From honoring a legend to surviving burnout in the band room — this week’s On A Water Break is a heart-forward deep dive into the realities of teaching, grieving, and slaying the glam game.

🎙 Hosted by Nicole Younger, with guests Ricardo Robinson-Shinall, Whitney Stone, Trish O’Shea, and doctoral candidate Ryan Bronner, this episode brings equal parts sparkle and soul.

💔 We begin with a tribute to Bruno Zuccala, a beloved figure in the color guard world whose recent passing has left a deep impact on our community. Panelists reflect on his legacy, share personal memories, and talk about the importance of showing up for each other in grief — especially in a performance culture that often pushes feelings aside.

💄 Then, we shift into guard glam, burnout, and all the realness of band camp season:

• 60-Second Tech Block with Whitney’s top-tier makeup tips for sweat-proof performances
• 32 Count Life Story with Ryan Bronner (Patriots, college teaching, LGBTQ+ mental health research)
• Water We Doing?! rants on toxic teaching culture, DCI staff drama, and performing in unsafe heat
• Gush & Go: From TikTok shopping fails to massive teaching wins, wardrobe swaps, and doctoral milestones

💬 QUOTES FROM THIS EPISODE:“We’ve got to grieve out loud. We’re allowed to take up space.”
— Ryan Bronner“Band kids are out here melting, and directors are pretending everything’s normal.”
— Ricardo Robinson-Shinall“Bruno was the sparkle. He was the performance.”
— Nicole Younger🔗 LINKS & CONTACT

📺 Watch on YouTube → @OnAWaterBreakPodcast
📬 Email us → [email protected]
📱 Follow us → Instagram, TikTok, Threads
💻 Guest sign-up → onawaterbreak.com

🎧 Guest: Dr. Ryan Bronner
🔗 Facebook: Ryan Aeney | LinkedIn: Ryan Bronner

🧃 Sponsored By:

• Peak Group Travel | @peak.group.travel
• Guard Closet | @guardcloset

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