This podcast has been my favorite listen this year for this dancer-turned-dance mom! Courtney and Lesley are so fun to listen to, and my daughter and I learn a so much from each episode. One specific episode opened our eyes and helped us to make a difficult, yet necessary, decision for my daughter’s dance future and we could not be happier. This podcast should be at the top of every dancer’s and dance parent’s list!

I got to take a class from chase haley Bowden recently at revel dance convention and I got to dance in the ending showcase and he choreographed it and it was amazing choreography and a friend at my studio had a big crush on him

I can not suggest Making The Impact enough. They cover such a wide variety of topics and their information is both useful and relevant. I like to listen when I'm in the car waiting for my kids.

Lesley and Courtney- my dancers and I as their mom spend lots of time traveling to and from the studio and this podcast has been so great for all 3 of us in the car and has sparked meaningful conversations about their dance technique, studio policies, polishing their dances, and even tough topics that needed addressing and how we might feel about them. Thanks for making this such a dancer friendly podcast we can all enjoy together to spark so many great conversations that help us all to grow. I’ve recommended you to so many. Keep them coming!

I’m a first season competition dance mom, and I learned SO much about this world from this podcast! I enjoy the conversational tone of the hosts, and the wealth of information that the guests bring to the show. Keep up the great work!

Absolutely love listening on the way to and from dance with my daughter. So much helpful information from the experts.

This podcast has just been so helpful to me during a particularly challenging time in my Dance teaching career. The conversations are open and honest and compassionate and make me feel affirmed in my practice! Thank you!

Best in the business! Courtney and Lesley have one of the best shows out there and they always go deep with incredible insight and perspective. A must listen to!

I am a dance teacher and dance mom. The commute to my daughter’s dance studio is 90 minutes and we are thrilled to have discovered this podcast. It makes our commute time go by so much more quickly and we are learning so much and acquiring such valuable information. Looking forward to many more episodes!!! Thanks!

I am a competition dancer and I loooooove listening to this on the way to the comp!!! It gives me great tips that I use every comp now!

This episode should be mandatory for all educators and choreographers!!!! My kids were at a comp with gun shots, children running and dying and it really hit them hard and not in a good way. My younger ones were crying and scared and ran out of the theater to the police man who was on his way to lockdown the school. Let’s just not. Thank you for all your advice and opinions. You all are wonderful!

Such a good one for a comp student like me. I learn so much and would recommend this to any type of dancer. Thank you Courtney and Leslie, love this one.

Hi! My name is Summer Aiello, (you might’ve heard me on last seasons, dance mom episode) and I am here to let every dance, mom, or dad know that this is required, listening your child is in the dance competition world, or even just wants to pursue dance as a career. I grew up dancing, and I would have LOVED if there had been a resource like this available to me and my mom as I navigated the dance world ups and downs to become a professional. The information Courtney and Leslie give in each episode is so important: from having professionals on to discuss their experiences to judges explaining what they look for onstage- there is truly something for EVERY dance mom to take away. My daughter Paige and I listen in the car every week and it’s beneficial for her to hear these things straight from the people she is working to aspire to be. I can’t thank you enough for providing this resource that’s so needed in this Dance community!

My name is Shawn Pacheco, I am the Director of Xtreme Dance Company in New Bedford Massachusetts and I am a new listener but have quickly caught up on all episodes! My dancer Jillian Medeiros was lucky enough to win the photo contest and is featured on the cover art for Season 4. This is such a great podcast for the dance community not only locally but globally. It is so important for all of us in this industry to be connected and united. Not only does this podcast educate, it helps bring everyone in the dance world closer making us the one big unit we should be. Making the impact podcast keeps us informed, fresh on ideas, on the same page, motivated to learn and grow, and reminds us why we do what we do. The quality that the Impact Dance Adjudicators bring to an affiliated dance competition take it completely to a new level. I will not bring my studio to a competition that does not use IDA.

My daughter and I love listening to this podcast. We’ve both learned so much and excitedly await each new episode. Highly recommend to anyone in the competition dance community!

I'm a competition dancer, and this is a great listen for competing people! It's got an engaging format and cool tips! I really appreciated the episode on musical theatre and the one about bringing a solo to the next level! I feel like this will really help me with my first year of solos!

My daughter and I started listening to your podcast during quarantine and quickly listened to every episode! We have enjoyed the time together in the car discussing your different topics! Living in a rural area, it has given us positive insight into the much larger dance world! You are truly making an impact! ❤️

I absolutely LOVE this podcast! I get so much great information as dance educator and dancer. Highly recommend!!!

I love listening to Making the Impact Podcast. As a Dance Mom to a young dancer, I love the insight on topics my daughter is currently expecting as well as opportunities she can strive for in the future. I look forward to the new episodes each week.

This podcast is AMAZING!! I’m a dance mom, judge, competitive director and teacher of 20 + years and thank you, thank you for all of this information!! I love the guests and Courtney & Leslie! The conversations are open honest and from every view point. Thank you for diving in and having the conversations we all want to have. 💕💕

This has been an amazing podcast!! Being a dance mom can be hard and having as much info as you can to navigate thru this life is key!!! The guests and host are incredibly informative and helpful! Being a former dancer myself, it’s a whole new world being on the other side!! Thank you for being our go to for soooo much info!!

I first started listening to this podcast last year when I saw some some of the judges tips on Instagram. I was hooked. My daughter loves dance and I want to know all I can about this world she lives in. She is 11 years old, and is now your newest fan!! We listen in the car when it’s just the two of us. I help out a lot in our studio, with other moms as well as the teachers and studio owners. I’ve leaned to take what I’ve learned here and apply it (gently!) in the studio. I wish everyone in the dance world would listen to this!! Thank you for being real and raw and provide something both my daughter and I can listen to together.

I have really loved your podcast. My daughter and I have listened to every single episode! I have to say that I am a bit put off about your latest episode. The talk about attending competitions sounded a bit pretentious. More so from the guests that you had on. There will always be different levels of talent in all things. There are kids that work very hard in the studio and will never be at a super high level, and that is okay. It just sounded like your guests were saying that their dancers are too good for competitions.

Such a great podcast for parents, dancers and teachers!! You cover such a huge spectrum of dance from different view points. I am enjoying it so much and my 15 year old dancer is really enjoying it too!

Thank you so much for making this podcast, this has helped my dancing. This is one of the best podcasts ever. This has not only help me but is has helped my friends to. I have learned a lot about what judges are looking for when they are judging. Thank you for telling me a lot about judging.

I’m only a few episodes in and am addicted. I appreciate the insight, experience and knowledge provided. As a teacher I find it imperative to keep learning myself and while I love hearing things suggested that I already do as it provides some reassurance for me, I am learning so much more I either haven’t been doing, or haven’t focused on enough. This podcast provides new outlooks, approaches and focuses. I also have three daughters who dance and am hoping to find better ways to be a more patient teacher with them and less of the impatient mom. Thank you!

As a mom to a dancing son and daughter, as well as a dance coach, I just can’t get enough of these podcasts! They are packed full of real, honest, and impactful advice for everyone in the dance industry. The information is approached in a way that feels constructive and uplifting, directed towards all levels and styles, so I feel rejuvenated and excited to use and share what I’ve learned with others. I love spending my time listening to this!

I cannot express how much I appreciate this podcast. My daughter is a competitive dancer and we are still new to this sport. Listening to this podcast answers soooo many of the “why are they doing this” questions that would otherwise end at my studio owners very busy doorstep. My daughter and I listen together and have some great conversations afterwards which is priceless to me. Can’t wait for more from this podcast!!

The podcasts are fantastic! The topics spoken about brings so many different views on how you can see things from a different opinion! Everyone that participes has great knowledge on what they are speaking about which brings great comfort knowing these are reputable people. I have learned so much from each podcast. Keep up the great work, and can’t wait for more. ❤️

I love listening to this podcast. So informative and so much great insight about different aspects in dance. My daughter and I often listen together to the podcast and it gives us great topics for discussion!

My daughter and I genuinely enjoy all the tips and information these judges share! I have been a competitive dance mom for 3 seasons and I have learned SOOOO much! Not going to lie I would sometimes be left so confused on the line up at comps but now I get it and my dancer knows what work for!

Courtney and Lesley are phenomenal. Their topics are so interesting and explore ideas valuable to dancers in training, studio owners, teachers, dance parents, choreographers, and working professionals. Love them and all they do for this industry!

Happy birthday

Such a great podcast. Unfiltered and honest information to help dancers. Each episode gives info that is so helpful to help dancers become so much stronger with their craft. If you want to gain knowledge from dancers in the business; THISBIS THE ONE!!!!

This podcast is awesome! It’s entertaining and I’ve learned a ton. Keep it up. I love how this podcast is not afraid to address sensitive issues in the dance world.

As a dance teacher and choreographer, this podcast puts in to words everything I’m experiencing and thinking on a platform that my students and their parents can access. It’s been hugely helpful for them to hear different judges’ perspectives! I highly recommend this podcast for anyone involved in the competitive dance world!!

I started listening from the very beginning and I cannot believe how many amazing things have come out of listening to this podcast. Because of Making the Impact, we tried Diva Dance Competition, had a great experience and plan to go every season! It also put me in touch with Kelsey Nelson because I started following her and fell in love with her conditioning exercises. Turns out she lives one hour north of me and we are going to get together to collaborate! And lastly, on the Senior spotlight episode we met a senior from Clermont, FL and she mentions a dance that meant so much to her called “I’m Alive.” We competed against them two years ago and she’s right, the dance was pure magic and I still think of it to this day. It was spectacular. It was such a coincidence that I knew what dance she was talking about. The dance world IS small! You ladies say that all the time!! Every single person in the dance world should be listening to this podcast!!

I appreciate how everyone respected each other’s opinion. Nice to hear people you know having productive conversations about the world of dance. I’ll continue to tune in.

This podcast is super informative and inspiring for anyone in the dance world. Especially those who are on the competitive path of dance. I would highly encourage and recommend any dancer to tune in and take the time to listen! ✨~dancer_madison

My daughter and I started listening to the podcast in February/March. She absolutely loves learning more and can’t get enough of it. Every time we would get in the car she would ask to listen to it. I come from a horseback riding background so I was eager to learn more about the competitive dance world and what the judges are really looking for. I always had an idea but this helped me more. We were sad that the season ended for the podcast but can’t wait for it to start back up again. I tell everyone about it I can.

I'm a dance mom that thoroughly enjoys hearing the perspective of judges and experienced people in the industry. It's refreshing to hear what really happens at a judges table and what is truly important at a competition. It's so interesting to see the differences in competitions and studios across the across the county. I can't wait for next season!

Love the show! Check out the Instagram susanbenz_and_shylee. Shylee is currently age 10, and this has her progression since 2012. She’s amazing, and her Insta includes many tutorial videos.

Happy to be a part of a podcast that is honest and informative. The topics are all relevant and the guests have incredible knowledge. Thank you for creating this!

Just listened to the costume dos and don’ts. Had some of my own sentiments confirmed and learned some new information. Not only is the podcast informative but it’s entertaining and easy to listen to. A few chuckles out loud we had by me as I was able to relate to the conversation and some helpful tips were included. My daughter and I listened to this on the way to dance ...she prefers to put her ear buds in and tune me out but I caught her listening as well. Some great discussion topics. We definitely will tune in...I can see this being a regular podcast that we will listen to together on our way to dance and competitions...thanks for providing a podcast that is so attuned to our world!

I love this podcast! It gives awesome tips! Any dance teacher, mom, or dancer can listen to it. The tips help me know what I have to practice! Great podcast. 5 stars!

Love listening to this podcast !

This is my daughter’s first year of competition dance and this podcast has been great for helping me understand things from a judges prospective. I highly suggest this podcast to anyone in the competitive dance world.

What a gem this podcast is, not only for studio owners and teachers but for dance parents as well! It’s a fabulous resource for anyone & everyone in the competition dance industry! An awesome extension of the 3 mins critiques competition judges are typically limited to and gives additional meaningful feedback that everyone can benefit from at every level. 👏🏼⭐️

This podcast is really amazing! It gives great advice and helpful tips for the dance industry! Love listening to these podcast and seeing what topics next!

As a dancer, this podcast helps me understand perspective and gain knowledge/advice from teachers, judges, choreographers, and fellow dancers. This podcast is not overwhelming, yet informative enough to keep me interested. so great!