#26 "Empowering Youth Through Performing Arts Mindset" with Christina Walker

00:15 - 00:55
Speaker Cheryl1: Welcome to another episode of Teen Minds Redefined. Today we have a beautiful guest, Christina Walker, and I'm going to tell you a little bit about her before we dive in. Christina is a dynamic force in the world of vocal performance, coaching, and youth education. With over 2 decades of experience as a private vocal performance coach, Christina has honed her craft to perfection, guiding aspiring performers towards their full potential. As the CEO of Practice, Polish, Perform, a cutting-edge virtual training program tailored for young performers, Christina is at the forefront of revolutionizing the youth performing arts industry. Her

00:55 - 01:41
Speaker Cheryl1: innovative approach integrates the essential elements of practice, polish and performance, empowering her students to excel on stage and beyond. But Christina's influence extends far beyond vocal technique. She is a pioneer in performing arts mindset, education recognizing the importance of mental fortitude and resilience in the pursuit of artistic excellence. Through her visionary leadership, Christina is reshaping the landscape of youth performing arts, instilling confidence, discipline, and a growth mindset in her students. Beyond her professional achievements, Christina is a devoted mother of 4, ranging from 16 to 20. Her experiences as a parent provide her with a unique perspective,

01:41 - 02:03
Speaker Cheryl1: allowing her to connect deeply with both her students and their families. Christina is based in the vibrant city of Dallas, Texas. She brings a blend of passion, expertise, and warmth to everything she does. Join us as we delve into the world of vocal performance and youth empowerment with the remarkable Christina Walker. Welcome, welcome, welcome.

02:04 - 02:09
Speaker 2Christina: Thank you. Thank you for that beautiful introduction. I completely appreciate that. It's beautiful. Thank you.

02:09 - 02:48
Speaker Cheryl1: I've got to do you right. I have been really doing some research on you. And of course, as I tell most of my guests, I don't normally look at anything except energy. And as we are both in these different Facebook groups to promote ourselves and our podcasts and to get our message out there, You just are able to kind of get an energy from somebody and it isn't until I start, I reach out, I ask, let's do this, and then I do the research and I'm like, oh, this girl's a pretty big deal. So that's awesome.

02:48 - 02:55
Speaker Cheryl1: Good for you. I would love to know, is there anything in there that I didn't say that you would love to share?

02:55 - 03:32
Speaker 2Christina: Oh, well, 1 thing I love that you did include is that that I work well with the families of the performers. You know so much about raising a teenager or youth, whether they're in the performing arts or it's just, you know, an athlete, whatever realm it is, is the family unit, whatever that looks like. Our teenagers have some, they have adult figures who are helping to guide them. And I love that you highlighted that, because that is something that's really strong in my heart and that I do in my private studio is as I create those

03:32 - 03:55
Speaker 2Christina: connections with the teenagers and their parents and or whomever that figure is in their life and in their world, because it's such a big deal how we can help steer our teenagers. And the rise and fall sometimes of their teen years can greatly be influenced by the adults and by the family unit. And so I like that you highlighted that not everyone not everyone looks at it that way and so I

03:55 - 04:28
Speaker Cheryl1: love that you found that 1. Well it's funny when I'm talking to people or even thinking about topics for my podcast it always seems to go I find a way like III think oh this would be great for because it doesn't matter if you're teaching a kid you have a kid in your life you have a sibling it doesn't matter you are somehow in some way connected to a kid. And kids, and I, and I speak mainly of teenagers, because that's who I've always worked with, need that caring adult. And it doesn't matter who it is,

04:28 - 04:48
Speaker Cheryl1: they need a caring adult in the world. And like, that's been forever, but I feel like even more desperately now. So it's wonderful that you're out there and so I guess I want to start with what brought you to this like what in your journey said this is what I need to do. Tell me about that.

04:49 - 05:25
Speaker 2Christina: Well, I moved into teaching private vocal. I taught in the school systems for a little bit after I graduated college, and then soon moved into just the private instruction, the private coaching, and I really adored it. But what moved me into beginning to pioneer performing arts mindset in our youth and in our performers is I noticed in my coaching studio and with my teens, with my youth, whomever I'm coaching, I always would wrap into it the the mindset aspect of performing, you know because if you if you think of it as we as we prepare to

05:25 - 05:53
Speaker 2Christina: perform and I know some of minutes many of your audience might not be in the performing arts or have kids some of them might be but all of it is connected and relatable. So just kind of translate some of this because it's just so it overlaps so much. But so much about performing is we can train our techniques, we get our memory, we get all prepared. You know, think of people, let's say they're a student going for a presentation or something that's not in the arts or an athlete going to a game. You put in the

05:53 - 06:27
Speaker 2Christina: practice, you learn your plays, you put in all the conditioning, and then you have the moment where you're on stage, on the field, in the classroom, wherever that is, there's that moment where we'll call the stage and they can't strengthen the practice. And what you've learned is learned. Your workout is done. You know, as you're taking your tests, you can't restudy. It's right there, you're in the moment. And the biggest factor that interjects into our performance, whether it's excellent, whether we're pleased with it or not, 1 of the biggest factors is how our mindset begins to

06:27 - 06:58
Speaker 2Christina: handle the pressure of that moment that we're in, right? And so if that mindset hasn't been trained to be ready to handle the weight of the moment, think of these, you know, these, I watched, all my kids are athletes, none of them are in the performing arts. So I was like, what, what is this? You know, So I'm 1 of those parents who have to find coaches and other adults to help me help my kids. But I watch these high school athletes even or college athletes. And if you think of them on these big, big screens,

06:58 - 07:35
Speaker 2Christina: big stadiums, they're 18 years old and the pressure of the weight that they have in that moment, how their mindset has been trained is going to be a determining factor of their result. And so, I really over the years of teaching began to see the success of the high level or not so high level of performers and how it really connected with the mindset training that I was able to give them and start with. And so to finish up the question, I'm sorry, please feel free to interject. You know, go, go. So I started, I've always

07:35 - 08:05
Speaker 2Christina: kind of done that because it was a big deal for me. I could tell the story of how I had to break through back in college, but I started to kind of look out and see what's available for our youth performers to train their mindset. And they're really, even now, there really isn't much at all if you Google it. It's just so, so little is training the mindset. And it was a heart cry, it kind of broke my heart because I'm thinking it's such a big deal. Not just for the stage, but just for life, to

08:05 - 08:17
Speaker 2Christina: know that pressure moments come, they happen, whether you're going home and you know there's a conversation that you're about to have with that parent or someone in the home, it's a pressure, it's something's coming, it's your stage,

08:17 - 08:18
Speaker Cheryl1: and

08:18 - 08:44
Speaker 2Christina: you're about to step onto that stage of the conversation. And if you can have a mindset plan in place, it really helps to diffuse things before they happen, to help you get in control of yourself. And so that's why I developed the road to the stage lessons that I've released to help performers to train their mindset. So that's,

08:44 - 09:22
Speaker Cheryl1: I guess, a short version. You know, I love that and I can almost immediately connect it to many of the conversations I've had with other guests where we have said if you are able to practice or rehearse those really difficult conversations before you have them, not only can you hear what you sound like, not only can you remove the fluff that you don't need, but it also allows you to not have as much of the emotion If you're really having, you know, you're talking to your kid about vaping or sex or drugs and you're, you know,

09:22 - 09:53
Speaker Cheryl1: if it's an instant conversation, you're heightened and you're, and then you're walking away going, Oh my God, I don't know what the hell I just said. Whereas if you had some practice before the stage, like I felt looking at all of all of the work that you do, there was all these metaphors for me. I'm like, oh my god, there's this, there's this, there's this, there's this. It was great. So tell me how Even the teenager, let's talk about your 3 Ps first. Let's talk about how you work that in and what they actually mean.

09:54 - 10:30
Speaker 2Christina: Yeah, yeah. So Practice Polish Perform is the name of the company. And then I have the trainings that fit underneath that. And it's specifically designed to train the performing arts mindset and that technique. So I do have a private studio where I coach vocalists, singers, actors, dancers, well not dancers actually that's mindset, but speakers. So that's a different leg of what I do than what we're talking about. I just like to differentiate because sometimes I'll get requests right away about private lessons and and this is more of it's more of the lane of the group and

10:30 - 11:06
Speaker 2Christina: here's content that's for you. So practice, polish, perform is the 3 steps that I like to integrate into preparing for performance or for that moment. And it's we practice, we polish something and we perform it before you perform it. And that's that number 3 is a big step because that's 1 that a lot of people never really do in the well they don't do maybe not do as well in the performing arts where we obviously we practice and then step 1 you you get your techniques you get your memory you you know if you're if you're

11:06 - 11:39
Speaker 2Christina: preparing a presentation, you write your presentation, you do your research, you get your drafts, you get all that, the practice, the technical aspect of it is going on. On top of all of that, or I'm actually put it under here, underneath all of that is the foundation of mindset. The mindset interweaves itself under everything we do as we prepare. And that's my P3 mindset method. And I can I can teach our audience that if we want to? So the mindset is going constantly. So as we practice and we learn our techniques and we learn the breathing,

11:39 - 12:13
Speaker 2Christina: we learn different things. That's that's the practice part. And when we have we feel like we have that piece pretty strong. We have our draft really written, the English teacher has approved it, you know, or whatever. Then we go into this polishing phase of our performance piece of what's about to come. We go into the polishing phase and that's where we take everything that we've done and we shine it up really good. And this is where I insert specific memory techniques, things that we might think something's memorized and under pressure, we find that it's not. You

12:13 - 12:15
Speaker 2Christina: know, has that ever happened to you? All

12:15 - 12:15
Speaker Cheryl1: the time.

12:15 - 12:51
Speaker 2Christina: Happened to me too and that's why I was like, how am I going to handle this? So, what I like to do in the polishing phase as I have the mindset, I like to apply pressure to the things that we think we have, we feel like it's set. So, like I just put this free, it's a free checklist on my website, theroadtothestage.com and you can get this free checklist. And so during my polishing phase, and it's about 9 pages, but we apply pressure to your memory. So there's a technique like I think it's memorized. Let's see,

12:51 - 13:25
Speaker 2Christina: you know, and there's a practice technique for that, so we apply pressure to the memory, to the nervous aspect. I need to simulate nerves so that I know how I'm going to react when I'm actually nervous, right? Yes. Yeah, just imagine, just think through, think through the auditions or the times, you know, you've been on camera, any of our adults listening where you've, you show up at the moment and the nerves kick in. Just think about how powerful it would have been if you could have kind of simulated that feeling. Because the feeling, all of a

13:25 - 13:59
Speaker 2Christina: sudden it's a new feeling and you think, I thought I was ready, but now I have nerves, now I feel shaky, now I can't breathe as deeply, Now my focus is not quite on. Imagine if we could have created that before we're in the moment. Then when it comes, it's almost like a, I'm ready for this. I know how to do this, you know. So, during that polishing phase, I do, we put pressure on those type of things. So, and it's the memory with pressure on the nerves, on the focus, on the flow, and then on

13:59 - 14:31
Speaker 2Christina: the mindset. The focus is, you know, as performers, 1 of the things we do not know, you know, what's going to happen, I call them performance unknowns. So, you're in the moment of performing, you know, whatever it is, your monologue or whatever it is, And just everyone who's listening, think about the times you've been in an audience, right? We've been in an audience and someone drops their keys or a little child laughs or whatever. It's an unknown, it pops up. The performer, we see it and we hear all of it. But as a performer, we have

14:31 - 15:07
Speaker 2Christina: to lock in and appear as if we don't hear it, as if our brain's not processing it, right? We've got to stay on track with our presentation in the boardroom or whatever, even though, you know, the guy over there, he just spilled his coffee. We have to stay locked in. So during the polishing phase, applying pressure to your focus, creating distractions that are going on while you're trying to perform your piece or deliver your presentation. Are you able to, does it distract your memory? Does it break your flow? And you can train your mindset to be

15:07 - 15:46
Speaker 2Christina: ready for the fact that that's gonna happen. So, and then as you asked the three-step process, practice, polish, and then perform. I strongly urge, I always want my students to perform their piece before their big moment, if at all possible. Whether that's a small group in here, like with a master class, whether you, you zoom in grandma and say, okay, she has a performance and make it a real professional experience, something to create a little bit of the nerves and perform and not stop, go all the way through and push yourself through it. We do that

15:46 - 16:01
Speaker 2Christina: and then we step onto stage. And students feel so much more empowered and ready to handle the unknowns, the performance energy, the nerves, and with that method of training.

16:02 - 16:36
Speaker Cheryl1: That's amazing. And as you're going through this, I'm picturing myself, I was a supervisor of a huge department. So it meant big meetings all the time. And then it meant presenting to a full staff. And 25 years, I shook, I was sweating. Every single time I knew my stuff it didn't matter and as soon as I stood up I would completely blank out and then I would sit down and go oh I forgot to do this and I forgot to do this and I forgot to do this and I was talking too fast. And it never

16:36 - 17:11
Speaker Cheryl1: ended. So I really think anything like what you're offering would be so valuable. And it wouldn't, I would almost think that the vocal part of it is secondary, because it could be for anything like my brain is going to I work with special needs kids forever and I'm thinking social anxiety when kids actually have to do a presentation or go for a job interview or go for a college or university interview like all of what you're offering here is like wow bingo this is so so needed that's amazing

17:11 - 17:12
Speaker 2Christina: wow

17:12 - 17:28
Speaker Cheryl1: and then I was listening sorry to your performance and I know on the video I was watching you talked about post performance. I feel like that's your fourth P. What is your what is the post performance mean? What do we do with that? I'm

17:28 - 18:00
Speaker 2Christina: glad that you asked. I love that you like you've done your research and you've you've picking up these things post performance I was talking to a student last night about it. In fact in my in my private studio every month We have I have a mindset power phrase That every student has the same mindset power phrase as my studio. And every lesson we say it together, I talk a little bit about it. And this month is, this month is, I started at the beginning of the week. So I just started this this month. I am the

18:00 - 18:07
Speaker 2Christina: performer, I control the performance. That's such a, man I could teach for an hour on that.

18:07 - 18:09
Speaker Cheryl1: Sugars. Oh yeah, yeah.

18:09 - 18:41
Speaker 2Christina: It's a big deal, oh my goodness. And you know anyone could put that, you know, I, that you can replace performer with something. I think about our teens walking the hallways at school and just how you know just a look maybe a negative look or someone perceives it to be a negative look and they begin to start sinking on the inside. I am the performer. I control the performance. I can control how I react to that thought. I don't even know if they're intending But my thoughts about to seek me let's shift it. I can control

18:41 - 19:14
Speaker 2Christina: this but anyway Get to your p number 4 so I was telling all my performers, there's 3 moments of mindset. There's pre-performance, that's before you're on stage. There's peak performance when you're in the moment, like when you said you were fine and then you step up to your presentation and you started to feel all this you're in the peak performance time and there's a way that we do certain things to train for that and then the post performance. Post performance is when you walk off of the stage whatever stage you're is walk off of the game

19:14 - 19:50
Speaker 2Christina: field off of the court off of the classroom out of the job interview post performance starts from the moment you're done and you leave. For about 24 hours, there is this, I like to use the analogy of cement, of wet cement. You know, we've seen, you know, the little handprints that you put in the cement when it's wet and the little thing, sign your name or whatever. And then once it's dried, it's locked. It's there. Right after a performance, Think about it. Our bodies can get nervous, and just because you're nervous, it doesn't mean you're going

19:50 - 20:21
Speaker 2Christina: to mess up, and it does not mean you have stage fright. I'm a real big, it does not mean you have stage fright. Nerves happen because adrenaline is released, these hormones, cortisol, and it raises, it's that fight or flight response feeling. And we can determine how strong that is with something I call how we label things and it's in my in my program. You can actually determine how that feels. So we have all this released, we walk off stage and you know that your body almost feels like you're about to, you know, that feeling, it's just

20:21 - 20:50
Speaker 2Christina: because all of it is kind of finishing. But during about 24 hours is so important because your memory is like, it's like wet cement and what you tell yourself about the performance you just had is going to, it's just like the memory is just so, it's so pliable. It goes in there like a handprint and then after a little bit it almost locks into your memory and I'll get to this but it sets you up for the next time

20:50 - 20:52
Speaker Cheryl1: you know. It's going to set

20:52 - 21:22
Speaker 2Christina: it up because it comes back right those feelings that have locked come back. So I tell my singers and my performers I say you know when you step off stage so many people are perfectionists especially in the arts. We're taught to be that way, you know, nail your audition, all this kind of stuff. And we're all like that. So some people could give phenomenal auditions and performances, they can nail it, but There's that 1 thing they wanted to do and they didn't. You know, and they, whether they're, so they have great performance, they step off stage

21:22 - 21:52
Speaker 2Christina: and their whole focus is that 1, that 1 expression where they didn't, you know, do something that they planned. And so instead of focusing on all this positive, they're zoned in on, man, I cannot believe I worked so hard, I didn't do it. And that cement, we're putting an impression. And just think about this, in a month or so, when they think back to this performance, or even as they think back about it, what is, what are they going to remember? Everything they got right, or they're going to think and they're going to start to sink.

21:53 - 22:22
Speaker 2Christina: I can't believe I forgot that. I'm going to forget it next time too. What, how can I, you know, I plan it, but I never do it? So, all of that is like, it's locked. And then, you know, as adults, we understand that we have to go back and unravel all that mess. Yeah. Because we didn't handle it right then and then sometimes a performance is a mess sometimes sometimes the presentation doesn't go well it's the same idea we walk off stage we have to be really aware and so many just I think don't understand this

22:22 - 22:52
Speaker 2Christina: process about I really need to be aware and find, I asked my performers, tell me 3 things that you did really good. I want what's 3 targets that you hit? And sometimes it's easy, and sometimes they'll say it through tears because it was such a like, it wasn't what they wanted it to be, or I didn't know the auditions, but I said, we're gonna find, you did more than 3 things, but I need you out of your own mouth to say and tell me and tell yourself because our brains believe more of what we hear ourselves

22:52 - 23:21
Speaker 2Christina: say, right? So we do that and then after about 24 hours, you know, that cement has started to harden and we framed it as best as we can, it's like a picture frame, we've framed it as best as we can, it's like a picture frame, we've we framed it as best as we can as positive, then let's go back to it and say, okay, what are 3 things that we could do differently next time? What are 3 targets we want to hit? Because the the height has settled, The adrenaline and cortisol are beginning to calm down.

23:21 - 23:40
Speaker 2Christina: And now we can look at it with less of the emotional entanglement and be more like practical and empowering, like, okay, yeah, those were some mistakes and this is what I'm going to do differently. So that's the post performance. I love that you asked about it. No 1 ever asked about that part, but it's huge. Well, even as you're saying

23:40 - 24:16
Speaker Cheryl1: it, I just finished telling you I spent 25 years ending every presentation going all the things I did wrong. And so it set me up for the next month and the next month and the next 25 years because I didn't have that skill. And I think that is something that parents can somehow or any kind of caring adult in a kid's world, can somehow build that into anything the kid was worried about. They went to a party they shouldn't have gone to. Well, what decisions did you make that were good decisions? Like, that can go anywhere.

24:16 - 25:03
Speaker Cheryl1: I just, I love that that's such a life skill. It's it's yeah and that the whole analogy about the cement is just it's perfect. It's exactly easy to to understand. Oh that that's very cool. So I want to talk about the whole creative, the arts, all of that, because I think we sometimes put our kids into categories and you know we put them into, well they're either jocks or they're musicians or they're artists or they're science and math. And that's where we're putting them and that's where they're staying. And I think being a creative, everyone has

25:03 - 25:17
Speaker Cheryl1: creative skills, everyone has them. And I mean, both of my kids are very creative, both very, very musically talented, skipped a complete generation. I can't play spoons. I don't

25:17 - 25:19
Speaker 2Christina: know where they get it from. But

25:19 - 25:50
Speaker Cheryl1: the important thing is and it's taking me years to even figure out that I have a creative side that I really and here I am creating podcasts like we have to we have to have a mindset shift I think. So can you talk about the importance of building the arts or some kind any kind of arts like that I'm not talking about just vocal performance but any kind of art building it into our kids lives and strengthening and fostering that as well as all the other things we want them to be skilled at.

25:50 - 26:26
Speaker 2Christina: Yeah, yeah, sure. I love that. Because the arts is such a, the arts act, the arts act, activates a different part as, as many of us know, a different part of our brain. And I think it just activates a different part of our emotions, you know. And I think it's so important that the youth, whatever lane they're running in, that they have that flowing in their lives. And so how you know how can parents do that? Some parents aren't aren't musical, aren't in the arts at all, though they might enjoy and love music. You know, I

26:26 - 26:59
Speaker 2Christina: something you'll hear in our home if you come in, there's there's always music going and I just love it. But it sets a mood, doesn't it? Like for dinner now, my kids will, for dinner, they're so funny. They'll come down for dinner and, Alexa, play Mexican restaurant music. And we don't have that in our background, but there's something about the vibe of the marachi band that it really enlivens our conversation when I can get off for my teens to sit down at a table. I mean, we have the restaurant music going, marachi band, and it's just

26:59 - 27:28
Speaker 2Christina: a great old time, you know. And it also helps me as a parent to remember the festive side of a dinner because you know, as moms, we're like, I finally have them. Okay, I'm going to tell you about the bathroom trash can, you did an empty and are you studying? You know, but so I use the music really helps me just a simple act of turning it on. He said, how can we involve it in our lives? Having music going that's uplifting, that's motivating in some way. And you'll notice it can shift the mood of a

27:28 - 28:05
Speaker 2Christina: room pretty easy. And I think it helps us to choose certain moods, certain the energy we choose to release, and the music can help you with that. But evolving more areas of arts, any time that we can put something, Whether it's a new play or take our kids outside to a music type festival or just seeing a street musician even sometimes. A lot of people walk right by them. I always liked with my kids to say, hey, let's pause and just listen. Whatever the instrument is, let's just kind of let them see someone else creating, being

28:05 - 28:36
Speaker 2Christina: in their modality and creating something, you know, that to them is expressive and artistic and it's hard to do, you know, and so I think as parents being able to just to recognize, number 1, we see, okay, I want to put arts in my kids' world. It helps them emotionally and it's activating a different way of thinking in their brain. So let me be intentional. If I see it out and about, let us pause and stop. If there's something I hear that we can go to, let's do that. A lot of it is free. You know,

28:36 - 29:04
Speaker 2Christina: if there's a movie we want to watch together or a band that my son seems kind of interested in, if 1 of my kids ever say, hey mom, have you heard this song? You know, I sometimes, I have, I've had to train myself to do this to stop and say okay my child something about that song has so moved my teenager that they're wanting to pull me into their world because it's like right you know and so and I've learned to instead of you know, no or yeah, yeah, it's all right. I've learned to say, you

29:04 - 29:16
Speaker 2Christina: know, to kind of give a little spotlight to that moment and say, no, let me hear it, you know, they'll pull it up and play or share your air pod. Like that's the highest form of, I made it in the teens or here's my store card, right?

29:16 - 29:19
Speaker Cheryl1: Yes, I feel you. I feel you right now.

29:22 - 29:50
Speaker 2Christina: But, so I think us creating experiences and helping them spotlight, especially when they're young, you know, and then as they grow older as in the teen world, if they ever show interest in something of the arts, you know, really stop or if they say, hey, I heard this is in town, this looks really fun. You know, what can I do to make that happen to, you know, to go to it or to at least something? My daughter and I couldn't go to Taylor Swift's concert when she hit Dallas, but we did go to the movie. You

29:50 - 30:11
Speaker 2Christina: know, we sat and we dressed up and we did all the things, but I'm like, this speaks to her, whether or not it's my style or not or whatever. And she's a great artist, a very successful business woman. I said, well, let's do this though, you know, and we'll forever have that memory. And, and so that's a few, few thoughts.

30:11 - 30:49
Speaker Cheryl1: I just love I love the what I love to about The creatives and the arts is that there it's a 1 area where it's not there's no right or wrong However, you feel about something whatever you see in something whatever you hear and something is right. Yeah Beautiful. There's never a wrong and I love that. Your Taylor Swift story jogged my memory. My daughter and I, she really had no idea about Tragically Hip. And they had their final concert. We couldn't get to the concert, but like you, they did screening on our local theater. Yeah. And

30:49 - 31:26
Speaker Cheryl1: so I brought her to that. I said, this is history. Like he was dying. He passed not very long after that. This is history. This is strong Canadian history music. And she's very, very creative and very artistic and actually she's going to our Canadian Art Design University now. She quit her job and she's back so and that's what brings her light and joy and my son is music and I just love that. And I love that there's always that you're never wrong in your perspective of that, which there's always beauty when you're with your kids and

31:26 - 32:03
Speaker Cheryl1: you're appreciating somebody else's art, I feel like it gives them a message like, oh, I can express whatever, you know, and it's not a black and white answer, which I think is is actually really cool. And I love that you are doing this and then also incorporating The mindset, the whole mindset thing is just so important. I love it. So I want to ask you then, if we're talking to parents and I'm not going to ask you to give away your whole course but I'm going to say, can you give them 2 or 3 tips at

32:03 - 32:42
Speaker Cheryl1: home? If the kid, if there are kids coming home and I'm certainly not diminishing a diagnosis of social anxiety, I'm not. And when working with kids in the high school, I would, you know, they always, we have an IEP and we are able to, you know, work around it, differentiate, find a different, find a different way to assess. However, what I always did is try to help them move through it. So in the sense, well, if you can't perform in front of the class, that's fine. I would never, you know, I really came up with some

32:42 - 33:10
Speaker Cheryl1: resistance to teachers who said, well, that's the way they need to do it. It's never in the curriculum, so no. But you also want them to try and build that skill and you know I would say okay well can you do it in front of 1 person? Can you do it just on video and just send them the video? Can you do it in front of 2 people and work your way through that? But are there other ways for parents to kind of build that skill? And then, and I like what you said about the post-performance,

33:10 - 33:15
Speaker Cheryl1: so how they can reinforce that skill. Can you give us like a couple of tips that they could use at home?

33:15 - 33:53
Speaker 2Christina: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think, well, let me just, I won't go all deep into it, but let me give you the method. I've developed this method, it's the P3 mindset method, okay? And so it's a little bit of arts language, but I think we can all relate. It's 3 steps. It's lights, camera, action. We've heard that before. So the little rhyme I use with it, I like to use rhymes and things because I just feel we all grab it easier. It's lights, camera, action is my automatic reaction. Lights, camera, action is my automatic reaction. Okay, so

33:53 - 34:08
Speaker 2Christina: that's that's the what to help you with that. Okay, parents. Now, you probably will have more success with teenagers if you do not try and do that in like a rhythm and dance, okay? My kids are like, mom, stop. So

34:08 - 34:09
Speaker Cheryl1: lame, so lame.

34:09 - 34:42
Speaker 2Christina: No matter, I'm like, you just don't even know, like I can do this stuff. No, you're my mom. Anyway, all right. Lights, camera, action, 3 steps. So I think as you, to help, to help prepare our youth for the moments, well, hey, you're going to, you're going to need to do this. Prepare them for whatever that moment is. We can begin to train their minds. And so 3 steps, lights is just the idea of anytime, anytime you have a, well let me put it in performance language because I do that that 1 best, alright. So I

34:42 - 35:15
Speaker 2Christina: have a performance I'm preparing for. From the moment that I find out about the performance or the audition, it's like my thought engine turns on and I begin to travel the road to that stage, okay? So it could be 2 months, 3 months, it could be 2 weeks, whatever that time span is, we're in pre-performance. So the step of lights is as I'm as I'm just moving through my life, when I notice that I have a thought about that upcoming performance, audition, presentation, I have a thought about it. The first step is to number 1 is

35:15 - 35:43
Speaker 2Christina: to shine the light on it. Lights. Just let's stop for a moment. I had this thought and I'm going to acknowledge that I had the thought and I'll tell you why. So let's say I'm getting ready. I'm combing my hair or whatever, getting ready. And I have this thought about an audition. It's coming up and I think, oh, it's that's going to be really hard. I, there's no way I can do it. And a lot of times we just keep on going. Like I have the moment in class. Oh gosh. Okay. Okay. And then you just

35:43 - 35:45
Speaker 2Christina: keep on going 2 months down the road.

35:45 - 35:45
Speaker Cheryl1: If

35:45 - 36:10
Speaker 2Christina: we'll just stop for a moment and say wait a second that was a performance thought lights It was a thought about the moment, okay? And this happens real fast in our brains, but it takes me a little time to explain it So I had the performance thought now. I've just had it now camera camera is like capturing it You know we take out a phone we capture a picture. We got to capture that thought and so what we do just like a camera to capture it in our mindset, we're going to label it, we're going to

36:10 - 36:41
Speaker 2Christina: label it positive or we're going to label it negative. All right, so if we go back, okay, I'm getting ready for school and that moment's coming up, I'll just, you know, what if I forget all my words? Wait, what, how's the performance thought? Positive or negative? This happens so fast, okay, we know that was a negative. So I've captured it, okay, lights, camera, action is my automatic reaction. So now we got to take action on our thought. And how we take action on our thought, if you label it positive, you repeat it. If you label it

36:41 - 37:15
Speaker 2Christina: negative, you replace it. So I'm going to forget my word, you know, lights, there was a kid that that's a performance thought, that was a negative thought, let me replace it, I'm going to nail my words, and you go on. And so our automatic reaction and our thought processes when we're anticipating something that's coming. So we're telling our, telling our kids or however, if they watch us training, sometimes as parents, I found that they listen better to others than us sometimes. And- We know nothing, you're right. You know, but it's great if you know what's being

37:15 - 37:41
Speaker 2Christina: taught and then you can, you know, you can, you can reinforce it or seed plant it in the background and it triggers the Lesson they watch from someone else or something. That's what I think that's a great way for teens to do for parents of teens. So Three-step process I have something that's coming you have this you might not be totally confident about it or you might be concerned, whatever, here's your process. When you have a thought, number 1, let's just realize that was a performance thought, that was a thought about the game. Was that positive

37:41 - 38:11
Speaker 2Christina: or negative? That was positive. Oh, great, I'm going to do great. It's negative, like I'm going to drop the ball, I'm not going to drop the ball and go on. This is in pre-performance. So now think about this. In my lesson, in the road to the stage, I have something called performance energy, which is what I call nerves. Instead of nerves, I teach my students, don't say I'm nervous, say I have performance energy. Isn't that more empowering? Yes, it really is. When that performance energy kicks in, because the closer you get to the moment, the more

38:11 - 38:46
Speaker 2Christina: that begins to stir, especially right before the day before. So it kicks in and how our brain has been labeling positive or negative, how our brain's been labeling our thoughts up to this point, when that adrenaline and cortisol is released in your body, you start feeling nerves. It's going to be attached to this feeling of emergency or to feeling of control and it's going to be based largely on what your mind your brain has been telling yourself all these times and you've got to take control of the thought so if every time There's just no way

38:46 - 39:06
Speaker 2Christina: I'm gonna do it. Wait a second. I'm gonna do great, you know boo-boo-boo and sometimes we might not totally believe that you got to talk yourself into it sometimes. It's a mind thing. But right away cuz then the brain I think in this in step number 2 lights camera The brain knows you had a thought, you know You can't help the thoughts that come but you can help what if they

39:06 - 39:07
Speaker Cheryl1: stay or not the brain knows you had a thought, you know? You can't help the thoughts that

39:07 - 39:34
Speaker 2Christina: come, but you can help if they stay or not. The brain knows you had a thought, and the brain's kind of like, she had a thought about the performance. I wonder what she's thinking of. What's she gonna do about it? You know, my human being is labeling this as a high stress moment. She can't do it. So the brain is like, okay, if that moment comes, this is a high stress moment for my human being. And so I've got to release more of that adrenaline. She's gonna be in that, she's concerned about that.

39:34 - 39:37
Speaker Cheryl1: Does that make sense? 100 percent.

39:38 - 40:11
Speaker 2Christina: So and that's and then our our mindset our brain like oh okay is that is she concerned or not well it's gonna be a positive experience. Okay okay so when that comes okay we're gonna release a little bit but we're not gonna overwhelm them. They're not running away from a bear. You know, the fight, like they're just walking onto a stage or just doing that. So that's the P3 mindset method. Lights, camera, action is my automatic reaction. When I start thinking about it, I know what to do. That was a thought, that was positive, repeat it.

40:11 - 40:16
Speaker 2Christina: That was a thought, that was negative, let's replace it and just go on. God.

40:16 - 40:48
Speaker Cheryl1: Just look for anything. Anything. Literally anything. Body image, friends, self image, anxiety, like oh my gosh. Like I said even a few minutes ago, I feel like the vocal piece is like over here. The whole mindset piece is right here. I feel like all of this in this program you need to be like reaching out to schools. Wow. And I think it's so important and exactly how you say it is so understandable and manageable and doable and relatable. It's beautiful.

40:48 - 41:21
Speaker 2Christina: Thank you. I love that you say that. And that's why you'll notice on my bio that I say it's I'm I really feel that I'm pioneering a new form, a whole new category of training in the performing arts industry. But I see that's 1 thing with the road to the stage workshop, this training, whether or not a parent has a child who's a performer, any type of performer. To me, it's I put it in performance language because that's my lane. Any team could take this and apply it, these 4 lessons and apply it to their lives.

41:22 - 41:56
Speaker 2Christina: And so it really is a brand new category of training in the performing arts industry that we're watching the birth and development of it right here because it's needed and it's not being taught. And if you imagine in the arts, these youth and these teens, when it gets into higher level, when you're talking Broadway, when you're talking these that we're pushing at, talking about self-image and being able to take the nose and then the almost you know the negative feedback if they don't know how to control their mindset they can just be sunk it can be

41:56 - 42:05
Speaker 2Christina: over. So it's true but I mean yes I love the teens and the school systems they need to know how to control their thoughts.

42:05 - 42:33
Speaker Cheryl1: 100% and in every sense of the word, not just performing. I think it's fantastic. I even hate to wrap this up because this is just amazing, amazing work. Thank you. Thank you for this work. I really appreciate you coming on and sharing this. I know that parents are gonna go Oh my god, this is amazing. So tell us how we can work with you how we can find you Tell us all the good stuff. It's all gonna go in the show notes, but I still want you to just say it out loud.

42:33 - 43:07
Speaker 2Christina: Yeah, yeah. Well concerning this specifically if you'll go to the roadtothestage.com and that will give you that will get you in front of this program that I think could be used for for anyone and so the roadtothestage.com and on that if you wanted that free checklist, if you do have a performer 5 boxes to check the week before you perform or audition, I think it's I think it's a very practical and helpful It could save performances. So that's that's free. But you can get the product there. And what I what I'm going to do or what

43:07 - 43:39
Speaker 2Christina: I wanted to tell you I did is I created a coupon code for anyone on your podcast. So the program it'll get you 50% off of the program. It's $97 and it's 4 lessons and a 22-23 page workbook that I've designed. And in the lessons we go through that. They're filling in the blanks. They're going through it and so it'll be 50 50 off and it's it's teen minds from your podcast. Teen minds 50 off. 5 0 off. And I'll break that.

43:39 - 43:58
Speaker Cheryl1: I'm so grateful for that thank you thank you thank you yes so get on there get on there like every teachers need to read you know even teachers like honestly everybody needs to get a hold of this information. I'm so grateful for your work. Any last words before we have to go?

44:00 - 44:38
Speaker 2Christina: Parents, anyone listening, I was gonna say 1 of my little things, but I'll say this. Don't give up on your kids. I think as a parent, it's easy sometimes. It's easier to me when they're young to seed plant and do all this. And then they get into this young adult teen phase and I think I found myself sometimes thinking I'm just gonna let it go just you know they're 15 just but zone in re-engage as a parent you put in all this work up to this point, let's we raise them to release them well. And so

44:38 - 44:53
Speaker 2Christina: just parents be encouraged as part it's not easy. Don't give up on your kids. They're there, they're going through a lot and you're the 1, you're the hero in their life. Even if they don't tell you that, you're the hero. So stay the course, release from well.

44:54 - 45:14
Speaker Cheryl1: That is so impactful. Thank you for saying that. And thank you for listening. Thank you for joining me, Christina Walker. I'm so grateful for you. And we will see you all next time. Sounds good, bye y'all. Teen Minds, redefined with Cheryl Pankhurst. New episodes out every Wednesday. Thanks for stopping by.