Emily is a professional dancer, business owner, and online pilates instructor. If you only heard of the hardship, including two major knee surgeries, you might not believe that she is dancing stronger, more confident, and better at the age of 30 than ever before. Emily shares incredible insight and reflects honestly on how she has made this happen. This includes taking a step back and recovering mentally and physically for over 2 years before making her return as a professional.

Along with dancing professionally, Emily runs her own business as an online pilates instructor where she helps dancers build resilient and pain-free bodies. Be sure to go over and follow her Instagram - @emilyrs___

Thanks for listening and enjoy the show!

This is easily one of the most impactful conversations to date on The Mental Game. In this episode, Fábio talks about his journey that has taken him all the way from Rio de Janeiro to dancing for the last 7 seasons here in the US. One of the key elements to his leaving Rio was the lack of diversity and inclusion among ballet companies in Brazil. He shares eye-opening stories and perspectives that bring awareness to the issues that the country and others are facing. From this and the lack of role models in positions at the tops of companies, Fábio, and a friend started a page called, Blacks In Ballet, dedicated to highlighting people of color in the ballet community.

Fábio also shares wisdom on hard work, dedication, confidence, and more. Finding balance has become important for him as of late and this includes taking time to do things he loves, like crotchet. Be sure to follow along Fábio's journey by heading over to social media and following his main account, Fábio Mariano, and his wonderful crotchet account as well.

Thank you so much for listening and enjoy the episode!

Welcome and thank you for listening to my first solo episode! In this episode, I talk about a method I use with clients to better manage and gain control of emotions and emotional reactivity. This method is derived from the Harvard Study of Adult Development, in which researchers followed an entire generation of people, collecting data on their approaches to life and their relationships. From that study came this model on how to better control and manage unwanted emotional states. If you find this helpful, please reach out and let me know! I look forward to hearing from you!

Bryce Lee grew up moving numerous times forcing him to be comfortable with adapting to new places, new environments, and new people. Because of this, he often lacked those vital connections with boys, men, and mentors that could show him a path to reach his goals. Through what he calls "the beginner's mindset", Bryce was able to take what he did have and continually put time and effort into what he was able to control. Through this frame of mind, he eventually became one of the youngest company members of The Colorado Ballet, at just the age of 19. He has since continued with The Colorado Ballet and gone on to create an organization geared toward what he needed at that early age.

The Male Dance Connection "exist[s] to connect male dancers across the globe and provide a place for engagement, learning and growth.  As dancers, we know that boys and men have needs that are frequently overlooked in the greater dance community.  It is our mission to address those needs through engagement with one another in a forum that is focused on learning and collaboration.  It is in this free exchange and nurturing environment that personal, artistic, and professional growth occurs and advances the artist and the art form."

Give their website a glance, The Male Dance Connection , and be sure to follow them over Instagram and Facebook - @themaledanceconnection

If something in this episode resonates with you, reach out to Bryce and me to let us know what you think! Enjoy!

On this week's episode, I have former professional dancer turned health, nutrition, and lifestyle coach - Jess Spinner. Jess has an incredible story she shares about the way in which her own difficulties faced as a dancer turned into her career, her passion, and her desire to help those who struggle similar to how she did. Throughout the episode, Jess shares so much wisdom on how to build confidence, how to live a balanced life, her 7-step process for developing a stronger mindset, and so much more.

Be sure to follow Jess on social media - @thewholedancer, on Youtube, and check her out on her website as well https://www.thewholedancer.com/.

If this episode resonates with you, please reach out to both of us and let us know what you take away! Thanks so much for listening and merde for your journey!

An INCREDIBLE story this week with someone who has gone through so much, but always found themselves coming out on the other side stronger and better than before.  Grace Zering shares a story of unimaginable adversities that she had to go through at a very early age.  This includes abuse, an eating disorder, and having a failed marriage, all before the age of 21.  

Listen to find out how Grace has overcome these adversities to find her love for dentistry and oral hygiene.  Her story will leave you inspired and motivated no matter what you do or what you have been through.  

If you take away something from this episode or something that resonates with you, reach out to Grace and me to let us know!  Grace can be found over on social media at her Instagram - @gracezoezering 

Thanks so much for listening and enjoy the show!

On this week's episode I interview former professional ballet dancer now turned Certified Mental Performance Consultant and doctoral student, Arianna Shimits.  Growing up, Arianna had to work diligently to catch up to her peers in ballet and ultimately pave a way in the professional world.  During both her pre-professional and professional career, Arianna then became aware of the mental skills necessary to succeed in the world of ballet and performance.  This passion led to her receiving a Master's Degree in Sport and Performance Psychology from the University of Denver and currently working towards her PsyD in Counseling Psychology from Springfield College.  

Arianna shares so much wisdom in this episode - from early days of struggling with confidence, to finding the right fit in a ballet company, and so much more.  Arianna is also currently working to create an assessment tool to better understand what contributes to the mental and emotional well-being of dancers and high performers.  More information on this is below.  Be sure to support and check out her survey in order to best inform practice for those in the field!

"Over the last several months I’ve been working with Premier Performance Psychology to develop an assessment specifically tailored to dancers and other artistic athletes. The assessment is a modified version of an existing assessment for athletes (Athlete wellness and Performance Assessment; AWPA Ayala et al., 2022), which we adapted under the supervision of Dr. Ayala at Premier and Dr. Hage at Springfield College. I just received IRB approval to distribute the initial assessment (via social media, emails, printed flyers, and snowball sampling).

The assessment itself is meant to evaluate participants’ mental health and their relationship with several factors that have been shown to influence the quality of performance and overall well-being. To make this an immediate resource for dancers, we developed automatic feedback that explains how they scored and offers strategies they can use to manage any imbalances found in the assessment. We attached some instructions below on the assessment. If you would be willing to share this resource with any dancers who you think would benefit from it we would greatly appreciate it!

***Are you a performing artist and an athlete (dancer, circus artist, gymnast, figure skater, etc.) over the age of 18 located in North America? If so, you are eligible to participate!***

- This research aims to create an assessment evaluating the behaviors, thoughts, and emotions contributing to mental wellness and high performance in artistic athletes.

- Participants will be asked to complete an online questionnaire (the questionnaire takes about 20 minutes). Follow the link below to access the questionnaire.

https://premiermindset.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6hxFVMGRufonaK2?jfefe=new

- Artistic athletes over 18, who are currently performing and/or living in North America and are proficient in English are eligible. Artistic athletes can be recreational, collegiate, preprofessional, or professional. 

- Participants may opt to receive instant automatic feedback highlighting their strengths and weaknesses and recommended steps for further improvement. You will receive mental health resources, referral sources, and crisis lines if needed.

- This research study will be conducted online via a confidential Qualtrics survey.

- For more information, contact Arianna Shimits, MA, CMPC at [email protected]"

Also give her a follow over on instagram @arianna.c.shimits and @persistence.psych!

I can't think of a better way to kick of The Mental Game in 2023 than with my brother, Derick Boyd.  Derick is a 4th year Ph.D. student at Indiana University.  His journey in getting to this point was filled with many trials and tribulations that could have easily led anyone to give up or quit.  For Derick, quitting was never an option.  There was something greater that he was working towards...  Something bigger than himself that pushed him to strive each and every day.  

Listen along to find out what those things were (still are) and more!  Derick also shares about his passion for academics, self-care, and of course, his daughter.  If you hear something that inspires or resonates with you, reach out to us to let us know what it was.  You can reach Derick over on his Instagram @derick_boyd_

Enjoy the show!

On this week's episode I have on someone filled with energy, joy, and inspiration - Tayler Seymour.  Tayler is someone you will find motivating just from looking at her Instagram page for 2 minutes.  Not only that but she has a health and fitness community called "The Party People 🥳💪", where she shares this energy and so much more.  

Tayler shows extreme vulnerability in this episode where she talks about her transition away from performance and how she never quite reached the pinnacle of what she had hoped.  Through this she was able to cultivate incredible habits, skills, and qualities that she is now using to transfer into other areas of her life.  

I encourage you to check her out on social media on Instagram at - @tayytayy and through her Instagram you can find her Facebook group "The Party People 🥳💪".  After you have done this and given the episode a listen, let me know what your greatest takeaway was!  

Without further ado, please enjoy the episode!

Go Hoosiers!!  I might be biased, but it is always a pleasure having on a fellow Indiana University Jacob's School of Music alum.  On this week's episode I have on the show, the wonderful Gabby Harris.  Gabby has had quite the journey filled with some really amazing ups, but also some very prolonged downs.  Throughout this episode, you will hear how Gabby has been able to find the silver lining in each and every one of those difficult times.  This includes a span of several months where she was experiencing extreme pain in her hip and was flat out told by one doctor that she was clear to dance and everything was fine.  

The resilience she shows and ability to cultivate a positive frame of mind are just a few areas where Gabby truly shines.  She also speaks to some of the keys in building this mindset and ways in which she was and still is able to reframe adversity as opportunity.  I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed giving it.  

If you do, head over to social media and let Gabby and I know what your biggest takeaway was.  Also, give her a follow on Instagram - @thegabbyharris 

Thanks so much for listening and I hope you enjoy the show!