Emotional Resilience: A Skill We All Need

What I’ve Learned About Emotional Resilience

One thing that I’ve learned as I grow personally and professionally is what I’ve called emotional resilience. Emotional resilience is what helps us to take what comes our way and find ways to cope and keep moving—while not ignoring our feelings.

I listened to a podcast episode recently where Leila Hormozi, an entrepreneur, stated that life doesn’t get easier—you just get better at handling difficult situations. She’s right. There will always be things in life and business that will test us and push us to our emotional limits.

Fear of Action Can Hold Studio Owners Back

Some studio owners struggle to make decisions or take action because of fear of failure or fear of conflict. They spend countless hours trying to avoid the actions that they know they want to do, in order to save themselves the emotional turmoil that could come with it. But, when a studio owner makes that decision or takes the action, often they say they wish they had done it sooner.

Emotional Resilience Builds Over Time

Last fall, I interviewed a series of studio owners about their businesses that had hit the 10, 20, 30, and 40-year mark.

A Common Thread: Emotional Resilience

One element rang true for each of them: emotional resilience. Over time, the emotional toll of losing a student, making a poor financial decision, standing up for a policy, or having to meet with a difficult staff person became part of doing business—not something to lose sleep over.

A Shift in Perspective

I noticed something else. While these seasoned owners had exercised their emotional muscles in business, they also built new perspectives in their minds. They were able to level set each situation, placing it into context of the big picture and focusing on what really mattered most to them.

A Personal Example of Choosing Resilience

This past week, I was reviewing ads for my studio. I noticed that there was a comment on one of the ads and I was excited to go check it out. What I found was a racist comment posted under a beautiful photo of some of my most precious dancers—ages 3–6 years old.

Responding to Hate with Grace

It turns out that someone with viewpoints very different from my own has been trolling businesses big and small with negative comments about diversity and against Black people. As someone that has grown up in a diverse town, lives in a diverse town, serves a diverse population, and employs a diverse staff—this was definitely offensive and hurtful.

While I immediately hid the comment on my studio’s ad, I decided not to cry, not to write a comment in return, but instead to share it with my studio’s leadership team.

A Teachable Moment for My Team

I wanted to show them what kind of things can happen and how we will choose to handle it. You see, thanks to emotional resilience, I chose to turn this into a teachable moment—where in the past I might have tried to craft the perfect message in reply to that man. Instead, we decided to acknowledge the hurtful words and choose to bless and release, knowing that our work will continue.

We won’t stop teaching anyone that wants to dance. We won’t change the look of our dancers on marketing materials or digital ads. We will continue to embrace all people, all cultures, and all religions because that is a core value to our community as a dance studio.

We are leaders and mentors to so many children and families that come through our doors. In doing so, I helped lay a brick of emotional resilience for my staff. They had a chance to process the information in a supportive environment, to talk about how they feel, and learn how to keep moving forward.

Building Your Own Emotional Resilience

My friends, there will always be something that throws the proverbial wrench in things. It is how we respond to the highs and lows of life and business that can get us through rather than destroy us.

If you are struggling with emotional resilience and it’s hard for you to do it on your own—please, reach out to another studio owner friend who has walked the walk. Take advantage of the numerous resources available to studio owners today. Talk to a life coach or a therapist and get started on the road to emotional resilience.

Support in Your Emotional Journey

If you're looking for more support on your journey as a studio owner, the DanceLife Teacher Conference is the perfect place to recharge, connect, and grow. Surrounded by educators who understand the highs and lows of this industry, you’ll find practical tools and deep inspiration to help you lead with purpose. Emotional resilience isn’t something we have to build alone—join us and experience a community that truly gets it.