From my heart to yours, Happy Mother’s Day.

There are some people who shape not only who we become, but how we move through the world long after they’re gone.

Mother’s Day always makes me reflect on how lucky I was to have such an incredible mom. Next month marks two years since I lost her, and if I’m honest, Mother’s Day is full of feelings.

My mom was the original dance mom.
The early mornings. The costume sewing. The pep talks in parking lots. The endless encouragement from the audience. She was my biggest cheerleader before Reach For The Barres ever existed. Before there were studios, recitals, or leadership meetings, there was simply my mom believing in me.

She was my mentor, my coach, my safe place, and my witness.

And that’s the thing about losing a mother that’s hard to explain. You don’t just lose your mom. You lose the person who saw every version of you. The person who knew your story before anyone else did. The one who noticed the little wins, the quiet heartbreaks, the dreams you whispered out loud before the rest of the world ever saw them.

But grief has taught me something beautiful too.

Love doesn’t disappear.

I carry my mom with me every single day. Like invisible jewelry. Not everyone can see it, but I never take it off.

She lives in the way I encourage our dancers. In the way I cheer from the wings. In the way I believe deeply in childhood, confidence, and creating spaces where kids feel seen and supported. She is stitched into the fabric of this studio in more ways than most people realize.

And I know she’s still rooting for me.

To all the dance moms, grandmas, aunties, caregivers, and mother figures in our community: thank you. Thank you for the driving, the waiting, the listening, the supporting, the sacrificing, and the showing up again and again. What you do matters more than you know.

One day your dancer may look back and realize you were never “just” bringing them to class.

You were helping shape who they would become.

From my heart to yours, Happy Mother’s Day. 💛

And to my mom, forever my first dance teacher in life, thank you for everything.