We were lucky to catch up with Taylor Mondick recently and have shared our conversation below.

Taylor, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?

Working with kids is arguably one of the most important and impactful professions. Notably, teachers & coaches have an enormous influence on youths. We can all remember our favorite teacher, and most of us can remember a coach that helped shape us into who we are today. With that said, the current educational system has changed dramatically. In modern academic protocols, we emphasize teaching and neglect the art of learning. The year-long push to pass a standardized test is the perfect example. We learn to walk and talk from seeing and hearing, each in our unique way, so why is our educational system so far removed from this fundamental principle?
To better prepare students for the real world, we must create an environment that promotes critical thinking and fosters curiosity. We must remove this one-size-fits-all type of education where success is measured by test scores and replace it with a system that inspires this future generation to solve problems with innovative and fresh ideas.

Taylor, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve been flipping for as long as I can remember. My parents eventually enrolled me in a local gymnastics program after continuously turning cartwheels down our hallway and attempting back-flips at recess. I quickly excelled and trained with some of the world’s greatest coaches. After years of rigorous training, I took some time off in high school and tried other sports, ultimately landing in the world of competitive cheerleading. Cheerleading eventually took me to Hawai’i Pacific University on full scholarship and ultimately inspired me to open a gym of my own. I am incredibly proud of what I have created and extremely thankful to those who helped me along the way. Moreover, the opportunity to speak into a young athlete’s life and help mold them into respectful, hardworking individuals is something that I deeply cherish.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

My best advice is to create content that you’d want to watch. Next time you’re mindlessly scrolling through your favorite social media app, take note of what makes you stop. Regardless of the service you provide, you, the owner, are the product and what you put out into the technosphere is your calling card. I like to create and edit videos on my phone. I found an app that was user-friendly and started posting religiously. The more content you create, the bigger your brand awareness becomes.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I think we all had to pivot when the pandemic made its way onto the scene. For us, it was terrifying. We coach, so how can we remain afloat when kids are stuck at home? The answer lies in creative thinking. We created a virtual training schedule where athletes would join a zoom call and get their workouts in. We had fun with it and offered a myriad of classes. Though not ideal, the effort was appreciated by our customers.

Contact Info:

• Website: rivalcheer.com, www.mondickfor95.com
• Instagram: @rivalcheeracademy, @tmondick
• Twitter: @taylormondick