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The 3 Climbs to a Stronger, Smarter Summer

Transform My Dance Studio – The Podcast For Dance Studio Owners

Release Date: 02/23/2026

Are You The Bottleneck For Your Own Studio? show art Are You The Bottleneck For Your Own Studio?

Transform My Dance Studio – The Podcast For Dance Studio Owners

What if the thing holding your studio back… is actually how you’re showing up as the leader?  In this powerful and honest conversation, Olivia Mode-Cater is joined by Inner Circle Studio Growth Coach Shannon Westveer to unpack the identity shifts required to grow a sustainable, scalable dance studio. This episode goes beyond strategy—and into the real internal work that studio owners must face as they evolve from doing everything… to leading something bigger than themselves.  Shannon shares her journey from overwhelmed studio...

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Transform My Dance Studio – The Podcast For Dance Studio Owners

What if picture day wasn’t a stressful, time-consuming obligation, but one of the most profitable and impactful parts of your studio? In this episode of Transform My Dance Studio, Olivia Mode-Cater sits down with studio owner, entrepreneur, and founder of Dance Photo Pro, Hilary Parnell, to completely reframe how studio owners think about dance photography. With over 25 years of experience, $3M+ in studio revenue, and hundreds of studio owners coached, Hilary shares how she turned a frustrating, low-value experience into a scalable revenue stream and how you can do the same. From losing...

info_outline Recital Revenue: The Strategy That Changed Everything for this Studio Owner show art Recital Revenue: The Strategy That Changed Everything for this Studio Owner

Transform My Dance Studio – The Podcast For Dance Studio Owners

Are you running your recital strategically… or just hoping it works out?  For many dance studios, recital is the single biggest cash infusion of the year, yet most studio owners never actually plan it that way.   In this episode of the Transform My Dance Studio Podcast, Olivia Mode-Cater sits down with DSOA Inner Circle finance coach Paige Sayegh, a studio owner of 32 years who runs a thriving 700-student studio in New Jersey. Through her work coaching studio owners around the world, Paige has reviewed hundreds of P&Ls and helped studios uncover hidden revenue...

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Transform My Dance Studio – The Podcast For Dance Studio Owners

Are you running your studio… or is your studio running you?  For many dance studio owners, the business becomes more than a job.  It becomes identity, purpose, and sometimes pressure that’s impossible to escape. When every challenge feels personal and every decision feels heavy, it can be difficult to lead with clarity and confidence.  In this powerful conversation, Olivia Mode-Cater sits down with entrepreneur, author, and mindset coach Cara Moeller Poppitt to explore the internal shifts studio owners must make in order to grow...

info_outline The $1 Ticket Increase That Changes Everything show art The $1 Ticket Increase That Changes Everything

Transform My Dance Studio – The Podcast For Dance Studio Owners

If recital season has ever meant long lines, confused parents, ticket stress, or that sinking feeling that your biggest event of the year could have run smoother, this episode is for you.  Because let’s be clear: your recital isn’t “just a show.” It’s your biggest brand statement, a major revenue driver, a powerful retention tool, and a defining leadership moment all wrapped into one.  In this episode of the Transform My Dance Studio Podcast, Olivia sits down with Leo Moore from DRT Performance Tix to unpack how studio owners can...

info_outline The 3 Climbs to a Stronger, Smarter Summer show art The 3 Climbs to a Stronger, Smarter Summer

Transform My Dance Studio – The Podcast For Dance Studio Owners

You’re working harder than ever… so why doesn’t your studio feel more profitable? If you’ve ever looked at your numbers and thought, “Where is the money?”  this episode will shift the way you think about profit forever. In this powerful solo conversation, Olivia Mode-Cater challenges one of the most uncomfortable truths in entrepreneurship: profit is not natural. Your business will always find ways to spend money, especially in the name of care, growth, new ideas, team, and upgrades. That doesn’t make you bad at business. It makes you human. But if you want long-term...

info_outline How Profitable Studios Think About Summer show art How Profitable Studios Think About Summer

Transform My Dance Studio – The Podcast For Dance Studio Owners

Does summer feel like the season where you hold your breath, cross your fingers, and hope fall enrollment fixes everything?  For so many studio owners, summer looks busy. Camps are running, kids are in the building, but behind the scenes, cash flow feels unpredictable, margins feel thin, and there’s a quiet anxiety that summer might actually be hurting the business instead of helping it.  In this episode of the Transform My Dance Studio Podcast, Olivia Mode-Cater is joined by Inner Circle coach and longtime studio owner Annie Leese...

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Transform My Dance Studio – The Podcast For Dance Studio Owners

In this clarity-packed episode of the Transform My Dance Studio Podcast, host Olivia Mode-Cater sits down with DSOA’s Social Media Coach and Manager Sophie Mckie to unpack what’s actually broken about social media for dance studios and why working harder isn’t the answer.  From Canva templates and “pretty feeds” to random posting and constant second-guessing, Olivia and Sophie reveal why most studio owners feel burned out by social media — even when they’re doing “everything right.” This episode...

info_outline The Cash Flow Wake-Up Call Dance Studio Owners Need show art The Cash Flow Wake-Up Call Dance Studio Owners Need

Transform My Dance Studio – The Podcast For Dance Studio Owners

In this candid solo episode, Olivia Mode-Cater tackles one of the most stressful realities of studio ownership: summer cash flow. If you’ve ever felt that pit in your stomach when June rolls around, this episode is your wake-up call. Olivia explains why summer doesn’t create cash flow problems, it reveals the ones that already exist. Through real numbers, real talk, and zero sugarcoating, she walks studio owners through the simple math that determines whether your studio survives summer… or finally thrives through it. This isn’t about fear or hustle. It’s about clarity,...

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Transform My Dance Studio – The Podcast For Dance Studio Owners

Do you ever label yourself as “awkward” and then use that as a reason not to take a risk?  In the first episode of Season 6 of the Transform My Dance Studio Podcast, Olivia Mode-Cater is joined by workplace performance expert Henna Pryor to unpack one of the biggest hidden barriers to studio growth: the fear of awkwardness.  Together, they challenge the idea that confident leaders “have it all together” and reveal that confidence isn’t about avoiding discomfort, it’s about recovering faster. From perfectionism and approval-seeking...

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You’re working harder than ever… so why doesn’t your studio feel more profitable?

If you’ve ever looked at your numbers and thought, “Where is the money?”  this episode will shift the way you think about profit forever.

In this powerful solo conversation, Olivia Mode-Cater challenges one of the most uncomfortable truths in entrepreneurship: profit is not natural. Your business will always find ways to spend money, especially in the name of care, growth, new ideas, team, and upgrades. That doesn’t make you bad at business. It makes you human.

But if you want long-term sustainability, profit must be protected on purpose.

Olivia introduces her “Three Climbs” framework: viability, stability, and profitability. She explains why most dance studio owners get stuck in survival or systemization without ever fully stepping into true margin-building leadership.

With summer approaching, she also breaks down why summer camps are one of the easiest places for profit to quietly disappear and how to build profitability into your planning before registration even opens.

This is about more than spreadsheets. It’s about stepping fully into your CEO role.

Because you are not a teacher who happens to own a business. You are an entrepreneur.

You Will Learn:

  • Why “profit is unnatural” — and why that’s empowering

  • The 3 Climbs of entrepreneurship: viability, stability, and profitability

  • How survival mode keeps profit off your radar

  • What “systems bloat,” “tech bloat,” and “team bloat” are really costing you

  • The different types of ROI every studio owner should evaluate

  • Why summer planning must start with expenses and profit margin

  • The industry’s average profit margin — and why 15% should be your minimum goal

  • How to forecast summer camps with clarity and intention

  • The mindset shift from “teacher who owns a studio” to “entrepreneur”

  • Why progress over perfection is critical for financial growth

If you're ready to stop hoping for profit and start protecting it, this episode is your next climb.

Join our growing community of people just like you inside our free Facebook group. Click here to join! 

Register for Stop The Scroll on Wednesday, July 29 in Washington, D.C: https://www.dsoa.com/sts

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Instagram: @olivia.modecater | TikTok: @olivia.modecater