What does it take to build a career across continents, art forms, and social movements?

Yemi Dele Akinyemi, Czech-Nigerian entrepreneur, choreographer, and founder of the Moonshot Platform, joins host Alissa Hsu Lynch to trace a path from dancing in front of a communist-era TV to choreographing for Kanye West, advising a robotics company, and mobilizing young changemakers from over 100 countries. He also reflects on growing up as the only Black child in his city, being separated from his father for 18 years, and how movement became his first language for belonging.

Don't miss this wide-ranging conversation about leading from the inside out and why the most important distance any leader will ever cross is the one between their head and their heart.

💡 Key Takeaways:

• Why embodied leadership, integrating head, heart, and gut, produces decisions grounded in values rather than pure transaction

• How working with Kanye West taught Yemi that real artistry means being willing to be naked in your creative process

• Why structure and freedom aren't opposites and how the walls of a pool are what make a wave possible

• What Moonshot Platform is doing differently by betting on young changemakers at the very moment their ideas are just beginning to hatch

Connect with Yemi:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yemia1/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yemialchemist/

X: https://x.com/YemiAlchemist

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YemiAlchemist/

✅ Sign up for the newsletter:

https://theleadershipdance.substack.com/s/the-leadership-dance

👉 Listen and follow: https://linktr.ee/theleadershipdance

Music from InAudio: https://inaudio.org/ "Catwalk Queen"

What does it take to rise to the top at one of America's leading ballet companies, after dozens of rejections, a serious injury, and a recession?

Samantha Hope Galler, Principal Dancer at Miami City Ballet, joins host Alissa Hsu Lynch to share the resilience and self-belief that carried her through 30+ auditions and years of setbacks, including a near career-ending injury. She also reflects on founding Fifth Position Path, a mentorship platform for dancers, earning her Master of Science from Northeastern University while performing professionally, and navigating pregnancy as a dancer.

Don't miss this honest conversation about processing rejection, betting on yourself when no one else will, and building a career on your own terms.

💡 Key Takeaways:

Why rejection is often the best teacher and how to process it without losing momentum

How discipline, visual learning, and problem-solving skills from dance translate to any career

Why mentorship matters and how Fifth Position Path is filling a critical gap for dancers and their families

Photo credits: A Iziliaev, Daniel Azoulay, Danny Cardoza, Jonathan Taylor, Juliet Hay, Melissa Dooley, Philip Galler

Connect with Samantha:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-hope-kunstadt/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeisadebut/ and https://www.instagram.com/fifthpositionpath/

Website: www.fifthpositionpath.com

✅ Sign up for the newsletter:

https://theleadershipdance.substack.com/s/the-leadership-dance

👉 Listen and follow: https://linktr.ee/theleadershipdance

Music from InAudio: https://inaudio.org/ "Catwalk Queen"

Jenna Segal is writing women into the history books in arts and entertainment. Women make up more than 75% of theater audiences, yet are rarely in the decision-making seats. Jenna has stepped in to change that narrative. She is an Emmy, Tony, and Clio award-winning producer of Broadway hits including Hadestown, Gigi, and Six, as well as the visionary behind The 31 Women Collection of remarkable female artists. In this episode of The Leadership Dance, she discusses how she moved from CNN and MTV to Broadway, why she insists on supporting women in leading roles, and how she built an amazing career by just saying yes.

💡 Key Takeaways:

Ask who's missing from the room and make space for women in decisions, not just in the audience.

Say yes before you feel ready and follow your curiosity.

Build a life and career you're proud to "lose money on" because it aligns with your values.

Connect with Jenna:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gathererent/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gathererent/

Website: https://gathererenterprises.com/

✅ Sign up for the newsletter:

https://theleadershipdance.substack.com/s/the-leadership-dance

👉 Listen and follow: https://linktr.ee/theleadershipdance

Music from InAudio: https://inaudio.org/ "Catwalk Queen"