The Leadership Dance

"Just go and do whatever you feel like, but do it with a hundred percent energy and do it consistently." Takumi Miyake, Soloist with American Ballet Theatre, joins host Alissa Hsu Lynch to talk about a career that started in his family's ballet studio in Kagawa, Japan, where he is the fourth generation to dance. At 13, he won first place at the Youth America Grand Prix and left home on a full scholarship to the Royal Ballet School. After two ankle surgeries during COVID kept him out for a year and a half, he emailed ABT Studio Company director Sascha Radetsky and asked to join the audition class. He left New York with a contract and was promoted to soloist after his first year in the corps de ballet. Takumi also opens up about staying motivated through injury, stepping into his first acting role as Lensky in Onegin, and what it's like to share both life and the stage with his girlfriend and fellow ABT soloist Yoon Jung Seo. Don't miss this conversation about ambition, resilience, and going after what you want. 💡 Key Takeaways: Opportunity often goes to the people who ask for it Recovery happens day by day, so do what you can and keep pushing Leadership starts with asking questions and helping the people around you Media Credits: E'production, Gene Schiavone, Rosalie O'Connor, Skylar Brandt, Zordan Photography, certain photos courtesy of American Ballet Theatre Connect with Takumi: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taku.ballet/  ✅ 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"

"There appears to be some sliver of time somewhere between 32 and 55 where it's okay for women to be successful." Elizabeth 'Liza' Yntema, founder and president of Dance Data Project®, joins host Alissa Hsu Lynch alongside Nancy Dobbs Owen, DDP's communications lead, to talk about a career built on law, philanthropy, and a belief that dance is an economic sector hiding in plain sight. Liza founded DDP after a night at the ballet made her realize the audience, donors, and dance schools were mostly women, yet no one behind the curtain was. DDP has since published 75 reports exposing pay gaps and leadership disparities across the dance world, one company at a time. Liza and Nancy also get personal about building careers that don't follow a straight line, overcoming outdated attitudes, and why your best work might come decades after others expected you to peak. Don't miss this conversation about disruption and reinventing an industry from the inside. 💡 Key Takeaways: Reinvention doesn't erase who you are, it just changes how you show up Skills you build in one chapter of your career will show up again later, often when you least expect it Progress isn't owed to you, so keep asking, keep pushing, and keep showing up Connect with Liza and Nancy: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dancedataproject/  Website: https://www.dancedataproject.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dance-data-project/  ✅ 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"

"I realized I was allowing other people to be my source of confidence." Lisa Shalett, co-founder of Extraordinary Women on Boards, joins host Alissa Hsu Lynch to talk about a career that spans equities, compliance, crisis communications, and the boardroom. A former Goldman Sachs partner, she spent twenty years at the firm reinventing herself across roles most people wouldn't have the courage to take, including managing Goldman's brand through one of the worst crises in Wall Street history. When she left, she turned her attention to a problem she kept hearing from women in boardrooms everywhere and, with her co-founder Lisa DeCarlo, built a 1,000+ member community to solve it, which grew entirely by word of mouth. Don't miss this conversation about reinvention, confidence, and what it means to stop waiting for permission. 💡 Key Takeaways: If you don't tell your own story, others will tell it for you Agility is a skill, and steep learning curves are worth running toward The most important shift in Lisa's career came when she stopped looking to others for approval and became her own source of confidence Connect with Lisa and EWOB: Lisa's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisashalett/  EWOB's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/extraordinary-women-on-boards/  EWOB's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ewobnetwork/  Bruce Feiler's Book: A Time to Gather: How Ritual Created the World— and How It Can Save Us: https://a.co/d/0aTg2V9I  ✅ 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"

"The things that make me different are why I am who I am." Professional ballerina Alexandra Hutchinson joins Alissa Hsu Lynch to talk about a journey that began as a "miracle baby" and led to performing with the Dance Theatre of Harlem on stages around the world. She trained at the Academy of the Dance, Washington School of Ballet, and Indiana University, where she earned a B.S. in Ballet with an outside field in arts management. Now in her eighth season with DTH, she recently performed the title role in John Taras' The Firebird and made history as the first Black ballerina to guest as a principal dancer with New York City Ballet. Don't miss this conversation about identity, representation, and pursuing your dreams. 💡 Key Takeaways: Seeing someone who looks like you doesn't just feel good; it makes the path forward feel possible Start from the inside: work from within, and then go out Gratitude is a performance ritual and a life practice Photo credits: Nir Arieli CLU Images Luca Crudeli Rachel Neville Studios Rachel Papo Cherylnn Tsushima Connect with Alexandra: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a_ballerina_/  ✅ 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"

"The first time you swim with a whale, you realize your place in the world — that not everything revolves around us humans." Karim Iliya, photographer, filmmaker, and whale swimming guide, joins Alissa Hsu Lynch to talk about a life built on curiosity and constant motion. He grew up moving every two to four years across the Middle East and Asia, taught himself photography at 13, and eventually found his way beneath the surface. He free dives with humpback whales, filmed orcas for Netflix, and has photographed volcanoes from Hawaii to Guatemala. His work has been featured by National Geographic, BBC, and Netflix in over 55 countries. Today he guides people into the water with whales through Dance with Whales, and co-founded Kogia, a conservation nonprofit with a free media library used in over 65 countries. Don't miss this conversation about conservation, creativity, and building a life by following what you can't stop doing. 💡 Key Takeaways: Why saying yes to everything is one of the fastest ways to lose focus on what actually matters. The importance of protecting personal projects alongside client work, and why those are the ones that define a career. How giving people a direct experience of something they care about is one of the most powerful tools for changing behavior and perspective. Connect with Karim: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karimiliya/  Website: https://karimiliya.com/   Company website: https://www.kogia.org/  ✅ 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"