Welcome to the first episode of The Choose Joy podcast! In this episode, we explore the power of self-love, authenticity, and simplicity in both life and business with our special guest, entrepreneur and physical therapist, Paul, aka the "Flyestman Alive."

Deriving Confidence from Heritage:

Paul shares how embracing his heritage has empowered him to exude confidence and style that go beyond physical appearance.

Choosing Joy in Adversity:

Reflecting on personal experiences, both Paul and the hosts discuss the importance of choosing joy and gratitude, even in the face of adversity.

Faith and Perspective:

The role of faith and prayer in uncovering hidden blessings and maintaining a positive perspective through life's trials and challenges.

Balancing Relationships and Entrepreneurship:

Paul shares insights on balancing personal connections with business responsibilities, emphasizing the significance of checking in with loved ones.

Managing Energy and Avoiding Burnout:

Tips on managing energy levels, aligning with authenticity, and holding oneself accountable to avoid burnout in entrepreneurship.

Simplicity in Business and Life:

Discussing the merits of simplicity, efficiency, and straightforwardness in business plans and life decisions.

Overcoming Entrepreneurial Obstacles:

Advice on avoiding overcomplication and the dangers of overthinking in business strategies, advocating for a "keep it simple" approach.

Ja’ Malik, named “a choreographer to watch” by The New York Times, is quickly becoming an in-demand choreographer around the country.

A former member of Cleveland Ballet, Oakland Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theatre, Ballet Hispanico, and Ballet X.

He has created original works on such companies as Oakland Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theater 2, City Dance Ensemble, Columbia Ballet Collaborative, Intermezzo Dance Company. Self produced worked in Harlem Stages E:Moves, Ballet Builders, 92nd Street Y, McCallum Theater Festival, The Young Choreographers Showcase & The Battery Park Dance Festival.

Off Broadway Theater Credits include choreographer "Miss Julie" August Strindberg Repertory Co. Assistant Choreographer to Camille A. Brown for The Public Theater's production of "For Colored Girls..." In 2019. A 2016 CUNY Dance Initiative Residency. A 2019 Choreographic Resident apart of UNCSA's Choreographic Residency. 2019 marked the Debut Performance of Ballet Boy Productions at the 38th Annual Battery Dance Festival in NYC, NY. Ja’ Malik is also the host of “ARTS UNCENSORED” a monthly podcast discussing topics going on in and and around the arts. Follow him on social media @balletboyproductions & @artsuncdnsored

Merlyne Jean-Louis, Esq. is the founder and owner of Jean-Louis Law, P.C., a New York-based law firm that focuses on business and entertainment law. A former dancer, she uses her legal and creative knowledge to help transform her clients (content creators, influencers, creatives and entrepreneurs) into CEOs.

A former dancer, Merlyne is also a dance law commentator. She has discussed copyright law as it relates to choreography on CBS, The Verge, Marketplace Tech and the podcasts Poplaw and Carry on Friends. She also was mentioned in the book Choreographing Copyright: Race, Gender and Intellectual Property Rights in American Dance.

Merlyne received her J.D. from Duke Law School and B.A., cum laude, in Psychology and French, minor in Pre-Business Studies from NYU. She is a member of the Entertainment Arts Sport Law (EASL) Section of the NYSBA and the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association (BESLA).

For more information about Merlyne and her practice and a free business checklist, visit www.jllaw.net.

IG: Wizardlawyer

FB: Jeanlouislaw

Born and raised in Saint. Petersburg, Florida, Amos began his professional training at the Academy of Ballet Arts and the Pinellas County Center for the Arts. Prior to AMDA College and Conservatory of Performing Arts-LA, Amos received his BFA in dance performance from The Boston Conservatory. While at the conservatory, he performed many works by world-renowned choreographers. Amos has been seen as “Thad” in NBC’s Hairspray LIVE!, The 50th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Gotham, LOVE, and many more. Next up you can catch him as “Thad” on Royal Caribbean’s largest ship in the world “Symphony of the Seas” Amos would like to thank God, his family, his agents and his friends for the immense amount of support!!

You can follow his journey through his IG at Amosoliver90

Antwon Keith Collier is a South Florida native who has discovered true passion and purpose while living in Los Angeles, CA. Having worked with some of the industries top choreographers, directors, and celebrities like Missy Elliot, Camila Cabello, Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Lizzo, Miley Cyrus and Normani. Least just say, “the man has moves". His love for fitness and wellness has always been tied to the dancers need to stay in shape, and to be able to take their shirts off in front of thousands of people. From his charm, beautiful bright smile, and electrifying spirit he is guaranteed to positively impact any and every room he steps in. This Actor, Dancer, Model, Entrepreneur, Motivator, and Trailblazer, promotes self love, and constantly pushes those around him to be bold, to be limitless and to be free. There is no one on this earth like you he says “BE YOU!” He is a firm believer that with hard work, patience, and faith, all things are possible and if its not bringing you peace, let it go!

You can reach Antwon on IG: @letsgetfloridafit and Youtube: Florida Fit

Chantel Williams is a native New Yorker, story-teller, mover, travel enthusiast, and lover of bright lipstick! She began her dance training at the age of nine, exploring all genres of dance but developed a passion for street styles that she nurtured throughout her years in college. Following her graduation from NYU's Stern School of Business, Chantel pursued a career in digital marketing. As a digital strategist, she spends her time building unique approaches for brands that exist at the intersection of data-driven insights and creative storytelling, which ultimately allows them to connect with their consumers. After seven years of working in advertising with clients from fortune 500 companies, she decided to turn her lifelong passion for dance into a career and is learning to navigate the commercial dance industry one day at a time.

You can connect with Chantel at the following places:

IG: Chantelrenee21

www.chantel.nyc

Carmillia “Carmi” Harris has performed in several musicals & plays including Roe, A Motown Christmas, Memphis, The Wiz, Beehive The Musical, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and more. She has also performed in several cabarets at venues including NYC favorites “Feinstein’s/54 Below” & “Don’t Tell Mama” and more. The vocalist, actor & model has also appeared in several short films, commercials and performances on national networks including PBS, BET, HSN and more. In 2016, Carmi debuted her first self-written & co-produced solo show Carmi's Playlist at “The Space at 2106”. Her motto is to inspire; to share love & to serve with love through storytelling. “We dance though we are still. We are on fire, though we do not burn.”- Rumi. Stay connected at www.carmiharris.net & on instagram @carmi_harris.

Christopher Charles McDaniel is originally from East Harlem, NY, and is a former dancer with the Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble, and more recently, Los Angeles Ballet and Ballet San Antonio. Christopher has had the honor of dancing many featured roles in the company's eclectic repertoire. He has received multiple highlights and shout outs from critics at the Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, and Broadway World. In addition to dancing, Christopher served on faculty at Los Angeles Ballet School, and the Lula Washington Dance Theatre, teaching ballet and jazz dance. Christopher was very active in the development of several outreach programs at Los Angeles Ballet. Christopher has appeared as a guest teacher at Los Angeles County high School of the Arts, Lake Tahoe Dance Collective, Infinity Dance Company, Ballet Conservatory of South Texas, San Antonio Metropolitan Ballet, and Debbie Allen Dance Academy! Christopher has completed the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet's Ballet Teacher Workshop, where he learned how to teach and apply the syllabus created by Marcia Dale Weary. In 2016 Christopher was invited to join the School of American Ballet’s National Visiting Fellows program. There he consulted on diversity and inclusion and learned the SAB curriculum/syllabus! Students of Christopher's have gone on to get scholarships at many prestigious dance institutions. After appearing with Ballet San Antonio as a Guest Artist in the Fall of 2015, Christopher joined the company as a Soloist, dancing an array of principal roles. In the fall of 2017 Christopher excepted a contract with the Dance Theatre of Harlem company! Since joining he has traveled the world dancing leading roles and teaching master classes!

Kathleen is a former dancer, a writer, and a fundraiser. She is also one of millions of people who have battled depression. 

As a dancer Kathleen trained at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School and the San Francisco Ballet School in their pre-professional divisions. She also spent summers at the School of American Ballet and the Chautauqua Festival program. 

Over the last 10 years, Kathleen has written more than 100 articles on dance for Dance Magazine, Pointe, Dance Spirit, and Dance Teacher magazines. As a result she has had the opportunity to conduct nearly 1,000 interviews with dancers, teachers and dance medical professionals. In 2014 she was named a contributing writer to Dance Magazine. 

Kathleen is also a dedicated nonprofit development professional and was the Director of Development at the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy where she worked for more than 7 years raising money to support public parks. She serves as a member of the development committee for the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science.  

Minding the Gap was founded as a reaction to the outpouring of support Kathleen received after she posted the article Why are we still so bad at addressing dancers' mental health on the Dance Magazine website in the summer of 2017. Her ambition is to enact a movement which results in mental health being regarded with the same seriousness as physical health in dance culture.

Eryc Taylor, Artistic Director/Founder of Eryc Taylor Dance, has presented work worldwide since 1995. Originally from Los Angles, he received his BFA in Dance from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA, and an MFA in Dance from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Eryc Taylor has studied abroad at both the London Contemporary School of Dance and the Centre de Danse du Marais in Paris. Taylor has been awarded several major scholarships, including residency at Jacob’s Pillow, and spent two years with Merce Cunningham's Junior Ensemble (RUG). He is currently on the University of the Arts Alumni Council.

Taylor has performed works by Merce Cunningham, Mark Dendy, Group Motion, Paul Taylor, Milton Meyers, Sean Curran and Gus Solomons Jr, and strongly believes in artistic collaboration. With Eryc Taylor Dance, he has worked closely with artists Chris Annas-Lee, Mark Beard, Gerald Busby, Simon Hayes (Swarm Intelligence), David Kagen, Sidney Grant, Scooter LaForge, Salomon Lerner, Laura Peterson, Daniel Tobias, and Stephan Michael Smith.

His work has been presented at Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, Joyce Soho, The Second Avenue Dance Theater, Joe's Pub at The Public Theater (NYC), New York Live Arts, Armando Manzanero Teatro and Teatro José Peón Contreras (Merida, Mexico), Martha Graham Studio Theater, Bryant Park Theater, Guild Hall (East Hampton, NY). ETD is slated to perform at the Busan Cultural Center (Busan, South Korea) and the Provincetown Dance Festival (Cape Cod, MA) for 2019.

Taylor’s work, E A R T H, was recently awarded a generous match grant from the Marta Heflin Foundation, which will premiere in its entirety in 2020.

E A R T H is made possible in part with public funds from Creative Engagement, supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and administered by LMCC.

As the Founder & Director of ETD Outreach, Taylor oversees a curated community outreach program that works to better society through the healing powers of dance. In 2019 his outreach team of instructors taught over 918 workshops at fifteen locations in the New York area, including Hour Children, The Acacia Network, Felix Organization, PCMH, Lantern & NYU Langone.

Ways to contact Eryc Taylor:

Etd.nyc- website

@eryctaylordance- IG

@etdoutreach- IG

etdoutreach.org

burnbarre.com

@burnbarre-IG

@burnbarretechnique- IG