅ How mindset impacts your success and financial stability ✅ Why pricing correctly is more powerful than just increasing enrollment ✅ The importance of optimizing before scaling

Key Takeaways: 👉 You don’t have to wait until you hit a “magic” number of students to feel successful. 👉 More students won’t fix broken systems—they will only magnify existing problems. 👉 Small, strategic changes in pricing, staffing, and leadership can make a huge impact. 👉 Sustainable growth starts with optimizing your business first, then scaling.

Work with Me: If you’re ready to create a profitable, peaceful business without the burnout, I’d love to coach you! Visit gingerhaithcox.com/coaching to learn more.

🎧 Subscribe & Leave a Review If you loved this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! It helps other dance studio owners find the support they need.

In this episode, I sit down with Jenny O'Brien, a former dance studio owner who made the bold decision to sell her thriving studio and pursue a new path. Jenny shares her inspiring journey—how she transitioned from a corporate career to studio ownership, grew her business from a traveling dance program to a full-fledged studio, and ultimately made the life-changing decision to move on.

We also dive into the lessons she learned about managing staff, navigating burnout, and redefining success. Plus, we talk about her exciting new chapter as an author, including the release of her first children's book, Poppy Goes to Dance Class. If you're a studio owner questioning your next steps or an entrepreneur looking for encouragement, this episode is packed with insights and inspiration.

✅ How Jenny built and sold a successful dance studio ✅ The mindset shifts that helped her navigate big transitions ✅ Lessons in leadership and managing different personalities ✅ Why she redefined her definition of success beyond financial gain ✅ How to embrace change and trust your gut when it’s time for something new ✅ The story behind her new children's book Poppy Goes to Dance Class

Jenny O'Brien has been living her dream out loud for as long as she can remember. After a decade-long career in Marketing and Communications—while also teaching dance part-time—she founded Dreams Dance Academy in 2012. Over the next 12 years, she built the studio into a highly sought-after and respected business. In 2024, she made the decision to sell the studio in order to pursue her next dream, though Dreams Dance Academy remains close to her heart. Ensuring the continued success of the business and the well-being of its students remains a top priority for her.

Jenny is now channeling her passion into Live Your Dream Out Loud, a brand that encompasses her work as an author, workshop presenter, and freelance consultant. This new chapter allows her to fully focus on her creative and professional aspirations, and she is excited to see where this journey takes her next.

📖 Get Jenny’s book, Poppy Goes to Dance Class → Amazon link 🌐 Visit Jenny’s website: LiveYourDreamOutLoud.com 📱 Connect with Jenny on Social Media:

• Facebook: Jenny O'Brien
• Instagram: @jennylynnobrien

🎧 Listen & Subscribe: If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe and leave a review! Your feedback helps us bring you more inspiring conversations like this.

The Four Pillars of My Coaching Program 

In this episode, I introduce the four foundational pillars of my coaching program: peace, profit, compass, and clarity. These pillars help studio owners align their decisions with their values, improve relationships, and achieve financial stability. The importance of relationships in maintaining peace, making wise financial decisions for profitability, using collaboration effectively, and achieving clarity through informed actions are thoroughly discussed. The episode encourages studio owners to define their own values and make decisions that support their personal and business growth. 

00:21 The Importance of Values in Decision Making

03:20 Pillar One: Peace 06:36

Pillar Two: Profit 09:29

Pillar Three: Compass 

Pillar Four: Clarity 11:37

I invite you to join my coaching program. Visit https://www.gingerhaithcox.com/coaching to book your consultation for private coaching today.

Today I reveal how I first learned about Life Coaching, how life coahcing helped me, and what the difference is between life coahing and therapy. 

Get Coached

Running a dance studio shouldn't  come at the cost of burnout and stress. If you're feeling overwhelmed or stuck, I'd love to help you find your path to peace and profits. Let's chat and figure out the best next steps for you! Book a free consultation today: https://www.gingerhaithcox.com/coaching

What are the best decisions that you've made this year? Have you taken the time to list them? 

In today's episode I talk about the six best decsions I've made so far this year. Many times, we are working with our heads down, grinding with grit and not noticing the progress that we make each day, week or month. It's a great way to reflect on your jouney and move forward.

Isn't it time you. . .

• Get more time to yourself to do what you choose
• Get coached through a specific season or stage in your business
• Get coached through burnout and negative feelings about your business
• Get support as you introduce major changes to your offerings and operations
• Get guidance on hiring and promoting managers and directors
• Get proven systems that bring clarity and consistency
• Get a clear understanding of your financial goals, reports, and projections
• Get more confident in yourself as a leader
• Get a solid plan in place to be paid as a CEO

I invite you to join my coaching program. Visit https://www.gingerhaithcox.com/coaching to book your consultation for private coaching today.

Are your negative thoughts in the driver’s seat? Then it’s time to take back control! Today I talk with Studio Owner and author, Brittany Milan. Her book, Overcoming Catastrohpic Thinking, asks the questions:

Are you plagued by intrusive thoughts?

Do your negative thought cycles cause problems in your relationships, or get in the way of your ability to enjoy life?

Perhaps your mind will automatically jump to the worst possible outcome in any situation, no matter how unlikely it is… Or maybe you’re consumed by the fear of natural disasters and how they would affect your family if they happened.

You know your mind is racing, but it seems that the more you try to get rid of these thoughts, the louder they become.

That’s because the secret to quietening them isn’t to ignore them or try to brush them aside… It’s to acknowledge them and challenge them until you’re the one in control, not your thoughts.

_________________________

Enjoy the insightful conversation with Brittany in today's episode. 

Get The Book, "Overcoming Catastrophic Thinking"

https://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Catastrophic-Thinking-step-step/dp/B0DN1NWYCX

Get Coached

Running a dance studio shouldn't  come at the cost of burnout and stress. If you're feeling overwhelmed or stuck, I'd love to help you find your path to peace and profits. Let's chat and figure out the best next steps for you! Book a free consultation today: https://www.gingerhaithcox.com/coaching

I've been very distracted lately - it's so easy to get caught up in entertainment, mindless scrolling or even working on new projects. The thing is, when five minutes turns to 5 days of wasted time, we get so far removed from the course that we've set for ourselves. Business ownership is challenging because there's no one to hold us accountable or keep us focused on the work - its all on us. Today's episode shares some of the ways that I've found how to recognize when I'm distracted to my own detriment and how to dismantle distraction. 

• Get more time to yourself to do what you choose

• Get coached through a specific season or stage in your business

• Get coached through burnout and negative feelings about your business

• Get support as you introduce major changes to your offerings and operations

• Get guidance on hiring and promoting managers and directors

• Get proven systems that bring clarity and consistency

• Get a clear understanding of your financial goals, reports, and projections

• Get more confident in yourself as a leader

• Get a solid plan in place to be paid as a CEO

I invite you to discover your path to peace + profits through Life Coaching! Visit https://www.gingerhaithcox.com/coaching today.

Today in Part 2 of our Studio Staffing Success Series, I break down the three benefits of creating Leadership Development within you business. 

Get Studio Staffing Success in the Revolution Dancewear Learning Library!

Save $50 on the Studio Staffing Success Course by using code staffing50 at checkout. Go to https://learn.revolutiondance.com/courses/studio-staffing-success

This series talks about Studio Staffing for Dance Studio Owners. So often we feel exhausted, frustrated and fed up with staffing, getting substitutes, hiring and firing team members. Its time for us all to do better, learn about our role in leadership and get to brighter days. 

Get Studio Staffing Success in the Revolution Dancewear Learning Library!

Save $50 on the Studio Staffing Success Course by using code staffing50 at checkout. Go to https://learn.revolutiondance.com/courses/studio-staffing-success