Riding Tandem

00:00:00 - Speaker A
Welcome to Riding Tande, a podcast about building businesses, leadership and creating positive impact for our communities. I'm your host, Vivian Kvam, and I invite you to ride Tandem Works with me as I have candid conversations with inspiring business owners, leaders and experts who are building on their dreams and creating impact. Get ready to be encouraged and learn practical tactics to help us build successful businesses, become incredible leaders, and have positive ripple effects. Let's go. Welcome to today's podcast of writing. Tandem Works. I'm delighted to share with you today a really remarkable story of Miss Natasha Jade Gregory. She's a former professional ballet dancer, and I think that her story is so cool because her impact really extends far beyond even the stage. I mean, when we think of a professional dancer, we think of the stage, of course. But she also has just had such a far reach in her own community, in social media. She's a savvy business owner and she has some really unique offerings, which I'm excited to jump into here, both online and then also in her brand new local brick and mortar location as well. And Miss Natasha is a former professional ballet dancer. Like I said, she began her professional career at age 17. And fun story. I actually met Natasha a couple of years prior to that. We were in some classes together. But I am excited to learn there's been so much more to the story since then, so I'm excited to learn so much more here. But Natasha has danced numerous principal and title roles in various ballet companies around the US. She's been on billboards. I have seen some of them, which is always so fun when you see somebody, you know, and then they're always like, oh, my gosh, don't bring it up. But she's been on billboards and commercials, print ads, television shows. I think one of the fun ones to note is that Natasha appeared on Fox television's series, So You Think You Can Dance, and she actually can dance. So I think that's fun there. But she's been training dancers in over 28 countries. She's toured with Ignite Dance Competition as a convention master instructor. And she also just has a great, healthy online presence, which we're going to talk a lot about here today. But she's been working with hundreds of notable brands in just creative collaborations. She's sponsored currently by Body Wrappers. So I know there's people who are I feel like the past couple episodes have been like, pull out your notebooks. You're going to want to take notes because I think there are so many questions around social media, content creation, what it takes to do that. But here's one of my favorite parts. I pulled this straight off of your bio on the website that I just wanted to pull out just that Natasha, she has a firm belief that dance education shouldn't have boundaries for people. And so she extends financial assistance to those who may need it. She's regularly hosting some giveaways and offers class opportunities through social media channels. I think that's really special. Super cool. That was definitely something for me growing up. Like, I needed to take advantage of things like that at times. And so I just think it's neat as a business owner that her generosity just reaffirms your commitment to dance education, which is cool. So that's the bio, and I'm excited to have you. Thanks for hopping on.

00:03:17 - Speaker B
Thank you so much for having me. Yeah, I'm excited to be here.

00:03:20 - Speaker A
Cool. Okay. Did I leave anything out?

00:03:23 - Speaker B
No. I'm so uncomfortable listening about myself because it just happens organically. I'm like my palms are actually sweating right now. I don't know. It makes me uncomfortable.

00:03:33 - Speaker A
Yeah. I get the same way when people are like, and this and this. And I had somebody say once, okay, Vivian, you need to learn how to just graciously say thank you.

00:03:43 - Speaker B
Yes. I appreciate that. I agree. Like, the Barbie movie. I don't know if you've seen the Barbie movie, but it's all about accepting compliments or thanks. I know.

00:03:50 - Speaker A
Yeah. But it is hard to do. And for me, with a photography background, I really struggle to get in front of the camera because it just feels uncomfortable to have attention on you. When I'm behind the camera, I'm like, what's wrong? It's totally fine. Feel comfortable?

00:04:06 - Speaker B
It's great.

00:04:07 - Speaker A
Absolutely.

00:04:07 - Speaker B
Like, in the studio or on the stage, I love the attention, but it's like the face to face or communication. Yeah, it's a little different, but I don't want my students to feel that way. So I feel like I overcompensate as an instructor because I really want to build up their confidence so they don't have this uncomfortable feeling like I do. Yeah, maybe that's where it comes from.

00:04:25 - Speaker A
Maybe they'll just all have to practice their own BIOS before each dance class.

00:04:29 - Speaker B
Yes. I'm going to add that to my curriculum.

00:04:32 - Speaker A
Part of stage presence is being able to talk about yourself or hear others talk about you.

00:04:36 - Speaker B
Yes, I think that's a good idea, actually.

00:04:38 - Speaker A
Let's just start towards the beginning. Just dance in general. What's your journey and story with your personal love for dance?

00:04:46 - Speaker B
Yeah, I have always been a mover. I started gymnastics when I was, like, three or four. Then I transitioned to dance because I have an older sister, and she danced, so I wanted to be like her, and I loved it. And then I started the competition, training competition, dance. And I got the corrections you need to take ballet. I didn't really have a strong ballet base, so I went to a strictly classical training ballet school, which is where I met you. And that was when I was 14, and that was late to start ballet. Usually people start much younger, so I had a lot of catching up to do, and then I just fell in love with ballet because every time you walk in, it's so strict, you've got to really I don't know, there's just something new to work on each time you go in. And I loved that. I really loved that. Kind of broke everything down and took things a little bit slower. Yeah. And then I started dancing professionally, and the rest all happened. I don't really know.

00:05:44 - Speaker A
Were you as a so prior to you said before you hopped on here, you started maybe around age, was it seven, is that right?

00:05:53 - Speaker B
I started dance yep. At seven. Okay. Yep.

00:05:56 - Speaker A
Prior to seven, were you the type who's I want to be a dancer someday? Was that I want to grow up type of thing?

00:06:02 - Speaker B
I had no idea that you could become a professional until I went to the ballet school, until I was 14, and we had professional instructors, and I was like, Wait, I can do this for a living. So I went home after every class and I'm practicing, and I was telling my mom all the corrections, like, I would basically relive the entire class. I'm like, I'm going to make this happen. I had no idea that this was even a possibility. So then we went and we would watch the shows and watch the Broadway shows that would come in. I'm like, oh, my gosh, this is a job. You can do this. So, yeah, I really wanted to make that happen.

00:06:35 - Speaker A
So when you realized you could become a professional dancer, and then you did, how long did that part of your story, how long did your professional career last? And for some people who may not understand dance world, your body only handles things for so long, but then other life things will come up as well. Like, most dancers are not professional dancers until 70. Right. So I just wanted to lay that out there because sometimes people are like, what do you mean? Weren't you a professional dancer your whole life?

00:07:04 - Speaker B
Yeah, I worked with a professional dance company for about ten years, and I got pregnant, and I actually had a miscarriage, and I was going through a lot emotionally. And then that's when I shut the door to my professional career because I just couldn't be in all areas at my most. So I was like, I'm going to take a year off, figure out what's going on. And I just really wanted to start a family. I was ready to. And I felt like with the touring and with all the pressure of dancing professionally and your body image, I just felt really unhealthy in all aspects. So I took a year off, I got really healthy emotionally, physically, and then I had my first baby and I was done. Physically, I could have kept dancing. My body was ready to keep going. And still, obviously, I'm not in professional dance training shape, but I still feel healthy in my body. And maybe it is because I retired a little bit earlier than most people, but yeah, that's where my teaching started and my Pilates training and kind of diving in deep of instruction. When I took that year off of dancing professionally, which turned out me just retiring, I didn't really have the swan song. I didn't know when my last performance was. That's why I really push it to my students, too. I'm like, this could be your last time on stage. Like, you really never know when your last time performing will be. Yeah.

00:08:27 - Speaker A
It is such an interesting thing when you stop doing anything, thinking, though, that you may come back and then don't. Did you feel like you had to go through, like, a grieving process for that at all?

00:08:38 - Speaker B
Or what was that, 100%? And I didn't know I was dealing with so many things emotionally at that time where yeah, after I got my head above the water, I was like, wow, that was tough. That was really tough. And still I get a little emotional. Oh, my gosh, I didn't know I'd get sad today. It is sad because that chapter is done and you'll never get that. But no, I was still sad about that.

00:09:04 - Speaker A
It's funny how it's not funny. It's interesting how we will have dreams and ideas, and dreams and ideas change, but it doesn't mean we don't still have emotions attached to those. I was just having coffee with a friend this morning, and we were talking about that, where I was like, when I think about dreams that I had and I've let some of them go, or they've changed, but there's still this OD pool. And when I stopped dancing, I never took it to the professional level. When I stopped dancing, I couldn't go to a ballet for probably about five or six years. I just couldn't go.

00:09:40 - Speaker B
Yeah.

00:09:41 - Speaker A
Because I would just sit there and it would just bring all these emotions and thoughts back. Yeah, it is.

00:09:48 - Speaker B
And I continued going. My best friend was dancing professionally still, so I still went to go support her, and it was tough. I couldn't stay after and congratulate them all. I would text them all, but yeah, I was an emotional mess after I would leave. Now I'm able to go and I have the fond memories. Oh, you get teary eyed and misty'd because you're like, oh, my gosh, I remember that. But I love my life so much now that I wouldn't change anything. But to go back for one day, wouldn't that be so amazing? Be able to go back just for one day.

00:10:19 - Speaker A
Yeah. What were some of your favorite or did you have favorite roles or favorite ballets or anything like that?

00:10:26 - Speaker B
Yeah, my last I believe it was the last show that I did. I got to be Snow White.

00:10:32 - Speaker A
Oh, fun.

00:10:33 - Speaker B
That was a really fun role. I always liked it when instead, in a lot of contemporary works, you're just feeling the movement. I loved when we had a story and I could play a character. I love diving in deep and acting. So there I got to act a little bit. I like to be the rat queen. What was your favorite character out of Snow White and Giselle or Swan Lake? I'm like Rat Queen. It was great. Yeah, you got to be evil and like something that you're not normal. I was also an old person one time, so we got to do all the crazy makeup and the weird posture. So I always liked being the characters and acting.

00:11:10 - Speaker A
That not dance related, but was in some theater class that we did. An I Love Lucy episode was like our acting class, and she was like a hillbilly in this one. I don't know. Now I'm like, is that correct to say? But that was the role that she was depicting, and I got that role, and so it was not a beautiful role. The costuming and everything, the whole idea, like I had blackened out teeth and everything. I loved that role because you really got to get into a super fun character and make people laugh and really connect with them in an interesting way. So I can relate to that, I guess, on that level.

00:11:46 - Speaker B
Yeah. I remember when the casting went up, it said Rat Queen or Old Lady, and I was like, the initial gut punch. And then you're like, oh my gosh. Actually, this is highly underrated because this is way better. You get to let go of your technique and dive in deep, be the character.

00:12:01 - Speaker A
Just super fun. So as you called it, you were like, okay, I went to early retirement, basically. But you have kept this dance thread. You mentioned the Pilates and talk to me some about the transition when you realized, okay, I'm not going to go this direction. But you must have decided you wanted to keep this in your life. How were you making those decisions?

00:12:26 - Speaker B
Yeah, when I retired, I initially thought ballet was making me in a negative headspace. I was working with such amazing people, surrounded by a lot of positivity, which is really rare for the dance industry, especially ballet. So I was lucky to have that. I think it was more like inward battles, so I knew I couldn't stop moving. But I didn't necessarily want to be taking a strict ballet class and staring at my body in the mirror. So I went to ballet. I got certified in pilates and zumba. Zumba was a big thing during that time, so I was teaching those. That's where I was getting all that movement and still staying in shape in case I did wanted to want to go back to dancing professionally. And then I realized the connections between fitness and dance, and I found myself with higher extension, better balance, correcting a lot of the things that were wrong in my dancing before. More flexibility, better pirouettes fuetes. Like, my endurance was so much better. I was like, oh, my gosh, I'm onto something here. So then I was still teaching dance in the evenings, so I would start to implement some of my trainings, and then I would see results in them. I'm like, oh, my gosh, this is working. And then that evolved, and now I definitely take a more fitness approach to my training for my students, and we do a lot of cross trainings.

00:13:45 - Speaker A
When you were teaching, then, were they your own classes that you're offering, or were you teaching through another studio or how did that work?

00:13:51 - Speaker B
I was teaching through another studio. Multiple studios.

00:13:54 - Speaker A
Okay.

00:13:55 - Speaker B
Multiple studios.

00:13:56 - Speaker A
It's so interesting to hear you say these things, because I had a lot of fear when I danced. I enjoyed it and loved it, but there were certain things that I would fear doing because I wasn't particularly good at them. And especially as a young person, when you're not good at something, even as an older person, it's hard to put yourself out there. And so I remember there being certain things where you're staring at yourself in the mirror. Everyone's kind of queued up, staring at you just by being there. And it's interesting you bring up the fitness in that, because over the years, as I have changed in what I do with fitness, there have been so many times where I've thought, I wish I had known this then, because I think I would have done that so much better or would have been stronger at it. And one of the ones that I would have dreams about, time was Pirouettes, and I had a terrible time trying to get past a double. And I still, to this day, I have this feeling in my head, if I did it now, I think I have so much more confidence that I could do it.

00:14:54 - Speaker B
Mind over matter. Oh, my gosh, yes. Confidence is a huge thing. So I also take that approach when I'm teaching. I'm like, you are capable of doing it if you tell yourself you can do it beforehand. It's incredible, the difference. Yes. Confidence. And you probably would be the same way, where you can really relate. I can relate to these kiddos that are in class because I'm like, I've been in your shoes. I started late. Like, I know exactly how you're feeling, so I'd have to pull that out and relate to them in that way, which is fun.

00:15:26 - Speaker A
There's so much of that has happened through owning my own business, too, of gaining confidence. And it's so strange to me how I'll relate that back to the dance of had I had this confidence that I gained through owning a business, I think I would have been a stronger dancer. And so it's just a fun thing to think about. And then what does that shape in the future now that I do have the confidence? Really fun.

00:15:45 - Speaker B
Yeah.

00:15:46 - Speaker A
So talk to me some about so many of the offerings that you do now? They're not in a brick and mortar studio. I guess we'll jump to that point because you just opened a brand new space.

00:15:58 - Speaker B
Yes.

00:15:58 - Speaker A
But so much of what you've done has actually been through online offerings, and that how did you transition into that part of the business in that world?

00:16:06 - Speaker B
Yeah. So I continued teaching. I had two babies, and I would bring them to teach for other dance studios. They were with me throughout all of that. Which is fun.

00:16:18 - Speaker A
That is fun.

00:16:18 - Speaker B
And then once COVID hit, everybody shut down. There was two weeks where I was not teaching, not making any money. I'm like, I need to think on my toes. My husband's at that time, he was a helicopter pilot for Mercy Hospital.

00:16:32 - Speaker A
Okay.

00:16:33 - Speaker B
And they couldn't fly anybody. They didn't have the proper pee.

00:16:35 - Speaker A
Is that what it is?

00:16:36 - Speaker B
They didn't have the proper equipment, so they couldn't fly anybody during that time. So my husband and I were both out of work. We had two babies at home. We had bills to pay. We had a lot of stuff going on. So I was like, wow, I need to think on my toes here. I sold beachbody a year earlier, and I learned so much through that time. We used Zoom a lot for all of our meetings because I worked with people around the US. And that was one way that we had our meetings. So I was like, what if I had somewhat of an online presence during that time on Instagram? I'm like, what if I offered bar fitness classes through Zoom? So I started doing that through people locally. They would join, and then people on the online presence. Then I started teaching ballet classes, and then that kind of moved to private lessons, and then it just really it was a snowball effect.

00:17:29 - Speaker A
Yeah. That necessity. Every time I feel like is whatever it was, there's some crisis point, and it pushes people have to do something different.

00:17:39 - Speaker B
Yeah. And I feel as dancers, we're really good at Pivoting because every time we go into the studio, it's something new that we're working on, whether it's choreography or in our bodies. Yeah. We always have to be able to pivot and shift to that next thing.

00:17:53 - Speaker A
What were your thoughts or what are your thoughts now of it being so virtual versus being so present? Physical. Especially with something, I guess. Something so physical. Dance is so physical. There is this kind of relating to each other in the room. Now it's suddenly virtual. What was that like? How did you feel about that?

00:18:12 - Speaker B
Honestly? I loved it. I had full capacity to make my own schedule, so I was scheduling things. Six in the morning until 730, when my kids were still sleeping. I set up a little studio in the basement. I got my acoustics, got my sound all set up. I would teach before my kids would even wake up and I loved it. I got to connect with talent from all over the world. I'm like, I would have never had this opportunity to be able to see all of these people if this wouldn't have happened, to turn it into somewhat of a positive thing. So I loved that aspect of it. But after three years of being virtual, I really missed that face to face connection that you get because it's kind of an emotional thing, dancing. And you do use corrections hands. I'm very hands on, so I missed that aspect of it. And then that's where the studio came into play.

00:19:08 - Speaker A
Yeah. It's such an interesting thing how much fitness went online. Gyms closed, dance dues, closed. Everything in that regard, closed. And I've heard a number of stories where a fitness studio that took things online and things just blossomed, and the reach was so much broader.

00:19:30 - Speaker B
I think it's so nice because coming from a student aspect, too, they could be traveling. They can still take those fitness classes or structured dance classes, no matter where they are, fit it into little pockets of time. They don't have to travel. They don't have to have their parent drive that they're a student for that aspect. It's really great. And honestly, I don't feel like a loss of connection. One of my students, Contessa shout out to Contessa.

00:19:58 - Speaker A
She lives in New York.

00:19:59 - Speaker B
I would have never met her beforehand, but I work with her two to three times a week, and I feel so close to her. She's like, If I ever get married, you're coming to my wedding? I'm like yes. And I've never met her in real life, but I feel like I know her so well.

00:20:11 - Speaker A
That's really neat. I've also had some relationships that have started up that way. And then sometimes we get to meet, sometimes we don't. I've had just some of the best friends through virtually meeting through groups and things like that.

00:20:23 - Speaker B
Isn't that so crazy to think about?

00:20:24 - Speaker A
It is just how we can touch and reach so many people.

00:20:27 - Speaker B
Yeah, it's amazing.

00:20:28 - Speaker A
And we were saying earlier, so you have taught students in over 28 countries, is that right?

00:20:33 - Speaker B
Yes. When I was doing my taxes, this was last year, I was on Wix, my website, and it breaks everything down. I was like, wow, this is new. I didn't see this before. And it showed your sales and all of this and where your sales came from, and then all of the students and I just kept diving. I'm like, 28. I kept counting. I'm like, that can't be right. 28 different countries. I never ask my students where they're from. I feel like that's kind of a breach of privacy. I wouldn't want my child to tell them where they live if they were to take virtual from some lady on the Internet. So I never ask where they're from unless they want to share that with me. And I never really look it's there. But yeah, that was an exciting surprise.

00:21:13 - Speaker A
Very exciting. How do you find these people? Or how do they find you?

00:21:18 - Speaker B
TikTok and Instagram, tell us more, because I think so many people go, okay.

00:21:24 - Speaker A
How do I get past my local area?

00:21:27 - Speaker B
Yes. And now I'm in the opposite. I'm like, how do I dive deeper into the local area? Yeah. So I do. I have a nice online presence. And it all started through TikTok, actually.

00:21:37 - Speaker A
Okay.

00:21:37 - Speaker B
Their algorithm is just wonderful because they just push anybody through. Yeah.

00:21:44 - Speaker A
How did you start with TikTok? Were you just already personally on there using it? Or was it purely for business?

00:21:50 - Speaker B
This was during the shutdown. I missed dancing. My husband was like, hey, look at this app. People are dancing on it. There's trending dances. I'm like, what is this?

00:21:58 - Speaker A
I don't understand.

00:22:00 - Speaker B
I don't understand. And it was all just trending dances.

00:22:02 - Speaker A
That's right.

00:22:02 - Speaker B
He was like, Just open one up. Just try it. Just try it. So we did, and I was like, this is embarrassing, but I was having so much fun with it. No one was on there, so I didn't worry about anybody seeing it because no one was on there. So I just kept going. And my first video that I put up, I remember it had 32,000 views. And at the time, I was like, 32,000 views? That's crazy. So I just kept going, and I.

00:22:24 - Speaker A
Was having so much fun.

00:22:25 - Speaker B
And it got some traction and then COVID hit. So this must have been right before COVID So COVID hit and you could go live on TikTok. So I would go live and do my classes during the lives, offer them free classes. I'm like, These kids are stuck at home. They don't have anything going on. They can't train. Yeah. And then just ricocheted snowballed.

00:22:46 - Speaker A
One of the things I have noticed is that you do look like you're having fun. And I feel like you can sometimes tell. I don't know, maybe you can't tell because there's also the whole so what happens on social media, that's reality. Right? That's your whole life. You just are having fun and dancing all the time. And as we talk so much, we know that's not always the case. But I did notice as you were posting more and more, you did look like you were just enjoying. And I think that's refreshing for people.

00:23:15 - Speaker B
Yeah, it has been so nice because it has brought out the performer in me, which I think is in any if it's in you, it's in you, like, forever. So I get to bring that performer. Do get I feel like I have that part still as a dancer. Yeah. So, yeah, I am having a blast. And because I was able to ease into TikTok without anybody being on there, it was easier once people started to transition to TikTok and then possibly see my videos. I'm like, oh, they're already out. There's nothing to lose here.

00:23:46 - Speaker A
So when you got started, it really wasn't necessarily to promote anything that you were doing, it was just a creative outlet.

00:23:52 - Speaker B
Yes, absolutely.

00:23:53 - Speaker A
As it started transitioning and you were realizing, did you realize, oh, I could take what I'm doing here and start monetizing or using this to drive to what I'm doing first? Or were you doing things and then you were like, oh, I should be using TikTok. I'm going to start changing to that direction, in that direction.

00:24:11 - Speaker B
It just happened so organically. I wish I could say that I had this all planned out, but I don't. I honestly don't even really know how it began. But I do know that I was doing a lot of the trending dances, and people talk about social media burnout all the time. And I got that. I took probably, like, two to three months off of not creating new content, and then I started to miss it again. I missed that performance, but I was like, what was different here? And it was because I was trying to maybe because I had a few videos go viral, maybe I was trying to go viral. Maybe I was trying to do that. So then instead of trying to get attention, I turned it into serving my audience. And that has been 100% different. So I'm either answering questions in the comments or creating or trying to solve problems for dancers. And then that's also eliminated. I don't like guys on my social media. And when I was doing the trending dances, even though they were so much fun, I felt like I was getting attention that I didn't like. It was giving me the ick. I was like, I don't like these comments. I would delete. I was just blocking people. I'm like, I don't want that attention at all. So then I shifted it more into the educator portion, creating content for that. And then I was on the TikTok educator program.

00:25:30 - Speaker A
That's awesome.

00:25:31 - Speaker B
Yeah. Yes.

00:25:31 - Speaker A
Very neat.

00:25:32 - Speaker B
Yeah.

00:25:33 - Speaker A
When you think about how people can determine what makes sense for making content for them, are there any tips that you give people when they're also thinking through those things? Okay, I'm just grabbing attention right now, but I don't really know how to more fit into more than that. Have you ever talked with people about that and given them any thoughts on that?

00:25:53 - Speaker B
I haven't, but I would say to just try to solve their problems. Like, whatever your business is, how could you solve a problem for them or put in your shoes? Like, you started this business because of a reason. So telling your story and then getting the audience to know you as a person, too, is so incredible. And it's such a unique thing that we get to do now, because before, we didn't really have that opportunity unless you went into their brick and mortar and you spoke to them in person.

00:26:24 - Speaker A
So. As you were starting. We talked about this beforehand, so let's just go there. I asked you before we hopped in here, I'm like, do you consider yourself an influencer, social media influencer? And it was like, no content creator.

00:26:38 - Speaker B
Yes.

00:26:39 - Speaker A
Let's talk about that a little bit, because I've certainly had conversations with people with similar feelings as yours, where they're like, I don't want to be a social media influencer, but I am influencing people. I am using my social media for my business. How do I walk this line and not feel strange about it?

00:27:00 - Speaker B
Yeah. Yes.

00:27:02 - Speaker A
So you right away were like, not social media influencer.

00:27:04 - Speaker B
Absolutely not. No. I feel like for some reason, whenever I hear influencer, it just gives me, like, that chill down my spine. I'm not an influencer. It reminds me of an ego. I don't know. I do not consider myself that at all. I consider myself more of an educator creating content. And I feel like I'm not influencing people at all. I'm educating them. I don't know. I have that nothing about I just see the aesthetic and creating this. People don't know anything about my family. I don't post my kids on there. A lot of people don't even know I have kids or know I'm married, so they don't really know anything personal about me. It's just more serving them and trying to teach them. So I don't feel like an influencer at all.

00:27:45 - Speaker A
Yeah, I think that makes sense, because when I do, if I was really to break down, I think about influencer, there's a little bit of a, oh, I like that person, and I want to be just like them, and they do these things, therefore I'm going to do those things, and that will make me like them. Yes. And I probably made that way too basic. Someday I'll have somebody who I am an influencer, and we'll dive in and.

00:28:06 - Speaker B
It'Ll be like, okay, I would love that. Yes, I would love that. And I follow so many influencers, and I do. I love them, and I follow them, and they've got the aesthetic. I just don't feel like that is what I want to do or do.

00:28:19 - Speaker A
Yeah, we've had businesses we've talked a lot about, and it's hard for them to put themselves in front of other people because they're afraid to look like they're bragging. And I think that also sometimes can feel like a little bit of the differentiation there between influencer. And again, not that all influencers are bragging, but I think people are like, that's just not me. But on the flip side, when you're educating people and you're offering that value, it's so rewarding. I think it is.

00:28:45 - Speaker B
It really is. Yeah. I like it. I enjoy it.

00:28:49 - Speaker A
So how did you continue as you were realizing, like, okay, I can use this in order to help build my brand? What were some things, or have there been things you've done more strategically to go, I'm going to make content like this, or I am going to use this social media platform in these ways. Have there been anything that you have landed upon as you've been building that brand for you? And is it more just like, I experiment all the time and try things out because I feel like things change so often. They do.

00:29:18 - Speaker B
They really change. So one thing that I do is anytime Instagram or TikTok, any of the platforms, they come out with new features, any new feature I'm sure to use. So I'm trying to think of live. Live started. You hop on there and they'll push your profile. I can't think of another feature, but anytime that there's a new feature, if you use it, they'll push because they're trying to get everybody else to use that. So that's one thing that I do for sure. Another is TikTok for the longest time, did not like hashtags. So you couldn't put hashtags or it would lower you in the algorithm. And then same they also don't like anything where you're selling something. So I couldn't put my website on there at all, or link in Bio. I couldn't say that or put the text on the screen or those just wouldn't get viewed. And that was just through trial and error. And it's constantly changing. So I'll notice a pattern and I'm like, okay, they don't like that right now, so I'll have to change. And I'll use the same video throughout all of my platforms. I'll create it on TikTok because it's so easy to edit there. And then I save it, copy the link. They have an app. I think it's like TikTok save. You put it in, the app, takes the watermark off, and I just transfer that over to my Instagram, switch up the Bio a little bit because my audience is slightly different on both platforms. And then I'll even put that on my business, too, on my business page. So I use the same content throughout. And that seemed to work, has worked well.

00:30:42 - Speaker A
I like how you're talking about that, because that's a big thing that comes up, is like, how do I manage all of this content creation? And you're making a fair amount of content because you have your social media content you're making, and then there's just the content that you are actually selling through, like your video libraries and doing the classes. It's just constant content creation.

00:31:01 - Speaker B
Yes, it is.

00:31:02 - Speaker A
You'd mentioned Burnout before.

00:31:04 - Speaker B
Yeah.

00:31:05 - Speaker A
Are there ways that you have found, like, what you're describing, are there other ways that you have found just to help with that? Or how do you generate the ideas? Is it just you come up with them as you go? Or do you keep a list running somewhere?

00:31:17 - Speaker B
Okay, so what's working right now? And I'm obsessed with while I'm working. So I'm working on one on ones during my intensives during my camps, I'm like, okay, someone's struggling right now, and they're like, how do I do this? And they have that AHA moment in the studio. I'm like perfect. Save that. I set my camera up. We record whatever we're doing so that I can share whatever we were just working on with the rest of the community that I have and solve their problems. Because I'm like, if this person is having that issue, think about all of the other people around the world that are having that same issue. So one piece of advice that I would do, like, record while you're working and then use that content later. Recycle that content.

00:31:57 - Speaker A
That's brilliant. I like it.

00:31:58 - Speaker B
And then you don't get the burnout. I enjoy teaching. I didn't necessarily enjoy setting my camera up and then figuring out what to record. I'm like, I'm already doing this right now, so that cuts my time so much, like, to a fraction.

00:32:10 - Speaker A
Is that something where if you're involving a student, do you just have permission to do that with them?

00:32:15 - Speaker B
Yeah, I speak with our parents because I completely respect privacy. Like I said, I don't put my kids on social media, so I don't take it personally if no one wants their child on there. So, yeah, that's it's just a permission thing.

00:32:27 - Speaker A
Yeah, I really like that because we always talk to we do a lot of workshops, and so we're presenting on concepts and ideas, and so we've been doing a better job of let's at least hit record. Even audio, just the audio. If we can catch that, even if we don't have our cameras with us, we can use that and then we can put it out there later.

00:32:45 - Speaker B
It's huge. Why redo it all over again?

00:32:48 - Speaker A
When are you going to find time to redo it all over again?

00:32:50 - Speaker B
You're not and no one wants to do that, right?

00:32:52 - Speaker A
No, not really. You were talking a little bit about this earlier, but how do you try to and how do you foster that sense of community virtually between you and your students? And do you ever bring classes of students together, or is it just always one on one? And then how do you just foster that fact that you are virtual in more of a community setting?

00:33:16 - Speaker B
Are you speaking? Just all of my virtual stuff. So I do mainly the one on ones for my virtual clients. We'll speak through the comments, through DMs, through emails. Like, I love talking to all of them, but then I also do online workshops, so that's a chance where and it's mainly my regulars get to come in and we have a class, and then we always do like, a 15 minutes Q and A. And I love it because a lot of times it's so what are you up to, like, in the questions? It's not like, how can I get my leg higher when I'm doing this? I can't engage that. It's like a lot of just personal questions. So I love that. Or they'll ask each other. I love it when they get interactive. So they'll say, what is it like in Europe training? Or what time is it here? So that's how we get that sense of community. We also have a group on my website, MissNatashajade.com. There's a group on there, and they can open communication through there, ask questions.

00:34:10 - Speaker A
What kind of ages do you tend to work with?

00:34:14 - Speaker B
It spans so much. I teach a lot of adults virtually, and I think it's because they get to be in their comfort of their own house, trying something new. So that's been so cool. I work with a lot of teachers. Okay. They're like, I have this student, she's struggling with this. What can I do? So I work with a lot of teachers recently. Yeah. So it just varies because then I have I would say the youngest virtually is nine. Okay. Anything other than that? It's really hard to cue a younger child when they're still trying to figure out their coordination and their body parts.

00:34:46 - Speaker A
There's a lot and you're like, no.

00:34:47 - Speaker B
That your ankle over there. The right one. The other one.

00:34:51 - Speaker A
No, your ankle.

00:34:52 - Speaker B
Yes.

00:34:54 - Speaker A
When you do your classes, does a parent or a teacher, are they often there to help at all? Or does it tend to just be with that student, with the younger ones?

00:35:02 - Speaker B
I love it when a parent is there. Like, just today, I think she's nine, she was lying down on her back and we were doing ankle circles, and she was trying to find that coordination of just moving your toes and keeping your ankles where they were while her legs kept going in the circle. I was like, is mom around? Can she hang onto your ankles? So she came and hung onto her ankles, but a lot of times it's just the students.

00:35:20 - Speaker A
Yeah. That's so fun.

00:35:21 - Speaker B
Yeah.

00:35:22 - Speaker A
I love how creative you have been with how to teach. I think that many years ago, no one would have ever even considered that you could teach dance, ballet, and just like, the mechanics of how your body works without touching people.

00:35:36 - Speaker B
Yeah. It's been such a challenge, and I love a challenge. I love queuing, too. So when you're teaching fitness, and for a whole year, that's all I was doing mainly was teaching the fitness classes, and queuing is a huge part of that. So I would take workshops and queuing. And you try to not speak a complete sentence. It's like, ankles up, knee down. Otherwise, if you put all of those filler words in, okay, now we're going to bring the knee up. Now they can use that. Yeah. So you have to use fewer words and then that kind of resonates, especially virtually when you can't help them.

00:36:06 - Speaker A
That's right.

00:36:07 - Speaker B
Yeah.

00:36:08 - Speaker A
Which also can help you probably fit some of your content into 92nd reels.

00:36:12 - Speaker B
Yes. And I learned to speak really fast yes.

00:36:17 - Speaker A
Are there certain platforms you mentioned TikTok, but are there certain ones that you today just really love? Is it still TikTok or are you trying out threads or anything like that?

00:36:28 - Speaker B
I haven't.

00:36:28 - Speaker A
Me either.

00:36:29 - Speaker B
I was like, I know it's there and I will get there, especially once things settle down and our season starts in a couple of weeks. Yeah, I haven't TikTok It flip flops right now. I'm preferring Instagram just because the performance is doing better there. Right now it just ebbs and flows, but editing I prefer. They just it's easier for me. It's way more user friendly.

00:36:56 - Speaker A
I've definitely found just between Instagram and Facebook for a couple of projects we've been doing that certain platforms I'm like. I like this one because I can apply captions so much easier and then I can download it and then I can use it on the other platform. And there are a lot of things among the platforms that if you're paying attention, you realize I like the music options or the way I can apply those easier here. So I think that's a great tip that you were giving earlier. And if people didn't realize that, that you can on, I believe pretty much all the platforms you can create and save and then you can use it again.

00:37:30 - Speaker B
Yeah, take the watermark off because if that watermark is on, it doesn't really get pushed. It's a big difference. Another thing is trending sounds. Talk about that if I use voiceovers a lot because that is one of the new features, ish newish features with the captions. So I'm sure to use voiceovers and minute long videos right now seem to be doing really well. So I have longer length videos with a voiceover and then I'll use a trending sound and just turn the volume way down. You can't really search a voice so they can search trending sounds and then my video will pop up even though the video sound is really low. So using any trending sound will help.

00:38:10 - Speaker A
Because essentially it's tagged in a way that sound even if it's not really loud. Yeah, that is a good one for sure. Are there certain ways that you like to keep up on what's new, what's trending? Do you just discover it in the app as it comes out or do you follow or look for things so you know what's coming down the pipeline before they hit?

00:38:28 - Speaker B
Yeah, I'm in the TikTok educator program and the long form video beta and so they send emails, they say, okay, next month this is coming out. And I've just learned that when I get those emails and something's coming out that they're going to push those videos. Yeah, I get the emails where they say that new features are coming.

00:38:48 - Speaker A
I'd love for you to talk a little bit about how do you get into those types of programs or emails and also somewhat related, but if we need to break this up. Fine. We talked a little bit about how you're sponsored or how you have been able to do collaborations and partnerships with others out there. How did that all come about and how do you manage all that on top of everything else you're doing?

00:39:13 - Speaker B
Yeah.

00:39:13 - Speaker A
So a million questions right there. First one, how do you get yourself into those kind of front lines where you know where things are coming?

00:39:23 - Speaker B
They reached out. I had no idea that was a thing. And apparently Instagram has that too. I'm not affiliated with Instagram right now. I was at one point and what it sounds like, or what I was affiliated with Instagram Educators was they do it in 60 days, increments. Okay. And then they'll move on to the next program with TikTok. This has been a couple of years that I have been in the educator program. Yeah. And they reached out via email. I actually thought it was a scam. Okay. Because it came through and it was like a strange email. It didn't even have the@tiktok.com afterwards. But I was new to everything a few years ago, so I was like, let's see if this is anything. Yeah, so they reached out to me during that. I didn't seek that out. But TikTok does have creator programs, and anybody can join the creator program. I believe you have to have a certain amount of followers to be able to join that. But then you will get emails. I'm not sure how. I think you'll get the emails as soon as the features come out, but the creator program is really great.

00:40:27 - Speaker A
Yeah, that sounds like it.

00:40:29 - Speaker B
They'll pay you per view, too, in that creator program. TikTok is just so great because they actually pay their creators, and Instagram does during certain times as well. But TikTok really treats their creators well.

00:40:44 - Speaker A
That's awesome. What about just, like, the sponsorships or doing collaborations with others? How did that start coming about?

00:40:52 - Speaker B
They reach out. They've reached out to me, incense is an app, and again, I got an email and I joined the app. And then those are just really random brands that are on there. You can get sponsored posts through that. That's been incredible. They're great. You work with their agency. I think that's we were talking about.

00:41:14 - Speaker A
Agencies before we hopped on here. Yes, that'd be right.

00:41:17 - Speaker B
Yes, they work with the brands. So you speak with them directly. That's been really great. That's how I find some of my sponsored posts. And then Body Wrapper reached out too, as far as sponsoring me. Yeah, I get the emails when those start coming through.

00:41:33 - Speaker A
What are you thinking at that point? I know you mentioned some of them. You're like, this is a scam.

00:41:37 - Speaker B
Yeah, a lot of times I'm always like, this is better. This can't be right.

00:41:41 - Speaker A
This can't be right. How do you pick and choose if.

00:41:44 - Speaker B
It aligns with my presence or if it will serve my audience, then I will do it. But if it is I'm trying to think, like some cat litter or like a child's thing, I'm like, that won't align. That won't help anybody. But if it can solve a problem for somebody, then I always do it. One was ardell lashes. Okay. I'm like, that's perfect. I'm going to teach them how to do stage makeup, and then I use the fake lashes.

00:42:10 - Speaker A
That's fun.

00:42:11 - Speaker B
Yeah.

00:42:11 - Speaker A
What about I was looking on your website. You're doing some blogging. Have you always done blogging?

00:42:18 - Speaker B
Yes.

00:42:19 - Speaker A
From day one. Or like, how'd you introduce that, do you enjoy it? Because that's a whole different type of content creation.

00:42:24 - Speaker B
Yeah, I started blogging when I retired from dancing. It was a creative outlet. I got to share my story. No one really knew why I quit, so it was easier for me to write it down and get my emotions out. It's a very emotional blog. So that's like, where I started with that, and then that was done, and then I was like, I would love to have some resources for dancers to be able to go on the website. And I have guest people on there who have written blogs, a nutritionist, I can't remember who else, but yeah, that's been fun.

00:42:55 - Speaker A
Yeah. I love all of the content. I feel like you have a very well rounded collection of content out there. Thank you. Yeah, which I have to applaud because, like we were saying, it's a lot of work to create content. So that leads me to you're, a mother.

00:43:10 - Speaker B
Yes.

00:43:10 - Speaker A
You are a business owner. You're creating content, you're doing sponsorship things. You also take care of yourself, obviously, like, that's important to you. Your husband also, he runs some businesses. Is that right?

00:43:23 - Speaker B
Yeah.

00:43:23 - Speaker A
Am I correct about that?

00:43:24 - Speaker B
Yeah. Okay.

00:43:25 - Speaker A
I thought so. That is a lot to juggle.

00:43:27 - Speaker B
It is.

00:43:28 - Speaker A
Let's talk about that for a moment.

00:43:30 - Speaker B
It doesn't feel like in the moment, it just happens so naturally that if it was something where I were to be planning and having an actual goal, it just happened. No spreadsheets for you. I wish I was that organized. It just has evolved into this. Yeah, it just has happened. So it doesn't feel like anything has been a struggle, in a way, of me trying to fit it all in. I don't know. And they all kind of work. They all mesh together. My daughter dances, so she studio. Yes.

00:44:03 - Speaker A
It's fun to see just how she enjoys the dancing, too.

00:44:09 - Speaker B
She was a main reason I'm like, if she is going to be spending all this time at the studio and I'm a teacher, let's blend this together.

00:44:16 - Speaker A
Hopefully these go together.

00:44:17 - Speaker B
Right.

00:44:17 - Speaker A
She's not this dance thing, and that will be okay.

00:44:22 - Speaker B
I didn't push it on her where all of a sudden I'm like, Wait, she really likes it. But I feel like I saw the side of the industry where I'm like, OOH, that can be really rough. So I feel like I was almost trying to make her not dance, in a way, but I'm she loves it. She's, like, dancing around. She's asking to put her ballet shoes on.

00:44:39 - Speaker A
She loves it.

00:44:40 - Speaker B
I've got to take my personal side out of it.

00:44:44 - Speaker A
So there's all this personal stuff with social media especially, and you've mentioned a couple of times, like, you don't put things out about your kids and your husband. You protect that privacy. Did you find it? What was the journey like as you're starting your own brand? We were talking about you're doing TikTok dances for fun and an outlet, but then as you start using as brand, you do have to put a lot about yourself out there. Did you find that people are like, oh, gosh, there's a Tasha again with another dancing picture. I just think about when, you know, people, especially sometimes they don't know what you're doing, and they're like, Why are you on social media all the time? What are you doing? And then they start to realize, oh, you're creating a brand and a company and all that. I feel like that can be an awkward transition.

00:45:32 - Speaker B
Yeah.

00:45:33 - Speaker A
Did you have any experience with that? Just where you're like, yeah, that actually out there.

00:45:37 - Speaker B
Yes. That just brought back some memories for me, some not so great memories. I remember I was at Target, and I ran into somebody, and they're like, oh, you're always on Instagram bragging. And that was a moment where I was like, I don't feel like I'm bragging. I felt like I was, like, trying to help people. So, yeah, I saw it differently. I don't really care, though. Maybe that's the performer in me, where I'm like, this is, like, what I do. I won't talk about anything that I don't feel confident in. I'm like, this is one aspect of my life where I feel very confident in. I know what I'm doing. I know what I'm talking about. So? Yeah. I don't know. I don't really have that anymore at all.

00:46:15 - Speaker A
That's so refreshing to hear, too, because it can be hard. Gosh. I even think about I'm not doing any business whatsoever with Campers and travel at all. There's no business, there's no affiliate links. There's nothing. But I do post a lot about it, and one of the things I like to talk about is just for my husband, he really struggled with mental health issues early in his life as a I shouldn't say a child, more adolescent, teenage, young adult. And he discovered that travel was huge for him. We've talked about that a lot. It has also been huge for me. So I like to post about that and encourage people to consider traveling. But I do have people who are like, oh, you must travel all the time, and it's a little bit snort, no girl times.

00:46:58 - Speaker B
So you have to think about all the people that you're inspiring. Think of I have goosebumps right now. I don't even like campers, but I'm like, tell me everything about, like, when people are passionate about something, I want to know all about it. I'm like, you're passionate about this. Tell me more. What do you love? Why? Yeah. No, I love it. I follow the most random people on Instagram just because they're passionate about something. One was calligraphy.

00:47:21 - Speaker A
Oh, isn't that so fun to watch? I don't know how to do teaching.

00:47:25 - Speaker B
Me how to do Calligraphy, but she loves doing it, and I'm like, oh, yeah, tell me more. I'm never going to try this. But you really like doing this, and I like watching you because you like it so much.

00:47:33 - Speaker A
Yeah, that's good. There can be a lot of fear of putting yourself out there on social media because it's such a broad audience. You can get snarky whether you do.

00:47:41 - Speaker B
It or whether you don't do it, people are going to say something. Yeah, just don't even and that's easier said than done, I'm sure.

00:47:51 - Speaker A
Okay, so back to this juggling all the things. Do you find with your husband also being a business owner? Do you guys exchange notes ever just about running businesses, and they're unrelated?

00:48:01 - Speaker B
Very yes, quite. Yeah.

00:48:03 - Speaker A
But do you enjoy that you both own businesses, or do you keep things pretty separate when it comes to that?

00:48:09 - Speaker B
Oh, my gosh, we love it. We love it. And we kind of bounce ideas off of each other, even though they are two completely separate genres. Yeah. He has helped so much because I'm like, how do I deal with this parent? Or how do I deal with this? And he has dealt with many customers anyway. Yeah, we bounce ideas off of each other. It's been fun.

00:48:32 - Speaker A
That's fun. So my husband just in April it's August now, he quit his job, and he's doing his own thing now.

00:48:40 - Speaker B
That's exciting.

00:48:41 - Speaker A
Yes, it is. So it's exciting. And then there's times where I'm like, that's yours and this is mine.

00:48:47 - Speaker B
Yeah.

00:48:47 - Speaker A
And I appreciate and I want to give opinions, and I'm like, no, that's his. But then there's other times where it's so refreshing to be able to say, what do you think about this? And I feel like he gets it in a different way now, which is great.

00:49:00 - Speaker B
Absolutely.

00:49:00 - Speaker A
And to be able to talk about, like, pricing or yeah, just juggling all the things. Also, to have somebody who understands that I don't have a normal schedule is huge.

00:49:08 - Speaker B
My husband and I have never had normal schedules. He was two weeks on, two weeks off, and then during his two weeks off, he would be doing some sort of something, and then I was working evenings and early. Yeah, we've never had I don't think I could have a regular schedule.

00:49:23 - Speaker A
It would be very strange for me. It would be yeah, we have talked a lot about that. Just as he's headed out to the Iowa State Fair here this week. So the fair will be over by the time this is out. But it's so lovely to be able to be like, I'm going to take work on the road with me. We're going to be there for eleven days. I'm probably going to lose my mind because we're both introverted people and it's so many people and it's 08:00 A.m. To 08:00 P.m. People. But I just love that we have the flexibility to do that, which I think is really cool.

00:49:54 - Speaker B
Yeah, it's amazing.

00:49:55 - Speaker A
I think it's fun too, for your kids to get to see both of their parents doing things that they love.

00:49:59 - Speaker B
Oh my gosh. I know. So I try to really separate. I stayed at home mainly for the first seven years. This is the first big thing that I've done since becoming a mom. And I have this guilt almost because I'm like, I don't want it to pull me away from family. So I've been really careful about scheduling. Like when I was teaching, I would teach before they would wake up and then after I would put them to sleep. So I'm working like these early mornings and super late nights because I didn't want to miss out on anything.

00:50:27 - Speaker A
But how is that going to work now with the let's talk about the studio you just opened. We haven't got to talk about that yet.

00:50:32 - Speaker B
Yeah, let's talk about it. Okay.

00:50:33 - Speaker A
So everything's been so online for a while now and you just had a ribbon cutting on a physical location here in Council Bluffs and it looks really cool.

00:50:43 - Speaker B
Thanks.

00:50:44 - Speaker A
I love it.

00:50:44 - Speaker B
Thanks.

00:50:45 - Speaker A
Why the transition from online to back in person?

00:50:50 - Speaker B
I'm ready to have a more local impact. I'm watching all of these dancers virtually, and I see them grow, but not being able to see them every week is miss that. I miss that and the contact. Like being able to fix them, touching them, hands on corrections. And then my daughter loves it. So I'm like if she's going to spend she did competition last year.

00:51:13 - Speaker A
Fun.

00:51:13 - Speaker B
And she's taking it more seriously. She's going to be eight, but I'm like, she's going to be taking more classes. So I'm like, I want to be teaching her.

00:51:22 - Speaker A
Right.

00:51:22 - Speaker B
I'm sitting and watching her class and she's had wonderful instructors, but I'm like, why would do that? Come on, push her. She needs more. So I'm like, I want to be the one teaching her. I want to be the one in the studio with her. I don't want to miss out on those moments too. Yeah, that kind of evolved into having my own brick and mortar studio.

00:51:37 - Speaker A
How do you think that's going to change things? Do you know yet? Are you experiencing any changes? Will there be less online or will you still keep the same ratio?

00:51:45 - Speaker B
Yeah, so I'm bringing on some amazing instructors. I want the best of the best. We have one studio. That way I can really do quality control. I feel very confident teaching the ballet, the pilates, the flexibility, the point, the variations. But I want a great palm dance team instructor. We have a great tap teacher. Yeah. So I wanted to bring on the best of the best, so I'm not teaching all of the evening classes. We have other great instructors, but then during the day, I'm doing a lot of virtual. Okay. While the kids are in school nine to 03:00 p.m.. I do virtual. I work with a lot of homeschool kids. That's great. They come into the studio and then as well as virtual.

00:52:22 - Speaker A
That's awesome.

00:52:22 - Speaker B
Yeah.

00:52:22 - Speaker A
And will you be using the studio now for your filming and all that?

00:52:26 - Speaker B
Yes. Which helps so much. It makes the content process just so much easier.

00:52:32 - Speaker A
I could see that in the past. Has it been out of your home?

00:52:35 - Speaker B
It has been out of my home or out of other studios that I've been teaching in. But then this isn't my studio. Is this okay? I don't want to step on anybody's toes, so yeah.

00:52:44 - Speaker A
Some freedom there, for sure.

00:52:45 - Speaker B
Definitely.

00:52:46 - Speaker A
I know when things are at home, too, it can be like it's just taking a piece of your home.

00:52:50 - Speaker B
Yeah.

00:52:50 - Speaker A
It's nice to have your home.

00:52:51 - Speaker B
Yeah, it is.

00:52:52 - Speaker A
For sure. There is your philosophy around how you're teaching is, I felt, like, different, too, in that. So, like, growing up, going to the local dance studio, for me, there was a lot of, this is my dance studio, and I go here. But you have really taken a different approach in that you encourage people to come from other dance studios and still return back to their dance.

00:53:14 - Speaker B
Yes. I am a strong believer, and I think teaching virtually and being the supplemental teacher for the other students has helped me see this in a different angle. You can't get everything from every studio. Every studio has something wonderful to offer, and they're so individual, and there's a perfect fit for each person at every single studio, and I strongly believe that. So I would love to work with as many people as I can, whether they train with me full time or not. Yeah.

00:53:46 - Speaker A
Which I think is awesome. And it makes me think of that athletic side that you were talking about, where athletes will often go have specialized training at one facility, but then they have other training at another facility, and that's very common.

00:53:59 - Speaker B
Yes, exactly.

00:54:00 - Speaker A
In the dance world, I haven't seen that a whole lot, and so that really stood out to me as a very powerful, unique attribute that you have at the studio there.

00:54:08 - Speaker B
Yeah. Thank you. I put a lot of thought into that. So yeah, I put the training side on the forefront.

00:54:15 - Speaker A
And I love this, too, because I think circling all the way back around, people so often think, oh, I own a dance studio. And they think of it as maybe what they grew up with is, okay. The local dance studio, you have such a wide variety of offerings and bring such an interesting mix to the table. And to me, I look at that and go, that's like entrepreneurship shining in such a unique, different way. And I love that you bring that perspective of, hey, there are these industries and ways we think of things, whether it's I have a burger shop or I have a dance studio or I'm a consultant or I'm an attorney. Just how you've taken something that somebody might think of in only one way and you've really done it very differently. Thank you. So I hope people pick up on that.

00:54:57 - Speaker B
Thank you. I've been excited because we haven't had just dancers signing up for classes. We have a gymnast, we have a skater working on flexibility. Awesome. Yeah. So it's neat to see all these other athletes coming and taking classes as well.

00:55:11 - Speaker A
The training piece, I guess I kept gravitating back towards that of you really are training people, and if they're using that training in a different avenue, then that's great and fine.

00:55:21 - Speaker B
It's awesome. Yes.

00:55:23 - Speaker A
But someday you will have an amazing rat queen come up through the rank.

00:55:28 - Speaker B
Yes, we will, for sure.

00:55:30 - Speaker A
So I always like to wrap up with a couple of rapid fire questions.

00:55:34 - Speaker B
Okay.

00:55:35 - Speaker A
So I'm going to run through these with you real quick.

00:55:38 - Speaker B
Okay, let's do this.

00:55:39 - Speaker A
Let's do it. So what do you think, Natasha's? The biggest misconception of just owning and operating a business?

00:55:47 - Speaker B
This is not very rapid. That's all right. I don't know. I feel so new into it that I don't really know. I feel like maybe the flexibility. Yes, you do have a lot of flexibility, but at the same time, no, you don't, because you're working literally twenty four seven. I will wake up in the middle of the night and be like, oh, my gosh, this is a great idea. We're going to add this. So, yeah, there is flexibility, but it's always on.

00:56:09 - Speaker A
Yes, I've definitely seen I'm sure it's been on instagram reels and TikToks. And that where people say, I left my 40 hours work week to work a 600 hours work, or whatever it is.

00:56:19 - Speaker B
Yeah. I'm like, oh, my God, that's so true. Yes.

00:56:21 - Speaker A
But it's yours.

00:56:22 - Speaker B
Yeah, I wouldn't have it any other way. I love it so much.

00:56:25 - Speaker A
Me too. Is there an important piece of advice that you've just ever been given and you've actually applied?

00:56:33 - Speaker B
This is the first thing that came to mind. And it's not like the most positive. That's okay. But it was what was it? Not everybody's going to like you. And literally, that was the sentence. They were like, not everybody's going to like you. Put your blinders on. And that was while I was training for ballet, because I think I was like, timid things up in the back. Not everybody's going to like you, so just do your thing anyway.

00:56:54 - Speaker A
I think that's such a good piece of advice.

00:56:56 - Speaker B
I guess it is. It was for me.

00:56:59 - Speaker A
Yeah, absolutely. And it is true. We talk all the time. Like, not everyone's your customer.

00:57:04 - Speaker B
Yeah.

00:57:05 - Speaker A
And that's okay.

00:57:06 - Speaker B
Yeah. I think at that time, maybe I was a big people pleaser too, so it was nice to hear you're. Right. I could go bend over backwards and then not do what I want to do and still yeah.

00:57:17 - Speaker A
I could do 18 of these perfect moves and not everyone would like me.

00:57:22 - Speaker B
Yes.

00:57:23 - Speaker A
What would you tell your 18 year old self? Or maybe we'll go to 17, since that's when you started your professional career. We'll wiggle the year a little bit for you, knowing what you know now.

00:57:34 - Speaker B
It's short. It is super short. Don't stress it.

00:57:40 - Speaker A
You got it, girl. Give it your all.

00:57:43 - Speaker B
I feel like I was very, like, a technician as far and not as much as an artist, so I wish I would have been able to find that freedom within the movement. Yeah. It's so short. I felt like it was going to be a lot longer, so it went by really fast.

00:57:55 - Speaker A
Yeah. What's your favorite kickback and relax beverage?

00:58:00 - Speaker B
We just had a peach Bellini. Yeah, that was really nice. I like a peach Bellini, but mainly I'm a coffee girl. I know that's not really relaxed. It gets me, like, going yeah. Either a Bellini or some sort of a late.

00:58:13 - Speaker A
Nice.

00:58:14 - Speaker B
Love it.

00:58:14 - Speaker A
Do you put flavoring in your latte?

00:58:16 - Speaker B
Oh, yeah. Give me the flavor. I'm gluten free, so I can't have a lot of caramel. And I love caramel, so if I could have a gluten free caramel late. Yes.

00:58:25 - Speaker A
Golden.

00:58:25 - Speaker B
Sign me up.

00:58:26 - Speaker A
I love it. Are there any songs or books or podcasts that are just really inspiring you right now, or you like to share with people?

00:58:34 - Speaker B
I wish I could say that I'm a book reader. I just have a hard time sitting. I love listening to a podcast while I'm showering or getting ready. And I love Gary Vee. Oh, yeah, he's great, because he always gives me it's like he's talking to me. He always gives me what's coming up next. He was talking a lot about TikTok. When it was like after my husband mentioned it, he started talking about it. I'm like, all right, it's got to be something. Yeah. I like Gary Vee.

00:58:59 - Speaker A
I do, too. And I will go through, like, a stint, and then I'm like, I need a break.

00:59:05 - Speaker B
Yes. Because he's so brain, is smashed full.

00:59:08 - Speaker A
Of stuff, and I can't possibly execute on all this or think about it all at once.

00:59:11 - Speaker B
So I have to take a break.

00:59:12 - Speaker A
And then I'm like, back on again.

00:59:14 - Speaker B
Yeah. And if I'm ever feeling unmotivated and sometimes I'll take a couple days off, you need that. But then I'm like gary, come on.

00:59:21 - Speaker A
That's right.

00:59:21 - Speaker B
Got to amp me up.

00:59:22 - Speaker A
I really like the short ones, too, sometimes, where it's just like a quick thing to jump in there. I also enjoy that the subjects go all over the place. They do. You just never know where we're going.

00:59:32 - Speaker B
Yeah, totally multifaceted. And all the people he has on are really interesting. Love it.

00:59:36 - Speaker A
I've been fascinated, following along with his whole cartoons.

00:59:39 - Speaker B
Yes.

00:59:39 - Speaker A
And, like, the empathy and that.

00:59:41 - Speaker B
He's really taken a turn, which I like.

00:59:43 - Speaker A
I agree.

00:59:44 - Speaker B
Yeah.

00:59:44 - Speaker A
I feel like early on, I would never have guessed.

00:59:47 - Speaker B
No.

00:59:48 - Speaker A
And one of the things I love about that is you never know what direction you might go. Next thing you know, Natasha has cartoons.

00:59:55 - Speaker B
Yeah. She's illustrating herself.

00:59:58 - Speaker A
You never know what excites you the most about the future.

01:00:00 - Speaker B
Oh, my gosh. My kids. Yeah, totally. I wish I could go on, but I have so many things. Like, what are they going to do? Yeah, my kids.

01:00:10 - Speaker A
Cool. What's something people often get wrong about you?

01:00:14 - Speaker B
I don't really put too much thought into what others think about me.

01:00:18 - Speaker A
I was just thinking that, too, Ashley.

01:00:19 - Speaker B
I know. That's, like, a bad thing. I have no idea. I just feel like people are so busy that they don't even think about me. You know what? That's what's helped me. I'm like, people have so much going on in their own lives, they don't even know what I'm doing, and they don't really care. So I'm going to keep doing what yeah, I feel like people don't really care what I'm doing, so I don't know what they think.

01:00:42 - Speaker A
Yeah, that's fair.

01:00:44 - Speaker B
That's my rapid fire.

01:00:46 - Speaker A
Something people get wrong with you. No one's thinking about me.

01:00:47 - Speaker B
No one's thinking about me. They're all busy.

01:00:49 - Speaker A
Yeah, they are.

01:00:50 - Speaker B
That's true, though.

01:00:50 - Speaker A
All right, last one here. What do you think business owners specifically can do that just help make the.

01:00:56 - Speaker B
World a better place, keeping everything local? I love that. I just got butterflies. I have loved the connections that I've made just on my block. I'm like, I would have never got this in my basement working alone. Yeah. I just love the connections that you make, and it just seems like this board of connectivity. I just love it. It's very inspiring. Even though none of us have businesses that relate, they all do in a way. And I love that.

01:01:27 - Speaker A
That is literally exactly what I love. I'm using literally and exactly together. That is exactly what I love about doing this podcast, is that everyone comes in and they're all wildly different businesses or experts in their fields, and yet we still end up hitting on a lot of the same topics.

01:01:45 - Speaker B
Oh, yeah. There's so many similarities. Just like you were talking about my husband and my business. Totally different, but I don't feel like they're that different because at the end, you're still doing the same thing.

01:01:54 - Speaker A
Yes. Agreed. Thanks for coming on and sharing. I think this has been thank you so much.

01:02:00 - Speaker B
I'm inspired. I'm going to go make some content now. Good.

01:02:03 - Speaker A
That's right. Just take this to chop it up. All the things. Thanks for hopping on.

01:02:07 - Speaker B
Thank you. Bye.