We were lucky to catch up with Kate Moody recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kate, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Parents can play a significant role in affecting how our lives and careers turn out – and so we think it’s important to look back and have conversations about what our parents did that affected us positive (or negatively) so that we can learn from the billions of experiences in each generation. What’s something you feel your parents did right that impacted you positively.

My parents just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They’ve been through a lot together, all while raising 3 children. I can only speak for my experience with having them as my parents, but I’m sure my older brother and younger sister would agree. Our parents, Mike and Jan, provided, and still provide, a great balance of support and freedom. They gave us all opportunities to pursue our passions…let us experience failure and learn from it but also celebrated our wins with us.

Getting a college degree in dance, and moving 8 hours away to do so, I’m sure was not their ideal scenario for their 18 year old daughter. But they knew that letting me fly and attend the school that felt right for me, was the best way to support me. And when I let them know I’d be staying on the east coast after graduation, to continue my relationship with my now husband of 20 years, they understood and never made me feel bad about it. I think having support like that is what made the decision to move back home to Wisconsin a no brainer. And when I called them letting them know I wanted to open my own dance studio someday, they fully supported me, in so many ways and continue to do so. I can’t imagine doing the journey without them and their support and belief in me.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Kate Moody, born and raised in Wisconsin. I’m married to my college sweetheart Jim. We have 2 teenage sons, Mason and Declan, who love to wrestle, that we are so proud of.

I started dancing when I was 3. My mom signed me up because I would dance everywhere I’d go, especially the grocery store aisles (which I still do to this day. I think it’s one of the best places to dance!). Dance was always “the thing” for me. I started teaching in middle school and loved it. After attending college to earn my B.A. in dance from Point Park University, I taught for a few years before realizing that I wanted to open my own dance studio. I wanted to create a place where kids (and adults) could come fall in love with dance like I did. A place where everyone belonged…no matter if you dance 10 hours a week or only half an hour a week. In 2008, my dream came true (after a LOT of hard work) and Liberty Dance Center in Waukesha, WI was born.

I pride myself on the culture we created at Liberty Dance Center. Nearly half of my staff are former students and the team we’ve have built over the past 18 years is something I am really proud of. While yes, we teach the dancers technique and performance qualities…but it’s the skills that will translate to all areas of their lives that really mean the most. Building their confidence through performances. Teaching leadership skills via leadership classes and assistant teacher programs. Helping others in our community with programs like our special needs non profit Darby’s Dancers and the community performances our teams do. We also want to give the parents & families a place for community as well. We want everyone that walks through our doors at LDC to feel better, do better and be better than when they came.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

I often hear from other business owners via online forums, conversations and podcasts, that keeping their team on board and with high morale is a struggle. I always wonder why…as that is something I have never really struggled with. When I talk to my husband Jim about it and say to him “I know I don’t do anything magical”, he reminds me that the little things I do ARE what are magical.

I think remembering that they are humans living a messy life like us all is important. Asking them how they are doing. Remembering details about their lives. Being there when they are going through a tough time and celebrating them when they have something good happen. Work will always be there and can get done later or differently. But treating your team with the highest respect and understanding goes a long way!

My team is my #1 priority. If I love on them and treat them the best way I can, then they will take care of our students and families the best way they can. When I interview new candidates, I truly get a sense for who they are as a person. Their heart and mission have to match ours, but then it’s finding those little “insignificant moments” in our daily lives to build morale and community that add up and cause them to stay!

I am SO proud of my team and how they care for each other. I do think it starts at the top with the leader though.

Have you ever had to pivot?

A few years ago when the world went through the Covid-19 pandemic…we pivoted (as so many others did) our in person dance classes to virtual within a few days! Looking back, I’m not sure how we did it, but we did and we did together. Our mission was to help these kids through the massive change the world was going through and give them some sense of normalcy, that was our only concern. We learned how to do tech and teach from our basements via a laptop. Instead of a big weekend of sold out shows at a 750 seat theater, we did personalized red carpet recital shows in 10 minute increments at our studio, one family at a time.

My husband and I told our staff that if they wanted to “be released”, not work for us and collect unemployment during this time, we would not fault them and would fully support them. Not a single team member chose that option. We all rallied together, shared ideas and just made it happen.

While I never want to go through that again, I do tap into those memories and decisions with fondness. I grew so much as a leader during that time and for that I am eternally grateful. Every time we have a situation or issue arise, I know I can handle it. Once you learn to expect the unexpected and understand that change is the one constant that will always be there, you learn to handle it with more grace and patience. As a self-proclaimed type A, control freak, that was a definite challenge, but if it was always smooth sailing, what fun would that be right?!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.libertydancecenter.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/libertydancecenterllc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LibertyDanceCenter