Today I completed my third public dance performance. And I nailed it! 
Not perfectly, but it was good.
The inspiration for my Awakening dance came during my year in the Awakeners program with Michael Neill and friends. Each month, we were given an assignment to share the experience of awakening in a different medium: writing, story, video, poetry, music.
And it made me wonder…
Could I do an awakening pole dance?
Could I evoke the feeling of waking up to your true nature through movement?
So when the Winter Showcase came to my local studio, I knew exactly what I wanted to create.
I don’t usually share my dancing publicly, but this one was meant to be seen. You can watch my performance here.
While training for this dance, I had so many insights that apply to anything you’re creating in life, including your business.
Here are three of them.
#1 – You have to start to get good…and your first attempt is probably going to suck.
My first pole performance left me disappointed and disillusioned. It wasn’t bad for a non-dancer with only few months of experience, but I didn’t enjoy it and judged myself pretty harshly afterwards.
My second performance was much better. Only 90 seconds, and I loved it. It was so much fun!
My third performance was a full three minute song. (Three minutes is an eon on the pole!) I worked much harder to train. It was my first time creating my own choreography, with help from three more experienced dancers. I loved both the process and the result.
If I’d quit after my disappointing first experience, none of the joy, growth or magic that followed would have happened.
Takeaway:
Don’t give up if your first attempt doesn’t meet your standards. It’s not supposed to.
I love this quote from Ira Glass. (Bold text is mine.)
“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know it’s normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.” ― Ira Glass
#2 – You have to show up and put in the work, but you’re not alone. (You’re never alone.)
Training for this dance was physically and mentally exhausting. I had less than three weeks to create it, and just two days before the showcase, I still wasn’t satisfied. It just wasn’t good enough.
I was operating as if it was all up to me. The burden was sucking the joy out of the process.
Then I had an insight.
If I’m made of the same intelligence as the universe itself, I can give myself over to that wisdom and let it show me.
It shifted my whole experience. I found renewed energy and the remaining pieces fell into place.
Even better, I began to notice how life had shown up for me the whole time. It brought everything I needed: help with the choreography, a rehearsal space, costume and makeup.
Takeaway:
Do your part (the part you can actually do) and the universe conspires to help you.
#3 – Every heartfelt expression is uniquely beautiful.
The showcase was full of variety. Tender, vulnerable, sexy, sassy, playful, mysterious and even spiritual (mine).
Each was mesmerizing because it felt alive. While I had personal preferences, the ones that touched me most were clearly heartfelt.
Takeaway:
When you speak from the heart, your message becomes magnetic.
And this is exactly what I’d love to help you do.
If you’d like to learn how to express your heartfelt, compelling message, you’re invited to join me for this free Masterclass.
Clear, Confident, Connected: Heart-Led Messaging That Draws the Right Clients
📅 Date: 22nd January, 2026
⏰ Time: 9am PST / 12pm EST / 5pm UK Time
📍 Where: inside the The Impactful Activator Community
In this interactive 60-minute masterclass, I’ll help you craft a clear, heartfelt message to resonate deeply with the people you’re here to serve. You’ll tap into your lived experience and inner truth, then shape it into language inspiring trust and action.
You’ll leave with:
- What truly captures attention and creates impact
- clear, client-attracting message
- Real-time reflection and feedback to strengthen your message
- A simple way to link your heartfelt message to your call-to-action or offer
To join us, follow these two simple steps:
#1 – Join the Impact Activator Community.
#2 – Once your membership is approved, go here to add the masterclass to your calendar.
Your message was meant to be heard. It’s time to let it out. ✨️
Yours in love and play,
Steph 🐲❤️🔥
If you enjoyed this article, join my daily Wildspire emails list here for more playful and provocative musings on business, being gloriously human and changing the world.
