We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cailey Weaver. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cailey below.

Cailey, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?

As someone who is involved in both creative and scientific fields, it is very easy to be mischaracterized or falsely labeled by members of my professional communities. As someone who has been in the science world for several years, creative talents, goals, and endeavors are often considered insignificant to members of the scientific community. This has forced me to keep my “worlds” somewhat separate. I must choose to introduce myself in a sort of “either/or” manner depending on context. For example, if I were to share that I teach figure skating, or that I am a singer and songwriter in a room full of scientists, it’s possible to be labeled as someone who is not serious or less competent than others. I have struggled with these identities throughout my life, and continue to adjust to expressing the various sides of myself according to what is considered socially acceptable. It is unfortunate that this is how the world works. However, I hope that one day, society will learn to appreciate all disciplines, talents, and interests more equally.

Cailey, 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?

Hello, my name is Cailey Weaver

I grew up as a competitive figure skater in St. Petersburg, Florida. I trained with many high level olympic athletes at a very young age, and traveled all over the country competing until I completed my undergraduate education. Along with figure skating, I was also very involved in singing and music at my local synagogue, as well as acting and musical theatre. When I was a teenager I began writing some of my own songs and performing them for friends and family. I began to volunteer at a local nursing home, singing with the residents and leading music groups.

Prior to going to college, I aspired to be a fiction writer as I loved writing both poetry and stories, however, I was heavily discouraged by members of the writing community, and decided to study neuroscience instead. I always had an interest in science and research along with my creative activities, and believed this to be a solid career move for myself. While I was in college, I continued my figure skating and songwriting, and also joined an acapella group. I began coaching part-time, which expanded into a business that I continue to this day. I also began to write more of my own music, and perform at local open mic nights.

During COVID, a friend and I began to produce some of the songs I had written, and I released my first few songs on Spotify. It was during this time my songwriting skills really blossomed and I began to grow much more as an artist. Once the quarantine period ended, I returned to coaching and began a PhD program in Neuroscience. In addition, I served as an energy team member for the Florida Panthers, working at the games on the ice, and around the local community.

This brings me to where I am today: I am still in graduate school, however, I have allowed my creative side to blossom in many forms. Through my work with the panthers, I’ve gained opportunities to sing the national anthem for several sports teams around South Florida, singing sometimes for thousands of people in arenas I only could have dreamed of performing in. I have continued writing my own music and am now learning more about the production side of things. I am working hard to put more music out into the world, as it is my dream to be a professional songwriter and musician.

In addition to this, I still coach figure skating to kids at Panthers IceDen, and this plays a hugely important role in my life. I love working with children, choreographing programs, teaching technique, mentoring, and watching them grow into themselves as they mature as both athletes and human beings. I coach with a “person first, athlete second” mentality, because “an athlete’s career is short-lived, but they are a person all their life”. To me, it is of utmost importance that I impart on my students, not only technique, but work ethic, manners, kindness, grit, determination, and emotion regulation. It is a multi-faceted job, yet one that means the world to me.

So, that’s me. I have many sides, sometimes too many. From singing, to skating, to science, I am never still. My interests have allowed me to have so many incredible experiences, and I still have so much more coming for me.

My goals this year are to get my Master’s Degree in neuroscience, grow my coaching business, and become more deeply involved in the music industry. I truly want to learn to produce my own music, and I hope to be signed to a label sometime in the near future. I have so much music inside of me and so much to share with the world, and I hope to have more opportunities to do this.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of my creative journey is the ability to connect with others through my art. To perform in front of so many people and be able to make them feel something is what drew me to both skating and music. I have been so incredibly lucky to have been able to perform in so many different types of atmospheres, for so many different demographics. There is something about putting on a show that is just so special. As I grow as an artist, I hope to be able to make these connections more personal through the songs I write, and to create art that helps others cope with the complex emotions that we all feel at different moments in our lives. Music has been there for me at some of the hardest and darkest moments, and I hope to create content that does the same for others.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

My journey as a creative has been so deeply emotional and personal. It is difficult sometimes for others to understand why I cannot just give certain things up and just “focus on one thing”. It is not who I am as a person. If I am confined to one place, one task, one situation, I will waste away. I feel the need to always be stimulated and active, to be interacting with different types of people in high energy environments. It is necessary for me to have creative outlets consistently, as otherwise I feel as though I am not doing enough. It is less boredom, and more an innate need to express myself in ways that only other creatives can understand. It’s how I move through life, and how I find the joy in the everyday.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://caileyweaver.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cailey_weaver/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Cailey-Weaver/100011419014250/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCslbGZJym21RYfFEGcgFYyQ
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4kgDNFMoZW8pPDLhxCkgaC

Image Credits
Ariella Elkobi