It's All Relative
The podcast for dance teachers and studio owners who are looking to go behind the scenes in the dance industry and discover strategy and success in everything from studio to stage
Episodes
45 episodes
Ep 44: Everybody Wins...Until They Don't with Kate Pagano
Is competition dance still preparing dancers for the real world, or are constant awards creating fragile confidence instead of real growth?In this episode of It’s All Relative, Cara Dixon sits down with Kate Pano for an honest c...
Ep 43: What Actually Changes When A Studio Trains Differently
What actually changes when a studio shifts from busy classes to intentional dance training? This episode reveals how systems, structure, and strategy transform dancer results.In this episode of It’s All Relative, Cara breaks dow...
Ep 42: Why Your Best Dancers Are Still Plateauing
Even your strongest dancers can hit a wall. They move well, perform hard, and seem advanced on stage, yet something is keeping them from reaching the next level.In this episode of It's All Relative, Cara breaks down why talented...
Ep 41: When Over Correcting Leads To Under Training
In this episode, we unpack a surprising truth many teachers and coaches overlook: sometimes, giving more corrections actually leads to less progress.Recorded as we prepare for an upcoming live event in Orlando, this con...
Ep 40: Relationship vs Hard Feedback
In this episode, recorded live from Australia during Dance Teacher Expo, we explore a powerful idea that every teacher, coach, and mentor needs to hear:Hard coaching without relationship produces resentment. Relationship wit...
Ep 39: The Power Behind Your Why
In this episode, I’m diving into something that every teacher needs but often overlooks, defining your why on a deeper level.This conversation was inspired by a moment inside Total Technique Academy where teachers realized they fe...
Ep 38: The Fight For Fundamentals
In this episode, Cara breaks down what it really means to fight for fundamentals in today’s dance industry and why it matters now more than ever. With dancers constantly exposed to advanced tricks on social media, the pressure to move faster is...
Ep 37: The Greatest Chronic Injury Lesson
In this episode, Cara dives into a major gap in dancer training that shows up in auditions, competitions, and even class settings. Dancers often wait until the last run to fully perform, but in real opportunities, that moment may never...
Ep 36: The Recipe For Success with Kenny Borchard | Part 2
In this continuation of the conversation, the focus shifts from what dancers do to how they do it and why that difference is everything.The discussion highlights a common gap in training: dancers often wait until the
Ep 35: The Recipe For Success with Kenny Borchard | Part 1
What Does It Really Take to Build a Successful Dancer?What separates a dancer who plateaus from one who keeps growing? According to Kenny Borchard, executive director of the Joffrey Workshops and artistic director of the Joffrey B...
Ep 34: The Injury Process
In this deeply personal episode, Cara shares the unexpected story of tearing her ACL while teaching, and the powerful lessons that unfolded in the weeks that followed.What began as a physical injury quickly became a real-time study in mi...
Ep 33: Leading Well Through Stress
You can’t lead calm, confident dancers if you’re running on empty.This episode is a real conversation for dance teachers and studio owners who are deep in the busiest stretch of the season. Competition weekends, recital preparation, teac...
Ep 32: Getting Dancers to Leave It All On The Floor
Dancers can’t leave it all on the floor if they’ve never given it in the studio first.In this episode, Cara breaks down what it really means to ask dancers to “leave it all on the floor.” She challenges dance teachers and studio owners t...
Ep 31: Crushing the Season as a Competition Mom with Kate Pagano
In this episode, Cara is joined again by physical therapy assistant Kate Pagano to unpack what true competition mom success actually looks like, and why so much competition-season stress has nothing to do with a dancer’s performan...
Ep 30: Pinpointing Technique 'Symptoms' vs Diagnosing Injuries with kate Pagano
In this episode, Cara is joined again by physical therapy assistant Kate Pagano to break down a critical distinction every dance teacher needs to understand: the difference between technique symptoms, root causes, and actual injuries. Together,...
Ep 29: When Competition Judges Get It 'Wrong'
When competition results don’t match what you saw on stage, here’s why it happens and how to win anyway.In this episode, Cara breaks down one of the most frustrating moments for dance teachers and studio owners: when competition results ...
Ep 28: Building A Positive Studio Culture
In this episode, Cara dives into one of the most important, and most overlooked, foundations of a successful dance studio: positive studio culture. From teachers and dancers to parents and staff, Cara explains how culture is created through dai...
Ep 27: Crushing Your Competitive Season
Competition season is here, and with long weekends, travel, pressure, and high expectations, it can either elevate your dancers or completely drain them. In this episode, Cara breaks down how to crush competitive season with intention by suppor...
Ep 26: The ABCs of a New Year
A simple framework that changes how dancers, teachers, and leaders approach an entire year — mentally and physically.In this episode, Cara breaks down The ABCs of a New Year, a powerful mindset and movement framework designed fo...
Ep 25: 3 Steps To Your Best Year Yet
As the year comes to a close, Cara shares a simple but powerful framework to help teachers, studio owners, and creatives move forward with purpose. This episode focuses on reflection without regret, celebrating progress without pressure, and pr...
Ep 24: Symptom vs. Strategy in Teaching Technique
In this episode, Cara breaks down one of the biggest teaching blind spots in the dance industry: correcting symptoms instead of strategy. As studio owners and dance teachers move toward a new year, this conversation challenges how we dia...
Ep 23: Alignment Over EVERYTHING
In this episode, Cara breaks down why alignment over everything isn’t just a philosophy — it’s the fastest path to real technique growth. She challenges the belief that moving faster, adding more layers, or piling on props creates better dancer...
Ep 22: The Vertical Learning Ladder
In this episode, Cara introduces the transformative concept of the vertical learning ladder — a framework that helps teachers, dancers, and studio owners shift from comfortable, parallel learning to elevated, intentional vertical learning. Inst...
Ep 21: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
In this empowering episode, Cara opens up a deeply needed conversation about overcoming imposter syndrome in the dance world, as dancers, teachers, and studio owners. She shares the mindset shifts, practical reflections, and real-life examples ...
Ep 20: Desirable VS. Unhireable
In this episode, Cara breaks down the real behaviors that make a dancer desirable vs. unhirable in class, auditions, and professional environments. After teaching across studios and conventions nationwide, she’s sharing the patterns sh...