Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast

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IDA Judges - Brittany Nicholas, Kyle Rostan, Sally Cofield, Marie Choate
Hosted By - Holly Shipley
Produced By: Making the Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast

We are excited to have partnered with IDA affiliated Competition The Artistry Tour to host a live-podcast at their 2026 Nationals event this summer in Michigan. The owner of The Artistry Tour Holly Shipley moderated this chat featuring 4 IDA Judges: Brittany Nicholas, Marie Choate, Kyle Rostan and Sally Cofield. Thank you to The Artistry Tour for sponsoring this episode and we hope you enjoy! 

Topics Include:
What stands out on stage as a judge 
Career paths in the arts 
Why networking is so important 
How artistry plays a role at competition
What truly matters to have a career in dance 

Help support our podcast. Join Making The Impact's Platinum Premium Subscription today! Your membership includes:
Monthly Q&A episodes released to members-only
Priority to have your questions answered each month on the live Q&A.
Ad-free listening for all of Season 4 & 5. No sponsored ads!
20% off all IDA Merchandise
Exclusive bonus content released throughout the year
Discounted IDA Online Critique
Group Zoom check-ins 3x per season with Courtney Ortiz!
Your support helps us produce future episodes of Making The Impact for years to come!
Making The Impact's Platinum Premium - Sign up now for only $5/month!

Follow your Hosts & Guests!
The Artistry Tour - @theartistrytour
Brittany Nicholas - @brittnnicholas
Kyle Rostan - @kylerostan
Marie Choate - @marie_choate
Sally Cofield - @saldancer

To learn more about The Artistry Tour and to register for an event in their 2027 Season, visit their website: www.theartistrytour.com 

Join our FREE Facebook Group and connect with us! Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast Community 

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! We would love to hear from you! 

Join our Newsletter for weekly episode releases straight to your inbox! 

Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators and for a list of IDA Affiliated dance competitions, visit our website at www.impactdanceadjudicators.com
Support the show

Send us Fan Mail
Guests - Robb Gibbs, Brittni Johnson, and Anonymous Submissions
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor

To close out Season 7 of Making the Impact, we are getting real about the often unspoken truths in the dance competition judging space. Veteran IDA judges Robb Gibbs and Brittni Johnson, as well as anonymous submissions from judges around the country, share what it can really be like during those long weekends behind the table. Spoiler alert - sometimes it's not pretty. 
This is part 2 of this episode. Part 1 which released back on May 28th, 2026. Click here to listen to part 1.

Topics Include:
Discussing the reasons we love judging - and the reasons that it becomes harder and harder each season
Travel nightmares and lodging snafus - all to save a dollar
The realities of trying to stay true to your values while adhering to company policies

Help support our podcast! Join Making The Impact's Platinum Premium Subscription today! Your membership includes:
Monthly Q&A episodes released to members only
Priority to have your questions answered each month on the live Q&A.
Ad-free listening for all of Seasons 4 through 7. No sponsored ads!
20% off all IDA Merchandise
Exclusive bonus content released throughout the year
Discounted IDA Online Critique
Group Zoom check-ins 3x per season with Courtney Ortiz!
Your support helps us produce future episodes of Making The Impact for years to come!
Making The Impact's Platinum Premium - Sign up now for only $5/month!

Follow your Hosts & Guests!
Courtney Ortiz - @courtney.ortiz
Lesley Mealor - @miss.lesley.dance
Robb Gibbs - @robb.gibbs
Brittni Johnson - @being_brittni, @alignment.in.dance

Check out our service: IDA Online Judge's Critiques
Send us a video of your dance and an IDA Judge will critique your routine! You can request a genre-specific specialty judge or add on 10 minutes of additional feedback. 24 hour rush delivery available!
Submit your video now!

Join our FREE Facebook Group and connect with us! Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast Community 

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! We would love to hear from you! 

Join our Newsletter for weekly episode releases straight to your inbox! 

Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators and for a list of IDA Affiliated dance competitions, visit our website at www.impactdanceadjudicators.com
Support the show

Send us Fan Mail
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor

That's a wrap on Season 7 of Making the Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast! Thank you to all our loyal listeners who have been here since the beginning for all your support, and to our new fans who have joined us this year! We can't wait to share season 8 with you - but for now, happy summer!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: Season 8 is scheduled to release on Thursday, September 3rd, 2026.

Topics Include:
 Favorite episodes of Season 7
 Info on summer bonus episodes
 What's new for Season 8

Help support our podcast! Join Making The Impact's Platinum Premium Subscription today! Your membership includes:
Monthly Q&A episodes released to members only
Priority to have your questions answered each month on the live Q&A.
Ad-free listening for all of Seasons 4 through 7. No sponsored ads!
20% off all IDA Merchandise
Exclusive bonus content released throughout the year
Discounted IDA Online Critique
Group Zoom check-ins 3x per season with Courtney Ortiz!
Your support helps us produce future episodes of Making The Impact for years to come!
Making The Impact's Platinum Premium - Sign up now for only $5/month!

Follow your Hosts!
Courtney Ortiz - @courtney.ortiz
Lesley Mealor - @miss.lesley.dance
Impact Dance Adjudicators - @impactdanceadjudicators 

Join our FREE Facebook Group and connect with us! Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast Community 

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! We would love to hear from you! 

Join our Newsletter for weekly episode releases straight to your inbox! 

Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators and for a list of IDA Affiliated dance competitions, visit our website at www.impactdanceadjudicators.com

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail
Guests - Robb Gibbs, Brittni Johnson, and Anonymous Submissions
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor

To close out Season 7 of Making the Impact, we are getting real about the often unspoken truths in the dance competition judging space. Veteran IDA judges Robb Gibbs and Brittni Johnson, as well as anonymous submissions from judges around the country, share what it can really be like during those long weekends behind the table. Spoiler alert - sometimes it's not pretty. 
This is the first episode of a two episode series, so stay tuned for part 2 releasing as a summer bonus episode in June!

Topics Include:
Discussing the reasons we love judging - and the reasons that it becomes harder and harder each season
Travel nightmares and lodging snafus - all to save a dollar
The realities of trying to stay true to your values while adhering to company policies

Help support our podcast! Join Making The Impact's Platinum Premium Subscription today! Your membership includes:
Monthly Q&A episodes released to members only
Priority to have your questions answered each month on the live Q&A.
Ad-free listening for all of Seasons 4 through 7. No sponsored ads!
20% off all IDA Merchandise
Exclusive bonus content released throughout the year
Discounted IDA Online Critique
Group Zoom check-ins 3x per season with Courtney Ortiz!
Your support helps us produce future episodes of Making The Impact for years to come!
Making The Impact's Platinum Premium - Sign up now for only $5/month!

Follow your Hosts & Guests!
Courtney Ortiz - @courtney.ortiz
Lesley Mealor - @miss.lesley.dance
Robb Gibbs - @robb.gibbs
Brittni Johnson - @being_brittni, @alignment.in.dance

Check out our service: IDA Online Judge's Critiques
Send us a video of your dance and an IDA Judge will critique your routine! You can request a genre-specific specialty judge or add on 10 minutes of additional feedback. 24 hour rush delivery available!
Submit your video now!

Join our FREE Facebook Group and connect with us! Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast Community 

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! We would love to hear from you! 

Join our Newsletter for weekly episode releases straight to your inbox! 

Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators and for a list of IDA Affiliated dance competitions, visit our website at www.impactdanceadjudicators.com
Support the show

Send us Fan Mail
Guests - Summer Aiello & Shannon Thomas
Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor

Our final throwback episode is one for the dance moms out there! Being a dance parent requires learning a lot of new information, from theatre etiquette to competition structures. But one thing that’s not covered in any studio handbook is how not to be a stage mom. Join studio owner Shannon Thomas and veteran dance mom Summer Aiello for this informative chat! This episode originally aired on March 24, 2022. 

Topics Include:
Understanding boundaries between your dancer and your studio owner
Learning what is acceptable dance parent behavior
How to stay involved without pushing limits

Help support our podcast! Join Making The Impact's Platinum Premium Subscription today! Your membership includes:
Monthly Q&A episodes released to members only
Priority to have your questions answered each month on the live Q&A.
Ad-free listening for all of Seasons 4 through 7. No sponsored ads!
20% off all IDA Merchandise
Exclusive bonus content released throughout the year
Discounted IDA Online Critique
Group Zoom check-ins 3x per season with Courtney Ortiz!
Your support helps us produce future episodes of Making The Impact for years to come!
Making The Impact's Platinum Premium - Sign up now for only $5/month!

Follow your Hosts & Guests!
Courtney Ortiz - @courtney.ortiz
Lesley Mealor - @miss.lesley.dance
Summer @Summerbellies
Shannon @legacydance386

This episode is sponsored by:
Check out our service: IDA Online Judge's Critiques
Send us a video of your dance and an IDA Judge will critique your routine! You can request a genre-specific specialty judge or add on 10 minutes of additional feedback. 24 hour rush delivery available!
Submit your video now!

Join our FREE Facebook Group and connect with us! Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast Community 

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! We would love to hear from you! 

Join our Newsletter for weekly episode releases straight to your inbox! 

Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators and for a list of IDA Affiliated dance competitions, visit our website at www.impactdanceadjudicators.com
Support the show