Hi Everyone, Today I discuss taking a pause on the podcast and why I am being called to do so.I at the same time want to say this is not a goodbye, just a break, so that I can focus on other things pulling at my heart right now.The reason I wanted to share all this is because I know I am not alone in this.When we work passionate careers, even the things that light us up the most and fill us up the most can also burn us out. In recognizing this, we can take space to help us reclaim our spark. With a different schedule this year, I am launching myself into teaching more and I look forward to sharing about my class learnings and different lessons & ideas that I work through in the year when I am able here.I am excited to be full dance teacher mode again!If interested, head on over to ⁠⁠⁠Dance Teacher Pep Talk Patreon ⁠⁠⁠where all of our free meditations and resources are now available for you.In the mean time you can follow my other podcast, ⁠⁠⁠Evolve Love⁠⁠⁠, for daily general pep talks and motivation as well as The Evolve Love Space.IG: @danceteacherpeptalkIG: @_evolve loveHave a beautiful week!With love, Amanda

In today's episode, I talk about the importance of the dancer's voice. The dancer's voice is one that will become their signature when they take a step out into the world. This could be a step onto another stage, or into another role, but the inner voice they develop within your studio walls is going to be with them as they continue on. This episode talks about the importance of dancing because it feels a certain way versus dancing because it looks a certain way and the conundrum that brings up being a visual performing art.As dancers, we want what we are doing to look good for the audience, but we can't give up the importance of also, how it feels for us!I share some exercises I have been workshopping to help dancers to be in their authentic energy on a given day and to help release some of the limiting beliefs around what is holding them back within their dancing.How do you get your dancers to tap into their inner voices?If interested, head on over to ⁠⁠Dance Teacher Pep Talk Patreon ⁠⁠where all of our free meditations and resources are now available for you.Make sure to follow my other podcast, ⁠⁠Evolve Love⁠⁠, for daily general pep talks and motivation as well as The Evolve Love Space.Wanting to ground and center at the start of your dance year? Consider taking my free Zoom class with Evolve Love, Thursday September 10th, with gentle movement and meditation to set your mind up for a beautiful season ahead. Sign-up here and if you cannot attend live, a replay will be sent!IG: @danceteacherpeptalkIG: @_evolve loveHave a beautiful week!With love, Amanda

In today's episode, I detail what my biggest tips are for heading back to dance in regards to mental, emotional, and soulful preparation.From a meditation for clarity, to thoughtful exercises, and pre-dance inspiration ideas, it is my hope that this episode will leave you feeling filled up and ready to begin a new season with the clearest mindset.There are so many variables outside of our control, but there are a lot of variables within our control, and to me that means--prepare!!I am so looking forward to hearing about the ways in which you prepare as well for a new season!If interested, head on over to ⁠Dance Teacher Pep Talk Patreon ⁠where all of our free meditations and resources are now available for you.Make sure to follow my other podcast, ⁠Evolve Love⁠, for daily general pep talks and motivation as well as The Evolve Love Space.IG: @danceteacherpeptalkIG: @_evolve loveHave a beautiful week!With love, Amanda

Today, I look back on the incredible year that this has been for me! Truly, it was one of my biggest growth years and I am just so grateful to be sharing all about it in today's episode.Today we celebrate 3 years of Dance Teacher Pep Talk!It feels like a dream still.Little girl me who used to play pretend radio host and interview guests (aka my sister, cousins, and friends) in between songs (yes I recorded songs from the radio on cassettes to make this happen with my karaoke machine) would just be so awed that I am doing this--for real!I am so grateful to all of you for being here, for supporting me, and for sharing in this journey with me.Here is to many more episodes to come!As mentioned, if interested, head on over to ⁠Dance Teacher Pep Talk Patreon ⁠where all of our free meditations and resources are now available for you.And make sure to follow my other podcast, ⁠Evolve Love⁠, for daily general pep talks and motivation. More is coming on Evolve Love soon too as a supportive and uplifting space, so you won't want to miss out on that.IG: @danceteacherpeptalkIG: @_evolve loveHave a beautiful rest of your day!With love, Amanda

In today's episode, I detail what my biggest tips are for heading back to dance in regards to physical and material preparation.From warm-up creation to shoe shopping to computer system back-ups, we talk about it all! Because I have found that the more prepared I am, the better the dance teacher I am.There are so many variables outside of our control, but there are a lot of variables within our control, and to me that means--prepare!!I am so looking forward to hearing about the ways in which you prepare as well for a new season and make sure to check back in 2 weeks for my Back to Dance 2026 Part 2 episode where I detail ways to mentally, emotionally, and soulfully prepare for a new dance season. If interested, head on over to Dance Teacher Pep Talk Patreon where all of our free meditations and resources are now available for you.Make sure to follow my other podcast, Evolve Love, for daily general pep talks and motivation. If interested in the self-guided curriculum booklet I mentioned, you can access that here.More is coming on Evolve Love soon too as a supportive and uplifting space.IG: @danceteacherpeptalkIG: @_evolve loveHave a beautiful week!With love, Amanda

Have you been feeling the call to deepen your inspiration, practice, and knowledge as a dance teacher, but don't want to drop a ton of money to do so?I share an idea that I have of an at-home self-guided retreat with some suggested activities in today's episode!These activities will help us to best give back to the roles that we play in our lives as . . . *Mover*Creator*Admin*CoachWhile so many programs out there can expand you and help you to reach new heights in your dance teaching, there is also so much accessible at your finger tips and many times for free. If you are interested in the Self-Guided Curriculum Framework Guide that I am creating for Evolve Love, make sure to subscribe to the Evolve Love mailing list here.Even if it is a self-development podcast space, I can see the framework working beautifully for our upleveling as dance teachers. If interested, head on over to ⁠⁠Dance Teacher Pep Talk Patreon ⁠⁠where all of our free meditations and resources are now available for you.Make sure to follow my other podcast, ⁠Evolve Love⁠, for daily general pep talks and motivation. More is coming there soon too!IG: @danceteacherpeptalkIG: @_evolve loveHave a beautiful week!With love, Amanda

Happy Summer and welcome to episode 112 where I give you a pep talk to help carry you through your summer of dance or rest!In today, we remind ourselves of our worth, our abilities, our passion, and our love for dance . . . and so much more!Summer is a beautiful time because it has a playful essence to it and I feel that when play is involved it can open a window towards possibilities in our movement and in our teaching abilities than we ever were aware of prior. I want to thank you all so much for your support & listens.Please make sure to share today's episode with a friend or colleague and don't forget to hit the Follow button on your podcast platform of choice to be notified of all the newest Dance Teacher Pep Talk episodes that launch.If interested, head on over to ⁠Dance Teacher Pep Talk Patreon ⁠where all of our free meditations and resources are now available for you.Make sure to follow my other podcast, Evolve Love, for daily general pep talks and motivation. More is coming there soon too!IG: @danceteacherpeptalkIG: @_evolve loveHave a beautiful week!With love, Amanda

Welcome to our 111th Episode!111 Angel Number, yes! And the guest I have on Dance Teacher Pep Talk today is literally perfect for this episode!I had the beautiful opportunity to sit down with Shannon Love, somatic yoga instructor and author of, Somatic Exercises Made Simple.I feel that many of you have maybe heard the terms “somatics,” or “holistic dance,” or “whole dancer,” but what does all of that actually mean?Shannon shares her vast knowledge of Somatic work as well as how it applies to the dance world, because at the end of the day, we are all wanting to be better teachers and to create a better environment for our dancers, and in my opinion, Somatic work can play a huge part in that. It can also play a huge role in how we show up ourselves!We discuss . . . *Why Somatics?*5D Wellness and the Whole Dancer Approach*3 Scenarios with Somatic Exercises that can help to regulate in that given moment.Shannon’s conversation was incredible, and her book is fascinating. I highly recommend it even for your own personal practice. It changed so much of how I viewed my days.Please make sure to follow Shannon on her Instagram and grab the e-copy or hardcopy of her book over on Amazon!IG: @shannloveeAmazon Link: Somatic Exercises Made SimpleI want to thank you all so much for your support & listens.Please make sure to share today's episode with a friend or colleague and don't forget to hit the Follow button on your podcast platform of choice to be notified of all the newest Dance Teacher Pep Talk episodes that launch.If interested, head on over to Dance Teacher Pep Talk Patreon where all of our free meditations and resources are now available for you.Have a beautiful week!With love, Amanda

Hi DTPT Friends!In today's episode, I share a journaling exercise that I do with my students and one that can be adapted to any way with whatever prompts you choose to give to it.It is 3-2-1 journaling.In today, we are going to look back on our year and think of:3 Amazing Moments2 Challenging & Difficult Moments1 Proud MomentSometimes in the day to day, we don't feel the shifts and changes, but I can guarantee that the dance teacher you are today is different than the dance teacher you were on day 1 of this year, and why? Because you have grown!We grow just like our students.And this exercise always helps me to see that, and I hope that it helps you too!I hope you all enjoy today's episode, and don't forget to follow on the platform of your choice so that you're up to date with all the latest episodes.IG: @danceteacherpeptalkMake sure to check out ⁠my Patreon Page⁠ where all of my content is currently free! The paid membership is currently put on hold with the hopes of returning with fresh ideas for this Fall.Also for those looking for general pep talks to support your Monday through Friday, check out ⁠Evolve Love⁠!IG: _evolveloveThank you all so much for your love & support!Amanda

Hi DTPT Friends!In today's episode, I share my Part 4: Choreography Inspiration Ideas.I figured at this time of the year, many of us are making plans for the new year, the new season. Sometimes with that, we get really stuck in our headspace about what next best creation we are wanting to set. Sometimes this builds a lot of pressure. Sometimes we are just searching everywhere and in anything so that we can think of the next best thing. But one place we can look for inspiration, is actually a lot closer than you may think.I hope you all enjoy today's episode, and don't forget to follow on the platform of your choice so that you're up to date with all the latest episodes.IG: @danceteacherpeptalkMake sure to check out my Patreon Page where I have monthly resources for dance teachers (both free & paid memberships available) with anything from meditation to journaling to guided stories for the children's classroom.May has content that celebrates anywhere from May Day to National Tap Dance Day, to preparing students for recital, and more!A look ahead—instead of individual Summer months of resources, I will be doing a different set-up for my Summer resources, more info on that coming soon!Also for those looking for general pep talks to support your Monday through Friday, check out Evolve Love!IG: _evolveloveOther Choreography Inspiration Episodes Choreography Inspiration Part 1Choreography Inspiration Part 2Choreography Inspiration Part 3Thank you all so much for your love & support!Amanda