A Dancer's Guide to Networking like a Boss -- with Mikey DellaVella

Boosting your Mental Skills will actually Boost your Career. Here's Why. -- with Dr. Chelsea Pierotti & Kirsten Kemp

Today’s guests are Dr. Chelsea Pierotti and Kirsten kemp. Both Chelsea and Kirtsen help dancers with mental skills to improve their performance and enhance their careers and lives. As y'all know, I love diving deep into the psychology realm, so we got right into it and talked about: * How defining values can help guide your path * The fears and insecurities dancers face and actionable ways to overcome them * How to build your confidence in a positive way Dr. Chelsea Pierotti is a former professional dancer and currently works as a sport psychologist and high performance coach for dancers and dance educators. As a speaker, workshop teacher, and podcast host, Dr. Chelsea’s mission is to help create more successful dancers through positive mental skills. Visit her website and check out her podcast, a Passion for Dance at https://chelseapierotti.com [https://chelseapierotti.com/]. Kirsten Kemp (@kirsten_theconfidentdancer [http://www.instagram.com/kirsten_theconfidentdancer]) is a former full-time professional ballet dancer turned High-Performance Mindset Coach for dancers, International Speaker, and Founder of The Confident Dancer. She specializes in helping dancers break through the mental blocks that have been holding them back and build a confident mindset that allows them to feel and perform their best consistently. On top of serving 200+ clients globally, including soloists and principals in top ballet companies and YAGP finalists, she's also the host of The Confident Dancer YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@TheConfidentDancer/videos] and podcast, a show with 21k+ subscribers and counting. As a speaker, she's also had the honor of speaking to groups of dancers at top institutions such as Miami City Ballet School, Estonian National Ballet, University of Utah's School of Dance, Texas Ballet Theater School, and many others. theconfidentdancer.com [http://www.theconfidentdancer.com] Hey y'all! I'm Justine, the voice behind the DC:U pod and MNTR MGMT. After 15+ years in the industry as a choreographer, dancer, producer, educator and more, I'm now working closely with dance artists on professional development, business skills and digital enhancement. Curious? Book a free 1:1 Career Call. [https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=22639540&appointmentType=21958675] You can also help support the podcast! Subscribe and receive exclusive member benefits --> Pod Producer/Supporter [http://www.justinementer.com/podcast] Connect with me on Insta @mntr.mgmt [http://instagram.com/mntr.mgmt]

Ask and you shall receive: Self-advocacy and leadership -- with Riley Groot

Today’s guest is the ever so talented professional dancer @RileyGroot [http://www.instagram.com/rileygroot]. You may have just seen her dancing next to Katy Perry in her Las Vegas residency, but I know Riley from her time as a student at AMDA college here in LA and have had the pleasure of witnessing her career unfold over the years. She's been on “American Horror Story”, the MTV Video Music Awards with BLACKPINK, Disney’s Christmas Spectacular, the Grammys, Billboard music awards, to name a few. We chat about: * How being a reliable dancer can provide more opportunities * Why connections are the most important aspect of your career * The challenges and mindset shifts to withstand the breaks between gigs * How dancers can self-advocate to make the changes we need in the industry Born and raised in San Diego, Riley Groot’s love for dance sparked at age 13 when she began training with the non-profit company, Unity Dance Ensemble. After winning numerous competitive titles, all while touring nationally as an assistant for established dance conventions, Riley moved to Los Angeles, where she continued her study of dance and the performing arts at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Since her graduation she has grown her resume and reputation through the commercial industry as a hard-working and reliable talent. Her credits include “American Horror Story”, the MTV Video Music Awards with BLACKPINK, Disney’s Christmas Spectacular, and The Annual Grammy Awards with J Balvin, to name a few. Currently, she is traveling Asia on Jolin Tsai’s Ugly Beauty World Tour, and when she is not on the road or working in LA, you can find her dancing in her fourth Las Vegas Residency: Katy Perry’s ‘PLAY’, where she leads as dance captain. Riley believes that with every job and opportunity, a new lesson is to be learned. She vows to pass along the powerful insights she has acquired throughout her growing career and hopes to inspire the next generation of dancers, just as her mentors have inspired her. Hey y'all! I'm Justine, the voice behind the DC:U pod and MNTR MGMT. After 15+ years in the industry as a choreographer, dancer, producer, educator and more, I'm now working closely with dance artists on professional development, business skills and digital enhancement. Curious? Book a free 1:1 Career Call. [https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=22639540&appointmentType=21958675] You can also help support the podcast! Subscribe and receive exclusive member benefits --> Pod Producer/Supporter [http://www.justinementer.com/podcast] Connect with me on Insta @mntr.mgmt [http://instagram.com/mntr.mgmt]

How to incorporate Strength Training for your Dancers -- with @trainwithKendall

Kendall Baab is a personal trainer for dancers and dance science educator based in Los Angeles. I met Kendall online actually and I totally aligned with her philosophies. Her business, BodyKinect, has made dance science education accessible for dancers and dance educators - which is so incredibly important. We chat about: * Our shared experiences of being on Texas drill teams * The biggest challenges dancers face when training - both physically and mentally * How social media can lead to injury and perfectionism * The importance of body autonomy and self advocacy Website: https://bodykinect.org [https://bodykinect.org] Instagram @trainwithkendall [http://www.instagram.com/trainwithkendall] Kendall Baab is a personal trainer for dancers and dance science educator located in Los Angeles, CA. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance Science from California State University Long Beach where she trained in ballet and modern dance, and a Master of Science degree in Dance Science from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, UK where she completed dance science research involving perfectionism and self-efficacy in online dance classes and trained in contemporary dance. Kendall is a certified personal trainer, BASI certified Pilates instructor with a dance specialization, and a certified health coach. Kendall works with dancers all over the United States on strength, conditioning, and flexibility to enhance performance and prevent injury. Kendall created her business, BodyKinect, to allow for accessible dance science education for dancers and dance educators. Hey y'all! I'm Justine, the voice behind the DC:U pod and MNTR MGMT. After 15+ years in the industry as a choreographer, dancer, producer, educator and more, I'm now working closely with dance artists on professional development, business skills and digital enhancement. Curious? Book a free 1:1 Career Call. [https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=22639540&appointmentType=21958675] You can also help support the podcast! Subscribe and receive exclusive member benefits --> Pod Producer/Supporter [http://www.justinementer.com/podcast] Connect with me on Insta @mntr.mgmt [http://instagram.com/mntr.mgmt]

Curious about the European Dance Scene? Listen to this. -- with Italy's Fortuna Picardi

I'm thrilled to welcome my first international guest, Fortuna Picardi, from Italy. She is an Italian talent manager and dancer and started her career as a talent manager in 2020 with Be a Pro agency. It was really cool to connect with someone from overseas and see the parallels of dancers in general, but also hear about how things are different in Italy.  We chat about: * The dance scene in Italy * Her transition into being a talent manager * How dancers on her roster can gain more attention and train more effectively * The biggest mistakes dancers make with their headshots IG @fortunapicardi_ [http://www.instagram.com/fortunapicardi_] Hey y'all! I'm Justine, the voice behind the DC:U pod and MNTR MGMT. After 15+ years in the industry as a choreographer, dancer, producer, educator and more, I'm now working closely with dance artists on professional development, business skills and digital enhancement. Curious? Book a free 1:1 Career Call. [https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=22639540&appointmentType=21958675] You can also help support the podcast! Subscribe and receive exclusive member benefits --> Pod Producer/Supporter [http://www.justinementer.com/podcast] Connect with me on Insta @mntr.mgmt [http://instagram.com/mntr.mgmt]

A Dancer's Guide to Networking like a Boss -- with Mikey DellaVella

Today's guest is the effortlessly cool Mikey Dellavella. I know Mikey through his fiance Maryann Chavez and we're all faculty members for Souldesoul Dance Convention. I really love this episode. We get real, as per usual, and talk about: * Typecasting and rejection - starting your career out this way and figuring out your lane * His journey into the acting world * Being bold and assertive as a dancer so you don’t get lost in the mix www.YouTube.com/mikeydellavella [http://www.YouTube.com/mikeydellavella] www.Instagram.com/mikeydellavella [http://www.YouTube.com/mikeydellavella] www.TikTok.com/mdellavella [http://www.YouTube.com/mikeydellavella] Mikey Dellavella comes from upstate New York with a decade of choreographing, creative directing & teaching a unique style of hiphop dance; using a mixture of musicality, control and creative wordplay. His aim is to be sure his students leave his class with a better ear for music and even a stronger appreciation for dance. Having taught at popular Los Angeles studios such as Tmilly studio, Millennium Dance Complex, Movement Lifestyle and Playground la; filming online dance tutorials for Steezy co., Fullouttv & Tmillytv - he is no stranger to the dance world. He has had the privilege to teach in 10 countries and over 30 cities within the U.S., alongside, choreographing/performing for well known artists such as T-Pain, D Smoke, Joyner Lucas, Ester Dean, Britney Spears, and K pop groups, Ateez & Got7. he is also an member for the HHI gold medalist team, S Rank (as seen on NBC’s World of Dance: Season 2). Hey y'all! I'm Justine, the voice behind the DC:U pod and MNTR MGMT. After 15+ years in the industry as a choreographer, dancer, producer, educator and more, I'm now working closely with dance artists on professional development, business skills and digital enhancement. Curious? Book a free 1:1 Career Call. [https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=22639540&appointmentType=21958675] You can also help support the podcast! Subscribe and receive exclusive member benefits --> Pod Producer/Supporter [http://www.justinementer.com/podcast] Connect with me on Insta @mntr.mgmt [http://instagram.com/mntr.mgmt]