We were lucky to catch up with Jessica Phillips recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jessica, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

First off I would not be where I am today without the amazing support of my parents John and Kay Phillips. They supported my dream to one day become a professional dancer… which let me say is a very very time consuming not to mention expensive commitment to make as a parent to 3 (or 1 for that matter).
They believed in me, showed me I could do what I put my heart and soul into and for this I attest all my successes to.
Now being a successful dance studio owner and director to so many children in Sedona… well its a different kind of challenge than 32 fouttes on stage but its definitely not for the weak willed and requires more hours and dedication than I would be willing to go for if I hadn’t proved to myself I can do really hard things. Work ethic, my parents taught me impeccable work ethic and discipline.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

All my life I grew up in the dance world so I had seen many wonderful ways of managing a school or company in addition to many not so great ways of being managed or dealt with as a student or professional dancer. In those 20 years I suppose I was taking unconscious note of all I liked and disliked about the dance world and all the ways I saw opportunity for growth in a healthier way of raising dancers.
I am now in a position that creates environment, culture and an atmosphere I always wanted as a young dancer and this feels like growth in the direction of the dance world if dance is to sustain a healthy lifestyle for children and adults alike.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

All studios have their own uniqueness that stems from their leader. Why my school is so unique is the fact that I went through all the steps and made dance my career, full time paying the bills and all for 10 years before opening up SDA. My lifes work and experience has been all about dance, I dont have a business degree nor a dance degree, I lived and am living these things. Learning alot along the way. My sense of excellence and dare I admit perfectionism is my gift and could also be my demise if I didnt practice daily compassion towards myself.
Excepting that I make mistakes and am human has been a very humbling and important lesson for me. Being okay when someone is upset or has something hard to hear, not taking it personally and simply correcting things so that growth happens from these moments has also been key lessons through the 3 years owning a business.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

All my life I grew up in the dance world so I had seen many wonderful ways of managing a school or company in addition to many not so great ways of being managed or dealt with as a student or professional dancer.
In those 20 years I suppose I was taking unconscious note of all I liked and disliked about the dance world and all the ways I saw opportunity for growth in a healthier way of raising dancers.
I am now in a position that creates environment, culture and an atmosphere I always wanted as a young dancer and this feels like growth in the direction of the dance world if dance is to sustain a healthy lifestyle for children and adults alike.

Contact Info:

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