Burju Perez is a mommy of two, wife, former professional Latin Dancer and CEO and lead designer, of the world renowned quality, customizable professional dance shoe/dance heels brand Burju Shoes, based out of Massachusetts.  Burju was born in Istanbul Turkey prior to immigrating to the United States.  As an adult, she began her professional career by studying International Business at Boston University, prior to landing a job in banking.  Burju began Latin dancing in college, where she met her then dance partner, now husband, and launched herself into the world of Latin dancing for 15 years, which included instructing, competing and paid gigs around the world. 

An artist at heart, Burju combined her love of creativity and dance when altering modern Latin dance shoes for her teammates with more fun colors, jewels, feathers and with an emphasis on comfort.  Burju unknowingly unlocked a level of her passion and was building her business before she knew it; Burju Shoes was created in 2010.  

Burju has collaborated with widely respected and talented names in the dance industry such as Kiira Harper, Nicole Kirkland and Janelle Ginestra.  Burju heels have been worn by high profile music artists such as Jennifer Lopez, Normani, Christina Aguilera, Ariana Grande, Cardi B, Hadise, Meg the Stallion, for numerous concert tours and award shows such as MTV’s Video Music Awards.  Most importantly, Burju’s shoes are worn by dancers of all ethnic/gender/non-binary backgrounds all over the globe.  

Burju Shoes is a brand that celebrates diversity and aims at strengthening our communities by highlighting the individual's inner confidence through fashion.

In this episode, Burju and Ariana speak about the story of Burju Shoes and what it was that challenged Burju to stay true to her vision and mission as a brand and a person.

Burju Shoes Instagram: @burjushoes

Website:  https://burjushoes.com

Episode Highlights:

About Burju

• A brand that doesn’t just profit - a brand that lifts and supports
• Burju: An Artist’s spirit
• Child of immigrant parents
• Challenging the structure
• Heels community, pole dance community (!!)
• Branding It + Pop Up Shops
• Her crossroads and full time Burju

BURJU SHOES: The Beginning

• Constant observation
• Shoe Talk
• Artist bucket list?
• Serving a need
• The importance of appropriate gear

BURJU’S DANCE

• “I have to maybe fail at this.”
• Full Transparency: Defining herself and her business
  • Learn and grow as a business owner and human being
• Burju’s little nuggets of wisdom

BURJU’S GIFT 

Paula Ayotte is a professional dancer, entertainer, former marine scientist, model, actress and inspirerer based out of Los Angeles.  Paula Ayotte started her professional dance journey in the 1980s when she was in her 20s, working gigs such as the Disneyland Christmas Parade, Sesame Street Live U.S. tour, the Las Vegas Show “Splash at the Riviera” was a backup dancer for a Latina Artist in Mexico City and roller skating as an Apple on the Newhart show.  She had a shift in careers in the 90s and turned to corporate consulting and only danced on the occasion for fun.  A career in Hawaii later, it wasn't long after a life event changed her perspective on the need to pursue her dream of dancing. 

Paula’s credits include Ariana Grande, I Can See Your Voice, Ellen, Kelly Clarkson and commercials for Beis Luggage, Piercing Pagoda, Sherwin Williams, and Etsy and modeling for many more.

In this episode, Ariana and Paula discuss Paula’s career, returning to college to pursue her dream job as a marine scientist, auditioning for her music videos and feeling her purpose is to inspire people on her journey to show that your dreams have no boundaries or age requirements.  Your time is now.

Follow Paula and her journey on her Instagram: @paulaayotte

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

• Starting to dance in the 80s then heading into corporate consulting
• Returning to school in her 30s to pursue her next chapter: marine science
• Trying to fill her cup with the occasional classes - searching for more
• Losing a mentor and what that meant for her
• Landing a commercial with A list artist - the start of the dream
• Imposter syndrome - in a dance room full of 20 somethings
• Pursuing acting - understanding that she’s learning something new
• "Aging is not a bad thing, getting older is not a bad thing- "
• Reassurance from other creatives
• Vulnerability, unafraid and unashamed
• Analysis Paralysis gets you no where you want to go!
• Making a decision and using her gift to inspire - breaking barriers

Ariana discusses five ways to return to yourself and your creativity that helped her  after moving through a period of overwhelm, loss and imbalance.   

In this episode, Ariana’s starting point of conversation is the importance of recognizing when you need to take a step back and take care of yourself.

Emily Leibert is a writer, journalist, reporter, former NFL cheerleader, former public relations professional and dancer who is originally from Southern California and is now based out of New York City and is currently attending New York University in pursuit of her Master’s Degree in journalism.

Emily previously attended USC, where her peak interest into the world of entertainment began and she studied broadcast journalism in the Public Relations field.  After three years of experience as a professional cheerleader with the Los Angeles Rams while balancing her traditional college career, she was quick to realize that she was meant to pursue a career in writing and applied for the Master’s program at NYU during the pandemic in 2020.

With the experiences in the world known organizations like the Los Angeles Rams, Dreamworks Animation and working red carpets in Hollywood on the PR side, Emily has gained knowledge and first-hand experience to include in her writing.  

Emily is fueled by her passion for social change and is hopeful for a brighter future not only in the NFL cheer organization, but in social issues such as women’s rights, gender roles and women in the arts.  Emily also has experience grant writing for dance companies.  She's always hoping to tell stories of gender inequity with empathy, compassion, and trust.


If you have a story that deserves to be told, you can send news tips or interview ideas to by.emilyleibert@gmail.com or reach out to her on Twitter @by_emilyleibert.

You can connect with Emily on Instagram as well: @emilyleibert

Visit these sites to see some of Emily's work:

• LINDSAY ROSENBURG IS CHANGING HOW PRO CHEERLEADERS ARE SEEN ONE PHOTOGRPAH AT A TIME
  • https://www.teenvogue.com/story/lindsay-rosenberg-pro-cheerleaders
• HOW THE NFL RISKS THE HEALTH OF CHEERLEADERS 
  • https://jezebel.com/how-the-nfl-risks-the-health-of-cheerleaders-its-harde-1846199936
• THE CL!CK - NEW YORK UNIVERSITY’S JOURNALISM ONLINE MASTERS PROGRAM
  • https://theclick.news/emily-leibert/

Episode Highlights

• Creativity rooted from Dance
• Broadcast Journalism at USC turn Public Relations - life as the multi-professional
  • What kept her from exclusively picking journalism?
• Roles as a publicist
  • A defining moment that ultimately put into question - am I aligning with my purpose?
• NFL Cheerleader Life
  • The 3 year moment - hanging up the pom poms
  • Balancing NFL rehearsal schedule + Daily life 
  • Mental and Physical exhaustion
  • The progression of the career
  • The loose unofficial requirements
  • Pushback for expressing concern for fundamental rights in sports industry in regards to women
  • The Second Full time job
    • Optimism about the future of the industry
• Furloughed during the pandemic 
  • “Pandemic Guilt”
• Hopeful for the industry
  • Highlight article in Teen Vogue - highlighting female photographer of NFL cheerleaders
  • Understanding the ramifications for speaking up
• Emily’s “Dance” and her Gift

Sarah Baudner is a 32 year old woman with ambition based out of Vancouver Canada who has always had dance and fitness as a big part of her life and created her dance fitness brand, Rock Your Baudy.  In an effort to connect with her friends from the eastern coast during the early days of the worldwide pandemic, she created her virtual dance fitness brand, a combination of HIT cardio with modern dance moves with an upbeat playlist to get her participants sweating and moving.  Her classes are held weekly and soon, she hopes to expand to outdoor classes in Vancouver to connect and build a stronger sense of community with in-person classes. 

Rock Your Baudy is an energetic class blend meant to build confidence within one's body to feel inspired and motivated.  Sarah loves building personal relationships with all who participate in her classes.

Sarah’s feature is And You Will Dance’s first international guest! 


Episode Highlights:

• Sarah combining her love for dance in fitness with creating Rock Your Baudy
• Creatives in the family
• Getting placed into dance at a young age
• A Common Love for Musical Theatre
• First to start her high school dance team
• Combining Dance and Fitness
• Creating Rock Your Baudy
• Discussing taking dance classes in Los Angeles
  • How is your self-confidence when dancing in classes with professionals?
• How loss changed her
  • Difficulty in saying when she was not okay
• Sarah’s Gift
• Ariana and her “why?”
• Taking a Chance

To book a class with Rock Your Baudy:

https://www.rockyourbaudy.com

Follow Sarah on IG: @rockyourbaudy 

In this episode, Ariana recollects the feeling of self-doubt and the pressure of the creative process.  After receiving a message from a friend, her self-doubt in the creative process began to unfold and reveal the importance and the realness to the meaning "Create from Truth", as quoted by Kobe Bryant.  The episode serves as a reminder that all that you need is already within you.

Instagram: @andyouwilldance; @ari_sanchez

Tess Henderson is a professional Interior Designer. Founder, Creative Director, and Principal Designer of Tess Interiors based out of Los Angeles California.  Also, Tess is a lover of all things beautiful, an adrenaline junkie, dog mom, sister, daughter, auntie, girlfriend, and an all around empath.  

A creative experimenter at heart, she had always found opportunities in the ability to create.  Growing up, she was introduced to the idea of interior design by her mother and experimented with color palettes of different papers after trips to Michaels.  It was then, shortly into her teen years when her mom introduced to her the idea of Interior design as a career.

After a brief experience working at an admirable design firm, Tess was catapulted into making a determination for her career’s turn of events due to the unpredictability of 2020 and its impact on businesses.

A young woman who was sure in who she was and aspired to be her own boss and in creative control of her vision, she went onto becoming CEO of her Interior Design firm, Tess Interiors.

Episode Highlights:

• Interior Designing and it's many layers
  • Construction management
  • Architecture
• What interior designing means to Tess - it's more personal
• How her Mom inspired and pushed her to pursue this field
• Working in the industry in San Francisco
  • Hospitality interior designing
  • Her "Devil Wears Prada" Experience
• Her nephew's birth that changed her trajectory
  • Moving back to Los Angeles
• Dream position cut short due to the pandemic
• Layoff and jump start into her business on the same day
• Being in love with the process
• Interior Design - It's deeper than that 
  • creative process with clients
• Making her client's vision come to life
• Tess's Dance - Feeling of loss and importance of "feeling everything"
• "Having is not so great a thing as wanting."

Where to connect with Tess and seek her services:

Instagram: @tessinteriors

Website: https://www.tessinteriors.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tessinteriors/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tessinteriors/

Sasha Lewis is a blogger, graphic artist,  dancer, mental health and well-being advocate and single mama to a two year old baby girl.  Sasha didn’t always think that her creative journey would lead her to blogging.  In fact, she always believed dance was going to be her way. However when she was in her teens, her world was flipped upside down when she was told after an accident that she was never going to be able to do the things she loved to do, and her struggle to understand herself and her mental health began.

Sasha attended The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles and initiated the possibility of a career in retail design, merchandising, and marketing.  She silently battled her mental health hurdles when she began dealing with with anxiety, depression and OCD, but knew that it couldn't break her completely.  

After years of struggling with her mental health and one beautiful baby girl on the spectrum of Autism later, Sasha created a safe space for those struggling with their mental health to turn to: The Cha-Cha blog.  Her blog touches on wellness, lifestyle and even home decor as a way to serve as inspiration, and a source of information and entertainment.  Most importantly the blog has created a community of positivity and open communication.  The Cha Cha Blog is intended to be the outlet for others, that she wishes she had at the start of her journey.

Episode Highlights:

• The Cha Cha Blog and The Orderly Disorder about parenting and autism
• Dancing and an accident
• FIDM
• Retail design, marketing
• Dance competitions and breaking out of the validation construct
• Social Media - an artist’s new portfolio
• Full Time: Graphic Design, blogging and Single mama to baby with autism
  • The How question and future kids
• Seeing life through the eyes of someone with special needs
• “Numb”
• Postpartum depression & OCD
• Feels unnatural, but normal

Where to find Sasha’s blog:
www.thechachablog.com

Instagram:  @sasha___monique

Kobe Bryant, best known as the NBA superstar for his 20 year career with the Los Angeles Lakers and leading them to 5 championship rings, an 18 time all star and a man who coined the term Mamba Mentality and who displayed relentless work ethic on and off the court - was also a creative.  In the second act of his career, he began to build a new empire in the entertainment and storytelling world with one mission - to inspire the next generation.  Kobe combined his worlds and love for sports and fantasy with meaningful life lessons in the forms of podcasts, The Punies, and The Wizenard Series and also, film.

In this episode, Ariana pays homage to Kobe the creative and storyteller and discusses what we can learn from him and his final chapter of life on Earth, a little over one year after his untimely passing.


Episode Highlights:

• The Second Act
• Kobe the Creative
  • writing on the road
  • Sophomore year english
  • structure of a game is like a story
• Combining his two passions - sports + fantasy
• The Wizenard Series
• Everything had intention - like Hamilton the Musical
• Winning the Oscar
• Kobe's version of the mental "dance"
• Greatness
• What Kobe taught us
• What we are left with

Follow us on our IG: @andyouwilldance
Follow Ariana on her IG: @ari_sanchez

Jonathan Dixon is a photographer, artist, Black creative, adventurist and lover of the outdoors who works to capture the magic of moments through photos.  Jon is from Ventura, CA and has always had a passion for photography.  However, it wasn’t until 3 years ago in 2018, after much time spent going through the motions working in an industry where he lacked passion, he decided to walk down the street on his lunch break and make a purchase of his first professional camera - the first major step into walking into his creative purpose.

Since then, Jon has shot family sessions, weddings, landscapes and after a tumultuous year that 2020 soon became known to be, he also captured the social justice movement that occurred in Ventura County, CA during times of civil unrest and the loud plea for justice.  Jon shortly after served beyond the US borders and flew out to Kenya in East Africa, with The Love Foundation and connected with his camera to Kenya’s exotic animals and its beautiful people and felt a realignment in doing so.

Jon embodies the creative process and enjoys the process of pushing himself into uncomfortable positions to test his limits with his art that is now his full time profession.

Episode Highlights: 

• Photographer, Landscape Junkie + Pushing the boundaries
• Landscape photography 
• Breaking out of the corporate structure
• Investing in his technology
• “Accidentally” Capturing the 2020 protests - as a Black Creative
• Re-connecting in Kenya with the Love FoundationWildlife
  • Connecting with the people in the villages and slums
  • Self-Taught & Family mentorship in  photography
• Sink or Swim - Creating necessary pressure
• Booking his first gig, with clients at his “regular” job
• Jon and his “Gift”
• The change in human connection with social media
• Endless creative potential

Where to connect with Jon:
Instagram - @Jdixon_shots
Websites - Jdixonphoto.com, for prints, session inquiries and more of his work