148: When Dance and Fine Jewelry Intersect — Serge Laurent
5.6.7.EIGHT
This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra speaks with Serge Laurent, Director of Dance and Cultural Programs at Van Cleef & Arpels. Serge is in charge of implementing Dance Reflections, an international program supporting the art of choreography. Laurent's journey began with a classical education at the École de Louvre, specializing in Art History and Archeology. His career took him from being an Associate Curator at the Fondation Cartier to heading Live Performance Programming at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. In this episode, Serge discusses his role at Van Cleef & Arpels, the historical...
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147: Art as Social Justice — Steven Melendez
5.6.7.EIGHT
This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra speaks with Steven Melendez, Artistic Director at the . Steven’s journey with dance began through his current company’s LIFT Program, which teaches dance to homeless or home insecure youth. Steven has since danced as a Soloist and Principal dancer at a collection of ballet companies across three continents. Steven’s story is also explored in the award-winning film LIFT, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2022. Steven’s life was changed because New York Theatre Ballet made the arts more accessible to New York City youth. Now, Steven...
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146: Passion Over Money — Kevin Jenkins
5.6.7.EIGHT
This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra interviews Kevin Jenkins, Founder and Artistic Director at . Kevin’s choreography, which Dance Magazine has praised as “riveting,” has been featured at dozens of dance companies, including State Street Ballet, SUNY Purchase, and San Diego Dance Theater. He has also served on faculty at Boston Ballet School, Joffrey Ballet School, and several other esteemed institutions. Early in his dance journey, Kevin knew he had a passion for choreography. So he decided to take the plunge — to follow his passion, even if it didn’t “pan out” in the...
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145: Lessons from an Executive Coach — Matz Skoog
5.6.7.EIGHT
This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra speaks with Matz Skoog, executive coach at . Skoog, a Stockholm native, had an accomplished career in dance at several international companies. Following his career in dance, he became a sought-after tutor, which led to a variety of professional appointments, including Artistic Director of the English National Ballet and Royal New Zealand Ballet. Upon his exit from the stage, Matz founded Matz Skoog Coaching, where he helps others achieve their true professional potential. As a dancer and Artistic Director, Matz had a passion for helping others fulfill...
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144: New Experiences Build Character — Jeffrey Cirio
5.6.7.EIGHT
This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra interviews Jeffrey Cirio, an internationally recognized ballet dancer who is currently dancing as Principal at . Jeffrey also is co-founder and Artistic Director of his own company, Cirio Collective. Jeffrey has danced for American Ballet Theatre and the English National Ballet as Principal and Lead Principal, respectively. Jeffrey holds medals from competitions held across three different continents. His list of accolades is truly remarkable. Jeffrey’s run as a professional dancer began at Boston Ballet. By his own account, he was living a dream and...
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143: On Rejection, Perseverance, and Chasing your Dreams — Kristin Draucker
5.6.7.EIGHT
This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra interviews Kristin Draucker, a veteran dancer and choreographer who is currently performing with the . As a long-time New York City resident, she has danced with a variety of well-known companies in the area. Draucker began creating original works in 2014 and has shown her choreography both nationally and internationally at various companies and festivals. In 2017, she joined Paul Taylor Dance Company, where she currently performs. Kristin’s story is a compelling tale of obstacles and perseverance. From the start, Kristin’s road into the dance world was...
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142: Find Your “Zone of Genius” — Julianna Rubio Slager
5.6.7.EIGHT
This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra speaks with Julianna Rubio Slager, Artistic Director at . Slager, who is originally from Michigan, studied under many renown global dance experts and teachers. Upon moving to Chicago, Slager had the opportunity to work as a freelance artist, teacher, and choreographer in the Greater Chicago area. Eventually, she co-founded Ballet 5:8 in 2012. Ballet 5:8 just had its 10th anniversary and has grown immensely. It now has a professional company of 20 dancers and a school of over 400 dancers of all ages. Ballet 5:8 also has a touring company that tours 32 weeks...
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141: It’s a Privilege to Lead — Joseph Morrissey
5.6.7.EIGHT
This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra interviews Joseph Morrissey, Director of Dance at . Prior to this role, he served in a similar role with the Hong Kong Ballet. As a professional dancer, he danced with the Bavarian State Ballet in Munich and the Boston Ballet II. He’s a seasoned choreographer and also has instructed for various dance companies, including the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company. He also currently serves on the juries for the Youth America Grand Prix, the International Baltic Ballet Competition, and the Japan Grand Prix. Joseph’s resume is impressive, but above...
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140: A Balanced Life for Better Dancing — Jess Spinner
5.6.7.EIGHT
This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra speaks with Jess Spinner, entrepreneur and holistic health coach at . Jess holds a bachelor’s degree from Butler University in Dance and Arts Administration. Upon graduation, she danced with the Louisville Ballet and did some professional work as a freelancer in Boston. Now, Jess’s life mission is to support dancers in finding a personal balance in their approach to food and their bodies. As a former professional dancer that struggled with body image issues, Jess knows the physical, mental, and emotional grind of dance. And, now looking back, Jess...
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139: Enjoy Dance More through Self Care — Liz Bayley
5.6.7.EIGHT
This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra speaks with Liz Bayley, a seasoned professional dancer whose interest in sports injuries birthed a career as a physiotherapist for some of the world’s top shows. Liz was a professional dancer for 15 years, performing all over the world. Liz went on to work as a physiotherapist in the West End on shows such as Hamilton, Wicked, The Wizard of Oz, Singing in the Rain, Shrek, Matilda, and Jersey Boys. Liz holds a master’s degree in physiotherapy from King’s College and, now, serves as the physio for The Lion King. She also owns her own private practice....
info_outlineThis week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra interviews Julie Cartwright, President at P.volve. P.volve is an omnichannel fitness brand featuring a global on-demand platform, a growing line of patented equipment, and several franchise studios in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Since its founding in 2018, P.volve has grown from a few employees to over 75 employees — and counting. Julie, herself, is a graduate of Ohio University and held a variety of executive-level marketing positions before becoming president at her current company.
When Julie stepped away from her comfortable corporate job and shifted towards entrepreneurship, she knew that her life was going to permanently change. But, at the end of the day, she knew she was making the right choice. Why? Passion. Because of an overwhelming love of what health and fitness. And because of an addiction to entrepreneurship and building something from scratch. On the podcast, Julie recounts her entire journey through this crazy world of entrepreneurship and discusses why she decided to trade in a successful corporate career and never look back.
Moving Quotes:
"I think the risk of entrepreneurship is significant for everyone. But I knew I wanted this... You have to think about your happiness and what you want, but you also have to believe in yourself."
"I'm addicted to the continued evolution of learning and growing."
"Believe in yourself. And don't take 'no' for an answer. If you see it and you believe it, I genuinely believe you can make it happen... If you believe in something, go after it. And I think you'll surprise yourself."
"People are more focused on their holistic health than ever before... We've had so many conversations with members about not just looking good but feeling good."
"It's so powerful to hear other women's stories about building their businesses. There are so many similarities between all of our stories... Through hearing all of the stories, I'm more in love with female leaders than ever before. Because they're just so resilient. I'm in awe."
"When starting a business, you have to have a real gut instinct around the things that you know are going to be most meaningful to prove your business out. But you have to stay extremely scrappy. And listen to the customer."
"As people are trying to take a leap of faith, it's so important to have conversations. Because you never know where they will lead."
"I think it's extremely rewarding to hire and recruit talent. To bring them to our 'why' ... A lot of people do jobs without knowing the impact that they have on people's lives... It's been exciting to allow some of my team to see their impacts."
Bullet Points (w/ timestamps) - Highlighting key topics discussed:
3:07: Julie explains the core components of her company, P.volve.
11:24: Julie discusses what trends she’s seeing in the fitness industry as a whole and how these trends bode well for the work she’s doing with P.volve.
14:50: Cartwright walks through her career evolution, from a high-ranking employee at a large entertainment corporation to spearheading a nimble startup.
20:31: Cartwright describes the starkest differences between her previous corporate job and her current position at a startup.
26:39: Julie discusses what is, in her opinion, the most difficult part of being an entrepreneur.
29:23: Julie describes the most rewarding component of being an entrepreneur.
31:28: Cartwright rehashes her company’s first steps when starting P.volve.
35:58: Julie discusses the benefit of starting a company, alongside one or multiple business partners.
38:36: Cartwright, whose company has experienced massive growth since its start in 2018, explains how her company has been able to scale so quickly.
42:38: Julie discusses what’s next for her company and leaves listeners with some valuable advice on pursuing their dreams.
Bullet List of Resources –
Julie Cartwright
P.volve
Chief