How Country Line Dancing Became a Path Out of Depression with Adia Nuno

Adia Nuno is a multi passionate entrepreneur, educator and community builder who transforms lives through movement, mentorship and meaningful experiences. After falling in love with line dancing in 2017, Adia built a thriving collection of businesses that span event production, instructor certification, personal coaching and equipment rental. She's the founder of Kickstart country, co creator of large scale national events like Nashville Dance Fest and the Edge, and the visionary behind Kit, an instructor training program that helps teach teachers grow both their skills and their income. With a background in coaching, wellness and curriculum design, ADEA's mission is to empower others, especially women, to feel confident, connected and free in their bodies and their lives. Whether she's producing a retreat, running a festival, or mentoring entrepreneurs, Adiya brings a signature mix of warmth, strategy and grounded leadership. You are going to love this episode with Adiya. Her story is nothing short of spectacular and powerful and inspiring and I am so, so grateful grateful to have had this conversation with her on let's Talk About It. Hey there and welcome to let's Talk about it with Laurie Streeter, a space to talk honestly and get real about mental health, therapy and all things wellness. I'm Laurie, licensed therapist, speaker and your host, here to bring you insights, tools and information you can actually use. Whether you're navigating anxiety, healing your relationship with food, or trying to figure out which techniques will work for your life. I'm so glad you're here. Let's dive in and let's talk about it. It AA welcome to the show. How are you?

I'm wonderful. I'm so happy to be here. This has been something I've been looking forward to since we talked about it.

Awesome. I know you just came off of your Nashville weekend. You told me right before we started recording and we're going to get into everything. But like, what is one word that you would describe how you're feeling right now?

Oh, how I'm feeling right now? I would still say magical because the weekend was magical. So many beautiful things happened. It's a dance convention where dancers from all over the country and all over the world come together to simply share this one passion that we have. And despite any other values, morals, beliefs that may differ, this is the one thing we have in common. And I think especially after kind of the, the chaotic week that we've had here in America with some of the things that have gone on, I'm just reminded even more of like how special and important this connection that we have through dance and community is. So, so I'd still say I'm running The magical high.

I love that. I think it's so cool. And you guys are going to hear all about Adya's journey and how and why dance is so important. But Adya, I have to tell you, and I wanted to wait until we were recording to tell you this. We are in a mastermind together. And you guys, when we are on a call, Adiya exudes the coolest energy when people are like, I don't know if I can be on Zoom or telehealth or whatever. Like, your energy is just so fun and it comes through to the screen and you just like, I don't know, anytime you talk, ask a question, help someone out, I'm just like, I feel it. And so I just think that it's gonna come across during this interview. It's just I've experienced that, like, listening to you talk on these calls and stuff like that. And I just can't wait for everybody to kind of hear your journey and just feel that energy come through this conversation. So I just had to tell you that.

Oh, well, thank you for saying so. Sometimes I'm so nervous on this call, so I'm glad it's not. It's coming off as positive energy.

It is.

It is.

So, okay, you are a dance instructor. Your Instagram is so cool. I dance all the time. I am terrible at it, so I dance and sing all the time and it is not a skill, so we don't do it in public. But I want to hear all about your journey and how you got there and stuff like that. So is this something that you have been doing your whole life? Is it a new ish thing? Kind of. Where. Where did dance come from for you?

What a great question. But first I want to say, I bet you are a much better dancer than you think. And. And all types of dancing is awesome. So keep on doing it. So dance dance has always had a place in my life, whether it was me physically doing it or just watching it. So I can remember growing up loving Dirty Dancing and any sort of dance movie that I think it was a lot of, like, the connection that I saw, now that I think about it, that it wasn't always just the dance moves, but it was like the connection between the people watching shows like so youo Think youk Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars. All of those have always been very inspiring to me. And I was actually. I was a gymnast when I was younger, or at least I wanted to be. And I got into cheerleading when I was in high school. It just seemed like this form of movement was meant for me in a lot of ways. I was nowhere near the best dancer on anything that I ever did, at least that I would say. But that movement really did resonate with me. And there was something about expressing yourself, expressing myself in this way that really brought a lot of joy. And so there's been these different parts of my life where I feel like dances acted almost as a little savior. And one time that's coming to me is actually in 2011, I believe. 2010, 2011. I was going to make a huge life change, and I ended up. My husband at the time and I. We ended up moving our family to a different city, which meant I needed to let go of the jobs that I had, because it just didn't make sense to. To commute. In addition, we decided to homeschool. It was really more. I decided, and he was supportive of it, but, like, it was huge changes. And I started Zumba at that time, and Zumba was just kind of the dance style that helped ground me and gave me that release. And so that was then. But more recently, in 2017, is when I found country dancing. And I had fallen in love with country music a couple years prior after a lifetime of, like, not liking it or claiming to not like country. And then I started listening to a few songs, and I was like, wow, I really like this genre. And. And I ended up finding a country bar in my area. Turns out there was like, three. I live in Southern California. I live in Riverside county, and there's like, three just right down the street from me and almost in every direction. There's a country bar within a half hour to an hour away. So I started dancing, but it came at a time when I was in a really, really deep depression, and it was the worst mental state I'd ever been in in my life at that point. And. And I was really at the point of total hopelessness, not not knowing if there was going to be a tomorrow for me, because I was just feeling done and walking into that country bar and being able to be surro people who were just there for a good time. Their relationships really consisted of what happened in between those walls. And then they went out into the rest of their world. But then they would always come back to the space, and there would be the sense of camaraderie and community. And the music was great and the dancing was fun. And so as much as I say dance saved my life, dance is not. I don't think it's dance, only the movement. It's dance the heartbeat of the community and the people who are a part of that, and then the music who create music for us to be able to express ourselves to. So all of that kind of woven in. So that's now what I do today. I teach country dance, but I also create events and opportunities for other people to have those type of healing experiences or simply end of the week or midweek, get away, rejuvenate, connect, whatever. Whatever their reason for coming into that space, I love creating those spaces for people. So that's a little bit of what I do with dance.

It's so awesome. And I think it's. Again, it speaks to, like, the energy that you bring to a room. And it's cool to hear you talk about what you would see in the movies. And as soon as you said Dirty Dancing, I was like, oh, one of my favorites, right? And so just like, the energy in the community and everything, like, between the characters and especially, you know, the two in Dirty Dancing and stuff. So it's cool whether it was intentional or not, right, that you've now created a community that you needed at such an important time, and then you exude this energy that you probably have no idea. Well, you probably have an idea, right? Because we want to present ourselves. But, like, to the extent at which you bring in energy, I just. I. I'm sure it's way more powerful than, you know, you even realize or if people even kind of always let you know. So it's just cool that, like, you've directly and indirectly just, like, poured back into people and into the community and created these events and spaces born out of, yes, your entire life, but a time when you said you kind of needed it most and found it and everything.

So, yeah, definitely. Yeah. Thank you.

Do you remember what caused this, like, deep, dark depression and kind of that darkest time in your life? Was it something that kind of was always there or changes in life? I mean, obviously, so many different things can. Can create it. But did you even know what was happening?

You know, I think when I was in the heart of it, which. It came on very, very quickly, it came on. I feel like I often describe it as like a volcano. I didn't know that there was a volcano. And suddenly it erupted. Like, so it came on very quickly, and I think I can pinpoint the why. And I've done a lot of, like, work on myself and research around, like, what actually happened. But first of all, I think the depression was a result of a lot of past unhealed trauma undealt with, like, just Buried from sexual trauma as a child that I basically ignored, never told anyone about to my dad passing away when I was 15, unexpectedly in a free diving accident. So 39, totally healthy. One day he's here, one day he's, next day he's not. And, and I remember very, very distinctly not mourning like waking up the next day, my world in pieces and everyone else's world seemingly just moving on. Like the clock never stopped for anyone else. And I was like, oh, okay, this is how the world works. Like nobody actually knows or cares what I'm going through. And so this burden, like I'll carry alone. And I shed very even few tears over my dad's death at that time. I remember seeing a therapist and them trying to like help me and I'm just like, I'm cool, I'm good. And I don't have a ton of recollection from that time, but I know that my mom like tried. I know she tried to like get me help knowing that I would need it. And I was just so like hard and shelled and I was, I was at the time doing cheerleading, which actually that's another time when the dance kind of saved me because I actually had just joined the high school cheer squad when he passed away. So I was full steam ahead in dancing and movement and pep rallies and football games. And so it helped me get through that time period for sure. But I think suppressing that added to this, the lava buildup in the volcano. I also believe, and this is something maybe it's talked about a lot more now, but it wasn't when I was going through it. But postpartum depression played a big part when I actually did see a doctor in the midst of, midst of that, this most recent depression. The doctor suggested that it was potentially a lingering postpartum as well. My kids are a little bit older. My kid, My oldest is 21, my daughter, my middle daughter is 17 and my youngest is 15. But still undealt with, you know, there was suggestion that that was a thing. So. But ultimately what it came down to was, you know, I was working, I was, I many things on my plate. I was doing a lot. And then, and the biggest thing at that time in 2017 was I was doing a network marketing company and I was rising in the ranks and pushing, pushing, pushing. But I realized that if I kept with that intensity on that business, I, I was basically making a choice, at least according to me, to miss out on my kids childhood and really being there for them and specifically my daughter. I, I love My mom, we've got a great relationship, but I always desired a much closer. And being one of five, like, she did the best she could. And also being one of five and my mom being widowed, like, God bless her, like, I mean, the fact that we're all here is a miracle. But I really wanted to do differently with my daughter and try and really try to have a good relationship with her. And so ultimately I left that network marketing. Well, I didn't leave it. I just took my foot off the gas and everything crumbled very, very quickly. Because if you're not like, pushing, pushing, pushing, you know, it just kind of crumbled, and that was devastating. So in this decision to ultimately, you know, be a better mom and have a relationship with my daughter, the adverse reaction happened on this side of my life as well. And I think it was mainly because I kind of paused for, like, the first time. I paused for the first time. I wasn't working morning till night. I wasn't dealing with all sorts of different accounts and people. I was like, just going to focus on my kids and homeschool and my relationship. And I feel like everything that had been under the surface just came bubbling up. I had also been. I've had the most amazing former husband. I think he is. He's a very, very, very wonderful person. But going into the relationship early on, I wasn't in the right frame of mind to be entering into a marriage, and I thought I was, but I had so many things I needed to work through just to get to know myself. I was really young. I was only. I was 19 when we were married. There was a lot of resentment towards myself, anger at myself. Like, I put myself in this position. This is my fault that I'm here. And all of that is kind of what led to that volcanic explosion that threw me into a really deep depression really quickly.

Thank you for sharing that. I mean, I know it's not easy, and I think as we get older and we've done some healing, we're able to talk about things a little more matter of factly. But it's, you know, never the easiest. And I. I do appreciate, you know, your. Your honesty and rawness with all of that. Do you think? And. And not to put you on the spot, but something you said really made me think your dad passed away when you were 15. And so I don't know if that was kind of the first major loss you experienced being young. I mean, yes, you know, what happened, but the gravity of it, like, is so abstract. I think when we're younger and then, you know, things get more complicated as we get older and we have life behind us. But do you think that the cheerleading and pep rallies just allowed you to mask and gave you something to like, throw yourself into and everything? Like, it just, you were able to put a mask on and go be this person and. And it just, it did. It gets oppressed.

Yeah, definitely. I think it was, it was a really beautiful thing to have in my life at the time, but I definitely think it was a coping, like, coping mechanism, I think, coupled with like healing and therapy and really kind of looking at my situation would have. Would have been the best situation would have been the best, like ingredients for healing. But yeah, it was, it was just always go, go, go. Being a cheerleader, I'm always out front. My job is to bring cheer, you know, my job is to bring positive energy. I think naturally that's how God made me anyway. But, like, now it's my job. This is my role, like, and I have an obligation to myself, my team and the entire school, you know, to keep this up. So, yeah, it definitely, it definitely math, it helped me cope, but ultimately didn't allow, I didn't allow. And I mean, I was a baby, so, you know, I have to give myself grace for that. But I didn't allow myself to heal. I didn't allow myself to grieve. I didn't allow myself to go through what would have been helpful for me to not have a breakdown 20 years later.

Yeah, well, and, and you know, the, the really messed up thing about grief too. I lost my mom. You know, I've lost people along the way. I would say my mom is like the biggest loss I've ever had. And that happened 10 years ago. And life does just keep moving. Like, I remember being at the grocery store and being like, nobody knows what. I just went there. Like, I mean, it's such a surreal, messed up kind of feeling to watch the world continue on and you've now experienced this earth shattering just thing in your life and stuff. So, yeah, we do have to keep going. But the fact that nobody else, you know, maybe obviously the people closest to you, but it's just such a weird thing. And then again to be young and have to try to wrap your head around how this works and everything. So I would assume right from everything you're saying, you obviously did the best you could and it, you know, there was that volcano that you didn't know was there and you know, however many years later. So I, I can imagine when things Come bubbling up. It's. It's a lot.

Yeah. And it was. It was definitely confusing because I. On one hand, I'm like, I can. I can pinpoint a handful of things that I could say contributed to this depression, but I think there now I know that there was a lot more. There was a lot more of undealt with pain, trauma ideas, you know, just all sorts of things I had gone through and that we all go through. I know I'm not alone in this.

Yeah. So when you really kind of. You said it came on pretty quickly. And what did you notice? Because obviously everybody's journey is different. And so what started to happen where you were like, shit, something's not right, Something's out of alignment? Or were people around you starting to, hey, what's going on? Are you okay? How did you notice?

Good question. So, first of all, the word alignment, like, was not in my vocabulary until much later. And it makes so much sense now because that's exactly what it was. Everything felt, everything fell out of alignment. But I always say I'm a terrible actress, except I was really the best actress because almost nobody knew what I was going through. And I had a Bible study group that I met with weekly. And I remember sitting in that group, like, screaming inside, wanting to share, like, how I was feeling or what was going on. But because of how I had witnessed and heard, like, responses to other people's trials, I was, like, guarding myself. I'm like, I don't want to be thought of this way, or I don't. And it's nothing, not, not to say anything bad about the people who I was doing life with. We were all just being human, doing the best we could with what we had and what we knew. But my. My observation was like, wow, I can't share this. If I share what I'm going through, I'm going to be. And this is a story I'm telling myself to be on this story I'm telling myself, not that anyone told, you know, said would happen, but, you know, I'm going to be looked negatively upon. Like, how does a woman with, you know, a husband and three kids and two dogs, and you have the home and you're healthy and you're fit, like, what could possibly be wrong with you that you would, you know, need guidance, help, encouragement, support. That's where my head was. And I. And I think that I know that there's a lot of people. I'll just speak for women, like, in the same position, like, I look like everything should be fine. And if I present differently, what does that mean about me? What will people think about me? So that was really where my head was. Like, I would just. I would just sit there. And my hair has always been. For those of you who are listening, I have curly. I would say longish hair. It's long when it's. When it's pulled straight. But I would, like, hide behind my hair. Like, I always have my hair just halfway over my face, just kind of hiding. It was like my safety net of just, like, being able to have my feelings just behind my hair. Nobody sees them. Nobody's even really asking, because I'm not. I'm not showing that there's something more. I remember being in a couple, like, women's groups and bringing up a subject, and it was, like, really vulnerable for me. And I would bring it up, and everyone would say. I would say, does anyone else, like, have any experience like this? And they'd be like, no. What? That's weird. I'm like, first of all, I don't think that's true. I think that people did and were ashamed or afraid to say something. So I just went through so much on my own, just. Just alone. And I really. I want to say this to. To you, Lori, but also to, like, any listeners. As much as we feel alone, we really aren't. We're really not the only ones going through it. And so it may be really scary to reach out, but that's, like, one of my biggest pieces of advice now. Like, there's someone who's going to listen. There's someone right now in your circle or in your sphere of influence that's going to understand, and so. So much better to reach out than to not. But I was a great actress. Nobody really knew my kids. They probably felt the brunt of it, and that just maybe looked like being more irritable at times. But my. My husband at the time was so supportive that if I was irritated, then he would choose to be irritated. And so not realizing that there was something behind this, that there was something much more going on with me. So, yeah, I spent. I spent a lot of time just hiding behind my hair, just smiling, just not sharing, not asking for help or asking for support, because I was perceiving that if I did, then I would be responded to in a certain way or I'd be looked at a certain way. And I didn't want to break the image that I figured people had about me. So it was really isolating. Wow.

And just from, like, hearing you explain all that. Right. It's like you said, the stories we tell ourselves and everything, but nobody really knew. People around you, like you said, maybe could feel it, but they weren't gonna dig because everything, quote, unquote, looked okay. And then there was just this internal battle just raging inside and everything. So did you get to the point where you just. The volcano exploded and you were like, I. I can't do this anymore. Or was there a catalyst that that volcano exploded and you decided, like, people have to find. I have to ask for help, or. What happened?

So what happened was, I would say, 20. So late. 2016 is when I made the decision to leave the network marketing company. And within, I mean, less than 30 days, I felt like the world crushing me, like, coming down on my shoulders. And I. I thought that it was simply because my business was failing, or in my mind, it was failing, even though I had this dichotomy, because I'm like, I made this choice. Like, I chose my daughter, I chose my kids. I chose my family. But still, watching, you know, the. Watching the business crumble was really hard. So that. That really happened at that time. And from there, it was just an ongoing spiral of feeling that. That same dichotomy. Like, I'm feeling really shitty. I'm feeling really bogged down. I'm feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders. And also, you chose this idea, which is a theme for me. I chose this. So you live with it and going, I could go back to the different things in life that I chose or that I would say I chose for myself and how I've been, like, living in, in a lot of ways, my own little prison that I created for myself. And so as the days and weeks and on, I just wasn't getting any relief. I was doing my best, on one hand to be the best mom, be the best homeschooler mom that I could. And at the same time, I was truly just, like, dying inside more and more. And it was like the weight of the trauma I had not worked through, the weight of the decisions that I had made. When I first got married, I made a decision to get married for reasons that were not the right reasons, in my opinion. For me, I. I wanted fafsa. Like, I wanted financial aid from school. It made sense at the time. Not a great reason. That's why I was, like, 19.

Sure.

Yeah. So it wasn't really the right reason to, like, commit yourself to someone for life. I had put myself in. In a prison. And then it's like, okay, well, what do you do here's? What you do when you're in the. You have kids, you do this. And I just. Just started checking the boxes, doing all the things that I believe that I should do, all the while creating even more of a prison for myself, because the more kids that I had made it even harder for me to have any sort of freedom and especially to free myself. And honestly, divorce was never something I ever intended. I never imagined it. I never wanted to be an option for me. And when it came down to it, in the deepest, deepest part of my, like, depression, where I was really at the end, this is around, like, 2018. I'm like, okay, I. I only see one way out right now, and that's to end my life. Like, I don't see any other way. And as I danced and I got. And I started to have a little bit of, like, this little spark of healing occur and this little spark of confidence occur, there was about the beginnings of what would be a balancing of, like, okay, maybe I'll be okay, maybe I'll be okay, but not in the situation I'm in. So I had. I went from one option, which was suicide, to the second option, which was divorce. And ultimately, thank God, I. I chose the divorce. And it ended up being one of the best things ever. And not because my former husband is not an amazing man, but because it was a freedom that I needed to give myself. So I hope that answered the question, but it's. It. It was. It was very isolating. And it wasn't until I started making decisions that felt really scary. But I. But I thought that they could be for my better good that things started to change. And it was dance. I. In the midst, I was dancing, and differently from when I was in high school, that dance was, like, actually healing me. The movement was healing me, the people were healing me. I started doing courses. I started getting more information about what it was that I was going through and how I could actually not hope. I don't believe I'm coping at all right now. I believe I am living, like, authentically fully, I mean, embodying the best energy that I want to embody now. So. But it definitely took making some decisions that I felt like would be very controversial and scary and not looked highly upon, but, like, for once I was doing something that I believe was good for myself, whereas every other time, it wasn't that way.

Well, and. And I think that the really difficult thing about suicidal thoughts and everything, and when I talk about it with clients is more often than not, they don't. And I don't want to put words in your mouth, so you tell me. This is, this is my experience with a lot of my clients. They don't necessarily want life to end. They want that current pain to end. So it's like, maybe there's, like, I would keep living if this wasn't so bad, whatever this is. And, and it just. That desperation in that moment of, like, I want this to end, and then once there's some kind of spark or hope comes back into the picture, it's like, okay, I have a little bit of confidence that I can do this, but when that is so dim and dark and seemingly gone, it's like, well, this is my only solution. And there's. There's such a sense of desperation, and it's. It's so sad to experience it and witness it. And again, I just appreciate you talking through that.

And.

And I think it's so relatable to a lot of people because, I mean, a lot of people, again, not to minimize it. Right. But a lot of people have those moments where they're like, I don't see a way out. And that hope isn't there. And until whatever that is that brings that hope back, there's. There's no. I can't see to the other side. So I'm glad you were able to, like, okay, what is the other option? And you chose something that would. You didn't know what it looked like, but you chose something.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that the desperation is. Is really key because I remember thinking and saying, I have the power to live another 20 plus years in this state of mind and state of being. Like, I believe I have the power, and I don't want to because I am miserable, and I don't want to live every day faking it, like, anymore. And so that was like the desperation piece for me. And. And when I weighed the two options and I thought, okay, I love my kids so much. What's better for my kids, me being gone? You know, the. The idea that they're better off without me, or there's just being a little shift or a big shift, but a shift in the way life looks for them. And having lost my dad at age 15, it's not something that I wish on any child ever. I mean, I think losing people in general is super, super hard. My experience is losing my dad when I was a kid, and I was the oldest of five siblings, so all my other siblings were so much younger. And like, them growing up without a father, like, breaks my heart to this day. When I think about it, and I didn't want to be the reason that they grew up without a mom or without a parent. And so figured this was the. This was. At the time, that's all I could see, is the only other option, because I couldn't figure out how to get myself out of this piece where I'm like, I can live like this. I can continue living like this. I know I can, because I've done it for this long, and I don't want to, because it's painful and it hurts and it doesn't feel authentic, and I'm just like a shell of who I could be. I know I'm called to so much more, and. And I. And that's all being suppressed, and I don't even know how to unlock it, and I don't even know what it looks like. I had no idea that I'd be sitting here today on a podcast with you, you know, talking about this or talking about my Nashville event. And, I mean, never had any of these things crossed my mind. But I think that's the beauty in making a decision that is in your best interest or you feel like is in your best interest and not knowing what's on the other end of it, trusting that there will be good at the end of it.

So you then somehow walk into a country bar at some point, feel a spark, and you just. You just start moving and healing and creating this community and this sense of you. You said earlier, like, I'm. I'm living now. So do you think that you've unshackled yourself from that prison, that you. Not that it was your fault, but that you said, I created for myself? Like, do you feel free from all of that now?

Yeah, I really do. And I feel like every day that I make decisions that feel aligned with who I am, I'm just continuing to walk in that freedom. And I believe that when I speak and when I make that known, I'm also empowering others to walk in that freedom, which 10 years ago, I would have. I would have had totally different thoughts on, like, no, here's what you should do based on. I. I have a Christian upbringing background. I am a Christian, and I also believe that God wants us to live, like, fully aligned with who he made us to be. And when we're stuck in rigid rules or systems that really do not align with, like, who we are, then it's really. It just really suppresses the person that we were designed to be. And I feel like, you know, I walk that country bar I was greeted by really kind people. Like I said, the music, the dance, the whole experience was great. And they. And they were like, when you coming back? We. We do this every night. And there was literally. I was so blessed because literally six nights a week, I could do this five minutes from my house. And so I just kept showing up. And the more I showed up, the more I healed. And what that felt like, was it literally, Lori, feels like healing potion, like pulsing through your veins. I'm sure there's lots more scientific ways to explain it, but that's like what it feels like. Like every stomp, every clap, every extension of your body, every just letting loose and. And singing on the dance floor and just like expressing yourself in these ways. It's like it was. It was truly rejuvenating and healing me. So fun and also challenging. Story is as I was in those moments, and I was. I would just dance all out. And I'm putting that in quotation marks because that is now my brand, but I would just dance all out. And. And I had a couple people who just didn't like it. And I had one person say, like, what's your. What's your motive here? What's your motive? And I'm like, dance? No, no, no. You've got much bigger motives here. Like, you wouldn't come out here. And. And of course, that person has their own stories that they're tell going through. And then, funny thing, couple years later, as I have these big events, he's like, see, I knew it. And I'm like, literally, that just happened. Like, I had no motive. But there was one point where I had someone for two hours just berate me and tell me what a horrible person I was and how inauthentic I was and how much I was trying to get attention, just pulled me across, pulled me aside on the dance floor to tell me this. And I. Why did I stay for two hours? Because I was in complete disbelief. Like, like, what is happening right now? And like, little do you know, I'm literally just healing. Like, I'm. I'm. I'm so thankful to be here. I'm so thankful to be here on this planet, still with these people, still with my family, because it wasn't going to be that way. And so it just. Yeah. As. The more I moved, the more I healed. Honestly, I've been told. Now, I. I don't necessarily agree with this, but I've been told I was a bad dancer. Like, at one point, I didn't have rhythm. Yeah. Yeah. So you Know, I've got little things like that in the past. I mean, I was a gymnast. I was the stiffest gymnast ever. Like, could not score well on the floor because I just. My movements were not graceful. It was. I'm sure it was fine to watch, but it didn't score well, let's put it that way. So it's not like I'm out there being this fabulous dancer. I'm not Dancing with the Stars material, but it didn't matter. I was just dancing all out and. And in that, my body, I literally felt healing, like, in and through my veins. And I went to this convention where they taught different styles of line dance, like waltz line dances and nightclub wine, like. And these were like, the ones I saw on the tv. And so it was so cool being an untrained dancer. I didn't have any formal studio training whatsoever, but being this untrained dancer, being able to express myself in this way. And I just thought, I have to share this with other people. Like, I have to give them. I have to show them how they can have this kind of freedom as well. Because whether it's freedom from depression or freedom from whatever it is that might be holding someone back, like, I believe that dance has the ability and again, dance, meaning the people, the music, the dance itself, but has the ability to help, even just break open what they might be going through so that they're able to deal with it. And I, as much as I create on the floor dance healing experiences, I'm also now venturing into off the floor because we all know in our dance communities, we all know, like, when you're there, it's heaven, it's bliss, it's magical. And then you. And then there's remnants of that when you leave, but then there's this moment where you're just back in the mundane, back in the swing of things. And I want to help people not only heal on the dance floor, but take that healing off the dance floor as well. So I've been incorporating a lot more wellness and mindset stuff into everything that I'm doing. But today I feel freaking phenomenal. Like, every day is a good day. Best life ever. Even when things are hard. Best life ever.

I love that. I love that. And. And I just. I. There's such a sense of, like, gratitude that I get from you saying that when you say best life ever, like, you're just lit up and you look excited and like you're actually enjoying life and stuff. And so I think it's just so powerful. And when I asked you initially, right, like how would you describe how you're feeling right now at the beginning and you were like just magical and stuff. And again, your energy, it just comes across. I can feel it, I can see it, I can hear it. And I don't know, maybe you do know this about music, but kind of the neuroscience behind how we process things, we take in stimuli right? All day, we process music differently and that's why it can be so powerful. So the somatic bottom up experience of movement and dance paired with the fact that we literally neuroscientifically process music differently is pretty cool. And so I love movement for people and I'm always encouraging people to make playlists and have that to shift their state and stuff. You know, like you said, it's not just the movement, it's not just the dance, it's the music and what these artists are creating in the community and just the whole, the whole battery of everything that, that surrounds dance and what you experience. So yeah, it's, there's actual science there on why it's so powerful. But then the feeling and the magic and you said the healing potion of it. So it's cool to see that happen to people.

Definitely. And I do want to say because I know there's, I'm sure there's lots of people listening who think that dance may not be an option for them. And one of my favorite things to share is that line dance in particular is one of the most welcoming and forgivable, like forgiving dances. It, it accepts everyone. And I've met dozens of people who say they have two left feet. But I've yet to meet one person who actually does because there's never been a, that I've not been able to help get the steps and get the dance. And then that does so much for your confidence and your well being and if it's partner dancing, your relationships and, and line dancing as well. But I just wanted to put that out there. So if you think you're not a dancer, I guarantee you this style is, is something that you will, you'll, you will succeed in. And I've worked with thousands upon thousands of dancers, not yet come across one with two left feet.

Awesome. Well, that gives me hope. So let's, let's get into that. So you again, you just came off in Nashville and that was a dance convention. So tell me more about like what you do, what you're bringing. Because you said I'm also doing things off the dance floor because once people go home, how, what are we doing in our daily life and everything? So kind of run the gamut on now what you do to bring this back and the teaching and everything that you offer in the communities and stuff that you create. Because I know that's, that's super important to you.

Yeah, thank you for asking. Well, I'll say it's multifaceted and very, very like wide fetched, but I will try to narrow it down. So I, first of all, my, my main company is called Kickstart Country. Idea Dance is my original brand. It's the foundation of everything. Everything started with Idea Dance. But Kickstart country is my event company and we host events all over the nation. And what that looks like is conventions of different sizes. So Nashville is my biggest one. We actually had over 2, 500 people. And this is our third volume, second year. So we did two in 2024, one in 2025, and just record breaking numbers because people, people crave this community. They crave being in community with each other in this way. In fact, if you ask people, they'll. I hear constantly. Number one reason why I came to see the people from across the globe that I haven't seen since the last one. You know, all the new friends that they met. That's so cool. Yeah. So. So at a dance convention, we don't just dance, we actually teach you to dance so that you can be even more confident. Everything from people who it's their very first day and they're claiming to have two left feet to advanced dancers who've been technically trained in a studio and everything in between. So we teach line dance, two step country swing, west coast swing. We teach these classes on dips and tricks and lifts and aerials. And then in addition, we have instructors that come from all over the world. So this at Nashville Dances, we actually had instructors from Spain and Italy and Canada, in addition to all over the United States, which was so, so cool. I actually went to Italy to teach in June of 2025 and a couple instructors were there that I have had met. And I was like, you guys got to come to my national event. They ended up coming, so that's amazing. Just a couple months later, they made it work. They made it work with their travel and their schedule. And so we do these classes. We also have social dancing, which just means there's music now dance. And then we also have competitions which many people like to participate in, but others just like to watch. It's a really fun way to see people go all out on the dance floor. We even at this one had our honky tonk world championship. So basically, people brought their own choreographed routines, whether as a team or as a partnership, and they earned a spot in the finals here at Nashville Dance Fest. And. And then in addition to that, we incorporate the live music and as you were saying, like, it. It's just so impactful in ways that most of us couldn't even articulate. But we incorporate the live music. Number one for me, because I love showing gratitude to the music makers, the artists who bring it to life that give us the opportunity to dance. And then it's just really cool. It's a super cool vibe to have live music and have the people who create the songs to the. To the line dances that we dance to right there on stage, and you're able to dance it with them, and it's a really, really neat experience. So we had a great lineup this time. All the artists were so engaging. One of them, Chase McDaniel, he shared how it was dance that actually also saved and changed his life also. But in the sense that he made a. A song and a line dancer choreographed a routine to his song, and that's what made him blow up and get the, you know, be where he is today. That it started because a line dancer created a dance to his song, and so he's so forever grateful to the dance community because it had a huge impact in his career. So. So that's what. That's what it looks like at Nashville Dance Fest. It's everything from vendors. I mean, we've got a barber, tattoo artist, food vendors, hat vendors. It's just a whole vibe. And then we're in Nashville, so it's cool. People go down to Broadway. We had our pre party on Broadway, and it's an. It's. We try to create lots of different activations to meet different people's needs, whether it be the live music instruction, private lessons, competitions. And I do it all over the. All over the country, just at different capacities. So in California, I have a dance called or an event called the Edge Dance Event. It happens at a ranch in Temecula, California, and we literally put the dance floors in the horse arenas. And you show up and it's dirt and it's like as country as it gets.

I was gonna say now that's a country experience. Yeah.

Oh, yeah. It's so fun. And the ranch is beautiful. The California Ranch Company is a really beautiful location for weddings, for all sorts of events, but it's a working ranch, so they have, you know, arenas and. And horseback riding and Competitions and all that kind of stuff. And that gives the feel even more so of the country atmosphere. We have live music there too. It's a little bit more of the ambiance versus, like a concert. But yeah, so that's what I do all over the country. And some are. I kind of think of them as churches. Some of them are big mega churches, and some of them are small town, you know, community churches. And they all serve a really beautiful purpose for the people who go to them. And. And it's just something a little different for everyone. And here you go. And it's one of the most amazing things that I'm proud of because I know that, well, for this realm, for this time in, in our, in our time period of life, like, I started this movement with the Edge dance event. It had existed before 30 years prior, and it's kind of dwindled into something that doesn't look anything like what we do now at National Dancers on the Edge. But this has catapulted and, and been a catalyst for a lot of other companies to emerge, to start and to create events, which for me I think is amazing because just like churches, it's like there's never going to be enough to fit everybody. So keep on making them, keep on coming up with things. The more opportunity, the better. I don't believe it takes away from my business. I feel like it adds and it, and it incorporates even more people. And when there's more people dancing, I think there's more joy, there's more hope, there's more community, there's more understanding from peer to peer. Like, I kind of started with politics. Don't matter on the dance floor. We don't bring that stuff to the dance floor. On the dance floor, we're. We're the human race enjoying, you know, an experience together, just appreciating each other.

It's so cool. I mean, I. I don't know, maybe I'll have to come to Nashville one year or something or you do something on the east coast, but I just, I. I will prove to you that I have two left feet, but I'll give it my best shot.

I accept that challenge, Lori. I accept that challenge.

It's. It's just. It's so cool. So where do you see yourself? Personally, professionally? Because I think it doesn't seem like your personal and professional lives are totally compartmentalized. Like, you are what you do, and what you do is who you are. And I think for you, that works. For some people, they need to keep it separate because I don't. Maybe they're not so aligned right, and so happy with. With where things are right now. But because this is such a huge part of your healing and your life and what you're giving back and the gift you bring to the world, where do you see things in five years? Like, where do you see yourself? Because you never imagined you'd be where you are now? So where can you even picture where things could be in the future?

Oh, man. Well, I love dreaming about my future self and all the things in the future. One thing that I'm really focusing on right now is building leadership. So I'm teaching and training instructors because I know that for me, number one, I'm one person and I can only reach so many people personally, even with big events, I can only be in one place at a time. And so I'm focusing on really building leaders and equipping leaders so that they can continue to do big things. So in the future, I see myself even more in that role. There was once a time where I could walk into almost any bar and just about anyone could recognize me. It slowly shifting, and that's okay. I'm totally happy about that because it's not about me. It's about what they're getting in that experience. So for me to be able to equip leaders, to create those kind of experiences that do welcome people, do, do invite people back, do give them the confidence that they are going to be able to be successful, and therefore they keep coming and that confidence exudes in all areas of their life. It bleeds over in so many different ways. That's really where I want my role to be is, is continuing to train and equip leaders because I believe the masses. You know, I can. I can sit there and teach 200 people, but then those 200 each can teach an additional 2,000 people. And I. I'd prefer that my influence be magnified in that way as far as long as I have impact. So that's kind of what I'm doing right now. I'm also really wanting to incorporate more wellness and helping people see that, this amazing feeling that they get when they're here in the dance community or here on the dance floor. This can be a part of their regular life. And so starting to open those doors of healing, of breaking open the cracks that have been coping mechanisms. I'm also moving in that direction. And it's a little bit of a uphill battle because people don't know what they don't know. They're just coming in hurt coming in, you know, whatever their situation is. And not. And this is not to say that everyone who's dancing is miserable or depressed. That's not the case at all. But there is a huge healing component of it. In fact, with Nashville Dances and my business partners, we have an organization called Dancing Heels. It's more of a movement. It's more of a movement with the organization behind it, but it's more of a movement of just like, hey, Dancing Heels. H E A L us. Like, we're. We're. We're wanting to spread this message, just bring more people into the community. So that's really where I feel like my leadership role is headed. I am. I used to Travel a lot. 2020. For me, the silver lining was plane tickets were cheap, and there were a few places that were open. That's where I started. I traveled a ton in 2020 and 2021. Made a lot of friends at any. Any location that was open. You know, masks or however that worked. But. And so I did a lot of traveling the last five years, and now I'm feeling like I'm called to be home more. I want to be. My kids are finishing up their. Their high school years. I have a really awesome, sexy, hot boyfriend who everyone knows him as Adia's sexy, hot boyfriend because that's how I always talk about him. And I love being around him. And I want to spend more time around my family and. And building real. Continuing to build and strengthen my home. Now that I've been able to do this for myself and been able to do this for so many other people, I want to bring the focus back home. So I'm doing more things virtually rather than traveling as much as I did before.

So inspiring. I love it. So two questions for you. If people want to follow, see what you're up to, where can they find you? And if someone is loving life and in a great mood and they're like, I want to dance, or if they're struggling and hurting and they're like, well, I got nothing to lose. Where would you suggest someone start?

Great question. So I'll start with the second question, if that's okay. So one of the biggest things when it comes to dancing is. Is just repetition, getting out there and doing it. And that could be really scary. It could be scary to leave your living room or your kitchen and expose yourself to what feels like the eyes of everyone looking at you. So I created a program called Country Dance Simplified, and it is exactly that. You'll learn kind of some of the basics and fundamentals of country dancing. And those little, we'll call them puzzle pieces make up a whole puzzle. So I. You'll learn the fundamentals, you learn the pieces, and then we put them together so that you're able to actually do some dances. And the dances that I chose to put inside of Country Dance Simplified for the line dance version are dances that you could go to almost any country bar, almost any concert, and you're pretty much guaranteed to see at least one of them on the dance floor. So that is a really great resource. It's online. You could do it in your kitchen, in your living room until you're feeling good about it. And it also has partner dancing. So whether it's you and your girlfriends, your guy friends, your. Your significant other, your kids, I see people do this with their dogs like they're. Anyone can dance. And we can get you moving with Country Dance Simplified. It's a really great, a great starting point and one of my favorite things about it that makes it different than other virtual programs out there that are also awesome in their own regard. But we, we do have a technique, focus. And so starting with Country Dance Simplified is going to equip you to be able to learn even more when you get. When you progress to something else, like a convention or a class in the country bar or something like that. So Country Dance Unified, that is, it is, it's new. But it's my heart for all of my friends who, who think they have two left feet and those who want to, you know, just for whatever reason, they want to try this thing out. One of my favorite parts of country dancing is how many guys and girls do it. It's not a girl sport, it's not a girl activity. It is absolutely like gender neutral. Everyone, welcome. Everyone's gonna find something in country dancing that, that fits with who you are. So that. And then as I mentioned, Kickstart country, that's my event company. So from workshops to conventions, on the small scale, on the big scale, and we even have dance floor that we had built. So we rent dance floor out of Southern California. If you're looking for that affordable dance floor and you can find me adiadance ad, as in David I A. Adiadance on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, my website, Facebook. And that's really kind of the best place to see where I'm at. I'm. I love it when people reach out to me. My information is very public, so feel free to use that hopefully in the best way. I trust that your listeners, I'M sure are listening and have have that good intentions. But my information is out there because I want to be available and accessible to people whether it's a lesson or a coaching call. I actually have my life coaching certifications as well in eight different modalities. And I did that just so I could be able to communicate with people. Not necessarily because I want to make a career out of coaching at this time, but I just want to be able to communicate better and listen better and help people solve their problems and get to where they are living a super aligned life. So Idea dance Kickstart country country dance simplified between the three. You'll have everything you need to succeed in dance and feel great about life.

That's awesome. And, and we'll definitely link everything for sure. And I'm going to give everybody a warning. And you don't, you don't know this but like when you go to Adia's page, you're gonna go down a rabbit hole and just start scrolling through videos and watching all the dances and what she's doing. And it's like one of those things that you just. I want to see this one and what are they doing there and what are they. Oh, that's cool. Oh, my feet don't move like that. But. But it's so cool. Like you do have one of those pages where you just want to keep watching and listening and seeing what you're doing and stuff. So yeah, it's a good warning because I love your page. It's just, it's so. And again, the energy, the community, it's so fun.

Oh, thank you so much. Well, one of my favorite videos that you'll all come across at some point is the one with me dancing with my son. Because that's been you talked about earlier. You know, it seems like it's all integrated into my life. It's not necessarily segmented and by God's grace, that is the case. My oldest son fell in love with dance about three years ago at one of my conventions that I forced him to go to. Just dragging my kid along type thing. Saw it, saw it, was inspired. And now he and I dance together. Now he dances and travels. And at my most recent event, my daughter, she always does like my merch table. She brings her little puppy and she just talks to people, which is really cool. And then my youngest actually did the parking. He was the parking director or not director, but he was directing people for parking at the age of 15. So I really love incorporating like all my kids. I do for me it is like, all encompassing. So I appreciate, you know, I appreciate you checking it out, anyone who does check it out. And I also love hearing from people. So please send me a dm, send me a message, send me an email. I really would love to support you wherever you are in your journey and whatever that looks like.

Awesome. Well, I know that people are gonna find themselves in your story and it's, again, it's so inspiring and I appreciate your vulnerability and I know just so many people are gonna be able to relate. So I, you know, appreciate you being open and sharing so much and being able to kind of, and willing to, to dig in and be honest and kind of more of the backstory about where everything came from and, and why all of this, this is so important to you. So I definitely appreciate that. I want to ask you one final question, if you will. If a listener remembers only one thing from today, what would you hope that.

That is the exact answer that I'd love to share? And that is the best is yet to come. No matter where you're at, the best is yet to come. Even when it feels dark and dingy and hopeless, the best is yet to come. And so looking for that light, looking for those moments that will get you to whatever that next level is, that little baby step, I just, I believe wholeheartedly that for each and every person listening here, that their best is also yet to come. So just keeping that in the forefront, and that's what I'd love to leave you with.

Diya, thank you so much. There's. There's nothing else to be said. I appreciate you.

Thank you. I appreciate you too. Thank you for having me.

Thanks for hanging out with me today on let's Talk about it with Lori Streeter. If this episode resonated with, with you, it would mean so much if you'd leave a five star review, share it with a friend, or come say hi on Instagram. Lori Streeter, your support will help this podcast grow. And I so appreciate you being here today. I want to help people just like you feel like they're not alone and gain the tools they need to grow. Until next time, take care.