Are You The Bottleneck For Your Own Studio?
Transform My Dance Studio – The Podcast For Dance Studio Owners
Release Date: 03/30/2026
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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Stop Leaving $50K On The Table
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...
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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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Why Studio Owners Burn Out (And How to Reclaim Your Life)
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...
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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...
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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...
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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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Posting Trendy Reels Doesn’t Enroll Students – Here's What Does!
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...
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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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Stay Awkward: The Leadership Skill You’re Avoiding (Interview with Henna Pryor)
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...
info_outlineWhat 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 owner to confident CEO, revealing the mindset shifts, leadership challenges, and uncomfortable decisions that ultimately changed everything. Together, Olivia and Shannon explore why so many studio owners stay stuck—not because they lack tools, but because they haven’t yet stepped into the next version of themselves.
If you’ve ever felt stretched thin, unsure how to grow, or like your studio depends entirely on you—this episode will challenge you to think differently about your role, your leadership, and what’s truly required to scale.
You’ll hear:
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Why growth requires an identity shift—not just new strategies
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The difference between operating as a teacher vs. a CEO
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Why letting go feels so hard (and how to actually do it)
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The hidden cost of staying in “control mode”
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How to start building a studio that runs with you, not because of you
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The mindset blocks that keep studio owners stuck in overwhelm
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What it really takes to lead a team effectively
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How Shannon redefined her role to create more freedom and growth
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Why clarity and decision-making are leadership skills, not personality traits
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The moment studio owners realize: “Something has to change”
If you’re ready to stop doing everything yourself and start leading a studio that can grow beyond you, this episode is your wake-up call.
Shannon Westveer is a former dance studio owner and Inner Circle Studio Growth Coach known for helping studio owners step into stronger leadership, build sustainable businesses, and navigate the mindset shifts required for long-term growth.
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Studio Sync - dsoa.com/syncmembership
Dance Photo Pro - dancephotopro.com
Studio Growth Pathways - dsoa.com/pathways
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