In this episode, I sit down with my wonderful dance teachers, Aaron and Gabriela from Salsa Oconee, to explore how following your joy can transform not just your Tuesday nights, but your entire relationship with yourself and your community.

What We Talk About

The Dance Journey

• How Gabriela rediscovered her love of dance through Zumba and pushed through the terror of not being able to do a single turn
• Aaron's origin story: from being too uncoordinated to dance at junior prom to proving his Panamanian cousins wrong
• The moment Aaron finally said yes to bringing salsa to Oconee County (spoiler: Gabriela didn't give him time to change his mind)

What Dance Teaches Us Beyond the Steps

• Why dance is the ultimate practice in healthy masculinity and feminine trust
• How the panic of "I should already know this" shows up on the dance floor AND in life
• The difference between toxic and healthy assertion (and how leading in dance taught Aaron the difference)
• Why creating safe, boundaried spaces for expression matters more than ever

Building Community Through Joy

• How Salsa Oconee became an answer to prayer and softened a skeptical heart
• The moment it went from "this will last three weeks" to "wait, I have eight dance children now"
• Why devoting yourself to what brings you joy—even without a plan—creates purpose you never saw coming
• Finding your people in the most unexpected places (yes, even in Oconee County)

Real Talk

• What it's actually like to practice a "romantic" routine (hint: lots of "I hate you" and "your foot is wrong")
• Why the unsexy technical moments create the magic everyone sees
• How dance becomes a fountain of youth and why older dancers are goals
• The importance of making mistakes and getting comfortable with not knowing

Quotable Moments

"For these three minutes, you gotta trust me."

"We manifest many of the things that we are when we dance."

"When you follow joy and that path laid out for you from God, from the divine, whatever you want to call it, good things do happen."

"It is so good for the soul to have an art."

Want to join us? Salsa Oconee meets every Thursday at 7 PM at the Oconee Heritage Center (113 W. Main Street, Walhalla).

No partner needed. No experience required. Just show up and let yourself follow the joy.