Finding Your Signature STyle

The Courage To Not Edit Yourself

Can you think back to some of your funniest fashion choices from decades ago? 

I have plenty of super vivid and highly questionable images that pop into my mind! Whether it was those puffy Starter jackets with the sports team logos, Ugg boots, or mood rings that changed colors, I can clearly remember the desperate pleas to my mom throughout childhood. "I will never ask for anything else, but I NEED this. Everyone else has it!"

I think like a lot of people, when I was younger, I hung out in that confusing space between wanting to blend in so I did not stick out and simultaneously wanting to feel really unique and special.

When I first started teaching Zumba, it was kind of the same story. I looked up to so many other instructors and wished I could dance exactly like them. I thought that if only my moves looked like theirs, or if my body looked like theirs, I would feel more confident teaching and get more students.

While I certainly improved with years of experience, I was never able to get my salsa to look exactly like Beto Perez, the creator of Zumba. I was never going to be quite as powerful or _____ (insert adjective) as some of the other instructors I admired.

But gradually over the years something shifted. Some students started telling me they liked my style and kept coming back to my classes.

What even was that style? I wondered. Truthfully, I had just started choosing songs that genuinely spoke to me. I would listen to a track over and over again, paying attention to what the music was inspiring within me. Instead of thinking my emotionality or my ballet background had no place in a Zumba class, I started leaning into them more. I tapped into the songs that let me go there, and that is exactly what gave my classes my own unique flavor.

To me, true style is about being confident enough to not edit what lights you up.

Often, when students ask me how they can move the way I do, I tell them it’s not about copying, but connecting . What makes dance so captivating, and what truly catches someone's eye, is only one part technique. To me, it is the courage to express joy, connection, and emotion with your body that really leaves an impression. And that is something that looks beautifully different from person to person.

But finding your own signature style and your own A-MAY-zing moves does not just happen on the dance floor.

Now as an adult, the questions I have about what makes me me are less about keeping up with trends and more about making daily choices that feel right for my life.

Sometimes my signature style means choosing to stay in and rest when everyone else goes out. It means saying no (or a yes!) to that glass of wine or dessert without feeling pressure. It means not jumping on the latest fitness trend or fad diet just for the sake of fitting in. Instead, it is about educating myself and paying attention to a mix of what I need, what feels good, and what actually fits into my real life.

This week, what is a choice that feels like it fits perfectly into your own unique style and sense of wellbeing?

If letting go and not editing yourself on the dance floor is it, I will see you there!

Keep moving!

xx,

Katie