Count 9

Britton danced for Cincinnati Ballet and Les Ballets Trockadero before a back injury ended his performance career. His love for travel plus a little bit of relevant experience from high school led him to a sales position with Club Mediterranean. His aptitude as a leader in corporate settings quickly emerged - he became the top salesperson within 6 months! An ambitious restlessness then propelled him into systems and support roles, which took him laterally to more Fortune 500 corporations and upward into project management. In his current position at ADM, Britton is poised to make even more leaps up the management ladder leading multiple IT teams using Scrum methodology. He stays connected to dance in Cincinnati as a DANCEFIX instructor performing in drag as Brock Leah Spears (@Brockleahspears on Instagram).

Stephanie knew throughout her dance career that she wanted an ambitious 2nd career outside the dance industry. While pursuing her degree through the LEAP program, a professor asked if she was considering a career in writing, based on her talents. She got started writing marketing copy at Lincoln Center while still performing at the Met Opera - traipsing between her desk and rehearsals. After landing a dream job at Wonderbound in Colorado, a career-ending injury forced her into Count 9, so she networked her way into newsrooms by leveraging her expertise covering the arts. Now she is an arts reporter at WFPL in Louisville KY, balancing breaking news with her love for covering the arts and a side projects producing the innovative DIY Dancer magazine. Follow her @StephRWolf on twitter & instagram, and check out DIYdancer.com (@diydancermag)

When Liezel ("Liz") and Jonathan started planning their lives together, working one day at a time to get out of debt and save for a house, a close friend helped them realize their dancer discipline was accelerating their journey to financial success. They dove into educating themselves about money the same way they've gone all-in their whole lives across diverse careers. Liz pursued gig work, choreography, dance education, kinesiology, and academic ethnography all at the same time, ending up with a diverse portfolio of incomes spanning professor appointments as a hip hop educator and continued gig work through her agent. Jonathan challenged himself to go further than he ever thought possible within his dance community while he experimented with different healthcare professions then turned his interest in movement into a successful career by powering through a demanding physical therapy assistant program. Now, they are empowering the arts community as wealth coaches - leveraging their knowledge and relationship-based approach to meet clients wherever they're at in their financial journey. Connect with them @jlfinancialcoaching and https://www.jlfinancialcoaching.com/ . And if you love their energy as much as we do, make sure to follow along their other pursuits @jonathan_lorico , @laydeeliz , and https://liezelmarie.com/ 

Kim Hale is a multi-hyphenate publicist and entertainer with an inspiring story of being resourceful and open to possibilities. She loved feathers and a fierce bevel as a dancer, which propelled her to La Cage aux Folles, Vegas, and Broadway. As she gained perspective about the emotional roller coaster of auditions and casting, and as she learned from inspiring women like Ann Reinking and Debbie Allen, she allowed herself to step back as needed. She became an educator, talent agent, and now a publicist and business owner as opportunities arose. Now, her performance career is experiencing a renaissance as she's learned to celebrate her demographic (women over 50) and stitch her communications and creative passions together through social media. Follow her dance content @mskimhale and her flourishing public relations company @kimhalepr or www.kimhalepr.com

Sophia Kozak's love of dance is rooted in its healing power. While starting a dance therapy non-profit organization, she earned a Counseling degree and became a multi-hyphenate professional, earning across multiple streams of income. When Career Transitions for Dancers needed a Western region career counselor to join their team, Sophia was a perfect fit. Career Transitions for Dancers is now part of The Actors Fund, and Sophia provides an excellent overview of different services available to empower dancers. These include things Career Transitions for Dancers is known for - grants and career counseling - and also things like financial coaching and mid-career strategy sessions for dancers not looking to retire. Learn more at actorsfund.org or by emailing skozak@actorsfund.org

Benjamin Goodly narrates his latest short story, which was just accepted and published in the Seattle Star. Sign up for Benjamin's email list at benjamingoodly.com for future updates about publication dates and discounts. The story can be found in print form at https://www.seattlestar.net/2021/02/smoke-and-lights/

Catherine went the "safe" route after high school and earned an industrial engineering degree from USC. When she graduated into a recession, she couldn't find a job, so she decided to pursue a career on the stage. She went on to land roles in several tours and Broadway shows. When she felt the need to get choosier with her performing, she tried working for a startup and was attracted to the way software engineers are in demand and can work on their own terms. Through several starts and stops, including a few more Broadway roles, she completed a coding bootcamp and got started as a software engineer at Stitch Fix. When the pandemic hit, she founded the Slack community Artists Who Code with her husband to empower more artists to find flexible, meaningful work in tech at any stage of their performance career. Learn more at www.artistswhocode.com and follow Catherine @cattricafort.

Francis and Lauren Veyette have had illustrious careers as principal dancers. When they were asked to coach a YAGP variation remotely for a student in Kansas, their passion for holistic training and desire to expand access to professional training, regardless of location, quickly grew into an innovative new studio: the Veyette Virtual Ballet School. Francis and Lauren train students not only in technique, but also the mental, physical and emotional tools they'll need in the competitive ballet industry. Since the start of the pandemic, VVBS has expanded its offerings, bringing new entrepreneurial challenges and rewards. Learn more at veyettevirtualballetschool.com, and follow @veyettevirtualballetschool on Instagram.

Season 1 of the Count 9 Podcast ends with a focus on concrete resources for your career transition. First, Pivot for Dancers is a comprehensive new community founded by Kaylee Randall. Learn more at pivotfordancers.com. Then, host Benjamin Goodly interviews the program directors and coordinators for the LEAP program at St. Mary's College. The Liberal Education for Arts Professionals (LEAP) Program provides professional dancers and other performing artists a unique path to access higher education. Learn more at https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/liberal-education-for-arts-professionals-leap

Since we recorded our interview, Brett was awarded the inaugural Alexa Rose Foundation Fellowship, so I had to catch up with him and get chapter 2 of the story! He's also remained active as a dancer and talks about a film project that just wrapped with LED Boise. Follow Brett's journey @btperry, @meadowlarkfarmidaho, @ledboise, and @alexarosefoundation.

The Count 9 podcast is taking a break for election week. We'll be back November 9th with Episode 14.

Nel Shelby's spiritual approach has cultivated a flourishing career from her love of dance. After touring with a youth performance ensemble, she completed a double major in Dance and Film Production from Stephens College. Then in New York City, she forged a unique path that brought her two passions, film and dance, together. Now she's the owner of Nel Shelby Productions, one of the leading production companies for making dance accessible on screen and for virtual events during COVID, including virtual festivals for Jacob's Pillow and Vail Dance Festival. Learn more at www.nelshelby.com and @nelshelby on Instagram.

Mentioned in the episode, watch this Up with People Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skK1CKKlc0M

Jennifer spent her entire dance career at Dance Theater of Harlem under the direction of Arthur Mitchell.  When the demands of her performance career became unsustainable, Jennifer sought a new career that helped people directly like the arts. Through a program at her community college that placed students in research labs, Jennifer discovered the field of Psychology and the rewards of Academia. She went on to earn a PhD and join the faculty of Wayne State University, where she carries forward Arthur Mitchell's fight against injustice through her research in Cultural Betrayal Trauma Theory. Learn more about Jennifer at http://jmgomez.org and any of the links below. Co-Editor Journal of Trauma & Dissociation special issue: Discrimination, Violence, & Healing in Marginalized Communities https://dynamic.uoregon.edu/jjf/jtd/discrimination.html Research Committee Chair, Board of Directors Center for Institutional Courage, 501(3)c non-profit https://www.institutionalcourage.org Cultural Betrayal Trauma Theory: Web- http://jmgomez.org Article- https://theconversation.com/the-unique-harm-of-sexual-abuse-in-the-black-community-114948 Interview- https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000gdtg Presumed Incompetent II: Race, Class, Power, and Resistance of Women in Academia https://upcolorado.com/utah-state-university-press/item/3794-presumed-incompetent-ii Profiles: https://clasprofiles.wayne.edu/profile/gn4270 https://mpsi.wayne.edu/profile/gn4270

Meredith danced on Broadway, film, and TV, including Twyla Tharp's "Come Fly Away," Wicked, Black Swan, and Smash. Achieving broad success gave her the perspective she needed to retire when injuries, personal priorities, and financial pressure all collided. After struggling to finish college quickly and redefine her identity, she got connected to a medical device company that seeks out former athletes and performers for their sales teams. Meredith found rewarding parallels to performing in the dynamic world of medical sales and quickly found her footing. Now she's moving up the ranks and taking on management responsibilities.