Breaking the Wall Podcast

I'm in Phoenix for the weekend celebrating my little brother, Connor Coleman. BUT I was hanging out with my older brother Danny and we started diving into the different personality types we work with. The conversation was too good NOT to record. See where you fall in the Big Five Personality Types HERE About Danny: As a trainer and coach for 12+ years, I learned that it didn’t matter how know...

Money has always been a touchy subject across industries. We were taught from a young age that talking about money was in bad taste or impolite. When it comes to the dance world, this isn't really the case. Talking about dance is actually a great way to start growing your wealth. When we can talk about it, we can solve it. What are the things we should be doing? How can we know if were gettin...

Ever wonder what goes into booking a job? Why do some people tend to book more than others? Why are we not getting to where we want to be in our careers? In this episode,  Brandon talks about what he calls, the SAT's of booking a job (not to be confused with the college test). When skill, availability, and trust intersect, dancer's will book work. All three are important to the equation...

There are many days when when I wish I had the motivation to get up, make my coffee, and head to class. More often than not, the motivation ends after the cup of coffee hits. The truth is, motivation is hard to find, especially when it feels like you're pushing a boulder up the hill as you navigate your career.  In this episode, Brandon offers four ways to take action so that motivation can f...

Think about the people in your life that you spend the most time with. If you're in school, its probably the dancer's you take class with. If you're in your career, it might be the people you work with. However, as you grow in your career you'll start to see a seperation. Some will continue to opt into their dance journeys whille other might opt out. Belle Jessen is a good frie...

Wow-- and here we are. I'm so excited to have made it to this point in the shows journey and looking forward to even more. Only 1% of podcasts get past 20 episodes and 90% of them don't even pass episode 3. In this episode, Brandon shares three lessons he's learned from his time podcasting and how they can apply to your life as a dancer. How do we take action when were not feeling m...

It's never ideal to lose your job, but losing it on your birthday feels like an angsty Alanis Morissette song. Early on in our lives and careers, we hear messaging that is pushing this desire for us to find job security. The issue here, especially in the arts, job security is more of an illusion than a tangible reality.   In this episode, Brandon share three ways to protect against and combat...

We move through two phases as we navigate our careers and most dancers (if not all) will start in the Growth Phase. Here, we are gaining new skills, experiences, and creating value for ourselves, but maybe not always getting the pay we want. Ideally, this phase will lead us to a Demand Phase where we have more autonomy over the jobs we do and create work that fulfills us artistically and financial...

Booking a job is tough process. As a dancer you either know the struggle or will know the struggle at some point. In some cases, we get so close to booking a job or are always getting cut before the last round. But how long do we go through this process before we move on to another focus? How do we tell the difference between when someone leading us on and when the timing just isn't right? In...

Early on in our careers we can get stuck in this mindset of never feeling like we have enough resources. For some dancers, they have the privilege and opportunity to start their careers with the financial security thanks to their parents, guardians, or someone else who helps fund their career early on. Although this is nice and softens the blow of diving into the real world, it could become a crut...

I think one of the main reason dancer's don't continue to pursue a career in dance is because they get defeated before they even start. We face a lot of rejection early on and can't always see the bigger picture when it comes to a successful career. In this episode, Brandon shares 4 ways dancers can stop living in the short term losses and focus on the long term success. Through con...

Sometimes, it's just a no for me dog. Early in our careers we tend to audition for every and any job. We're stacking ourselves against other dancers who are just graduating as well as dancers who have been in the field for years. In all the craziness, we don't always stop to ask if the jobs were auditioning for are right for us. In an effort to unsubscribe from the "a job is a...

Before we graduate or enter the dance field, the world can feel pretty black and white: Dancer goes to an auditon, dancer gets job. In reality, I’ve found this is rarely the case and more often than not, the people on the other side of the table are hiring people they know through workshops, classes, and other long term relationships. I also know that money can be a sensitive subject for dancers a...

We all navigate our careers in our own time. Some of us find that we love to dance but don't see it as a viable career option right away and decide to take some time off. Dispite what you're hard core ballet teacher has told you, you can always take a break and get back into dance. How you do it safely and consistently is the real question. In this episode, Brandon talks about how to nav...

The wildness of a dance career comes in waves.  Between shows, auditions, class, and anything else that can fill our days, we can go for weeks without having a full day off. As we go through these motions, we can start to feel the weight of our careers. In this episode, Brandon shares three ways he finds useful to simplify the role we play as dancers. Through these mindset shifts we can make space...

The freelance life is no joke. It takes time, energy, and a drive that isn't for everyone. However, if you're able to stick it out, you could have a stellar career like Christine Flores. In this episode, I chat with my good friend and Freelance Queen of NYC, Christine Flores. We talk about the schedule of a freelancer, how we'll never like auditions, and the importance of listening...

The life of a dancer is a busy one. We use a lot of energy physically and mentally each day and can get into routines that don't allow a lot of rest. However, every once in a while we get hit with a random day off and are left searching for ideas of how to fill it. In this episode, Brandon talks about his best practices when it comes to taking advantage of a day off. It's important that...

One of the more common job offers for dancers fresh out of school is and apprenticeship. These positions have varying responsibilities form one company to the next but you can't know what to expect until you're in it....right? In this episode, Brandon talks about what to consider before accepting a role as an apprentice. What questions should you ask up front and what experience are you...

Unfortunately, getting a job as a dancer is not the easiest process straight out of college and many dancers will find themselves without work right away. Although this is true, how can dancers find the bright side of the time they have? In this episode, Brandon talks about the highlights of being under or unemployed and the unique opportunities this situation presents. He dives into his own journ...

The options after we graduate or enter the workforce are numerous. For some, the need to fill gaps in training or education bring them to a variety of training programs in order to book the jobs they want. As useful as these programs are, they come with a cost. Between the time, money, and energy commitment, these programs may not be suited for everyone. In this episode, Brandon ways the cost of t...

Auditions are one of the most stressful parts of being a professional dancer. For many, especially at the beginning, auditions are the main way to book a job. Between the high stakes and poor conditions that can come with an audition environment, it's easy to feel burned out or avoid this process all together. In this episode, Brandon talks about how to make an audition fun. Through his own e...

As artist and performers, we get to do some pretty exciting work. We tour the world, perform on the biggest stages, and get to create work that does not exist in the world. These however are the highlights of the career but not necessarily the norm. In this episode, Brandon talks about the mundane life of the performer and how we can stay engaged in our work. The life of an artist is challenging a...

A part of building a sustainable career means being able to do consistent work. Sometimes that means making the work yourself while you wait for work to show up on your doorstep. The challenges of this career are guaranteed but how we deal with them is up to the individual. In part two of this episode, Brandon continues to shares how to build a career that is sustainable through the highs and lows...

Growing up as dancers, we hear a variety of messages about what to expect in our careers. Teachers, parents, and other mentors tell us how our time is limited, how how competitive the field is, and how only the strongest survive. This does have some truth to it however, this kind of thinking can lead to some limiting ideas that might hold us back from thriving in this career.  In this episode, Bra...

Were back with new episodes for 2023! With the start of the new year comes many auditions for companies and shows across the country. This can be a stressful time for many dancers who are just diving into the professional world. It's important to find ways to navigate this challenging time in a sustainable way that wont lead to burnout. In this episode, Brandon gives his top four tips for nav...