The 4 People You Need In Your "Rally Team"
Transform My Dance Studio – The Podcast For Dance Studio Owners
Release Date: 12/05/2022
How To Create Full-Time Careers AND Gain Personal Freedom
Transform My Dance Studio – The Podcast For Dance Studio Owners
Growing your studio shouldn’t mean sacrificing your time, your family, or yourself in the process. In this episode, we’re sharing a powerful presentation from Nadine Selinger, originally delivered at DSOA’s 2025 Inner Circle Member Retreat in La Jolla, San Diego. Nadine shares how she went from teaching 40+ hours a week and wearing far too many hats to building a team of empowered leaders with clear roles, ownership, and opportunities for growth. She breaks down how developing her people, strengthening systems, and learning to delegate helped Dance City double enrollment from 400...
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How Studio Owners Can Use AI It to Save Time and Create More
Transform My Dance Studio – The Podcast For Dance Studio Owners
What if AI could become another assistant in your dance studio—helping you strengthen your systems, communicate more effectively, spark new ideas, and get valuable time back? In this episode of the Transform My Dance Studio Podcast, we’re sharing a talk from Tanya Neary, CEO of Stars of Tomorrow and a member of the DSOA Education Team, originally presented at the DSOA Inner Circle gathering in Orlando, Florida, in January 2024. Tanya challenges studio owners to rethink AI, not as something to fear, but as a tool that can support them as leaders, creators, and entrepreneurs. At the heart of...
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Beyond Dance: Programs That Transform Students
Transform My Dance Studio – The Podcast For Dance Studio Owners
What would change in your studio if confidence, character, connection and leadership were intentionally built into every student’s experience? This week, we’re resharing a powerful conversation filled with practical ideas for building a dance studio experience that goes far beyond teaching steps. Jodi Shilling sits down with Loren Specht, founder of LoMastro Performing Arts Academy, Dance Mastery Institute and Virtuosity Dance Festival, to explore how intentional programming can support the whole child, strengthen faculty and improve...
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The Secret to a Truly United Dance Studio
Transform My Dance Studio – The Podcast For Dance Studio Owners
Can a stronger studio culture be the difference between families who stay for one season… and families who stay for a lifetime? Today we are resharing one of our most-loved episodes, because every studio owner can benefit from its message. In this inspiring episode, guest host Kim McSwain shares practical leadership strategies for building a dance studio where students, parents, teachers, and staff all feel connected and valued. From strengthening communication and empowering your faculty to giving students a voice, Kim shares simple, actionable ideas to...
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Delegation is About Empowering Someone Else!
Transform My Dance Studio – The Podcast For Dance Studio Owners
Making your first hire can feel overwhelming, especially when you've built your studio with your own two hands. We're bringing back this insightful conversation from our podcast archives because its lessons on hiring, leadership, and delegation remain timeless for studio owners. In this episode, Mary Giattino shares the personal story of taking over her family's dance studio, hiring her very first studio manager, and learning that true delegation isn't about giving away tasks. It's about empowering others to lead. Through honest...
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The #1 Hire You Need To Staff Up & Stress Down!
Transform My Dance Studio – The Podcast For Dance Studio Owners
Are you leading your team the way you want to be remembered? We're resharing one of our favorite episodes from Kelli Leighton's Innovate to Thrive series because its leadership lessons are just as relevant today as when it first aired. If you've ever felt frustrated by staff performance, struggled with accountability, or found yourself carrying too much of the workload, this episode will challenge you to look at leadership from a new perspective. Kelli shares the mindset shifts and practical strategies that helped her build a stronger, more...
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The Studio Owner's Guide To Saying NO!
Transform My Dance Studio – The Podcast For Dance Studio Owners
One of the most important skills a studio owner can develop is knowing when to say no. In this episode, Inner Circle Studio Growth Coach Elisa Finney shares how defining a clear brand mission and set of values transformed the way she runs her studio, builds partnerships, and makes business decisions. From costumes and choreography to sponsorships and strategic partnerships, Elisa explains how a strong brand becomes a decision-making filter that helps you protect your reputation, attract the right families, and create consistency across every aspect of your business. ...
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The Hiring Mistake That Impacts Retention Later
Transform My Dance Studio – The Podcast For Dance Studio Owners
Hiring teachers is one thing. Keeping great teachers long-term is something else entirely. In this throwback episode, Annie Leese and Lauren Kelly break down the leadership, systems, and culture shifts that help dance studio owners build teams that stay invested, supported, and committed for the long haul. Lauren shares how she transformed her mindset as a studio owner, what she learned inside the Inner Circle, and why personalized leadership matters more than ever. What you’ll learn: How to hire based on studio mission and values Why feedback surveys can improve hiring decisions ...
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If You’re Still Managing Everything…This Is Your Next Step
Transform My Dance Studio – The Podcast For Dance Studio Owners
What if the next level of your studio doesn’t require more effort—but a different role? In this episode of the Transform My Dance Studio Podcast, Cara Poppitt breaks down the critical shift every growing studio owner must make: moving from managing the day-to-day… to leading with vision as a CEO. Drawing from her own journey, Cara shares what it really takes to step out of the weeds, develop a clear direction for your studio, and build a team that can help carry it forward. Because long-term growth doesn’t come from doing more—it comes from leading differently. If you’ve ever felt...
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Why Smart Studios Are Using Video to Double Their Retention Rates
Transform My Dance Studio – The Podcast For Dance Studio Owners
Today’s studio families want more than just great classes — they want to see growth and feel the progress. In this episode of the Transform My Dance Studio Podcast, Inner Circle Growth Coach Annie Leese reveals: - How strategic use of simple class videos can dramatically boost loyalty and re-enrollment - Easy ways to highlight student achievements without turning into a full-time content creator - How to use video to celebrate growth, strengthen parent trust, and build a studio culture students never want to leave Crucial tips for privacy, permission, and staying legally protected when...
info_outlineThis week we are going to talk about the 4 key people you need to assemble as you build your Rally Team for 2023 and beyond!
Throughout our journey's as Dance Studio Owners, we need people by our sides who can support us, love us, and be our biggest cheerleaders . So how do we find those crucial and amazing friends and confidants that really keep the wheels turning in our lives, and bring us happiness and joy in this journey so that we don't feel quite so alone?
Over the next 30 minutes, Annie Leese Thistle shares;
- What happens when you don't surround yourself by people that mirror, support and uplift you
- Where to find people who are like-minded in motivating themselves, and wanting the best not only for themselves, but for you as well
- The mentors and communities that have supported her in various way throughout her business journey
- How she discovered that it had to be HER decision to be inspired and move forward in order to achieve her version of success
Sometimes, being a dance studio owner can feel like an island, and Annie knows first-hand how critical your Rally Team is to your success and longevity in business.
"You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." Jim Rohn
About the Work Less, Make More podcast series, with Annie Leese Thistle
For the next 6 weeks, we couldn't be more excited to be introducing a brand new host here on the podcast. Annie Leese Thistle is an extraordinary Studio Owner and Inner Circle member who will be leading from behind the microphone for a 6-part podcast series, ‘Work Less, Make More”
Annie is the CEO and Artistic Director of Performing Arts Academy of Marin - also known as PAAM - in Mill Valley, California. Annie established PAAM in the summer of 2009, facilitating its growth with the help of dedicated faculty and staff from humble beginnings in a church hall to a thriving community with state-of-the-art facilities and premier training in dance and the performing arts.
In this limited series, Annie will be your guide to achieving more freedom and balance in your studio life as she walks you through her 6 Secrets to a Profitable 20 Hour Work Week.