Lisa's Story

Hi, I’m Lisa and it is my pleasure and honor to welcome you to Thrive Hive! Cultivating family wellness is a passion of mine and something I believe is not only possible but also fun—think each family member feeling healthy and balanced and then imagine that together your whole crew it thriving!

Fostering Balance and Wellness Through Dance Education

I have been a dance teacher for 24 years and dance studio owner for 16 years. Over this time I have had the honor and privilege of working closely with kids of all ages and families of all kinds. I have observed the power of balance and health within families and I have held families who suffer from imbalance and a lack of wellness. With a long history as a dancer myself and with a B.A. in Sociology with an emphasis in Education and Family, my career in the dance world has always been about creating a safe space for individuals to grow, experiment, express and honor my student’s best versions of themselves.

At my studio I work closely with my students and their families and get to know them all personally over many years. Our community is vibrant, strong, committed, talented and passionate AND like all families, they struggle with the hustle and bustle of busy lives, stress, rushing from one thing to the next and unfortunately, many lose their focus on their overall wellbeing—individually and collectively as a family. They do their best. They work hard at everything they do and still, so many of them find it challenging to keep balance and prioritize holistic wellness consciously. There is so much stress, so much life pressure, so little sleep, so much rushing and so little time to focus on what you really need, how you really feel and that you really are in charge of your overall wellness…you deserve to be well, you are capable of maximizing your wellness and you can feel good, happy and balanced even in this hectic world. Here is where I come in as more than a dance teacher…

Prioritizing Family Wellness: A Pandemic Wake-Up Call

In 2021, while locked indoors like the rest of the world, I was running my dance program remotely from our second bedroom and doing everything I could to keep my student’s spirits uplifted, their bodies moving and hearts working, their social beings connected, and their minds focused on setting goals and achieving them. But I was worried about the kids…I was worried about the family networks. I was worried about the stress level, the lack of sleep, the lack of movement, the lack of connection, the lack of literal and figurative nourishment in the home during this time and general lack of wellness in the world. I thought about the amount of sugar I see the kids eat in their daily lives, the lack of awareness about proper fuel for our bodies, the amount of “my tummy hurts” or “I have a headache” I heard about and how we so often talked about at the studio…fueling our bodies with proper nutrition and hydration, good restorative sleep and managing stress. Without seeing the kids on the daily basis in person due to COVID, I found myself increasingly worried about the kids, their parents and the health of the family units in my community. Even though people were home and families theoretically had more time together, their plates were still full, perhaps more than ever…unfortunately they were full with elevated stress and anxiety, continued lack of sleep or poor sleep, limited movement and lack of time to focus on creating intentional connectedness and overall wellness. This time in quarantine highlighted for me what I have known and witnessed all these years…families need guidance, accountability and support to prioritize wellness during hard times and during the “back to normal” times.

Empowering Families Through Holistic Health Coaching

So, I decided I wanted to learn more, to seek out education on this topic and ultimately, to do something to help families on a deeper level. In the Summer of 2021 I became a certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. With this holistic training that really focuses on how we nourish our bodies on and off the plate and an emphasis on honing in on each person’s individual body, mind and spirit, I feel I have a special kind of coaching approach to offer and like my dance studio, I am here to guide, to coach and ultimately to create safe space for families to grow, set goals, try new things, honestly self-reflect and ultimately find progress together creating a healthy unit for all.