One of the biggest things I realized was that practice can be your best friend. In this case, practice and learning the LITTLE tricks and products that made the biggest difference. I was terrible at my hair and makeup. But I learned how to get better by talking with other dancers, taking classes, testing products, and MESSING UP a lot! You might not want to go through all that work...which is why I am going to provide you with the shortcuts so you can get good at your cosmetics way FASTER than I did.

Mental strength is everything. Believing that you can do something doesn't come easily, you really have to push yourself past your limits to gain your own self-respect. That is exactly what I did. I wanted a professional, out of state dance partner and I knew I had to level up massively to achieve that. So I pushed my limits in the studio and in the gym. Most importantly, I reached out to hundreds of coaches and did many tryouts. I got rejected OVER and OVER again but kept pushing forward, earning my self-respect a long the way. By the time I agreed to a partnership with a guy out in California, I knew I had earned it. I had so much proof for myself that I WAS good enough and that came through action, not shouting affirmations in the mirror or relying on hope.

Your thoughts have such a big impact over how you feel and act. They are little things with HUGE amounts of power. As I learned to manage my own, I focused on the details. I focused on the words I was saying to myself, how I was visualizing myself, how I handled failure, and how I processed my emotions. I know your mind can be a daunting foe so start small.

I once heard that comparison is the thief of joy and in this case, that is VERY true. The biggest thing I did to improve my body image and confidence was to STOP comparing myself to other dancers. Instead, I took that energy and put it toward trying new workouts that I enjoyed, pushing my body, and learning the best ways to recover. The details are key 🔑

I am a list person and I love time management. So I combined the two and created custom practice schedules for myself that allowed me to go into the studio knowing EXACTLY how long I was gonna be there, what lesson info I was going to work on, and what drills I needed to do. My 1-2 hour practices were more productive than most people's 3 hour practices. Do you want some of your own practice schedules?

I danced with a lot of guys who thought they could easily steamroll over me. To prevent this from happening, I turned my attention once again to the details. I focused on an establishing a belief within myself that words couldn't hurt me. No matter what they said, I decided what I took to heart. NEXT, I learned how to stand up for myself. I learned how to fight back. That is still serving me to this day.