Pro Cheerleading Podcast: The Truth Behind the Poms

In this week's episode Mhkeeba interviews Tracey Hirsch, Director of the Austin Division of USA Cheerleaders and Brigitte Menard, a current USA Cheerleader about the mission, history and growth of the USA Cheerleaders organization.  USA Cheerleaders is a volunteer-based cheerleading organization comprised of former professional cheerleaders and dancers who perform dances, community service and app...

This week Mhkeeba interviews Shaniah Randall, the NFL Cheerleader selected for the 2022 and 2021 NFL Pro Bowl to represent the Las Vegas Raiders, about her pro cheerleading journey and recent Pro Bowl experience in Las Vegas.  Shaniah is a seventh year veteran of the Las Vegas Raiderettes, three-time Captain, and recipient of the Wanetta Horton Award that is awarded to the Raiderette who is consid...

In this week's episode Mhkeeba interviews Madison Forsythe, a high school senior and former competitive cheerleader, about her experiences with racism from coaches and teammates and her inspiration to spread awareness and change competitive cheerleading to be a more positive experience for the younger generations of African American and other minority cheerleaders.   ★ Support this podcast on Patr...

This week Mhkeeba interviews Haley Marie McClain Hill, a cheerleader for the San Francisco 49ers Gold Rush, a proud member of the United States Air Force, and Founder of Torch Warriorwear and Seek and Set Free.  The ladies discuss Haley's background in dance and competitive cheerleading and how it prepared her to become an NFL cheerleader and how she balanced serving in the U.S. Air Force while ch...

Season 10 kicks off with an interview featuring Sabrina Ellison and Amira Mourad, the Co-Founders of The Cultivate Code pro dance mentorship program.  Sabrina and Amira are current NBA dance team coaches who saw a gap in the industry to mentor and coach all aspiring pro dancers to make their dreams a reality with a growth mindset and self-love as the foundation. The ladies discuss their Learn Clea...

In the Season 9 finale, Mhkeeba shares the winners of the inaugural Pro Cheerleading Podcast Awards for various categories including best uniform, social media trends, concept video, and team showmanship.  She also honors the teams that invest the most in their dancers and that best challenge cheerleading stereotypes, recognizes up and coming choreographers and pro cheer programs, and selects the...

In this episode Mhkeeba interviews Jennifer DePaola, CEO and Founder of Doctors for Dancers, about her inspiration to create a nationwide network connecting dancers with targeted dance specialists and to provide dance medicine education and resources to the dance community.  Jennifer also shares the advocacy and collaborative initiatives to help dancers at the high school, collegiate and professio...

This week Mhkeeba shares all of her favorite moments and observations from attending NFL and NBA games for the Pro Cheerleading Podcast tour over the past few months that would create the perfect game day experience for pro cheerleaders and dancers.  She covers everything that would give them the ultimate spotlight from fan engagement activities, pre-game routines, intro videos and player tunnels,...

In this episode, Mhkeeba reflects on why there are so few pro cheerleading teams that outwardly celebrate the history and legacy of their programs, the role of pro cheerleader alumni organizations, and what legacy pro cheerleaders leave behind when they are no longer on the sidelines.  She also shares her thoughts on the legacy she hopes the podcast will have built within the pro cheerleading comm...

This week's episode features an interview with Dr. Chelsea Pierotti, Sports Psychologist and Host of the Passion for Dance Podcast created specifically for dancers and dance educators.  Dr. Pierotti shares how she uses her background as a professional dancer and coach along with her expertise in sports psychology to teach tools that help dancers, coaches and dance educators develop confidence, res...

Mhkeeba interviews Alicia Harrington and Nicolette Peloquin, former New England Patriots Cheerleaders and Owners of The Prep Talk, a personal development and branding company for aspiring professional cheerleaders.  The ladies discuss their background as cheerleaders and ambassadors for the Patriots organization and the importance of presenting a well rounded dance resume and investing in intervie...

In this week's episode, Mhkeeba connects with Samantha Popham, NBA dancer and creator of The Sideline Secrets - an exciting new platform covering the pro cheerleading and dance industry by dancers and for dancers on topics such as beauty, style, health and fitness, lifestyle and insider secrets.  She shares her journey to becoming a professional dancer and what inspired her to curate content to ca...

This week Mhkeeba interviews Andy Vaca, Professor of Dance at California State University, Long Beach and Pro Action Dance Instructor who shares the history of how some professional cheerleading and dance teams formed on the West coast.  Andy also discusses his experiences performing and choreographing for pro teams during his career and his perspective on the progress that has been made over time...

In this week's episode, Mhkeeba spends some one on one time with her audience to share the truth behind the poms of some of the ups and downs of running the podcast over the past three years as well as her goals and inspiration for the future.   ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal...

In the Season 9 opener, Mhkeeba interviews Taja Riley, one of the most talented principal lead dance artists and choreographers in the entertainment industry.  Taja spreads awareness of the issues facing dance artists and advocates for better working conditions while on production sets and tours, injury prevention and health resources, attribution for content, and improved advocacy and representat...

In the Season 8 finale, Mhkeeba interviews Adrienne Lawrence, award winning author of Staying In The Game: The Playbook for Beating Workplace Sexual Harassment, about her experience overcoming sexual harassment, misogynoir and gender discrimination at her former employer ESPN.  Adrienne shares some advice from her book and offers her perspective for pro cheerleaders to navigate sexual harassment i...

In this week's episode, Mhkeeba invites former and aspiring professional cheerleaders to share their experiences with diversity and inclusion while auditioning and cheering in the NBA and NFL.  Kaitlin, a professional dancer, Bianca Calingo, former NFL cheerleader and NBA dancer, and Erika Quan, former Seahawks Dancer, also discuss their perspectives on what changes are needed to improve the repre...

This week Mhkeeba interviews Sierra Martinez, former Oakland Raiderette and Miami Dolphins Cheerleader, about her experience relocating and cheering for two NFL teams and launching her business, Mohita Mami Swimwear.  Sierra also shares her positive mindset of pursuing goals and adding value to her life all while remaining open to opportunities that may not come as expected.    https://www.instagr...

In this episode Mhkeeba interviews Jada Davis, Owner of Poms Up! Health & Fitness and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleader and The Roar Cheerleaders for the Jacksonville Jaguars.  Jada shares her inspirational journey becoming an NFL Pro Bowl Cheerleader and the amazing Poms Up! community she started  after retirement focused on helping former pro team cheerleaders and dancers look and feel lik...

This week Mhkeeba interviews Nicole Dreher, a former NFL Cheerleader for the Cincinnati Ben Gals and current NHL Cheerleader about her journey auditioning for different NFL teams and her incredible experience as a Ben Gals Captain and performing at professional hockey games.  Nicole also shares her latest venture as Owner and Choreographer of Dance With Dreher teaching pro style Sassy Sidelines an...

In this episode Mhkeeba interviews former San Francisco 49ers Gold Rush cheerleaders, Erin and Jordan, who are now hosts of Breaking Formation: A Pomcast aiming to redefine the word "cheerleader" one episode at a time.  The ladies discuss their time cheering in the NFL together and what inspired them to launch their platform to build connections in the pro cheer and dance community and break free...

Mhkeeba interviews Donivous Odom, Curator of Pro Dance Boyz, about his experience becoming a male cheerleader in the NFL and the inspiration behind creating a platform dedicated to showcasing and connecting the amazing male performers of the professional entertainment industry.  They also discuss some of the dynamics of creating coed cheer and dance teams and how these changes are impacting the pr...

In this week's episode, Mhkeeba interviews former New York Jets Flight Crew Cheerleaders, Samantha Scarpa and Ashley Gonzalez, who launched 3 Cheers Dance & Fitness focused on teaching and building confidence through movement in cheer, dance, gymnastics and fitness for youth of all ages.  The ladies discuss the impact of the current pro cheerleading industry on the younger generation and the impor...

This week Mhkeeba interviews Jenn Padilla, a former NBA dancer and Host of the Life Unfiltered Podcast about her inspiration to share conversations through an unfiltered version of what life really looks like off our social media feeds and to normalize life's struggles particularly with mental health.  In Part 1, Cheer Chat includes a robust discussion of diversity and inclusion in professional ch...

This week Mhkeeba interviews Jenn Padilla, a former NBA dancer and Host of the Life Unfiltered Podcast about her inspiration to share conversations through an unfiltered version of what life really looks like off our social media feeds and to normalize life's struggles particularly with mental health.  In Part 1, Cheer Chat includes a robust discussion of diversity and inclusion in professional ch...