Dance Real Podcast

Perfectionism & The Pre-Professional Dancer

Season 3
Ep:05
In this solo episode of Dance Real Podcast, Kate explores perfectionism in the lives of pre-professional dancers. While perfectionism can sharpen detail and raise standards, it can also drain confidence, increase anxiety, and diminish joy. Kate unpacks how perfectionism shows up in daily habits, inner self-talk, and relationships with teachers and parents. She offers practical strategies that both teachers and parents can use to support dancers in balancing excellence with self-compassion. Topics in this episode include: The difference between healthy high standards and perfectionism Why language from teachers and parents deeply shapes a dancer’s inner voice Practical exercises such as progress journaling, the 80% rule, and “mistake rituals” How parents can reframe post-performance conversations at home The importance of modelling imperfection as adults Protecting a dancer’s identity and joy by encouraging life outside of dance By the end of the episode, listeners will walk away with tangible tools to help dancers thrive both in and beyond the studio.
 
🩰 Stay Connected with Kate Follow Kate for more episodes, personal reflections, and real-talk on healing and integrity in the dance world: 🌐 Website: www.katehiston.com 📷 Instagram: @katehiston @dance_real_podcast @Master_Dancer_Mindset 🎧 Podcast: Dance Real Podcast – Available on Spotify, Apple, and all major platforms
 
Disclaimer: The Dance Real Podcast is a space for open, honest conversations rooted in real-life experiences within the dance world. What I share and what my guests share is based on personal perspective, not professional advice. If you’re seeking support for your mental health, legal matters, or business decisions, I encourage you to speak with a qualified professional. The views expressed by guests are their own and don’t always reflect mine. Any references to people, places, or situations are shared with respect and the intent to spark reflection, learning, and conversation not to harm or misrepresent. By engaging with this content, you acknowledge and agree that the host, guests, and Dance Real Podcast are not liable for any decisions made based on the information provided.
 
#DanceResilience #DanceMindset #EmotionalResilience #HealthyDanceCulture #DanceTeachers #DanceParents #DanceTraining #MentalHealthInDance #DancerWellbeing #DanceEducation #KateHiston #perfectionism

Illuminating Mental Wellness in Dance

Season 3
Ep:04
Illuminating Mental Wellness in Dance
Trigger Warning:This episode includes discussion of mental health challenges such as perfectionism, anxiety, body image, and eating disorders. Listener discretion is advised. If you are affected by these topics, please reach out for professional support or visit local mental health resources in your area.
In this episode of Dance Real Podcast, Kate speaks with the founders of the Ilumn Collective: Kari Brunson Wright, Josh Spell, and Rachel Coats. All three are former professional dancers who have transformed their lived experience into work supporting the mental wellness of dancers today.
Together they explore the challenges dancers face with perfectionism, body image, self-worth, and identity, and share how Ilumn Collective is creating accessible tools for mental health in dance training and professional companies. Their reflections highlight what dancers, parents, and teachers can do to foster healthier training environments while honouring the joy of dance.
Topics covered:
The transition from professional performance to supporting dancer wellness.
Perfectionism and self-criticism in both pre-professional and professional dancers.
The role of body image and nutrition pressures in ballet culture.
The importance of self-compassion and building resilience.
Social media and its impact on young dancers’ mental health.
Guidance for parents, teachers, and company directors in supporting dancers.
Why identity beyond dance is essential for long-term wellbeing.
Whether you are a dancer, parent, teacher, or simply someone who loves the art form, this conversation offers insight, honesty, and practical wisdom.
To find out more about Ilumn visit Instagram @the_ilumn_collective
🩰 Stay Connected with Kate Follow Kate for more episodes, personal reflections, and real-talk on healing and integrity in the dance world:
🌐 Website: www.katehiston.com
📷 Instagram: @katehiston @dance_real_podcast @Master_Dancer_Mindset
🎧 Podcast: Dance Real Podcast – Available on Spotify, Apple, and all major platforms
Disclaimer:
The Dance Real Podcast is a space for open, honest conversations rooted in real-life experiences within the dance world. What I share—and what my guests share—is based on personal perspective, not professional advice. If you’re seeking support for your mental health, legal matters, or business decisions, I encourage you to speak with a qualified professional.
 
The views expressed by guests are their own and don’t always reflect mine. Any references to people, places, or situations are shared with respect and the intent to spark reflection, learning, and conversation—not to harm or misrepresent.
 
By engaging with this content, you acknowledge and agree that the host, guests, and Dance Real Podcast are not liable for any decisions made based on the information provided.

The Mother Daughter Bond - Behind Ballet Dreams

Season 3
Ep:03
In this episode of the Dance Real Podcast, I sit down with mother–daughter duo Kate and Kyra Martinov to explore the shared journey of teaching, parenting, and dancing together. Kate reflects on her own path from small-town beginnings to performing overseas and eventually founding Bay Dance Academy in Nelson Bay. She shares the joys and challenges of teaching her daughter within a family-run studio while balancing the transitions of career and family life. Kyra, now in the Queensland Ballet’s pre-professional program, speaks candidly about the pressures of elite training, the role of journaling and routines in maintaining balance, and the grounding influence of time spent in nature. Together, Kate and Kyra reflect on the values of respect, openness, and resilience that supported their relationship both inside and outside the studio. Listeners will hear: The realities of navigating a mother–daughter relationship in a dance studio. How family values shape training environments and dancer wellbeing. Strategies for managing stress, discipline, and pressure as a pre-professional dancer. Reflections on resilience, joy, and what sustains a love for dance. Stay tuned right to the end of the conversation for some very exciting news about Kyra’s next chapter.
🩰 Stay Connected with Kate
Follow Kate for more episodes, personal reflections, and real-talk on healing and integrity in the dance world:
🌐 Website: www.katehiston.com
📷 Instagram: @katehiston @dance_real_podcast @Master_Dancer_Mindset 🎧 Podcast: Dance Real Podcast – Available on Spotify, Apple, and all major platforms
 
Disclaimer: The Dance Real Podcast is a space for open, honest conversations rooted in real-life experiences within the dance world. What I share and what my guests share is based on personal perspective, not professional advice. If you’re seeking support for your mental health, legal matters, or business decisions, I encourage you to speak with a qualified professional. The views expressed by guests are their own and don’t always reflect mine. Any references to people, places, or situations are shared with respect and the intent to spark reflection, learning, and conversation not to harm or misrepresent. By engaging with this content, you acknowledge and agree that the host, guests, and Dance Real Podcast are not liable for any decisions made based on the information provided.

Trauma Aware Teaching in Dance (solo)

Season 3:
Ep:02
In this solo episode, Kate explores trauma-aware teaching in the dance studio through a clear, practical lens: how the nervous system adapts under sustained pressure; why safety and rigour must be held together; and what this looks like in daily practice. She defines trauma awareness for studio settings, distinguishes it from therapy, and offers concrete habits that protect dignity and sustain excellence: specific correction without humiliation; pacing that reads signs of overwhelm and allows brief regulation; structured choice that preserves agency without lowering expectations; calm, consistent boundaries that build trust; and a culture that names effort, risk, and process as foundations for long-term skill. Kate also reflects on how well-meant mindset tools can drift into gaslighting when safety is absent, and why self-reflection for teachers and parents reduces the pull to repeat harmful norms. The episode closes with a steady premise: when safety and rigour are integrated, dancers carry technical mastery with self-respect, and studios mature into environments that people trust
🩰 Stay Connected with Kate Follow Kate for more episodes, personal reflections, and real-talk on healing and integrity in the dance world:
🌐 Website: www.katehiston.com
📷 Instagram: @katehiston @dance_real_podcast @Master_Dancer_Mindset
🎧 Podcast: Dance Real Podcast – Available on Spotify, Apple, and all major platforms
 
Disclaimer: The Dance Real Podcast is a space for open, honest conversations rooted in real-life experiences within the dance world. What I share and what my guests share is based on personal perspective, not professional advice. If you’re seeking support for your mental health, legal matters, or business decisions, I encourage you to speak with a qualified professional. The views expressed by guests are their own and don’t always reflect mine. Any references to people, places, or situations are shared with respect and the intent to spark reflection, learning, and conversation not to harm or misrepresent. By engaging with this content, you acknowledge and agree that the host, guests, and Dance Real Podcast are not liable for any decisions made based on the information provided.
 
#traumaawaredanceteacher #DanceMindset #traumaaware #DanceTeachers #DanceParents #DanceTraining #MentalHealthInDance #DancerWellbeing #DanceEducation #KateHiston #perfectionism

The Dance Journey of Josef Brown: Curiosity, Craft, and the Artist’s Mask

Season 3 Ep: 01 Opens with artist, advocate and thought leader Josef Brown: former Soloist with The Australian Ballet; principal performer with Sydney Dance Company; featured artist with Modern Dance Turkey in Ankara. His range spans ballet and contemporary stages, musical theatre, film, and television, including roles in Dance Academy, Spartacus, and Neighbours. He now channels that breadth into creative work and sector advocacy, and he leads The Library Aesthetic, a curated hub for credible dance health and education. Josef traces the inner terrain beneath the resume: a late start and a sense of belonging at The McDonald College; the culture shock of The Australian Ballet School; the anxious mask many performers develop in high stakes settings. He reflects on injury as a turning point, the move into contemporary work, and the different demands of screen performance. Together we consider teaching as its own craft, how to awaken intrinsic drive, the limits of a trick focus in training, and the value of evidence informed resources for studios and young dancers. Through it all the throughline is clear: curiosity, disciplined process, and connection to self, others, music, and space.
To find out more about The Library Aesthetic DANCE MEDIA visit https://thelibraryaesthetic.com 🩰
Stay Connected with Kate Follow Kate for more episodes, personal reflections, and real-talk on healing and integrity in the dance world: 🌐 Website: www.katehiston.com 📷 Instagram: @katehiston @dance_real_podcast @Master_Dancer_Mindset 🎧 Podcast: Dance Real Podcast – Available on Spotify, Apple, and all major platforms
 
Disclaimer: The Dance Real Podcast is a space for open, honest conversations rooted in real-life experiences within the dance world. What I share and what my guests share is based on personal perspective, not professional advice. If you’re seeking support for your mental health, legal matters, or business decisions, I encourage you to speak with a qualified professional. The views expressed by guests are their own and don’t always reflect mine. Any references to people, places, or situations are shared with respect and the intent to spark reflection, learning, and conversation not to harm or misrepresent. By engaging with this content, you acknowledge and agree that the host, guests, and Dance Real Podcast are not liable for any decisions made based on the information provided.
#KateHiston #JosefBrown #DanceRealPodcast #DanceEducation #DanceHealth #Ballet #ContemporaryDance #DanceTeacher #PerformanceAnxiety #TheLibraryAesthetic

That's a Wrap on Season Two

Episode Summary
In this short solo episode, Kate reflects on the journey of Season 2 of The Dance Real Podcast—a season filled with bold conversations, personal stories, expert insights, and unapologetic truths about the dance world.
 
From examining competition culture and coercive power dynamics to unpacking pedagogical frameworks, parenting roles, emotional safety, and embodied creativity, Season 2 has taken us on a deeply human ride through the layers of dance training and artistic growth.
 
Kate shares her personal highlights, recurring themes that emerged, and the growing movement toward more conscious, holistic, and empowered dance environments.
 
This episode also includes a heartfelt invitation:
If you have a story that aligns with the purpose of Dance Real—whether it’s about harm, healing, leadership, or liberation—Kate would love to hear from you.
⸻
Themes Explored in Season 2:
•Rethinking competition and performance-based identities
•Boundaries, consent, and safety in training spaces
•Teaching methods, pedagogy, and community impact
•Improvisation as a creative and personal life philosophy
•The dance parent’s role: what helps, what harms
•Nutrition, perfectionism, and the dancer’s body
•Recognizing and healing from coercive systems
•Reclaiming emotional and creative agency in dance
⸻
Connect & Share Your Story
 
Have a personal or professional story that could inspire, inform, or challenge the dance community? Kate is currently curating Season 3 and welcomes diverse voices from dancers, teachers, adjudicators, parents, and beyond.
 
📩 Reach out via Instagram: @katehiston
🌐 Or submit via website: www.katehiston.com
 
⸻
Leave a Review or Share the Podcast
If you’ve found value in these episodes, please consider leaving a rating and review on your podcast platform—it helps more people find Dance Real. And if there’s an episode that resonated with you, share it with a friend or fellow creative.
 
Disclaimer:
The Dance Real Podcast is a space for open, honest conversations rooted in real-life experiences within the dance world. What I share—and what my guests share—is based on personal perspective, not professional advice. If you’re seeking support for your mental health, legal matters, or business decisions, I encourage you to speak with a qualified professional.
 
The views expressed by guests are their own and don’t always reflect mine. Any references to people, places, or situations are shared with respect and the intent to spark reflection, learning, and conversation—not to harm or misrepresent.
 
By engaging with this content, you acknowledge and agree that the host, guests, and Dance Real Podcast are not liable for any decisions made based on the information provided.

How to be a Dance Mum without Losing Yourself, or Your Child

Season Two  Ep:14
Dance Real Reflections: How to be a Dance Mum without Losing Yourself or Your Child
 
In this episode of the Dance Real Podcast, Kate pulls back the curtain on the powerful influence dance parents have—not just on their child’s dance journey, but on their emotional wellbeing. Speaking from her own lived experience growing up with a well meaning but high-pressure dance mum, and later navigating the dance world as a teacher, studio owner, and parent herself, Kate explores the fine line between support and pressure. She dives into the do’s and don’ts for dance parents, sharing insight into how to foster autonomy, emotional resilience, and a healthy passion for dance—without unknowingly tipping into control or perfectionism. Whether you’re a dance parent, teacher, or just someone curious about the unspoken dynamics behind the scenes, this episode offers a real, raw, and constructive conversation about what kids really need to thrive.
 
🩰 Stay Connected with Kate Follow Kate for more episodes, personal reflections, and real-talk on healing and integrity in the dance world: 🌐 Website: www.katehiston.com 📷 Instagram: @katehiston @dance_real_podcast @Master_Dancer_Mindset 🎧 Podcast: Dance Real Podcast – Available on Spotify, Apple, and all major platforms 
 
Disclaimer: The Dance Real Podcast is a space for open, honest conversations rooted in real-life experiences within the dance world. What I share—and what my guests share—is based on personal perspective, not professional advice. If you’re seeking support for your mental health, legal matters, or business decisions, I encourage you to speak with a qualified professional. The views expressed by guests are their own and don’t always reflect mine. Any references to people, places, or situations are shared with respect and the intent to spark reflection, learning, and conversation—not to harm or misrepresent. By engaging with this content, you acknowledge and agree that the host, guests, and Dance Real Podcast are not liable for any decisions made based on the information provided.

Starving For Success? Dance Nutrition and the Truth No one Talks About with Dr. Stephanie Potreck.

Season Two  Ep: 16
Starving For Success? Dance Nutrition and the Truth No one Talks About with Dr. Stephanie Potreck.
In this powerful episode of the Dance Real Podcast, host Kate Histon is joined by medical doctor and dance nutritionist Dr. Stephanie Podreck, whose career spans medicine, sports nutrition, and global health—and is deeply rooted in her own experience as a professional dancer. Together, they unpack the often-unspoken realities of dancer health, including:
* The connection between under-fuelling, delayed development, and injury—and why this is still a crisis decades after the research emerged.
* The emotional roots of disordered eating, including trauma, perfectionism, and unstable family dynamics.
* How dance schools can be both a trigger and a solution—and what red flags to watch for in students.
* Why a dancer’s performance suffers not from a lack of willpower—but a lack of food, rest, and recovery.
* What a healthy day of meals and snacks looks like for a 14-year-old dancer.
* The hard truths about some European schools, including outdated pedagogy, poor student welfare, and the emotional toll of international transitions.
* Strategies for supporting dancers moving overseas, including food prep, housing, and building resilience.
* The psychological harm of body shaming and archaic teaching—and why the dance world must evolve now. Dr. Podreck also shares how her clinic, AusDancers Overseas, supports dancers in building sustainable health practices from pre-professional training into company life.
This conversation is essential listening for:
✔️ Dance teachers
✔️ Studio owners
✔️ Parents of aspiring dancers
✔️ Students navigating elite training
Get In Touch with Stephanie Potreck 🌐 Website: www.ausdancersoverseas.com 📷 Instagram: @ausdancersoverseas
🩰 Stay Connected with Kate Follow Kate for more episodes, personal reflections, and real-talk on healing and integrity in the dance world:🌐 Website: www.katehiston.com📷 Instagram: @katehiston @Dance_Real_Podcast @Master_Dancer_Mindset🎧 Podcast: Dance Real Podcast – Available on Spotify, Apple, and all major platforms After Show Notes: The book Kate referred to is correctly called "Apollo’s Angels": A History of Ballet is authored by Jennifer Homans, a former professional ballerina turned dance scholar and critic. It offers a sweeping cultural and historical examination of ballet from its Renaissance origins to modern times.
 
Disclaimer: The Dance Real Podcast is a space for open, honest conversations rooted in real-life experiences within the dance world. What I share—and what my guests share—is based on personal perspective, not professional advice. If you’re seeking support for your mental health, legal matters, or business decisions, I encourage you to speak with a qualified professional. The views expressed by guests are their own and don’t always reflect mine. Any references to people, places, or situations are shared with respect and the intent to spark reflection, learning, and conversation—not to harm or misrepresent. By engaging with this content, you acknowledge and agree that the host, guests, and Dance Real Podcast are not liable for any decisions made based on the information provided.

Bloodied Pointe Shoes and Coercive Control - Healing the Dance World with Kellie Rhea

Season Two · Episode 13
Bloodied Pointe Shoes and Coercive Control – Healing the Dance World with Kellie Rhea
 
In this transformative conversation, I’m joined by trauma specialist and cult-aware educator Kellie Rhea to explore how hidden systems of control quietly shape the dance world—and how we can heal from them.
Together, we unpack the subtle ways that “excellence” can mask unhealthy pressure, the intergenerational expectations dancers carry, and how the body stores the stress and fear that arise in performance-driven environments.
I share personal reflections from my own journey—including a pivotal moment confronting a coercive parent as a studio owner, the emotional impact of my early training, and the raw promise I made to my younger self during the hardest days of panic disorder.
 
Kellie offers powerful insights into how dancers, teachers, and parents can:
💛 Recognize harmful systems early
💛 Reclaim self-trust and autonomy
💛 Return to dance as a space for authentic expression and growth
 
This episode is a must-listen for dancers, teachers, parents—or anyone healing from toxic systems and seeking a healthier future for the next generation of performers.
 
After Notes
Show Note from Kate: The letter I refer to in this episode was one I wrote to the principal of my first ballet school, addressing the emotional and physical harm I experienced there.
 
You’ll hear me get emotional in this episode. Even healed stories can carry weight. I share this not for sympathy, but to remind anyone listening—you’re not alone.”
 
Topics Covered
What coercive control looks like in dance and high-performance spaces
The difference between discipline and domination
Parentification, infantilization, and the “teacher as god” phenomenon
Loyalty, compliance, and why some systems reward silence
Trauma stored in the body and the cost of emotional suppression
Fawning, people-pleasing, and self-abandonment as survival strategies
What true autonomy and trauma-informed environments look like
How to spot red flags in schools, studios, and leadership structures
Resources Mentioned
💡 Red Flags of Coercive Systems – Ask yourself:
Are disagreement and questioning allowed—or punished?
Is discomfort explored—or reframed as resistance?
Are students becoming more confident—or more dependent and afraid?
Can people say no? If “no” means punishment, there is no real agency.
Is leadership rooted in shared humanity—or upheld by hierarchy and conformity?
📚 Recommended Reading & Tools:
Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker → www.pete-walker.com
Search “Pete Walker C-PTSD” on YouTube for free talks and explanations
Learn about spiritual bypassing (term coined by John Welwood)
Key Definitions:
Infantilization: Treating capable individuals as helpless, creating dependency
Future faking: Promising future rewards to gain present-day compliance
Toxic positivity: Forcing cheerfulness or suppressing discomfort
Fawning: Trauma response marked by people-pleasing to stay safe
 
Connect with Kellie Rhea
📎 Instagram: @iamkellierhea
 
Stay Connected with Kate
🌐 Website: www.katehiston.com
📷 Instagram: @katehiston | @Dance_Real_Podcast | @Master_Dancer_Mindset
🎧 Podcast: Dance Real Podcast – Available on Spotify, Apple, and all major platforms

Energy Vampires, Credit Thieves & Silent Saboteurs (solo)

Season Two Ep:15
 
In this episode of The Dance Real Podcast, Kate unpacks the often-hidden emotional dynamics that dancers, teachers, and leaders navigate in high-pressure environments—including covert competition, credit theft, love bombing, and silent sabotage.
Drawing from lived experience not only as a dancer, teacher, studio owner, and adjudicator (as well as her professional training in Human Behaviour)—but also as someone who grew up around emotionally complex dynamics—Kate offers a blend of personal insight, professional perspective, and trauma-informed strategies to help dancers protect their energy and trust their instincts.
With clear tools and boundary-setting practices, this episode empowers listeners to prioritise emotional well-being and rise above manipulative behaviour—on and off the dance floor.
 
🩰 Stay Connected with Kate Follow Kate for more episodes, personal reflections, and real-talk on healing and integrity in the dance world:
🌐 Website: www.katehiston.com 📷 Instagram: @katehiston @dance_real_podcast @Master_Dancer_Mindset
🎧 Podcast: Dance Real Podcast – Available on Spotify, Apple, and all major platforms 
 
Disclaimer: The Dance Real Podcast is a space for open, honest conversations rooted in real-life experiences within the dance world. What I share—and what my guests share—is based on personal perspective, not professional advice. If you’re seeking support for your mental health, legal matters, or business decisions, I encourage you to speak with a qualified professional. The views expressed by guests are their own and don’t always reflect mine. Any references to people, places, or situations are shared with respect and the intent to spark reflection, learning, and conversation—not to harm or misrepresent. By engaging with this content, you acknowledge and agree that the host, guests, and Dance Real Podcast are not liable for any decisions made based on the information provided.