Episode Details

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In the final episode of our four-part bullying series, we're joined again by Kelsey Fyffe, a therapist who works with pre-professional dancers, and Suzette Takei, a veteran academic school administrator and educator, as we get into the messy stuff. Lobby politics, ballet parents behaving badly, peer conflict between students, nepotism at the dance studio, and yes, that one kid who thinks the entire barre belongs to her. We also tackle some bigger questions: how do you know when a ballet training environment has turned toxic? What do you do when your dancer is being bullied by a classmate, a teacher's pet, or even another parent? And what does any of this have to do with your own stress and mental health? The conversation we didn't expect to have and couldn't stop having was about you, the ballet parent, and the stress that quietly leaks onto everyone around you without you even realizing it. If you're new here, start with Parts 1 through 3 first as this series builds on itself.