Join the Balanced Ballerinas FREE 5 Day Challenge here: www.balancedballerinas.com/challenge Book a Discovery Call with me to see if you’re a good fir for the 12 Week Adult Ballet Course here: www.balancedballerinas.com/contact Instagram @thebalancedballerina Podcast @balancedballerinas Facebook - Balanced Ballerinas And join the *SECRET* Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/balancedballerinas/...
Jun 08, 2022•15 min
It's about time I invited Virginia (aka. Demi Pointe Dancewear!) on the podcast! Virginia was one of my very first adult ballet students and continues to take multiple classes with me every week. But what's really special is that Virginia started her small business out of my business! I always receive messages from people in the #BalancedBallerinas community about my students fashion and in particular everyones skirts…. They are almost always by Virginia who creates custom, bespoke designs to su...
May 18, 2022•1 hr 5 min
When I recently did a Q&A on Instagram, someone from the BB community asked me, "Do you regret not having a career as a professional ballerina?" What a fabulous question to explore! In this episode I break down the reasons why (with hindsight) it was not the right path for me. I'm excited to share my answer because it honestly highlights how much I love the work that I do... ________________ Join our community: Instagram @thebalancedballerina Podcast @balancedballerinas Facebook - Balanced B...
May 05, 2022•28 min
Whilst I'm sure you'll enjoy todays episode, it's really a selfish one as I want to capture this moment in time with my sister! Sophie lives in the UK and a couple of times a week I'll give her a call during my morning walk when the time difference works out perfectly. It was surreal to have her by my side during my morning walk this morning and half way through we decided to record a podcast episode today! Sophie and I learned ballet together whilst growing up, but as you'll hear we were VERY d...
Apr 07, 2022•46 min
I've had a massive few weeks with lots of new projects on the horizon! So I thought a very casual 'Ask Me Anything' episode was in order... Today I answer some of the Balanced Ballerinas Community questions, talk about upcoming projects and even share details of my wedding - which is in two weeks! You can find more resources at www.balancedballerinas.com Instagram @thebalancedballerina Podcast @balancedballerinas Facebook /Join the *SECRET* Facebook group HERE https://www.facebook.com/groups/bal...
Mar 17, 2022•46 min
Welcome to another week of the Balanced Ballerinas Podcast! Today we're talking about the value in simply practising ballet and not getting caught up in the 'all or nothing' mentality... I think you're going to find this one really resonates! _______________ You can find more resources at www.balancedballerinas.com Instagram @thebalancedballerina Podcast @balancedballerinas Facebook /Join the *SECRET* Facebook group HERE https://www.facebook.com/groups/balancedballerinas...
Feb 23, 2022•15 min
Dr. Linda Bluestein has been practicing medicine for over 20 years and has helped countless people restore function and improve their quality of life. Her special interest in treating performing artists (who are at increased risk of hypermobility disorders) stems from her many years as a ballet dancer and shattered dreams of turning professional due to her own hypermobility disorder. An integrative medicine physician with certification in Performing Arts Medicine, Dr. Bluestein takes a unique ap...
Feb 09, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 80
Hello Balanced Ballerinas! Are you having a moment uncharacteristic of yourself? Not following your own advice? Not checking every box in your to-do list? Going back to unhealthy situations? Repeating unhealthy patterns? Or perhaps you're doing things that aren't in line with your values? Well this episode is for you! And me. And everyone who is human! _______________ Get your FREE Balanced Ballerinas 'Intention Setting' worksheet HERE and start kicking GOALS: https://www.balancedballerinas.com/...
Jan 26, 2022•11 min•Season 1Ep. 79
I hope you're having a lovely January! And thank you for all your feedback on last fortnights episode. I'm so glad you enjoyed and it's always lovely to hear from the wonderful women (and men!) in the Balanced Ballerinas Community. Today's guest is Caitlin Thamm who is the founder of Dance Care Australia. A space which has been created for dancers of all ages to be heard and understood in whichever capacity they need by someone who knows what it can be like to be a dancer. Caitlin spent 15 year...
Jan 12, 2022•43 min•Season 1Ep. 78
I'm sure being the new year that you are bombarded with goal setting, habit trackers and all sorts of specifically new year new me topics, so I thought this would be a breath of fresh air to kick start the topics of conversation in the Balanced Ballerinas community... Speaking of conversation within this wonderful community, please don't forget to join the 'Secret Balanced Ballerinas Facebook Group' asap! If you are not in this group, you are missing out! It brings me so much joy to see conversa...
Jan 05, 2022•37 min•Season 1Ep. 77
Today’s guest is Pacific Northwest Ballet Soloist, Jonathan Batista! Jonathan started his training at a social project in Rio de Janeiro’s City of God slums. His talent was then spotted by his teacher which took him to a pre-professional dance division at Alice Arja Ballet School where he started his journey in Classical Ballet. I won’t spoil the story about how Batista went from this humble beginning to performing all over the world – he shares this wonderful story in our conversation – but I w...
Dec 15, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 76
Happy Thursday! In this weeks SOLO episode I go on a tangent about my thoughts on LEGACY. This is something I often think about at this time of year... Are you thinking of changing dance schools? Quitting ballet? Or do you want to make a difference in this world and not sure how to go about it? I think this might be the episode you need to listen to... As always, feel free to connect with me on Instagram and if you want to find the blog post about today's topic 'Why do I feel amazing after balle...
Dec 02, 2021•31 min•Season 1Ep. 75
Penny is the Honorary Founding Director of Australian Dance Vision and registered training organisation Australian Dance Institute. Penny's vision was to create a holistic education dance program via a creative and unique assessment process, while building both excellence and self-esteem for students and teachers. Penny truly believes her syllabus gives students preparation for a professional career in dance (if they choose that path) with life skills that set students up for greater employment ...
Nov 17, 2021•41 min•Season 1Ep. 74
I had the most delightful conversation with a gentleman by the name of Terry Hyde. I say gentleman because Terry came to the interview via Zoom in what looked like a very organised study in a wonderfully dapper suit jacket. I on the other hand was in my pyjamas. Although my bed top is black, so it didn't quite look like pyjamas. But it was 5am in the morning for me, so my apologies if I take a moment to warm up in this interview. I really loved this conversation and found Terry to be so warm and...
Nov 03, 2021•57 min•Season 1Ep. 73
This one is near and dear to my heart ballerinas! You can view an entire transcript of this in blog form here: https://www.balancedballerinas.com/2021/10/28/you-are-absolutely-allowed-to-call-yourself-a-ballerina/ ____________ You can find more resources at www.balancedballerinas.com Instagram @thebalancedballerina Podcast @balancedballerinas Facebook - Balanced Ballerinas (ensure you join the *SECRET* Facebook group too!)
Oct 28, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 72
I have followed Annabelle's adult ballet journey since she started regular classes in 2019 - Annabelle became a regular listener of the podcast and through her support, comments and sharing across social media we began chatting back and forth in our DM's... In fact, if I go back through them now we've had wonderful conversations about the positives and negatives of taking photos in class, the realities of taking class at home on Zoom, the importance of period positivity (especially amongst young...
Sep 25, 2021•54 min•Season 1Ep. 71
Every year I re-write a blog post dedicated to the pointe work. This year I thought I'd break it down into five important questions to ask yourself before beginning your pointe journey! I'd like to thank Sarah Kiely from the Living Well Studio who conducts the majority of my students pre-pointe assessments. Sarah is a constant source of inspiration and wealth of knowledge and I have pulled information from her teachings for this episode. Sarah was actually one of my early guests on the #Balanced...
Sep 11, 2021•19 min•Season 1Ep. 70
Louise grew up in country Lismore before heading to Brisbane’s Queensland Dance School of Excellence (QDSE) to finish school in full-time dance training. What I love most about Louise’s story is that although she started ballet late (12 years old is considered late in the world of ballet!) she was smart enough to realise that this disadvantage in the professional world of ballet didn’t rule her out completely in having a career within the industry… After her first pre-pointe assessment, Louise a...
Aug 14, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 69
Ever wondered why some weeks feel like you have boundless energy resources whilst others are completely flat? Well your menstrual cycle might have something to do with that! Firstly, whilst I am an expert in ballet I am in no way an expert on health. However I have always been incredibly interested in how nutrition can impact my students and optimise their technique and training. One of the reasons why I started the Balanced Ballerinas Podcast is because it gives me the opportunity to pick the b...
Jul 31, 2021•17 min•Season 1Ep. 68
Today's guest is the gorgeous Jojo from Adult Ballet Collective, Adult Ballet Club and Ballet With Jojo. I'm sure you've heard of at least one of those, but they're so much more than just the instagram handle! Jojo started ballet at the age of 23 and is the poster girl for adult ballerinas everywhere, proving it's never too late to begin your ballet journey. Jojo and I share some very similar beliefs; first of all that ballet is for EVERYONE and secondly that adult ballerinas come with the most ...
Jul 17, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 67
When a listener of the @balancedballerinas pod asked me to do an #AMA I must admit that I had to google what that meant. Apparently it means #AskMeAnything and it's supposed to be spontaneous, off the cuff and very honest. Sounds like fun! My first honest admission? I missed last weeks podcast deadline because I have too many tabs open on my brain. There are so many topics I want to cover and big issues I want to tackle. So feeling paralysed, I didn't release an episode. To get back on schedule ...
Jul 04, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 66
I feel like todays episode will be as impactful as my one with Ally. Both Dr Nicola Keay and Dr Stefanie Potreck are pioneers and huge advocates of dancers mental and physical health around the world. And whilst Ally's episode comes with lots of personal stories and heartfelt messages, Nicky and Stephanie have brought all the facts to further strengthen that message. The dance world typically views 'getting your period' as a sign of unwanted weight gain or the end of the 'ideal pubescent body ty...
Jun 05, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 65
Born in Darwin, Meryl began ballet classes at a young age before heading to The Australian Ballet School. Shortly after being accepted into the company, Meryl took a leave of absence to work as a Principal dancer with the infamous Pina Bausch in Germany. Eventually craving to be artistically challenged even more, Meryl then spent time between Germany and Australia appearing in television series for ABC television before finally returning to Australia to continue her love for choreographing as th...
May 22, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 64
In today's episode I share the most valuable lesson my mother taught me (in celebration of mothers day!) and I also read a very popular blog post that I wrote recently; It's not about choosing ballet over boys, it's about choosing yourself... This original blog post which was adapted for this episode can be found here: https://www.balancedballerinas.com/2021/04/30/its-not-about-choosing-ballet-overs-boys-its-about-choosing-the-right-boy/ _______________ Get your FREE Balanced Ballerinas 'Intenti...
May 08, 2021•19 min•Season 1Ep. 63
Joel is a beautiful ballet dancer that has trained extensively with The Australian Ballet School and Queensland Ballet Academy. In fact, we both share a deep love and respect for Paul Boyd who listeners of the pod are well acquainted with having both been taught by him for many years. During our conversation we dive into Joel's experience as a Prix de Lausanne finalist and how he has decided to move away from the traditional route of becoming a professional ballet dancer to explore feature film ...
Apr 24, 2021•46 min•Season 1Ep. 62
This week I have a beautiful conversation with an even more beautiful soul, Margot Hallac! This is the identity behind the famous @pointebrush account on Instagram. And yes, Margot was named after Margot Fonteyn. With a name like that you just have to dive into the world of ballet, but as you'll find out during our conversation ballet wasn't always on Margot's radar and whilst she danced as a child she has developed an even deeper passion for ballet as an adult. Besides being the face behind Poi...
Apr 10, 2021•58 min•Season 1Ep. 61
I often find myself arguing in circles WITH MYSELF whilst pondering the topic of ballet uniforms. As an owner of a predominantly ‘ballet’ studio I find it difficult to comprehend a class full of mismatched or ‘baggy’ uniforms. But then I think, just because I’m conditioned to be intolerant of such a sight doesn’t necessarily mean it’s right. Perhaps I should do more to be inclusive. Perhaps I should be less lazy about coming up with more inclusive practices. Listen while I argue for an against b...
Mar 28, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 60
Hello beautiful Balanced Ballerinas! I hope you've had an amazing week, kicking goals, taking class and taking care of your physical and mental health. Remember, a ballet class usually fixes both these things simultaneously... so keep doing what you love! As you'll hear, my voice is still a little under the weather. I'll be honest, don't actually know what it is at the moment, having some tests (not covid related, don't worry!) but todays guest did say that he liked the husky tone and I tend to ...
Mar 13, 2021•47 min•Season 1Ep. 59
Today you don't get just one podcast host. You don't even get two. Instead you have four podcast hosts all chatting about their love of ballet and MUSIC! Yes that's right, the team from The Ballet Piano Podcast have crossed over (from London to Australia!) to be guests on the Balanced Ballerinas podcast today. I came across their podcast towards the end of last year and completely fell in love with its content, vibe and wealth of information. It's truly an amazing educational resource for anyone...
Feb 27, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 58
Yes it’s true, the POD IS BACK! Personally I couldn’t think of anything worse than kicking off the year with a ‘new year, new me’ type of episode. After the year we all had last year, that’s the last thing you need from me! Instead I’m sharing a fun solo episode about the top 10 ballet class enquiries I receive at the start of every year. Whilst some of these enquiries will surprise you, others certainly won’t and I hope that my answers will either inspire, inform or make you laugh. I also share...
Feb 14, 2021•44 min•Season 1Ep. 57
