I grappled with debilitating performance anxiety that threatened my ability to perform and compete at my full potential. It was distressing — I was putting all of my time and energy into training for competition, and yet I felt completely out of control.

For years, I struggled silently, carrying the shame of not knowing how to manage it. I didn’t have the tools, and I didn’t know where to turn. Eventually, I had a break in my training and realized I couldn’t keep going like this — I had to figure it out. I gathered everything I knew at the time — about vision, goals, belief, trust, and a lot of faith — and put my work ethic to use. I committed to learning how to overcome it.

What came from that season, I could barely believe. I had the opportunity to perform on some of television’s biggest stages — and I felt elated. But more than that, I felt proud of what I had overcome. And I felt deeply grateful for the opportunities that followed.

When I moved to LA, that persistent anxiety started to creep back in. But instead of addressing it, I ignored it. I stuffed it down and kept moving forward. For a few years, I lived in fear that if I slowed down, I wouldn’t be able to keep up — and that fear drove me to push past my needs. Eventually, my anxiety reached an all-time high. From the moment I woke up to the time I went to sleep, I was battling it. After years of living this way, I hit a wall. I burned out completely and threw up a prayer that something would change.

Soon after, I moved home and began investing in my mental health. I started therapy and began learning from trauma-informed specialists and clinicians. Slowly, I started to see clearly — the beliefs I had been carrying, the pressure I had internalized, and the fear that my worth was tied to how talented or successful I was as a dancer.

I began to recognize how deeply I had been impacted by certain unhealthy coaching environments — how unworthy and “not enough” I felt when I was overlooked or treated as less important. I realized how much of my sense of safety and identity was dependent on external validation.

The truth is: the dance industry is full of complex challenges. Some of them shape us into our best selves. Others push us beyond what’s healthy or sustainable. In my experience, having support — real support — is vital to a dancer’s long-term success and well-being.