Athlete Voices

Masha Cherezova is a 23 year-old professional ballerina, choreographer, and cancer survivor. In 2019, she left the United States at the age of 19 to pursue her professional career as ballet dancer in Russia. From 2019 to 2022, Masha performed in the corps de ballet with the Novosibirsk Theatre, as well as the Astrakhan Theatre. In August of 2022, Masha was unexpectedly diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) which forced her to leave her dancing position in Russia and return home to California to endure chemotherapy treatments. The escalating conflict between Russia and Ukraine in 2022 further solidified Masha’s decision to stay in the United States and redirect her life and career. Connect with Masha: @mashacherezova Watch Masha's documentary, Dancing Through Fog --- Stay connected with Athlete Voices! Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/ Support the podcast directly HERE! - https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support

Polina Volchek, also known as Pink Puma, has inhabited the brutal environment of sport and show business industries for over 25 years. She was a competitive rhythmic gymnast for 10 years and made the Russian national team. She switched to circus arts at age 17 and specialized in hula hoops and aerial. At 25, she began competing in Pole Sport and became the 4-time World Pole Sport and Artistic Pole Champion.  Connect with Polina: @pinkpumainc --- Stay connected with Athlete Voices! Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/ Support the podcast directly HERE! - https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support

Dr. Carly Anderson, Ph.D, is a licensed psychologist, certified mental performance consultant, and former UCLA gymnast. Her first-hand experience as a competitive athlete, coupled with years of professional training and expertise in sport psychology, provides her with unique, valuable insight into the mental side of training, coaching, competing, and performing. In this interview, Carly shares her views on hot topics in the field of sport psychology, including effective coaching methodology, how to cope with performance anxiety, and the transition out of sport.  This interview is available as a blog post on our website --- Stay connected with Athlete Voices! Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/ Support the podcast directly HERE! - https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support

Hey guys, it's Belicia! On this week's episode I thought I'd introduce myself formally and tell you guys about my background in aesthetic sports and why I started this podcast.  Connect with me on Instagram: @belicia.tang  --- Stay connected with Athlete Voices! Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/ Support the podcast directly HERE! - https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support

Natalie McGiffert is a former USA national team rhythmic gymnast. A Southern California native, she made history as a member of the 2016 rhythmic group gymnastics team that gave Team USA its first ever earned Olympic spot for RG group. She was also a member of the 2015 Pan American Games team that won two silvers and one gold medal. Natalie was a competitive gymnast for nearly 13 years and now works as a full time employee at LA28, which is the Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee for the 2028 Games. Connect with Natalie: https://www.instagram.com/natmcgiffert/ --- Stay connected with Athlete Voices! Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/ Support the podcast directly HERE! - https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support

Andrew Escolme is a professional ballroom dancer. He began his career dancing in the Latin category, and later pivoted to American Rhythm. He recently debuted a new dance partnership with Asta Sigvaldadottir and hopes to continue bringing authenticity to his dancing while competing at the highest level. Andrew's competitive accolades include: - World Rhythm Finalist  - World Salsa Champion   - United States Rising Star Rhythm Champion   - British National Champion Connect with Andrew: @andrewaescolme --- Stay connected with Athlete Voices! Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/ Support the podcast directly HERE! - https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support

Julie Zetlin is a retired American rhythmic gymnast. She is the 2010 U.S. Senior National Champion in Rhythmic Gymnastics and represented the United States at the 2012 Olympic Games. In 2015, she was inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame. In this interview Julie and I talk about her experience competing with a broken foot at the Olympics, the importance of mental performance training as an athlete, her transition out of gymnastics and her current role as a fitness industry specialist. Connect with Julie: https://www.instagram.com/julcool/ --- Stay connected with Athlete Voices! Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/ Support the podcast directly HERE! - https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support

Autumn Steed is from Downers Grove, IL and began her pre-professional ballet training at the Academy of Dance Arts under the direction of Sherry Moray. She is a 2015 National YoungArts Winner and a graduate of Miami City Ballet School’s Pre-Professional Division. At Miami City Ballet, she performed with the company in George Balanchine’s Walpurgisnacht Ballet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In 2017, she joined Alabama Ballet as an Apprentice, where she performed multiple soloist roles. In 2019, she joined Chicago’s A&A Ballet and was a guest artist with Chicago Opera Theater in Aleko at the Harris Theater. Autumn joined Kansas City Ballet’s KCB II in 2020 and she was promoted to Company Apprentice in 2022. At KCB, she has performed works including Balanchine’s Serenade, Pink’s Dracula, Webre’s The Wizard of Oz, and Carney’s Giselle and The Nutcracker. Additionally, Autumn holds a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and Sport & Performance Psychology and is a Pilates instructor. Connect with Autumn: @autumnhsteed --- Stay connected with Athlete Voices! Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/ Support the podcast directly HERE! - https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support

Jonas Woolverton is a cirque performer and specialist in the Cyr Wheel. He ran away to the circus at age 25 and performed with Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas for 11 years. He now performs independently as a wheel artist, actor and filmmaker. Jonas has performed on 5 continents, in over 5,000 shows, in front of over 500,000 spectators.  Connect with Jonas: @zupunkcirque --- Stay connected with Athlete Voices! Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/ Support the podcast directly HERE! - https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support

Follow along as I guide you through 3 types of breathing techniques to release performance anxiety. Do not practice these exercises while operating a moving vehicle.  Timestamps: 1:2 Ratio Breathing 1:16 - 2:30 Rhythmic Breathing 2:32 - 3:43 Sighing With Exhalation 3:46 - 5:30 References: Williams, J. M., & Krane, V. (2021). Applied Sport Psychology: Personal Growth To Peak Performance. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. --- Stay connected with Athlete Voices! Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/ Support the podcast directly HERE! - https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support

Pamela Tang is a 26 year-old former competitive rhythmic gymnast. After competing in the sport from age 10 to 21 and making Level 10 Elite, she is now the head coach at Tampa Bay Rhythmics. In this interview, Pamela discusses how her positive experiences in the sport have informed her coaching philosophy. She advocates for safe, nurturing, and positive coaching methods to shape not only high-performing athletes, but holistic, well-adjusted human beings. Connect with Pamela: Instagram: @pam_xoxx --- Stay connected with Athlete Voices! Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/ Support the podcast directly HERE! - https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support

Welcome to season 2 of the podcast!  We have several guests lined up, dancers, gymnasts, Cirque du Soleil artists, and more. This season we will also focus more on sport psychology and feature things like guided meditations, episodes on how to practice imagery, progressive muscle relaxation techniques, and many more strategies to boost your mental performance game. We will interview sport psychologists and mental performance coaches as well to hear their perspectives. Happy New Year, and see you all in 2023!  --- Stay connected with Athlete Voices! Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/ Support the podcast directly HERE! - https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support

Tori Kubick, aka, conTORItion, is a professional contortionist, calmness connoisseur, world class performer, TEDx speaker, writer, and world traveler. Growing up as an award winning dancer, she later found her true love, the antiquated art form of Mongolian contortion. She kept pushing the odds, and now she tours the world and performs contortion and acrobatics in various theatres, cruise ships, and the world-renowned Cirque du Soleil. Tori recently published an article in SUP International and is fusing her performance with water. Tori has opened for Miley Cyrus, was featured on The Tonight Show, Ripley's Believe it Or Not, NYFW, RHONY, and performed for TEAM USA. Connect with Tori: Instagram: @con_tori_tion Watch Tori's TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJZM04Kxd_E&t=425s --- Stay connected with Athlete Voices! Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/ Support the podcast directly HERE! - https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support

Anastasia Muravyeva is a retired professional ballroom dance champion. In a career that spanned nearly three decades, Anastasia reached the pinnacle of competitive ballroom dancing. Together with her dance partner, Victor Fung, she became the 2017 Blackpool Champion in the Open Professional Ballroom category, the ballroom-dance equivalent of an Olympic gold medal. After retiring from competitive dancing in 2021, Anastasia's second act career came as a surprise to many: business school at the University of Southern California. In 2019, we heard Victor’s story. Now it’s time to hear from Anastasia. Connect with Anastasia: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasiamuravyevaprofessional/ Instagram: @anastasiamuravyevaofficial --- Stay connected with Athlete Voices! Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/ Support the podcast directly HERE! - https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support

American artistic gymnast Aly Raisman published her autobiography, Fierce, in November 14, 2017. In the book, she details her gymnastics journey beginning at 18-months old, and culminating in 2 Olympic gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Games.  In today's podcast, I share my thoughts surrounding the book and themes that resonated with me, including those of mental health, perfectionism, and abuse in gymnastics. This podcast episode was originally published as a post on the Athlete Voices' blog in 2018. Much has changed between then and now, and USA Gymnastics has made necessary institutional changes to better their athletes. Still, more needs to be done to rectify cultural norms of gymnastics training that continue to harm athletes physically and mentally.  --- Stay connected with Athlete Voices! Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/ Support the podcast directly HERE! - https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support

Masha Alieva is a 17 year-old competitive figure skater. At 14, she made the switch from singles skating to ice dance. She competes with her skating partner, Mathieu Couyras, and together they represent France at international competitions. Currently recovering from hip surgery, Masha strives to heal soon and get back to training and competing. She keeps her eye on her ultimate dream: skating on the Olympic ice in 2026.  Follow Masha on social media:  Instagram: @mashafigureskater TikTok: @mashaicedancer --- Stay connected with Athlete Voices! Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/ Support the podcast directly HERE! - https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support

Jenny Rokhman is an American rhythmic gymnast. She competed in both individual and group disciplines of rhythmic gymnastics, and was a member of the US Team at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She has competed internationally at various World Cups, Grand Prix, and World Championships. Jenny has an identical twin sister, Monica, who was also a member of the Rio Olympic team. In this interview, we talk about Jenny's experience switching from individual to group rhythmic, growing up training and competing alongside her twin sister, her Olympic experience and the mental pressures faced leading up to the Games, and her post-gymnastics life now as a law student.  Social media: @jennyrokh --- Stay connected with Athlete Voices! Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/ Support the podcast directly HERE! - https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support

Rickie Taylor Dubovyk is a 22 year-old American ballroom dancer. She is a force in the world of competitive ballroom dancing, also known as Dancesport. In addition to making appearances on major talent television shows, she is 10-time United States National Champion, multiple time World Finalist, and World Champion. Along with her immeasurable love and passion for competitive ballroom dancing, when she was 20 years old, she started her own hair and makeup styling company for ballroom dancers called Complete Beauty Image. While learning to navigate life as a young adult, she continues to dance, work, and teach full time while running her business. It’s her mission to bring more beauty to the world through the transformation of makeup artistry and sharing her true love for dance.   Rickie’s social media:  @RickieT.Beauty @rickie.taylor.dubovyk  Rickie’s Business: @completebeautyimage www.completebeautyimage.com --- Stay connected with Athlete Voices! Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/ Support the podcast directly HERE! - https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support

Kevin Wong is a professional dancer and dance scholar with a background in experimental, contemporary, hip hop, modern, pedestrian, and Chinese dance. He has danced with STEAMROLLER, Project M, and the Flying Angels Chinese Dance Company. Kevin holds a Bachelor's degree in Dance with an Education Minor from UC Riverside. After working at Rae Studios in San Francisco for 4 years as a manager and instructor, Kevin returned to UC Riverside this past fall to pursue an MFA in Experimental Choreography. His research question centers on the intersection of dance and intimacy. His goal is to develop an analytical and bodily practice that cultivates a safe space for generating a deeper understanding of the self. Follow Kevin on social media: @kewong215 --- Stay connected with Athlete Voices! Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/ Support the podcast directly HERE! - https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support

Erica Der Mesropian is a former Level 10 Elite Rhythmic Gymnast, Certified USAG Judge, and founder of EmpoweredByStretch, LLC. EBS Mindset is an athletic psychology training program empowering athletes to unlock their full potential in sport and life with educational videos and one-on-one mindset training sessions. Through her work with gymnasts, Erica is a force in the growing athlete mental health movement that prioritizes the mental and psychological component of elite sports, in addition to physical training. Erica holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business/Gender Studies and a Master’s Degree in Social Entrepreneurship from USC Marshall. Follow Erica on social media: @ericader  Learn more about EBS Mindset: https://empoweredbystretch.com/ --- Stay connected with Athlete Voices! Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/

Quinn Annemans is a professional dancer and choreographer. Born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, he competed at the highest levels in competitive teams and solos in the Modern Competition scene, and has established himself as a respected and versatile dancer, performer and choreographer. Quinn has worked and choreographed across many disciplines of dance. He has been featured in Live Performances, Television, Music Videos and various Musical Theatre productions including Aladdin, Chicago and Chess.  Quinn has founded two dance companies, Tiptronic Choreography and Velocity Dance Competition. He enjoys being creative and exploring fresh ways to move with dance, enabling him to be extremely adaptable and committed to his work as an artist. Follow Quinn on social media: @quinnn.a --- Stay connected with Athlete Voices! Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/

U.S. national team rhythmic gymnast Evita Griskenas talks about her experience competing at the Tokyo Olympics. At Tokyo, Evita placed 12th in the qualification round and was the second reserve for the all-around final. While training for the Olympics, Evita was also a freshman at Columbia University. Now entering her third year at Columbia, Evita has continued training and competing whilst a full-time student. Most recently, she won the U.S. National Championships and advanced to the all-around final at the 2022 World Championships. Remarkably accomplished, Evita shares her experience at Tokyo and how she has managed to juggle elite rhythmic gymnastics and Columbia.  Follow Evita on social media:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evita.griskenas/ --- Stay connected with Athlete Voices! Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/ Support the podcast directly HERE! - https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support

Shelli Epstein is a gymnast, acrobat, Cirque du Soleil artist, personal trainer, and high performance coach. She began her circus career at age 18, landing her first gig in the Macau's famous "House of Dancing Waters" show. She has since toured the world, flipping, diving, and flying in various Cirque du Soleil shows. Shelli recently released her first book, "Flying High: Life lessons from the Big Top", a memoir that details her life as a circus artist and the wisdom she's gained through life in the spotlight.  Follow Shelli on social media: Instagram: @shelliepstein Website: https://www.shelliepstein.co.uk/ Check out Shelli's book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B5RKCLRL/ref=sr_1_7?crid=1P11UXCRL4MX1&keywords=flying+high&qid=1656935557&rnid=1642204031&s=digital-text&sprefix=flying+high%2Caps%2C61&sr=1-7 --- Stay connected with Athlete Voices! Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/ Support the podcast directly HERE! - https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support

Serena Lu is a Team USA rhythmic gymnast. She was on the U.S. National Team from 2010-2018, competed at the 2014 and 2015 World Championships, and finished third at the U.S. Olympic trials in 2016. Serena was first featured on Athlete Voices in 2019, while a junior at Princeton University. Since then, she graduated college with a degree in psychology and is presently working several jobs in New York City as an investigative analyst, actor, and dancer. In 2021, she decided to make a comeback to rhythmic gymnastics after 5 years out of the sport. She placed 4th at the 2022 U.S. National Championships, which secured her spot on the National Team once again. Now 24, Serena shares her comeback story, what inspired her to return to the sport, and how she juggles early-twenties adulting alongside competitive training. Follow Serena on social media: Instagram: @serenajlu TikTok: @serenajluuu --- Stay connected with Athlete Voices! Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/ Support the podcast directly HERE! - https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support

Former USA national team rhythmic gymnast Jazzy Kerber, now a coach, certified Brevet judge, and athlete representative on the programs councils, offers insight into the technical component of rhythmic gymnastics: a sport often described in media as “elegant”, “beautiful”, and “unabashedly girly,” but less noted for its athleticism and technical demands. This episode is also featured as a blog post: https://athletevoices.net/rhythmic-gymnastics-is-a-technical-sport/ Follow Jazzy on social media: @jazinka  --- Stay connected with Athlete Voices! Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/ Support the podcast directly HERE! - https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support

Hey guys, it's Belicia! On this episode, I'd like to formally introduce myself and why I began Athlete Voices in 2018. I explain the mission statement of Athlete Voices and the reason behind its title. This episode is also available as a blog: https://athletevoices.net/why-the-title-athlete-voices/ --- Stay connected with Athlete Voices! Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/ Support the podcast directly HERE! - https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support

Grace Stevens is a professional dancer/choreographer based in New Zealand. In this interview, Grace breaks down her dance journey, how she started and where she wants to take her dancing, insider's knowledge on the New Zealand dance scene, and advice for aspiring professional dancers. Follow Grace on social media: @gracestevens  --- Stay connected with Athlete Voices! Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/ Support the podcast directly HERE! - https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support

Welcome to the Athlete Voices Podcast! On this podcast, we turn the spotlight on aesthetic sports, featuring exclusive interviews with gymnasts, dancers, figure skaters, artistic swimmers, and more. Our mission is to humanize athletes and de-stigmatize their struggles while offering them a voice to share their stories. Click subscribe to stay up to date for weekly episodes. You can also check out our website, athletevoices.net, where you can find articles written about the guests featured on this podcast as well as blog posts and opinion pieces about all things aesthetic sports. Instagram: @athletevoices Website: https://athletevoices.net/ Support the podcast directly HERE! - https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support