Imposter syndrome is common in aerial, whether you’re a student, performer, or teacher. In this episode, we talk about five types of imposter syndrome, why aerial creates so many opportunities for comparison and self-doubt, and why your own expertise can start to feel ordinary to you.

We talk about how feedback can feel hard but ultimately builds confidence and trust.

The middle gets quite existential but you probably know to expect that from me by now.

We also look at the difference between imposter syndrome and recognizing a real gap in your knowledge, especially as an instructor. The goal is to move away from generalized self-doubt and toward more accurate self-evaluation, useful feedback, and identifying the specific areas where you want more education or experience.

FALL ENROLLMENT open now for online certification & mentorship:
BLOOM Aerial Teacher Training
www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-training

FREE TRAINING: Aerial Teacher Upgrade:
www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-upgrade

Aerial Silks Online Tutorial Library: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-silks-online
Strength Programs - www.embodiedaerial.com/strength
Cello Intro & Outro Music by Shaun Diaz

Submit an idea or guest pitch
www.embodiedaerial.com/podcast

If you teach aerial (or want to), how much freedom do you want in deciding how and what you teach?

Do you want a clear list of skills you’ve been signed off on, or do you want to feel confident analyzing new skills, making your own progression decisions, and adapting to the student in front of you?

When I built the Bloom Aerial Teacher Training, I broke the norm with a very intentional pedagogical choice around that question..

I wanted to give teachers strong structure, clear foundations, and rigorous progression, without making them feel beholden to one exact curriculum or one person’s way of teaching.

In this episode, I talk about why I prioritize independence, critical and creative thinking, and how there are entire dimensions of teaching that don't fit into a "level" format at all - understanding risk, motor learning, nervous system awareness, safety psychology, and more.

Because ultimately, I want your investment in teacher training to give you more freedom, flexibility, and autonomy - not less.

the 4-month online Bloom Aerial Teacher Training is currently enrolling for Fall - if this format resonates with you, check out the link below for details. New 6 and 12-month payment plans are available!

FALL ENROLLMENT open now for online certification & mentorship:
BLOOM Aerial Teacher Training
www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-training

FREE TRAINING: Aerial Teacher Upgrade:
www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-upgrade

Aerial Silks Online Tutorial Library: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-silks-online
Strength Programs - www.embodiedaerial.com/strength
Cello Intro & Outro Music by Shaun Diaz

Submit an idea or guest pitch
www.embodiedaerial.com/podcast

Aerial teachers are doing far more than we tend to acknowledge.

You’re not just demonstrating skills and correcting shapes. You’re constantly making decisions about readiness, fear, technique, communication, risk, attention, strength, mobility, and learning, and you're managing a dynamic learning environment with diverse students.

And yet, as an industry, we still tend to treat aerial instruction like something you can mostly pick up by doing aerial long enough, shadowing a few classes, and eventually stepping in to teach.

In this episode, I’m unpacking the hidden complexity of aerial instruction, why being a strong aerialist and being a strong teacher are not the same skill set, and why our profession deserves to be taken seriously.

We’ll talk about the hidden curriculum of aerial, variability between students, the sometimes unseen consequences of limited teaching, why even successful classes can contain blind spots, and what changes when we start treating aerial instruction as a discipline in its own right.

FALL ENROLLMENT open now for online certification & mentorship:
BLOOM Aerial Teacher Training
www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-training

FREE TRAINING: Aerial Teacher Upgrade:
www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-upgrade

Aerial Silks Online Tutorial Library: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-silks-online
Strength Programs - www.embodiedaerial.com/strength
Cello Intro & Outro Music by Shaun Diaz

Submit an idea or guest pitch
www.embodiedaerial.com/podcast

In this episode of Between the Lines, we’re talking about trick chasing - when it's a problem, when it's not, and how it affects your training.

EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT!
***The BLOOM Aerial Teacher Training Fall Session Launches October 4th: scroll down to learn more.***

We’ll also look at trick chasing from the instructor’s side: what happens when students bring you a constant stream of Instagram skills, why teachers can feel pressured to keep delivering something new and exciting, and how the culture you create in your classes shapes what your students learn to value.

Plus, I share practical ways to work with trick-chasing students without killing their enthusiasm, how to set boundaries around Instagram requests, and what to do if you’re the one who can’t stop chasing the next trick.

Between the Lines is for aerial instructors and aerialists who want the fuller picture and want to go deeper in their craft.

FALL ENROLLMENT open now for online certification & mentorship:
BLOOM Aerial Teacher Training
www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-training

FREE TRAINING: Aerial Teacher Upgrade:
www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-upgrade

Aerial Silks Online Tutorial Library: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-silks-online
Strength Programs - www.embodiedaerial.com/strength
Cello Intro & Outro Music by Shaun Diaz

Submit an idea or guest pitch
www.embodiedaerial.com/podcast

What if beginners looking like a lizard on a stick isn’t inevitable?

In aerial, we often expect too much and too little from beginners at the same time. We give them complex skills that demand strength, coordination, memory, and courage, without teaching real body awareness, then attribute their chaotic, disorganized movement to being new.

But what happens when we reduce the complexity enough for students to actually pay attention to how they’re moving, and teach them how to organize - not just survive the skill?

In this episode, we’re challenging the assumption that grace is something you earn once you become advanced. We’ll talk about why body awareness and technical detail is a missing layer in so much aerial instruction, and why struggle and messy movement absolutely belong in training without needing to define the entire beginner experience.

Grace isn’t an advanced skill. With appropriately scaled tasks and detailed instruction, every aerialist can experience intentional, beautiful movement from the beginning.

⚡ Want to put this into practice?

Cleaner Lines: 7 Days to More Intentional Aerial Movement breaks down the fundamentals of body awareness and engagement details behind cleaner, more organized movement without needing an apparatus.

It’s for aerialists who want to better understand and organize their own bodies and aerial teachers who want practical tools and language to help their students feel and look graceful from DAY 1, and develop body awareness instead of simply telling them to “point their toes."

www.embodiedaerial.com/clean-lines-challenge

FALL ENROLLMENT open now for online certification & mentorship:
BLOOM Aerial Teacher Training
www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-training

FREE TRAINING: Aerial Teacher Upgrade:
www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-upgrade

Aerial Silks Online Tutorial Library: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-silks-online
Strength Programs - www.embodiedaerial.com/strength
Cello Intro & Outro Music by Shaun Diaz

Submit an idea or guest pitch
www.embodiedaerial.com/podcast

Starting aerial can be exciting, intimidating, confusing, and a little hard to know what’s normal when you’re brand new.

In this episode, we can't cover everything, but we'll get started with what every beginner aerialist should know before (and during) their first classes: green and red flags to look for in a studio, what to expect when you’re starting from zero, what good instruction can look like, how to navigate the challenges of class, how to participate in a way that makes the space safer for everyone, and how to advocate for yourself without feeling like a “difficult” student.

We’ll talk about safe equipment, boundaries, pain & fear, consent and hands-on spotting, asking for modifications, communicating with your instructor, and why you absolutely do not need to be strong, flexible, graceful, or “in shape” before you begin.

Rigging Safety Information from Momentum Aerial: https://www.momentumaerial.org/blog/2020/3/29/rigging-at-home-series-2-rated-gear-and-its-applications

Safety in Aerial Arts Facebook Group (ask questions here) https://www.facebook.com/groups/622174321133562

Get online support with strength & skills:
www.embodiedaerial.com/strength

FALL ENROLLMENT open now for online certification & mentorship:
BLOOM Aerial Teacher Training
www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-training

FREE TRAINING: Aerial Teacher Upgrade:
www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-upgrade

Aerial Silks Online Tutorial Library: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-silks-online
Strength Programs - www.embodiedaerial.com/strength
Cello Intro & Outro Music by Shaun Diaz

Submit an idea or guest pitch
www.embodiedaerial.com/podcast

“Uncoachable” is a big label to put on a student and it's been making the rounds on social media. But it's time to retire the concept altogether - not because you should work with every student, but because there's a much deeper conversation hidden between the lines.

In this episode, we’re unpacking the idea of the “coachable” student, the assumptions we make about students who challenge us, and how labels can shape the way we teach and create less diverse spaces. We’ll talk teacher-student fit, psychological safety, confirmation bias, and why the students who are hardest for us to reach might expose some of the most important gaps in our teaching.

Not every student is the right fit for every teacher. But “this student is difficult for me to teach” and “this student is uncoachable” are two very different conclusions.

ANNOUNCEMENT!
The wait list for the "7 Days to Cleaner Aerial Lines Challenge" is open now. Add your name to get this program for $27 instead of $97.

FALL ENROLLMENT open now for online certification & mentorship:
BLOOM Aerial Teacher Training
www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-training

FREE TRAINING: Aerial Teacher Upgrade:
www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-upgrade

Aerial Silks Online Tutorial Library: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-silks-online
Strength Programs - www.embodiedaerial.com/strength
Cello Intro & Outro Music by Shaun Diaz

Submit an idea or guest pitch
www.embodiedaerial.com/podcast

In this episode, I break down the common barriers to entering an aerial class and the unusual demands students face once they get there (yep, why you can't find your leg or remember your first name when upside down), and why teaching to the nervous system reduces risk and supports better learning outcomes.

I share the story of a student who barely convinced herself to try aerial, and explore how a teacher’s ability to recognize and respond to what students are managing can directly influence safety, learning, and their experience in the classroom.

I also introduce my High-Load Teaching Framework and Beyond Technique Professional Development workshop for aerial studios.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Beyond Technique: The hidden curriculum of high-load learning for aerial and movement educators

High-Load Teaching Framework

FALL ENROLLMENT open now for online certification & mentorship:
BLOOM Aerial Teacher Training
www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-training

FREE TRAINING: Aerial Teacher Upgrade:
www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-upgrade

Aerial Silks Online Tutorial Library: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-silks-online
Strength Programs - www.embodiedaerial.com/strength
Cello Intro & Outro Music by Shaun Diaz

Submit an idea or guest pitch
www.embodiedaerial.com/podcast