Live Your Dance Podcast - Molly King

In 2014, after making the leap from ski bum to adventure photographer, and while in Chile on an expedition with a travel partner, Jim Harris broke his back while snow kiting and was soon paralyzed from the sternum down. Life as a photographer and athlete, as he knew it, was about to be drastically changed. He’ll tell you more about it in the episode, but Jim’s had an amazing recovery over the last few years, and it’s ongoing. To that end, he’s been able to return to skiing and biking recently, and his recovery has garnered the attention of many. And earlier this year, he signed an athlete contract with Adidas Terrex. In this episode, I ask Jim more about his “mental” journey during the physical seeming-set backs. How has he reconciled planning with going with the flow? Why do goals even matter? How can we redefine success in a more healthy way? How can we navigate the aftermath of unexpected life-altering events? How can we avoid getting “stuck” when we have big goals (like learning to walk again, or writ

As champion west coast swing dancers, and beloved around the world, Jordan Frisbee and Tatiana Mollman took some time out of their crazy travel schedule to share some thoughts on their career path. What I love about this episode is that both Jordan and Tatiana shed light on some of the lesser talked about aspects of the dance and their careers. For example: how does one take a hobby they love and turn it into a career without burning out? As Jordan said, “It’s really about how to keep falling in love with this dance over and over again, on our terms.” Jordan and Tatiana are true pioneers and innovators and have carved a legacy all their own due to their bold choices along the way. In this episode we get to dive into… • The role patience has played in J&T’s journey to success (3:30) • How J&T built their successes on several “failures” (5:00) • J&T tell about their transition from hobby dancers to professional dancers (6:50) • How J&T pioneered a new way to be a “dance professional” wi

s it possible to love the life you have — acknowledging and accepting the conditions of your life exactly as they are — and drop the struggle to make you and your life different? Today’s guest—Roger Housden— sent me a sneak preview of his book, Dropping the Struggle: Seven Ways to Love the Life You Have, which actually came out the day we recorded this! I was so touched by his work; and it resonated with me on many different levels and in various areas of my life—that I thought it’d be an honor to have him come on the show and talk more about it. Roger Housden (whose-den), is the author of Dropping the Struggle and numerous other books, including the best-selling Ten Poems series, which began in 2001 with Ten Poems to Change Your Life and ended with Ten Poems to Say Goodbye in 2012. He offers writing workshops, both live and online, with an emphasis on self-discovery and exploration. Roger wrote Dropping the Struggle from first hand experience as someone who, up until just a few years ago, spent much of

Ever since a young age, Tashina made certain to design her life in a way that would ensure she could "live her dance" every day of her life. She knew from a young age she wanted to dance professionally, and now, she and her professional teaching partner travel domestically and internationally teaching, competing and performing a style of dance called West Coast Swing.  Through this journey she has had the honor of working with many people from many walks of life, all the while learning much about herself, and what it means to continue to "live your dance", for herself and for others.  For Tashina, how she "lives her dance" is starting to transform and bloom from dancing full time to assisting others change "self-limiting" beliefs.  Listen in for more of her story here: bit.ly/LiveYourDance-mk In this episode we get to dive into… • How to make a long-distance dance partnership work • How West Coast Swing works as a social dance • Dance as improvisation in a moment • What is Psych-K? And how can we ch

I had the distinct pleasure of getting to spend some time with the founder of the highly acclaimed “The Day Designer” on this episode of Live Your Dance. What I love about this episode is that not only does Whitney share some very useful tips for many stages of business, but she also shares with us some counter-intuitive advice (i.e. don’t follow your passion, follow your strengths). She’s a quality thinker, and an ever-active doer. And I found out the impetus for all of her success: starting each endeavor with gratitude. We dove deeper into to the subject, and she got real and raw with me as we learned more about her story and some of her challenges along the way. This episode is for anyone on the cusp of starting a business, or anyone looking to improve your “business,” whatever that may be. Tune in, subscribe, leave a review and tell your friends and their friends!

After being rejected as a ballerina, becoming paralyzed in the middle of a contemporary dance class, and now being back on her feet dancing professionally as a ballroom dancer, Marisa Hamamoto has seen a lot in her lifetime. She’s now dedicated to giving back, and has founded America’s first professional wheelchair ballroom dance company, Infinite Flow, for that specific purpose. In our episode together, we dive into the struggles she faced along her path to becoming a professional dancer, and what it took from her to maintain a positive outlook, even when she was paralyzed from the neck down for several months, with no hope of recovery. Tune in to hear more of her incredible story and how she’s using her experience to help others today.

In this episode of Live Your Dance, Lindsay Garrison gives me a backstage pass into her life as a Professional Pianist (+ violinist + singer). Between all the traveling, performing, and competing that she does, she’s able to keep progressing as an artist, as well as stay sane with such a crazy schedule. We dive into what makes her tick, what she loves about music, and how it is that she got on this path in particular. Lindsay is incredibly down-to-earth as well as being extremely wise about the realities of what it takes to be at her level. She dishes on what it takes to be successful, and surprisingly—it’s not as complicated as one might think!

Between our many tangents, the diving in deep and solving all the world’s problems, and a cameo from Indonesian Katie—this is one power-packed episode! The first half was recorded back in October 2015, and we have a bonus check in with Katie in January 2016, where we get to hear all about how drastically her life has changed. But one thing has not changed, and that is that she is consistently living her dance in all that she does. Tune in for a very special episode with my good friend (and model, actress, coach and humanitarian), Katie Walter. In this episode we get to dive into… • Katie’s new perspective after doing international humanitarian work • What it’s like to be a multi-passionate entrepreneur, and how Katie balances it all • How Katie chose to transition away from her acting career (11:30) • What “Leaving no stones left unturned” means for Katie in her life • The power of believing that “Life is happening for us, not to us” (15:00) • The power of our physical reflection on our ident

Pinna Gallant has traveled from software development to yoga studio owner in the last few years. She brings her insight, wisdom, and humility to the Live Your Dance podcast today as we dive into her story of how she turned her biggest upset into her greatest blessing, and has built a new business from scratch in the process.

In this solo episode, I dive into… • Albert Gray’s article, entitled “The Common Denominator of Success” • How to create (or recreate) effective habits for success • What simple thing truly creates change and success • How to set goals effectively • How I was able to get in shape to be a body builder, but why exactly I lost my momentum immediately afterwards • Not just living your dance, but living your WHOLE dance • How integrity is a muscle we can develop, and how it affects our relationship with ourself • How we erode our character, and why it’s so important to invest in ourselves, rather than wasting our “money” • Step by step instructions to take stock of where you are, and what questions to ask to move you out of a slump (34:30) • The exercise I put myself through which helped me find the ONE TINY thing I could change, which would greatly affect my entire day (positively or negatively) 35:14 • Why achieving goals isn’t the main point, but who we’re becoming in the process it where it gets exc

In this episode, we get into… • Originally a dancer, started at age 2 • Yale Grad, thought she wanted to be a neurosurgeon • While at Yale, she was selected to be a “Swing” on the first national tour of “Fosse” with Ann Reinking (6:34) • Practical and emotional tips to cope with the lulls in work as an actress (9:22) • Lex tells about life ‘behind the scenes,’ when things aren’t so perfect, and how she works through moments like that (15:35) • The question she asks to get herself back on track (16:23) • Alexis’ big reveal… (17:51) • How to cultivate the practice of being vulnerable, and the practice of “emotional housecleaning” (18:00) • Acting breakdown 202 by Alexis (21:12) • Lex gives us a peak into her upcoming role in ABC’s Recovery Road and how she studied up for her character (23:45) • Her advice for auditioning actors (28:10) • Lex’s fun exercise(s) to create more self-awareness (30:12) • My secret confession (oooh!) and the importance of having solo time (32:55) • Alexis’ questions to

Seeing as this is the 10th(!) Live Your Dance episode, I thought I’d so something special. I’ve dug out of my archives my very first episode of the podcast that I recorded back in 2013*—back when this podcast was more of a dream than a reality. Lewis and I went to the same high school, and he was a surrogate big brother of sorts—since he was a senior when I was a freshman, so it was such a blast to reconnect with him and pick his brain.  *hence why I may sound like a bit of a noob ;) Lewis brought his A-game and got right into sharing some great coaching for anyone who is on the cusp of going after their dream—whether it’s starting your own business, going after a goal, or taking the next big step towards creating the life that you really want to live.  Since the recording (in early 2013), Lewis has made major strides in his own business and life, and was most recently written up in Forbes as a Million-Dollar One-Person business for his success. He’s also the founder of The School of Greatness Podcast and

Stephanie Trick “has come to practically dominate the stride piano field,” notes reviewer Jack Rummel. Harlem stride piano, which developed in the 1920s and ‘30s, is an orchestral style of two handed piano playing that not only swings, but is also technically demanding and exciting to watch. Louis Mazetier, a respected interpreter of this genre, writes in the Bulletin of the Hot Club of France that she has “won the esteem of specialists in the genre with wonderful interpretations of stride classics.” Stephanie frequently performs with her husband, acclaimed pianist Paolo Alderighi, making arrangements of songs from the Swing Era in a four-hands piano duo. In 2014, they played for the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall at the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival. Stephanie was the 2012 recipient of the prestigious Kobe-Breda Jazz Friendship Award, and has performed in many parts of the United States as well as in Europe in a variety of venues. In this episode: How Steph’s musical serendipitou

To be honest, it was extremely difficult to name this episode, as Lou came out with so many good stories, lessons, and nuggets to share, both about business and life in general. It’s no surprise to learn too, that at a young age, he learned how fragile life could be (28:00), and since then he’s one who truly “walks his talk.” Lou had a significant career in footwear before starting his own market research company. And in this episode, he juxtaposes the training he got as a talented athlete with how to grow and run a business and a team. This is a solid episode, and we’ll cover the following topics: • Worked in one of Nike’s first retail stores • VP of marketing for several brands, including Asics, and later helped resuscitate the soccer brand, Umbro • “A team is more effective, no matter how good an individual is.” • The importance of teamwork in business, and how to get ego out of the way (7:49) • How Umbro was able to scale from 18 employees to several hundred, and maintain their ability to be n

Geoff is the host of the Mentee Podcast. And he’s in his journey from employee to entrepreneur, and the reason I brought him on today is because Geoff is an expert at showing you how to surround yourself with heavy-hitting mentors—the people who can rapidly accelerate your success. In this episode we dive deep into the following topics with Geoff: • “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” -Jim Rohn • How to gather and collect powerful mentors yourself • The one question to ask in order to radically shift your business • What am I trading my time for each day? And am I getting the better end of the deal? • How to overcome discouragement when working towards big goals (26:18) • How to start “dating your passions” and monetize them on the side • How to shift from “I have to go to work” to “I choose to go to work” • How to write your own permission slip to your life • How the work that we do affects our loved ones: positively or negatively • When we ask better questio

Mary Warrington has made the leap into a digital and mobile lifestyle, all thanks to her food blog, The Kitchen Paper. With stunning photos, and accessible recipes so that anyone can become a cook, Mary shows us all how doing what you love and being paid for it are NOT mutually exclusive. While Mary and I went to college together and played volleyball together, she’s since served as a great inspiration for me to also take my work online and be able to live and work wherever I am. So a big thanks to her, her work, and for sharing her stories and perspective with us on the Live Your Dance podcast this week! P.S. I apologize in advance that the audio on this episode is not the best. I’m actively working on improving the audio quality for future episodes. But there’s tons of great content in here, so thanks for hangin in there with us! In this Episode we get into… • Step by step actions Mary took to become a food blogger • What exactly pushed Mary into action to leave her job and blog full time • What are

Founder of Darken the Page, endeavors to answer the question, “Where does great art come from?” Dave Booda, the podcast host, life coach, world traveler, self-proclaimed music geek, and former naval officer tells all about his journey to find himself and create work that he’s proud of. In this episode, we dive into… • The importance of living in the “grind” • Weighs out a “job that pays the bills” vs. doing what you love and making potentially less money • What would I do if I had absolute financial security? • The difference between soul-driven work, vs. paycheck-driven work • Diving into the fact that the “Happiness Factor” isn’t dependent on the job at all • The problem with thinking that there’s a “perfect job” out there for each of us (13:00) • Dave’s method for getting “in flow” each day • How to stretch your comfort zone, since our life stinks or expands, depending on our comfort level • Dave’s perspective on having a Mission Statement • How to transition from the job to doing what yo

Sammy Davis is a light in all that she is and does. As a powerful speaker, writer, and business woman, she navigates her field with grace, confidence, and authenticity—and her life inspires all with whom she connects. We dive into her story, as well as some tough topics: breakups (both in business and in love), finding and defining success, and balancing life and work, among many other ideas. Tune in for your daily dose of realness, laughs, and profundity. That SammyD, she’s a keeper!

Derek has made his way through various careers and has recently found himself location-independant (hence why he’s currently in Bali), running his own coaching practice and hosting his podcast, The Art of Adventure. He has an incredible story, and is driven by an insatiable thirst to learn—and would love nothing more than to help others cultivate their own eagerness to do the same. In this episode, you’ll learn… • How he’s able to live in Bali, travel the world, do what he loves, AND make a living • How he made the jump from being a cyclist, to a researcher (he discovered a new virus!), and is now an entrepreneur and podcast host • How drafting in cycling relates to business and “real life” • How he maintains freshness and excitement within his career and the day-to-day tasks • Tips for bringing projects to completion • How he maintains productivity without a “boss” to report to • The benefits to working on projects he truly cares about, and how it affects the rest of his life • The importance of r

Molly King is a former corporate working girl turned author, dancer, and coach. The Live Your Dance podcast celebrates those individuals who have found their metaphorical “dance,” and endeavors to draw out the insights and lessons from their journey, in order to inspire you to find and live YOUR dance.