August 5, 2025 • 47 mins
Welcome to Episode 2 of Here 4 Cheer! This week we’re joined by flexibility guru Cat Haley, who dives into the critical role flexibility plays in competitive cheerleading. From her unique training program and how she helps athletes level up, to her journey in the cheer world and what it really takes to thrive in the sport—this episode is packed with insight, inspiration, and behind-the-scenes cheer life.
Whether you're a flyer, coach, or parent, you’ll gain valuable tips and perspective on building strength, improving flexibility safely, and sustaining success in All-Star cheer.
Topics Covered: - How Cat Haley’s flexibility program works - Getting started as a flexibility coach - Tips for improving flexibility for cheer - Balancing cheer and personal life - Advice for athletes and coaches
Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more episodes every week!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
I think that this was just common
misconception that in order to get better,it has to be painful.
And that just doesn't make any sense.
Yeah.
You know, it's like going, like,if I'm going in for a massage,
I don't want to feel like I'm experiencinginternal bleeding.
Yeah. Yeah.
Because my body's not going to respondproperly to that.
(00:21):
Stretching should feel like,
you know, you wake up in the morningand you're kind of sore.
You get like,good stretch and it feels good.
That's how it should be.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, we're here for today.
Yeah. Yeah.
(00:42):
Yeah.
On today's episode of here
for cheer, we have my friend Kat Hailey.
She is the owner of Kat Haley cheerleadingand the Kat Haley method.
She's got 25 plus years in the industry asan athlete, as a coach, and as a mentor.
She travels around the country,and she is in person and virtually
(01:04):
training athleteson proper flexibility and jump training.
She's also speaking at conferences,visiting gyms, helping them
implement programs that are safeand effective for their athletes.
She's a rockstar.
She's real. She's honest and raw.
I love that so much about her.
And she has also been a high levelathlete in our sport.
(01:24):
So she is just the total package.
I am so honored and so gratefulto have you here today with us,
and I know that it's going to be anamazing episode with so many good things,
for our listeners.
So welcome, Kat Haley to the show.
Awesome.
Megan, do so much for having me.
(01:44):
We talked about,you know, your new little project
a month ago,and I just can't believe it's here.
You know, you're
putting your best foot forward,and I'm so, so proud to be a part of it.
I love you for that.
So just to kind of give us a little bitof background, can you tell us,
kind of your story, your journeyand falling in love
with the sport of cheerleading? Sure.
(02:05):
So I, cheerleadingwas actually a last resort for me
as an athlete or as a young athlete.
I tried every sport imaginable.
My dad was a racecar driver.
My mom was not an athlete.
So, I tried T-ball, basketball, soccer.
Tap dance, all of the things.
And just none ofit was clicking for me. So,
(02:28):
my cousin wanted to
start doing rec cheerleadingand whatever she did, I did.
So I said, I'll do it.
So, little did we know what that decisionwould do for my life.
So I started out of the small recrec program.
I was there for a couple of years.
My, then home gym
(02:49):
opened up in 2003 called Planet Cheer.
I was there for ten years
and is actually the first athleteto sign up in the program.
And, those gym owners,are still a part of my life.
I those ten years were not filled
with a lot of wins or accolades,but it was just filled with just good life
(03:13):
lessons and, you know, the importanceof kind of that family
feel in a gym that I feel like is so lostnow, you know?
Yeah.
But, you know, my heart is still stillwith those coaches.
So, when I was 18, I was like, all right,
I need to like,finish my finish my cheer career strong.
(03:34):
So I called up Roger Shondaat the Stingray All Stars, and I said,
hey, I'm just a girl from Maine,and I really want to be on orange.
And he said, well, we don't do that.
And I said, well, you're gonna.
So at the time I had had several,several knee injuries.
I had tornACL twice, I tore my meniscus twice.
(03:56):
That was
my third meniscus tear my senior year.
I don't even know.There were just so many of them.
So I'd actually had knee surgery for that.
And all I had for tryout video was,
Infinity Legends had just become a thing.
And so I try out for infinity legendssent that video to Roger,
ended up becoming the first out of stateathlete to make orange,
(04:20):
which is so crazy, I can't even believethere's a there's a video that popped up
that was 12 years ago,which is so not to sell,
and a small town New England girlwho just all town had big dreams.
I love that so much for you.
What did your parents thinkwhen you said, hey, I'm moving
and I'm moving to Georgia?
It was really, really tough.
(04:42):
So I'm from a town with 2000 peoplewhere and I joke in my conferences
that I say we're all related,but we are truly all related.
If you go through our town, each,
there's like pockets of familiesthat all live next to each other.
So my mom's one of eight.
We all live next to each other.
You kind of grow up in the townand you stay there,
and it's a great like it's a great place.
(05:04):
But I just had huge cheer goals.
So emotionally, it was incredibly tough
on the three of us, on our my parentsand I, we were very, very close.
And, it was it was not easy.
This is not easy.
But my mom, my mom was sort of thedriving force that was like,
we're doing it, you know?
(05:26):
She was she was fully supportive of mewanting to, you know, live out my dream.
And she was definitely my backbone.
So I love that.
Let's give it up for those momsthat, yeah, you know, like,
are there and support youthrough all of those things.
Even though she probably was so scaredfor you to go where I want you to, but,
and she hit it really well,she hit it really well.
(05:48):
We've had a lot of conversationsince then to say
that was so crazy.
So, But, yeah, so I ended up,we had an undefeated season that year,
which was, you know,it was just like divine intervention.
I think,
for me to be put in that position.
(06:09):
I went to Kennesaw State Universityjust because it was ten minutes
away from the gym.
I really just wanted to gobe a part of Stingrays, to be honest.
Yeah.
I worked at the gym for a few years, wona lot of things,
that I actually got really sickand had to move home.
And that's where I sort of,
in myearly 20s and very open about this story.
(06:30):
In my early 20s, I,
I didn't know what my path was goingto look like in cheerleading.
I knew I didn't want to own a gym.I'll use gym owners.
My heart goes off to you.
You have the toughest job in the world.
And, I knewI didn't want to coach teams anymore.
And, so I almost just quit cheerleadingaltogether because I was just in such a,
(06:51):
you know, not that transitionfrom being an athlete
to not being an athlete is not talkedabout, talked about enough.
It's very, very difficult.
So, that transitionwas really tough for me.
I ended up taking a few months off.
And really the only skillI had was cheerleading.
So I popped back in,
(07:12):
I started doing some lessons, at the gym,which became element All-Stars.
And, I started Kaylie Cheerleadingjust to do some choreo on the side.
Did that for a while,but, you know, as you get,
as you get
older,working in cheerleading is really tough
(07:32):
because when you want to, like,find a companion,
you it's really tough to go on a date
at noontime on a Tuesday.
So these were some of the battlesI was experiencing
as a young adult was like,how can I have a more normalized life?
(07:53):
You know, the hours are very unusual
for kind of people in general, you know?
So I had a as we can shout out,
our partners do that and our familiesthat put up with this crazy cheer life.
I mean, we wouldn't trade it for anything,but it is.
It's missing a lot of time with familyand friends and barbecues and things.
(08:15):
After dinner, you know that you're like,we don't actually eat dinner as a family.
We're eating it on the runor at 9:00 at night.
And, absolutely crazy life.
But, yeah,but a good one that I'm so grateful for.
And then. Yeah.
So going backto kind of your time at Stingrays,
what was it like to be an athletefrom Maine, where
I'm assumingyou were probably one of the best?
And then getting thrown into the mixwith all of these
(08:37):
probably super talented,incredible athletes.
What was that like?
It was so tough.
It was so tough.
I, I would argue and humbly,
humbly, I think that I madeit look easier than what it was.
Orange was a very special teamwithin the gym.
(08:59):
There's still obviouslya very special team within the gym.
But to be honest, orange,you had to have cheered at the gym
at some point beforeyou were even considered for the team.
So those girls that were onthe team had been together for years.
And then I'm just this girlthat just like, loves cheerleading,
(09:22):
wants to be on this team.
And I'm coming from a place where,
it was a huge culture shock, huge cultureshock.
My high schoolhad a graduating class of 105 kids,
four towns, four townsand one high school, 105 kids.
(09:42):
Everyone knows each other.
Nothing bad ever happens,you know, it's always unlocked.
You leave your doors unlocked.
Like it's very much like little Houseon the Prairie.
Honestly.
So I moved to Atlanta, Georgia,
which has more peoplethan the entire state of Maine.
And, wow.
(10:05):
You know, I'm I'm from this, like,middle class farm town.
And I get put on this teamwith, with these girls
who have, like, extreme wealth.
Okay.
They are baddies.
Oh, yeah. You know, they are hardcore.
They are baddies.
And and honestly,
I wasn't welcomed
(10:27):
very easily because I was an outsider.
Yeah.
And I get it, I get it,you know, in, in the in, in the moment,
I didn't understand because I'm like,hey, like, I, you know,
I, I love that I love this too, you know.
Yeah. Yeah.
But I get it because when you have kind offormed that group
(10:48):
and then all of a sudden someone comes in,you don't know who they are,
you don't know if they're going to fit in.
You know, you don't knowwhat the dynamics are going to be.
I do understand.
So, I had to learn a completelydifferent style of cheerleading.
I had to jump differently.
I had to land my tumbling differently.
I had to approach my tumbling differently.
On top of the fact that I'm now
(11:10):
living in a different stateand a different culture.
And that's what I think a lot of athletesdon't think about, is it's okay to have
those big dreams to go and, you know, bea part of something bigger than yourself.
But you also have to consideryou're not just going to practice,
you're living your life
(11:31):
in a brand new place.
So I will sayliving in Kennesaw was amazing.
Very safe place.
Lots of stuff to do.
Just everything's really nice and newand pretty. So,
those things are great,but being an orange as an outsider
was really, really tough.
(11:53):
The culture is actually very much changedbecause there's so many warm now.
It's the norm. Exactly.
So, there's so many athletes from all overthe place, all over the world.
There's actually an athlete from Finland
that's on orange this year,which is I love that so much.
I think that's amazing.
(12:14):
But now Kennesaw State
collegiate team is phenomenal.
So now people are going to KSUand super senior
or they're doing the electric route.
So now it's it's very,very normal within the gym.
But I kind of I kind of started it
and I kind of died of it, which is crazy.
You were the first one.That's that's wild.
(12:37):
And you and I had the conversation becauseI'm a mom and I have to switch gears.
And we've talkedand they're passionate and they love it.
And they eat, sleep, breatheall the things.
And, you know, we've talked ofhow important it is to have that balance
of having an identitythat's not just cheerleading that
at the end of the day,they may be incredible athletes
and so good and,you know, looked up to you in the sport.
(12:58):
But at the end of the day,they need to have something else to like
because one day cheerleading could end.
You know, our goal alwaysI think is lifelong love of cheerleading.
That's mine.
I want the kids in my program
to love cheerleading beyond their timein the walls of Northern Lights.
I want them to maybe find a careerin some way.
(13:19):
Like you, that you can continueto do what you love, or whether it be
in the industry in another way,as a judge and event producer
designing fashion, I mean, I just,I think we're so lucky to do what we love.
Still. We sacrifice a lot for it.
But I'm so grateful and that's what I wantto kind of inspire other kids to do.
But yeah, it is important to knowthat you're worth something
(13:40):
more than your tumbling skillor your ability on the cheer floor.
And I totally agree with you
that it's not talked about enough,and I'm so proud of you to come out
on the other side, you know,because I know it.
And I've talked to kids, have graduatedfrom our program and cheered
in college super competitivelyand then are like, what? Now?
You know, it's I don't understand themwhen I'm not working out all the time
(14:03):
and my body changes and like it's it'sa ton of pressure and yeah,
there needs to be moretalk about that for sure.
Well, and this isn't like and all duerespect to these sports, this isn't like
golf or skiing that you can do itfor the rest of your life.
You know, we are flipping our bodiesand bending our bodies in half.
(14:24):
And yeah, I love this conversationbecause I wish that
I could have had this conversationwith myself in my early 20s.
You know, it's so easyto fall in love with this sport
and put every ounce of your life into it.
But, to kind of,like, dig deep into my personal life.
(14:45):
I'd never even had a boyfriendtill I was 22 years old
because I just was marriedto cheerleading.
And that transition,because I never allowed myself
to have truebalance, was really, really tough.
I had, you know, kind of like steppinginto the real world and being like,
(15:06):
how do I
have conversations with peoplethat aren't about cheerleading?
Yeah. Yes.
You know, how do I go, like, again,how am I supposed to go on a date?
Like, what do I even talk about?
Like,do you want to talk about worlds, results
in, like, your favorite tumbling pass,you know?
Yeah. So yeah.
Now that I have, you know,and it took years,
(15:29):
it took years for me to findand appreciate the balance of life
that I do my travels,like we talked about the beginning.
I'm actually in Kansas right now.
But I will go home next week.
I'll go home on Sundaynight or Monday morning.
I haven't decided yet.
And make sure that I'm spending timewith Corey,
(15:51):
and I'm spending time in my houseand seeing my nephews and my family.
Because that is
my now, my now, my number onepriority in life is my people.
Yeah, I love that. And it's so true.
As an entrepreneur, the grind doesnot stop like you're constantly on.
And I know it.
I mean, I see you're traveling and givingand giving and giving and giving
(16:13):
and it's it's so important that you makethat time to focus in with your family.
And yeah, it's hard. It is really hard.
But you're making it look easy,and I, I'm so proud of you for that.
I appreciate that.
Well, again, I learned at a reallyyoung age how easy it is to get birds out.
(16:33):
I think that's something else
that isn't, discussed or realized is
when you're an athlete,cheerleading is you're outlet.
You know, you have a bad day at school,you have a bad day at home, go to the gym.
I mean, I'm sure you I'm sureyou have seen this over the years.
You just have kidsthat don't even take class.
They just want to go hang outwith their friends.
They just want to be there.
(16:53):
They just want to hang out, you know?And that was me.
You know, if I had a bad day,
even if I didn't have a bad day,I just wanted to be in the gym
because it was just my happy place.
Yes, but then when you transition from itbeing your hobby to your job,
you have to findyou almost have to find a new outlet.
Because even though you still lovecheerleading, it's now your job.
(17:15):
It's not your hobby.
So I still I mean, admittedly,I still really haven't found a hobby.
I love sitting on my couch.
Yeah, hey, that's a good one.
I like, I lovejust like hanging out on my couch
and eating my dinnerand watching my shows, you know? But,
yeah, it's it's really important to have,
(17:36):
Who was it?
Oh, my God,what's his name from Star Athletics.
Lee. Lee growth scene. Lovely.
He is like, shout out to Lee.
He is amazing. He.I haven't forgotten this.
He runs one of the best,
I would say even maybe the best programon the East coast.
He's amazing. Lower levels.
They are phenomenal. Oh, yeah.
(17:58):
And he was saying at Varsity
University last yearthat he has a huge passion for tennis.
And I was like,you do something outside of cheerleading.
Yeah. Yeah.
Like I was mind blown.
And I haven't forgotten that.
I haven't forgotten that.
I'm like, I need toI need to find my tennis.
Yeah, it's probably nottennis. I'm not good at tennis. I
(18:18):
so, you know, I love that.
Yeah. Okay.
So circling back to now,you've got Kat Haley cheerleading.
You've got the cat Haley method.
What kind of inspired you to specializein that flexibility thing?
Because, I mean, you truly are the best.
I mean, everyone knows that you'rethe best when you want to safely train,
when you want something that worksand has proven results, it's you.
(18:39):
You know, peoplereach out to you and find you.
So what inspired youto kind of focus in on flexibility,
which is not glamorous,you know, like stretching and
those kind of things and even jumps,I they're not glamorous.
They're not something we focus in onas gym owners and as coaches.
Right?
We forget about it, but it makes or breaksthe division sometimes,
(19:00):
you know, more than not.
So yeah.
What inspired you to be thethe flex Queen a half.
So I'll actually I'll give youa little bit of a back story.
So when I had moved homebecause I was so sick,
I wasn't working for three months,and I had no money,
so I was just using my credit cardbecause I had no money.
(19:21):
Well, I'm 22 years old.
I don't understand credit cards. Right?
While the interest rate was so high,
and later on, my mom's like,
have you seen your credit card bill?
And I'm like, no.
And she's like, she's like, bro,
like, what are you doing?
So let all this step.
(19:43):
Yeah, I'm like, I, I didn't I'm like,I didn't spend that much money.
I mean, it's like it don't matter.
Yeah. So so I had a lot of debt.
So I'm in this place. I'm super lost.
Nothing feels right in my life.
And I'm like,I need to, like, do something crazy.
So I start dating Corey,
(20:05):
who is 3.5 hours away from my house.
Mind you, I live in a small town.
You don't leave the town.
I call my parents up one day and I'm like,hey, I'm going to Connecticut.
And they're like, what?
And I'm like,if it goes, great, I'll be back Monday.
And if it doesn't gogreat, I'll be back tomorrow.
And they're like,so flustered by this, right?
(20:27):
So mind you, I had known Corey,I knew his parents, whatever.
So like literally instantly we're like,all right.
Where, you know, we're life partners.
You know, we're meant to be.We're doing it.
We're meant to be.So Corey and I are long distance.
Okay.
So I'm driving to him every weekendbecause, you know, I work at the gym.
I can come back on Mondays.
Whatever.
(20:47):
Well, Covid happens, okay. Covid happens.
I'm in Connecticut,I can't cross state lines
and I am like.
How am I going to pay my bills here?
So I'm like, I do this free jumps
class just for just for fun.
(21:07):
And in two
days I had 20,000 views on it,which was a lot for me.
So I'm like,
I'm sitting at I'm sitting at dinner
with my now in-lawsand my father in law says,
imagine if you would have chargedall those people $5.
And I'm like,
I can pay off my credit card. No.
(21:29):
So I'm like, all right.
My one true love is tumbling.
But I'm not teaching flips and kidsliving rooms not doing it.
It has to be safe.
So I've had experience with with jumps.
I had experience with flexibility.
And I'm like, I think this is goingto be our safest bet.
So I start working with kidsfrom all over the country
(21:50):
in two weeks,I have a 400 person waitlist in mind.
You, I'm charging $10 for 30 minutesbecause I really want
to be considerate of the factthat people aren't working right.
So I'm like, I need to, number one,
protect these kids to make surewhat I'm teaching is truly correct.
And number two, I need to protect myselfas a business owner
(22:13):
to make sure that I'm teaching these kidscorrectly.
Yeah.
So I start doing all this researchabout the body and I'm like,
we have been doing everything wrong.
I'm very math brains left brain for life.
I'm veryI love to have a process for everything.
So I'm like, I'mgoing to develop a process that just
(22:35):
hits home.
Yeah.
So took a little bit of trial and error,figured it
out, was starting to work for literallyevery single kid that worked with me.
Obviously you have those outliers right?
You know, scoliosis situations whenever.
And it just blew up.
And you've changed their livesfor the better with it.
Like, you've made such a difference,you know, say that I'm sure you didn't
(22:57):
think would be this successful businessand you as a successful entrepreneur.
But there's a reason why you're that 40under 40 of Cheer Daily nominee.
Thank you.
Well, shout out for that.
I mean that's incredible
because you're making a differencein the industry in such a positive way.
Crazy. It'sit is literally changed my life.
And I think
(23:18):
that for me, the driving force behindmaking sure that these kids were safe
is obviously
because I'm a coach and you thatthat's something that we should all want.
Yes. However, I have suffered
three ACL tears, three meniscus stairs,I've had five total knee surgeries
and the dent that that did
(23:38):
to my mental health was awful.
It was it was trulyit put me in such a dark place and I'm
just so passionateabout ensuring that kids
don't experience that same thing. So,
yeah, it's crazy how it's crazyhow those setbacks, it's
set me up to kind of
(24:02):
develop my career.
Yeah.
You know, now I've, I've likeunintentionally become this like flex guru
and I, I don't, I don't,I don't make a life plan anymore.
I don't make a life plan anymorebecause I've learned that,
like, it doesn't matter what you plan,the universe is going to just
do their thing.
Do their thing.You know, it does happen to good people.
(24:24):
I believe that. Thank you.And with like pure intentions.
And I love I love that it came that way.
What is the most rewardingpart of this job?
You know, of youbeing able to connect with kids virtually?
I mean, thank goodness.
Covid, I think, opened up
so much for us to be ableto even just communicate virtually.
I know for parent meetingsand things for me in the gym, I can now
hop on a live or hop on, you know,and like it makes such a difference.
(24:48):
But yeah.What's the most rewarding part for you?
I value connection so much.
Like,you are one of my people that I value
so much just in the northeast regionand just right back out here, girl.
Thank you.
I just love having those truedeep connections
with people because we need it.
(25:08):
Life is hard and having the opportunity
to meet these superstar athletes.
And I'm not even talking talent wise.
I'm talking drive.
Men from all over the world has been
just amazing because we talked about this
(25:28):
at one of the conferences.
I spoke at a conference in Junethat Corey Rickett was at, and Gary talked
about how there's four different typesof athletes, and essentially there's 1%
of athletes that are you're like,it's called the champion mindset athletes.
And that was always me.
And I always just craved
(25:50):
that out of other athletes
because that's just how my brain operates.
And seeing so many of themcome out of the woodworks as been like,
oh my gosh, you know, you're like,you're like my people,
you know, you know, giving kids a chanceto shine and cheer
in a different way,I think is so special too.
(26:12):
And you probably don'teven realize that impact.
But we're always focused on like, amazingstunting or amazing
tumbling and like, you're giving calvesa chance to be that point jumper.
And, you know, maybe they aren'tthe best tumbler or the best at stunting,
but like, they can be point jumperor they can be the kid
with great flexibilitythat just for sure, you know.
And we know that flexibility ties intoevery other component of cheerleading.
(26:36):
It truly Archeryou know it's in everything.
So it's so important.
And one of those next stepsthat yeah for you
to kind of help the industry get it rightis is awesome.
And I mean, I hope, you know, the wavesthat you've created and just it's amazing,
you know, just the effectthat you've had on people is so good.
And so like with training,I know for four years we struggle
(26:57):
with, okay,
do we make them take pictures every weekto make sure they're stretching at home?
We always I always didn't want the parentsto have to stretch their kid.
You know,I wanted that relationship of mom
being momand not having to be the mean one.
To be like,you need to stretch before practice today.
And that's always been really hard for uspersonally within our program.
What our,you know, the things that you feel
(27:19):
that workbest for gaining that flexibility.
Like how does this Cat Haley method work?
Is it the fact that you arethe one that are able to do that
instruction, you know, and buildthose connections and be that person?
Or is it just using your video serieslike tell me more about that.
So the Cat Haley method,I always tell people
it's set up like a Beachbody programor like an online college course.
(27:43):
So it's ten weeks and everycouple of weeks there's a checkpoint.
I try to make everything as easyand simple to follow as possible.
I developed something called the sevenstep process.
So athletes knew, okay,I can achieve this.
I'm able to move onto work on to this next step
because what I have found is like,I love tumbling because
(28:05):
it's very clear on what you need to masterbefore you move forward.
You have to have a strong handstandbefore a cartwheel, before or around
off, before a back walkover, before backhandspring, etc. etc.
but when it came to bodypositions, we've always been like,
just figure it out.
Yeah.
You know, there was never athere was never a clear system to follow.
So, number one, that'sprobably the most crucial part of my,
(28:31):
my processis there's an actual system to follow.
So you're not just kicking your leg upand wondering if you're doing it right.
Number two,
something I teach the athletes isthat flexibility is actually neurological.
It actually comes from our brain.
So to kind of put thingsinto simple terms, I tell the kids,
we have all these wires that run throughour body called your nervous system.
And when you stretch and you kind of feelthat natural stop happen,
(28:55):
that's your nervous systemalerting your brain.
Either either a,this is unfamiliar territory to me.
I'm not used to doing this or to.
I don't think I'm strong enough to do thisposition.
Our brain responds to, or our brainallows our body
to get flexible fasterwhen our muscles are stronger.
(29:18):
So it's all about stretchingafter you do those intense workouts.
And and we again,we so often think that it's
just all about pushing, pushing,pushing on the athlete.
But everything I do is hands off.
Originally, the reason it was handsoff was because, again, I like you.
I wanted the mom to be able to, like,go do
(29:40):
whatever she needs to dofor 30 or 40 minutes.
But too, it was Covidand we couldn't touch anyone anyway.
So. So it all actually kind of worked up.
So everything's hands off.It is strength based.
It is proper stretching basedbased on yoga and physical therapy and,
outside of that, there is a
private group that people can reachme, post their progress, ask questions.
(30:04):
And the whole communityhas just been so awesome.
People ask really smart questions.
I see other parents commenting on otherkids photos saying, this looks awesome.
Like it's just been such a positive thing.
And I think that our industryhas the tendency
to get, you know, catty and negative.
(30:26):
And so, I'm just constantlyreminding the parents like, hey,
thank you
for keeping this a positive placebecause that's, only going
to make things easier and betterfor everybody at the end of the day.
So absolutely, I love that so much.
So what do you think the biggest mistakethat parents,
gym owners, coaches make when it comesto, you know, flexibility training?
(30:49):
I think number one,just lack of a process in general.
I, you know, I
remember growing up well,I mean, we grew up
I know I grew up in a time wherethere really wasn't a lot of education.
Debbie Love was kind of introducing
proper training into the world,but it was still pretty foreign.
You know,I remember going over to the wall
(31:10):
and someone would just take my legand someone up next to my back, and
but we didn't know what we were doing.
So number one,I think lack of a clear process.
So, you know, we need to make surewe have our splits all the way down.
We need to make sureour grips are correct.
And then number two, just being so handson the kids, I think that,
(31:30):
like PMF stretchingwhere you kind of apply pressure to,
you know, like, let's say I want to like,stretch this part of my neck.
I'm going to push on this part of my head,
but I'm going to fight with my headthe opposite direction.
Okay.
Then that type of stretching is great.
This is totallyhealthy, is totally normal.
But I think that this is just common
(31:51):
misconception that in order to get better,it has to be painful.
And that just doesn't make any sense.
Yeah.
You know, it's like going like,if I'm going in for a massage,
I don't want to feel like I'm experiencinginternal bleeding.
Yeah. Yeah.
Because my body's not going to respondproperly to that.
(32:11):
Stretching should feel like,you know, you wake up in the morning
and you kind of saw you get like,good stretch and it feels good.
That's how it should be.
It should feel good.
It should notit should not stress athletes out. Yes.
You said something to me when we Imean, I'm so lucky
to have had so many conversations with youjust picking your brain and,
you know, talking shop.
And you had said that in gymnasticsand tumbling that it makes so much sense
(32:35):
that the handstand is likethat crucial component,
that when you've got a great handstand,it goes into everything else.
You know,it's like it's that important piece.
And then when it comes to flexibility,you had said that splits were, you know,
that that's kind of like what you needfor great flexibility and stretching.
And I mean, that was like my brain.
(32:56):
I brought it back to my staff. I was like,I never thought of it this way.
We need to make sure, you know, thatwe're taking time down to practice, to
to go over these things and, and, youknow, talk about the importance of splits.
And it yeah,it was like totally mind blowing to me.
So I totally get and no one has done that.
No one has come up with a process,has come up with the training.
(33:17):
And then so now I know that you dothe kind of individualized things, you
know, for athletes that they can virtuallyor in person kind of work with you.
But now you have a system for gyms.
Can you tell me a little bit moreabout about that?
Yes. So this is still sortof a newer process that, we're kind of
working out the kinks, but I think so farwe're, you know, we're on the right path,
(33:37):
essentially, for anyonethat wants to sign up for the gym program,
your athletes can get the CatHaley method at bulk pricing.
I really want athletes.
I mean, number one, I'm a business owner.
Business ownersobviously want to make their money.
However,I really want athletes to utilize this
because I just know it worksand I know it's going to make them better.
(34:00):
So essentiallyit just works with bulk pricing.
So you send me the number of athletesthat you have enrolled.
I send you a price.
It ranges from 100 to $150 an athlete. And
I've had
programs from the US and Canadaenroll so far.
And like I said, it'sbeen really, really successful,
but we're still kind ofworking out the kinks, which has been
(34:23):
which is, you know, it'sa part of the process. Right?
I want to make sure my number one focusis that
gyms and athletesget the most out of my program. So,
we had 100 athletes
from two AthleticsCharlotte sign up, which is amazing.
Literally insane. Yeah.
All four from Frisco, Texas.
(34:45):
I have a couple, a couple gyms from Canadathat have enrolled.
Yeah.
So, you know, like,I said, we're just we're just trying to,
you know, put this in programsbecause a number one, obviously it works.
I'm a, I, you know, so confident inand what the Kat Haley method is.
Yeah. And it should be.
(35:06):
But number two, it's really, really hard.
I'm actuallyvery anti flex class in the gym
because
flexibility is a very special process.
And I always encourage peopleto think very literal.
I want your athleteto put their leg next to their spine.
(35:27):
And they're only going to flex classonce a week.
Yeah.
It's kind of like weight loss, right?
If I work out once a week,I'm probably not going to lose any weight.
Right?
So what happens in most gymsis number one, they don't have the space.
Number two, they don't have the time.
And even if they do have the spaceand time, they don't really have
a great person that truly knowswhat they're doing to run it.
(35:50):
Yeah.
So you put a junior coach, you know,offense, the junior coach there also.
Yeah, we put a junior coach thatthat maybe doesn't
have that experience yetand it's just unproductive.
Yes. Right.
It it requires so much delicate,attention.
So, so again, this allows your athletesto progress the way they should.
(36:11):
And in my opinion, that then allows
your flex class to become more of a flierperformance class.
And they can maintain their bodypositions, they can work on the strength
training, they can workon, what is needed for their teams.
And to me, that is a more valuableuse of time than you know.
Suzy, who attends flex classonce a week for 12 months
(36:34):
and she can't even get past a Dorito.
So absolutely, absolutely.
So what is a way that you suggest for gymsto keep it fun.
You know, because like I saidflex is not necessarily fun all the time.
You know it is somethingthat you have to really dedicate to.
And some kids are born more, you know,genetically more flexible than others.
(36:55):
And that can be challengingand frustrating.
And yeah, so but like, what would bethe number one thing to help make
either the Kat Haley methodand getting people bought into it
to keep it fun and exciting and like, whatways can we as gym owners make it fun?
For sure.
We are living in a time where people valueinstant gratification and listen.
I love to complain about my kidsthat like instant gratification,
(37:17):
but I'm guilty as charged, like I'm also,I would also like,
you know, to be a millionairetomorrow. Yes.
You know, like so I get it.
Like we all have our thingthat we want tomorrow. So
my thing
is, how can we celebrate the athleteas much as possible?
Something I've realized as an adultis that when you're young,
(37:40):
there's so many thingsthat you're constantly celebrating.
So, like, you get an A on a testor you get a new skill in the gym
or whatever,you know, those have categories.
As an adult,the the amount of times you celebrate
something are so far lessbecause the process, you're
not going to have $100,000 in your IRAtomorrow.
(38:03):
Yeah.
You know, that takes yearsand years and years.
So my thing is, is how can we celebratethe athlete as many times as possible?
So with the seven step process,
there are the first couple of stepsare intended to be really easy.
So your athletes have absolutely zeroflexibility.
They're nervous to try it.
(38:26):
They're going to be able to dothose first couple of steps
right out the breakand love that right off the bat.
And they're going to be ableto say to themselves,
oh my God, I can do I can do this. Yeah.
Because right. We look atwe look at someone
with a straight leg scorpionand we say I to do that.
Yeah. Yeah, right.
But if we can do those first couple ofsteps, it will encourage us to keep going.
(38:47):
Yeah. So that's number one.
And then number two, when your athletegets their needle or they get their bow
and arrow keeping, I like to number twothe sorry to the Excel.
And number one, I like to have a poster.
So that wayall the names are on the side and on.
You know you have all seven steps.
(39:08):
And every time they get their step,check it off.
When they get their set, check it out.
So that way they can see their processand their progress and say okay,
I really am getting.
So I'm doing it.
So it justyeah, it's an encouragement thing.
And then when they get their needle
or they get their bow and arrowmake a big deal about it.
Have have the needle Cluband have a poster on your wall.
(39:30):
Yeah. You have a t shirt.
I actually have t shirts
that say I got my needlewith Kylie Cheerleading, so I love that.
Make a big deal over it.
You know what arethat's like, I don't know, giving them,
giving them a t shirt,
putting them on a wall,giving them $25 for your pro shop.
(39:51):
Yeah. Whatever
we always need.
Like, I,
I think I do a bad jobat celebrating myself
because I'm always, like,looking for the next thing.
Yeah.
But even as adults,it's important to be like, you know what?
Like, I'm going to go aheadand reward myself with the expensive shoes
I've been looking atbecause I've been working really hard.
(40:14):
You know, we havewe have to, we have to celebrate the kids.
And those are just a few of my waysthat I like to do that I love that.
Okay, so one more thing.
If if an athlete was to, you know, belistening and be able to implement
something right nowevery day that they could do to help them
become better, and flex,what would that one thing
be that you would, youknow, recommend for them hip flexibility.
(40:38):
So we often think that back flexibilitycomes from our back,
but it actually comes from our hip.
So when I explain to people,you know, I'll put my leg forward
so, you know,pretend I'm doing a heel start right now.
This is not a heel stretch.
I say, if I'm doing a heel stretch,
am I stretching the back of my legor my stomach?
(40:58):
And people look at me and they're like,the back of your leg, obviously, right.
And I'm like, correct.
So now if I'm putting my leg behind me,am I stretching my hip or my back?
And they're like, your backand I'm like your hip
because the only thing that's movingis your leg.
So removing those crazy bridgesand backbends
(41:20):
and like contortionist stuff is numberone way safer for your body.
Number two,it's actually not doing anything for you.
And number three, we have to really digdeep into those deep hip flexor stretches.
So that's going to remove lower back pain.
It's going to help you progress faster.
And like I said,I always tell my athletes, if you're on
(41:42):
if you're on Instagram or TikTokand you see something that looks crazy,
like it looks like it looks like
it'll be insertdisplay, it's because it it's crazy.
And you should. Yes.
Yeah. So I love it.
And then is there an age that, you know,you recommend athletes
start with your method. Like what?How old should they be?
I mean we've got kiddos cheeringnow when they're three years old.
(42:04):
So what age is a good agefor them to start working.
You know, your flex program.
So these days I have been recommending 7or 8.
I had originally been recommendingage five.
The reason is,is because in in gymnastics world,
it is actually sort ofagainst coaching guidelines
to do bridges for athletes under the ageof five for development reasons.
(42:27):
So for me, I always said, all right, well,in that case then we can start at five.
What I have learned pretty quicklyis that, it's a lot like it is
expecting expecting athletes to do bodypositions is a lot.
So can athletesstart at five and six? Yes.
I think you have to know your kid.
And whether or not they can handle it.
(42:48):
But as kind of a general rule,I've been kind of leaning
more towards seven and eight.Yeah, I love it.
And then this whole Kat Healymethod, is it only for body positions?
Is this also for kids that want to become,you know, better at jumps?
We know that flexibilityis a huge piece of that.
Tell melike who this is really targeted for.
So right now it's specifically targetedfor fire flexibility and jumps training.
(43:12):
I actually have a few mini series out.
I just released a wrist strengtheningseries.
Love.
So, I have a few projectsthat I'm going to be working
on when my travel sort of clears up.
So, my goal in the futureis to be able to create more series
that target everybody in the sport,instead of just those fliers.
(43:32):
So if you are not a flier, stay tunedbecause I have some fun, fun ideas
I'll be working on.
That's amazing, I love that.
Oh, this has been so great.
Okay, my last final question for youis just
giving one piece of adviceto our listeners, one take away.
I mean, you've given so many in termsof all of the flex things and
but just being a person in our industryand, you know, who's worked with so many
(43:55):
programs, spoken at so many conferences,
you know, your impact is so great.
What would be one piece of advice?
You could kind of leaveeverybody with that?
You know,we need to do better as an industry
or like one thing
we could stop doing, startdoing all of those kind of great things,
I think just find the right people.
I think it took me a long time.
And I'm still learningabout finding my circle.
(44:19):
You know, I'm so blessed that I consideryou very much a part of my circle.
Find find your people.
But also make sure that you're wise
about what information you are taking in.
I think that just like everything in life,you know, especially with diet
culture, right?
There'shundreds of different diets out there.
(44:40):
And a lot of them are not awesome.
Right.
And that same thing goes in our sportthat,
you know, to be really direct,just because someone has
a lot of followersmay not mean that the material is correct.
So just be really, really.
Rob, I love that girl on girl. Yeah.
Like don't look at the followers,look at the material and ask questions.
(45:03):
Right?
So find your people,find the right community.
Make sure you're being wise aboutthe information that you're taking in.
And just remember that this is a process.
I feel like I could write a bookabout what not to do.
And I think just giving yourself gracethat you're going to have people
that maybe fall out of your circleor your maybe the way you teach
(45:23):
may change,you know, allowing, allowing that sort of,
natural
process to happen is is importantnot just for coaching but just life.
So yeah, I love thatyou're the most beautiful,
amazing human being that I'm so gratefulthat you've been here with us.
How can people get in touch with youif they, you know, are ready to jump
(45:43):
and get their programsigned up for that cat healing method?
Or, you know, just reach you directly?
Yes. So you can follow me on Facebookat Cat Haley cheerleading.
Same thing with Instagramat Cat Haley cheerleading my TikTok.
I'm trying to change the handle
to Cat Haley Cheerleading,but it's currently the cat Haley method.
But if you ever need anything.
My girl Gina, who runs all my emails,she is amazing.
(46:05):
You can contact her at info at Cat.
Haley cheerleading.com.
I can do clinics.
I can do staff training. You can do it.
I would love it.
We're so lucky.
The industry is so lucky to have you.
Yeah, we need more people like you justwilling to share and, you know, educate.
And, we've had, like I said,so many wonderful conversations.
(46:27):
You're just you're amazing.
You're real, you're honest, you're raw.
You're not afraid to,you know, share your experience.
The highs, the lows, the in-betweensof every point of your journey.
And I think that that is so rareand special, and it means so much
for me to call you my friendand to have had you on here today.
Thank you to all of our listenerstuning in.
We hope that you loved today's show.
(46:49):
I knowI have so many takeaways that are valuable
and that we can work to implementin our program, and I love it.
Like, share, follow,
subscribe all the things, of our podcast.
Please hear for cheer so we can continueto reach people and get amazing
people on like Kat, Haley, Megan,thank you so much.
(47:10):
I'm so excited for this projectyou've started
and I think it's going to blow upand be an amazing thing for the industry.
So I am honored to be episode two.
Yes. And I am like, so ready for the rest.
Rest of the seriesyou produced. So, I love it.
All right.
Thanks everybody for joining.We'll see you next time.
We are glad to see you're great.
(47:30):
All we do is hereplaying high and super clean.
Where the best you've ever seen.
How is your flight?
We've been riding every night.
Had to earn the things we got.Gotta work to stay on top.
One shot, one chance.
So don't make it to the next.
One shot one chance.
Gonna make it another day.
(47:52):
This year.
I think that this was just common
misconception that in order to get better,it has to be painful.
And that just doesn't make any sense.
Yeah.
You know, it's like going, like,if I'm going in for a massage,
I don't want to feel like I'm experiencinginternal bleeding.
Yeah. Yeah.
Because my body's not going to respondproperly to that.
(00:21):
Stretching should feel like,
you know, you wake up in the morningand you're kind of sore.
You get like,good stretch and it feels good.
That's how it should be.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, we're here for today.
Yeah. Yeah.
(00:42):
Yeah.
On today's episode of here
for cheer, we have my friend Kat Hailey.
She is the owner of Kat Haley cheerleadingand the Kat Haley method.
She's got 25 plus years in the industry asan athlete, as a coach, and as a mentor.
She travels around the country,and she is in person and virtually
(01:04):
training athleteson proper flexibility and jump training.
She's also speaking at conferences,visiting gyms, helping them
implement programs that are safeand effective for their athletes.
She's a rockstar.
She's real. She's honest and raw.
I love that so much about her.
And she has also been a high levelathlete in our sport.
(01:24):
So she is just the total package.
I am so honored and so gratefulto have you here today with us,
and I know that it's going to be anamazing episode with so many good things,
for our listeners.
So welcome, Kat Haley to the show.
Awesome.
Megan, do so much for having me.
(01:44):
We talked about,you know, your new little project
a month ago,and I just can't believe it's here.
You know, you're
putting your best foot forward,and I'm so, so proud to be a part of it.
I love you for that.
So just to kind of give us a little bitof background, can you tell us,
kind of your story, your journeyand falling in love
with the sport of cheerleading? Sure.
(02:05):
So I, cheerleadingwas actually a last resort for me
as an athlete or as a young athlete.
I tried every sport imaginable.
My dad was a racecar driver.
My mom was not an athlete.
So, I tried T-ball, basketball, soccer.
Tap dance, all of the things.
And just none ofit was clicking for me. So,
(02:28):
my cousin wanted to
start doing rec cheerleadingand whatever she did, I did.
So I said, I'll do it.
So, little did we know what that decisionwould do for my life.
So I started out of the small recrec program.
I was there for a couple of years.
My, then home gym
(02:49):
opened up in 2003 called Planet Cheer.
I was there for ten years
and is actually the first athleteto sign up in the program.
And, those gym owners,are still a part of my life.
I those ten years were not filled
with a lot of wins or accolades,but it was just filled with just good life
(03:13):
lessons and, you know, the importanceof kind of that family
feel in a gym that I feel like is so lostnow, you know?
Yeah.
But, you know, my heart is still stillwith those coaches.
So, when I was 18, I was like, all right,
I need to like,finish my finish my cheer career strong.
(03:34):
So I called up Roger Shondaat the Stingray All Stars, and I said,
hey, I'm just a girl from Maine,and I really want to be on orange.
And he said, well, we don't do that.
And I said, well, you're gonna.
So at the time I had had several,several knee injuries.
I had tornACL twice, I tore my meniscus twice.
(03:56):
That was
my third meniscus tear my senior year.
I don't even know.There were just so many of them.
So I'd actually had knee surgery for that.
And all I had for tryout video was,
Infinity Legends had just become a thing.
And so I try out for infinity legendssent that video to Roger,
ended up becoming the first out of stateathlete to make orange,
(04:20):
which is so crazy, I can't even believethere's a there's a video that popped up
that was 12 years ago,which is so not to sell,
and a small town New England girlwho just all town had big dreams.
I love that so much for you.
What did your parents thinkwhen you said, hey, I'm moving
and I'm moving to Georgia?
It was really, really tough.
(04:42):
So I'm from a town with 2000 peoplewhere and I joke in my conferences
that I say we're all related,but we are truly all related.
If you go through our town, each,
there's like pockets of familiesthat all live next to each other.
So my mom's one of eight.
We all live next to each other.
You kind of grow up in the townand you stay there,
and it's a great like it's a great place.
(05:04):
But I just had huge cheer goals.
So emotionally, it was incredibly tough
on the three of us, on our my parentsand I, we were very, very close.
And, it was it was not easy.
This is not easy.
But my mom, my mom was sort of thedriving force that was like,
we're doing it, you know?
(05:26):
She was she was fully supportive of mewanting to, you know, live out my dream.
And she was definitely my backbone.
So I love that.
Let's give it up for those momsthat, yeah, you know, like,
are there and support youthrough all of those things.
Even though she probably was so scaredfor you to go where I want you to, but,
and she hit it really well,she hit it really well.
(05:48):
We've had a lot of conversationsince then to say
that was so crazy.
So, But, yeah, so I ended up,we had an undefeated season that year,
which was, you know,it was just like divine intervention.
I think,
for me to be put in that position.
(06:09):
I went to Kennesaw State Universityjust because it was ten minutes
away from the gym.
I really just wanted to gobe a part of Stingrays, to be honest.
Yeah.
I worked at the gym for a few years, wona lot of things,
that I actually got really sickand had to move home.
And that's where I sort of,
in myearly 20s and very open about this story.
(06:30):
In my early 20s, I,
I didn't know what my path was goingto look like in cheerleading.
I knew I didn't want to own a gym.I'll use gym owners.
My heart goes off to you.
You have the toughest job in the world.
And, I knewI didn't want to coach teams anymore.
And, so I almost just quit cheerleadingaltogether because I was just in such a,
(06:51):
you know, not that transitionfrom being an athlete
to not being an athlete is not talkedabout, talked about enough.
It's very, very difficult.
So, that transitionwas really tough for me.
I ended up taking a few months off.
And really the only skillI had was cheerleading.
So I popped back in,
(07:12):
I started doing some lessons, at the gym,which became element All-Stars.
And, I started Kaylie Cheerleadingjust to do some choreo on the side.
Did that for a while,but, you know, as you get,
as you get
older,working in cheerleading is really tough
(07:32):
because when you want to, like,find a companion,
you it's really tough to go on a date
at noontime on a Tuesday.
So these were some of the battlesI was experiencing
as a young adult was like,how can I have a more normalized life?
(07:53):
You know, the hours are very unusual
for kind of people in general, you know?
So I had a as we can shout out,
our partners do that and our familiesthat put up with this crazy cheer life.
I mean, we wouldn't trade it for anything,but it is.
It's missing a lot of time with familyand friends and barbecues and things.
(08:15):
After dinner, you know that you're like,we don't actually eat dinner as a family.
We're eating it on the runor at 9:00 at night.
And, absolutely crazy life.
But, yeah,but a good one that I'm so grateful for.
And then. Yeah.
So going backto kind of your time at Stingrays,
what was it like to be an athletefrom Maine, where
I'm assumingyou were probably one of the best?
And then getting thrown into the mixwith all of these
(08:37):
probably super talented,incredible athletes.
What was that like?
It was so tough.
It was so tough.
I, I would argue and humbly,
humbly, I think that I madeit look easier than what it was.
Orange was a very special teamwithin the gym.
(08:59):
There's still obviouslya very special team within the gym.
But to be honest, orange,you had to have cheered at the gym
at some point beforeyou were even considered for the team.
So those girls that were onthe team had been together for years.
And then I'm just this girlthat just like, loves cheerleading,
(09:22):
wants to be on this team.
And I'm coming from a place where,
it was a huge culture shock, huge cultureshock.
My high schoolhad a graduating class of 105 kids,
four towns, four townsand one high school, 105 kids.
(09:42):
Everyone knows each other.
Nothing bad ever happens,you know, it's always unlocked.
You leave your doors unlocked.
Like it's very much like little Houseon the Prairie.
Honestly.
So I moved to Atlanta, Georgia,
which has more peoplethan the entire state of Maine.
And, wow.
(10:05):
You know, I'm I'm from this, like,middle class farm town.
And I get put on this teamwith, with these girls
who have, like, extreme wealth.
Okay.
They are baddies.
Oh, yeah. You know, they are hardcore.
They are baddies.
And and honestly,
I wasn't welcomed
(10:27):
very easily because I was an outsider.
Yeah.
And I get it, I get it,you know, in, in the in, in the moment,
I didn't understand because I'm like,hey, like, I, you know,
I, I love that I love this too, you know.
Yeah. Yeah.
But I get it because when you have kind offormed that group
(10:48):
and then all of a sudden someone comes in,you don't know who they are,
you don't know if they're going to fit in.
You know, you don't knowwhat the dynamics are going to be.
I do understand.
So, I had to learn a completelydifferent style of cheerleading.
I had to jump differently.
I had to land my tumbling differently.
I had to approach my tumbling differently.
On top of the fact that I'm now
(11:10):
living in a different stateand a different culture.
And that's what I think a lot of athletesdon't think about, is it's okay to have
those big dreams to go and, you know, bea part of something bigger than yourself.
But you also have to consideryou're not just going to practice,
you're living your life
(11:31):
in a brand new place.
So I will sayliving in Kennesaw was amazing.
Very safe place.
Lots of stuff to do.
Just everything's really nice and newand pretty. So,
those things are great,but being an orange as an outsider
was really, really tough.
(11:53):
The culture is actually very much changedbecause there's so many warm now.
It's the norm. Exactly.
So, there's so many athletes from all overthe place, all over the world.
There's actually an athlete from Finland
that's on orange this year,which is I love that so much.
I think that's amazing.
(12:14):
But now Kennesaw State
collegiate team is phenomenal.
So now people are going to KSUand super senior
or they're doing the electric route.
So now it's it's very,very normal within the gym.
But I kind of I kind of started it
and I kind of died of it, which is crazy.
You were the first one.That's that's wild.
(12:37):
And you and I had the conversation becauseI'm a mom and I have to switch gears.
And we've talkedand they're passionate and they love it.
And they eat, sleep, breatheall the things.
And, you know, we've talked ofhow important it is to have that balance
of having an identitythat's not just cheerleading that
at the end of the day,they may be incredible athletes
and so good and,you know, looked up to you in the sport.
(12:58):
But at the end of the day,they need to have something else to like
because one day cheerleading could end.
You know, our goal alwaysI think is lifelong love of cheerleading.
That's mine.
I want the kids in my program
to love cheerleading beyond their timein the walls of Northern Lights.
I want them to maybe find a careerin some way.
(13:19):
Like you, that you can continueto do what you love, or whether it be
in the industry in another way,as a judge and event producer
designing fashion, I mean, I just,I think we're so lucky to do what we love.
Still. We sacrifice a lot for it.
But I'm so grateful and that's what I wantto kind of inspire other kids to do.
But yeah, it is important to knowthat you're worth something
(13:40):
more than your tumbling skillor your ability on the cheer floor.
And I totally agree with you
that it's not talked about enough,and I'm so proud of you to come out
on the other side, you know,because I know it.
And I've talked to kids, have graduatedfrom our program and cheered
in college super competitivelyand then are like, what? Now?
You know, it's I don't understand themwhen I'm not working out all the time
(14:03):
and my body changes and like it's it'sa ton of pressure and yeah,
there needs to be moretalk about that for sure.
Well, and this isn't like and all duerespect to these sports, this isn't like
golf or skiing that you can do itfor the rest of your life.
You know, we are flipping our bodiesand bending our bodies in half.
(14:24):
And yeah, I love this conversationbecause I wish that
I could have had this conversationwith myself in my early 20s.
You know, it's so easyto fall in love with this sport
and put every ounce of your life into it.
But, to kind of,like, dig deep into my personal life.
(14:45):
I'd never even had a boyfriendtill I was 22 years old
because I just was marriedto cheerleading.
And that transition,because I never allowed myself
to have truebalance, was really, really tough.
I had, you know, kind of like steppinginto the real world and being like,
(15:06):
how do I
have conversations with peoplethat aren't about cheerleading?
Yeah. Yes.
You know, how do I go, like, again,how am I supposed to go on a date?
Like, what do I even talk about?
Like,do you want to talk about worlds, results
in, like, your favorite tumbling pass,you know?
Yeah. So yeah.
Now that I have, you know,and it took years,
(15:29):
it took years for me to findand appreciate the balance of life
that I do my travels,like we talked about the beginning.
I'm actually in Kansas right now.
But I will go home next week.
I'll go home on Sundaynight or Monday morning.
I haven't decided yet.
And make sure that I'm spending timewith Corey,
(15:51):
and I'm spending time in my houseand seeing my nephews and my family.
Because that is
my now, my now, my number onepriority in life is my people.
Yeah, I love that. And it's so true.
As an entrepreneur, the grind doesnot stop like you're constantly on.
And I know it.
I mean, I see you're traveling and givingand giving and giving and giving
(16:13):
and it's it's so important that you makethat time to focus in with your family.
And yeah, it's hard. It is really hard.
But you're making it look easy,and I, I'm so proud of you for that.
I appreciate that.
Well, again, I learned at a reallyyoung age how easy it is to get birds out.
(16:33):
I think that's something else
that isn't, discussed or realized is
when you're an athlete,cheerleading is you're outlet.
You know, you have a bad day at school,you have a bad day at home, go to the gym.
I mean, I'm sure you I'm sureyou have seen this over the years.
You just have kidsthat don't even take class.
They just want to go hang outwith their friends.
They just want to be there.
(16:53):
They just want to hang out, you know?And that was me.
You know, if I had a bad day,
even if I didn't have a bad day,I just wanted to be in the gym
because it was just my happy place.
Yes, but then when you transition from itbeing your hobby to your job,
you have to findyou almost have to find a new outlet.
Because even though you still lovecheerleading, it's now your job.
(17:15):
It's not your hobby.
So I still I mean, admittedly,I still really haven't found a hobby.
I love sitting on my couch.
Yeah, hey, that's a good one.
I like, I lovejust like hanging out on my couch
and eating my dinnerand watching my shows, you know? But,
yeah, it's it's really important to have,
(17:36):
Who was it?
Oh, my God,what's his name from Star Athletics.
Lee. Lee growth scene. Lovely.
He is like, shout out to Lee.
He is amazing. He.I haven't forgotten this.
He runs one of the best,
I would say even maybe the best programon the East coast.
He's amazing. Lower levels.
They are phenomenal. Oh, yeah.
(17:58):
And he was saying at Varsity
University last yearthat he has a huge passion for tennis.
And I was like,you do something outside of cheerleading.
Yeah. Yeah.
Like I was mind blown.
And I haven't forgotten that.
I haven't forgotten that.
I'm like, I need toI need to find my tennis.
Yeah, it's probably nottennis. I'm not good at tennis. I
(18:18):
so, you know, I love that.
Yeah. Okay.
So circling back to now,you've got Kat Haley cheerleading.
You've got the cat Haley method.
What kind of inspired you to specializein that flexibility thing?
Because, I mean, you truly are the best.
I mean, everyone knows that you'rethe best when you want to safely train,
when you want something that worksand has proven results, it's you.
(18:39):
You know, peoplereach out to you and find you.
So what inspired youto kind of focus in on flexibility,
which is not glamorous,you know, like stretching and
those kind of things and even jumps,I they're not glamorous.
They're not something we focus in onas gym owners and as coaches.
Right?
We forget about it, but it makes or breaksthe division sometimes,
(19:00):
you know, more than not.
So yeah.
What inspired you to be thethe flex Queen a half.
So I'll actually I'll give youa little bit of a back story.
So when I had moved homebecause I was so sick,
I wasn't working for three months,and I had no money,
so I was just using my credit cardbecause I had no money.
(19:21):
Well, I'm 22 years old.
I don't understand credit cards. Right?
While the interest rate was so high,
and later on, my mom's like,
have you seen your credit card bill?
And I'm like, no.
And she's like, she's like, bro,
like, what are you doing?
So let all this step.
(19:43):
Yeah, I'm like, I, I didn't I'm like,I didn't spend that much money.
I mean, it's like it don't matter.
Yeah. So so I had a lot of debt.
So I'm in this place. I'm super lost.
Nothing feels right in my life.
And I'm like,I need to, like, do something crazy.
So I start dating Corey,
(20:05):
who is 3.5 hours away from my house.
Mind you, I live in a small town.
You don't leave the town.
I call my parents up one day and I'm like,hey, I'm going to Connecticut.
And they're like, what?
And I'm like,if it goes, great, I'll be back Monday.
And if it doesn't gogreat, I'll be back tomorrow.
And they're like,so flustered by this, right?
(20:27):
So mind you, I had known Corey,I knew his parents, whatever.
So like literally instantly we're like,all right.
Where, you know, we're life partners.
You know, we're meant to be.We're doing it.
We're meant to be.So Corey and I are long distance.
Okay.
So I'm driving to him every weekendbecause, you know, I work at the gym.
I can come back on Mondays.
Whatever.
(20:47):
Well, Covid happens, okay. Covid happens.
I'm in Connecticut,I can't cross state lines
and I am like.
How am I going to pay my bills here?
So I'm like, I do this free jumps
class just for just for fun.
(21:07):
And in two
days I had 20,000 views on it,which was a lot for me.
So I'm like,
I'm sitting at I'm sitting at dinner
with my now in-lawsand my father in law says,
imagine if you would have chargedall those people $5.
And I'm like,
I can pay off my credit card. No.
(21:29):
So I'm like, all right.
My one true love is tumbling.
But I'm not teaching flips and kidsliving rooms not doing it.
It has to be safe.
So I've had experience with with jumps.
I had experience with flexibility.
And I'm like, I think this is goingto be our safest bet.
So I start working with kidsfrom all over the country
(21:50):
in two weeks,I have a 400 person waitlist in mind.
You, I'm charging $10 for 30 minutesbecause I really want
to be considerate of the factthat people aren't working right.
So I'm like, I need to, number one,
protect these kids to make surewhat I'm teaching is truly correct.
And number two, I need to protect myselfas a business owner
(22:13):
to make sure that I'm teaching these kidscorrectly.
Yeah.
So I start doing all this researchabout the body and I'm like,
we have been doing everything wrong.
I'm very math brains left brain for life.
I'm veryI love to have a process for everything.
So I'm like, I'mgoing to develop a process that just
(22:35):
hits home.
Yeah.
So took a little bit of trial and error,figured it
out, was starting to work for literallyevery single kid that worked with me.
Obviously you have those outliers right?
You know, scoliosis situations whenever.
And it just blew up.
And you've changed their livesfor the better with it.
Like, you've made such a difference,you know, say that I'm sure you didn't
(22:57):
think would be this successful businessand you as a successful entrepreneur.
But there's a reason why you're that 40under 40 of Cheer Daily nominee.
Thank you.
Well, shout out for that.
I mean that's incredible
because you're making a differencein the industry in such a positive way.
Crazy. It'sit is literally changed my life.
And I think
(23:18):
that for me, the driving force behindmaking sure that these kids were safe
is obviously
because I'm a coach and you thatthat's something that we should all want.
Yes. However, I have suffered
three ACL tears, three meniscus stairs,I've had five total knee surgeries
and the dent that that did
(23:38):
to my mental health was awful.
It was it was trulyit put me in such a dark place and I'm
just so passionateabout ensuring that kids
don't experience that same thing. So,
yeah, it's crazy how it's crazyhow those setbacks, it's
set me up to kind of
(24:02):
develop my career.
Yeah.
You know, now I've, I've likeunintentionally become this like flex guru
and I, I don't, I don't,I don't make a life plan anymore.
I don't make a life plan anymorebecause I've learned that,
like, it doesn't matter what you plan,the universe is going to just
do their thing.
Do their thing.You know, it does happen to good people.
(24:24):
I believe that. Thank you.And with like pure intentions.
And I love I love that it came that way.
What is the most rewardingpart of this job?
You know, of youbeing able to connect with kids virtually?
I mean, thank goodness.
Covid, I think, opened up
so much for us to be ableto even just communicate virtually.
I know for parent meetingsand things for me in the gym, I can now
hop on a live or hop on, you know,and like it makes such a difference.
(24:48):
But yeah.What's the most rewarding part for you?
I value connection so much.
Like,you are one of my people that I value
so much just in the northeast regionand just right back out here, girl.
Thank you.
I just love having those truedeep connections
with people because we need it.
(25:08):
Life is hard and having the opportunity
to meet these superstar athletes.
And I'm not even talking talent wise.
I'm talking drive.
Men from all over the world has been
just amazing because we talked about this
(25:28):
at one of the conferences.
I spoke at a conference in Junethat Corey Rickett was at, and Gary talked
about how there's four different typesof athletes, and essentially there's 1%
of athletes that are you're like,it's called the champion mindset athletes.
And that was always me.
And I always just craved
(25:50):
that out of other athletes
because that's just how my brain operates.
And seeing so many of themcome out of the woodworks as been like,
oh my gosh, you know, you're like,you're like my people,
you know, you know, giving kids a chanceto shine and cheer
in a different way,I think is so special too.
(26:12):
And you probably don'teven realize that impact.
But we're always focused on like, amazingstunting or amazing
tumbling and like, you're giving calvesa chance to be that point jumper.
And, you know, maybe they aren'tthe best tumbler or the best at stunting,
but like, they can be point jumperor they can be the kid
with great flexibilitythat just for sure, you know.
And we know that flexibility ties intoevery other component of cheerleading.
(26:36):
It truly Archeryou know it's in everything.
So it's so important.
And one of those next stepsthat yeah for you
to kind of help the industry get it rightis is awesome.
And I mean, I hope, you know, the wavesthat you've created and just it's amazing,
you know, just the effectthat you've had on people is so good.
And so like with training,I know for four years we struggle
(26:57):
with, okay,
do we make them take pictures every weekto make sure they're stretching at home?
We always I always didn't want the parentsto have to stretch their kid.
You know,I wanted that relationship of mom
being momand not having to be the mean one.
To be like,you need to stretch before practice today.
And that's always been really hard for uspersonally within our program.
What our,you know, the things that you feel
(27:19):
that workbest for gaining that flexibility.
Like how does this Cat Haley method work?
Is it the fact that you arethe one that are able to do that
instruction, you know, and buildthose connections and be that person?
Or is it just using your video serieslike tell me more about that.
So the Cat Haley method,I always tell people
it's set up like a Beachbody programor like an online college course.
(27:43):
So it's ten weeks and everycouple of weeks there's a checkpoint.
I try to make everything as easyand simple to follow as possible.
I developed something called the sevenstep process.
So athletes knew, okay,I can achieve this.
I'm able to move onto work on to this next step
because what I have found is like,I love tumbling because
(28:05):
it's very clear on what you need to masterbefore you move forward.
You have to have a strong handstandbefore a cartwheel, before or around
off, before a back walkover, before backhandspring, etc. etc.
but when it came to bodypositions, we've always been like,
just figure it out.
Yeah.
You know, there was never athere was never a clear system to follow.
So, number one, that'sprobably the most crucial part of my,
(28:31):
my processis there's an actual system to follow.
So you're not just kicking your leg upand wondering if you're doing it right.
Number two,
something I teach the athletes isthat flexibility is actually neurological.
It actually comes from our brain.
So to kind of put thingsinto simple terms, I tell the kids,
we have all these wires that run throughour body called your nervous system.
And when you stretch and you kind of feelthat natural stop happen,
(28:55):
that's your nervous systemalerting your brain.
Either either a,this is unfamiliar territory to me.
I'm not used to doing this or to.
I don't think I'm strong enough to do thisposition.
Our brain responds to, or our brainallows our body
to get flexible fasterwhen our muscles are stronger.
(29:18):
So it's all about stretchingafter you do those intense workouts.
And and we again,we so often think that it's
just all about pushing, pushing,pushing on the athlete.
But everything I do is hands off.
Originally, the reason it was handsoff was because, again, I like you.
I wanted the mom to be able to, like,go do
(29:40):
whatever she needs to dofor 30 or 40 minutes.
But too, it was Covidand we couldn't touch anyone anyway.
So. So it all actually kind of worked up.
So everything's hands off.It is strength based.
It is proper stretching basedbased on yoga and physical therapy and,
outside of that, there is a
private group that people can reachme, post their progress, ask questions.
(30:04):
And the whole communityhas just been so awesome.
People ask really smart questions.
I see other parents commenting on otherkids photos saying, this looks awesome.
Like it's just been such a positive thing.
And I think that our industryhas the tendency
to get, you know, catty and negative.
(30:26):
And so, I'm just constantlyreminding the parents like, hey,
thank you
for keeping this a positive placebecause that's, only going
to make things easier and betterfor everybody at the end of the day.
So absolutely, I love that so much.
So what do you think the biggest mistakethat parents,
gym owners, coaches make when it comesto, you know, flexibility training?
(30:49):
I think number one,just lack of a process in general.
I, you know, I
remember growing up well,I mean, we grew up
I know I grew up in a time wherethere really wasn't a lot of education.
Debbie Love was kind of introducing
proper training into the world,but it was still pretty foreign.
You know,I remember going over to the wall
(31:10):
and someone would just take my legand someone up next to my back, and
but we didn't know what we were doing.
So number one,I think lack of a clear process.
So, you know, we need to make surewe have our splits all the way down.
We need to make sureour grips are correct.
And then number two, just being so handson the kids, I think that,
(31:30):
like PMF stretchingwhere you kind of apply pressure to,
you know, like, let's say I want to like,stretch this part of my neck.
I'm going to push on this part of my head,
but I'm going to fight with my headthe opposite direction.
Okay.
Then that type of stretching is great.
This is totallyhealthy, is totally normal.
But I think that this is just common
(31:51):
misconception that in order to get better,it has to be painful.
And that just doesn't make any sense.
Yeah.
You know, it's like going like,if I'm going in for a massage,
I don't want to feel like I'm experiencinginternal bleeding.
Yeah. Yeah.
Because my body's not going to respondproperly to that.
(32:11):
Stretching should feel like,you know, you wake up in the morning
and you kind of saw you get like,good stretch and it feels good.
That's how it should be.
It should feel good.
It should notit should not stress athletes out. Yes.
You said something to me when we Imean, I'm so lucky
to have had so many conversations with youjust picking your brain and,
you know, talking shop.
And you had said that in gymnasticsand tumbling that it makes so much sense
(32:35):
that the handstand is likethat crucial component,
that when you've got a great handstand,it goes into everything else.
You know,it's like it's that important piece.
And then when it comes to flexibility,you had said that splits were, you know,
that that's kind of like what you needfor great flexibility and stretching.
And I mean, that was like my brain.
(32:56):
I brought it back to my staff. I was like,I never thought of it this way.
We need to make sure, you know, thatwe're taking time down to practice, to
to go over these things and, and, youknow, talk about the importance of splits.
And it yeah,it was like totally mind blowing to me.
So I totally get and no one has done that.
No one has come up with a process,has come up with the training.
(33:17):
And then so now I know that you dothe kind of individualized things, you
know, for athletes that they can virtuallyor in person kind of work with you.
But now you have a system for gyms.
Can you tell me a little bit moreabout about that?
Yes. So this is still sortof a newer process that, we're kind of
working out the kinks, but I think so farwe're, you know, we're on the right path,
(33:37):
essentially, for anyonethat wants to sign up for the gym program,
your athletes can get the CatHaley method at bulk pricing.
I really want athletes.
I mean, number one, I'm a business owner.
Business ownersobviously want to make their money.
However,I really want athletes to utilize this
because I just know it worksand I know it's going to make them better.
(34:00):
So essentiallyit just works with bulk pricing.
So you send me the number of athletesthat you have enrolled.
I send you a price.
It ranges from 100 to $150 an athlete. And
I've had
programs from the US and Canadaenroll so far.
And like I said, it'sbeen really, really successful,
but we're still kind ofworking out the kinks, which has been
(34:23):
which is, you know, it'sa part of the process. Right?
I want to make sure my number one focusis that
gyms and athletesget the most out of my program. So,
we had 100 athletes
from two AthleticsCharlotte sign up, which is amazing.
Literally insane. Yeah.
All four from Frisco, Texas.
(34:45):
I have a couple, a couple gyms from Canadathat have enrolled.
Yeah.
So, you know, like,I said, we're just we're just trying to,
you know, put this in programsbecause a number one, obviously it works.
I'm a, I, you know, so confident inand what the Kat Haley method is.
Yeah. And it should be.
(35:06):
But number two, it's really, really hard.
I'm actuallyvery anti flex class in the gym
because
flexibility is a very special process.
And I always encourage peopleto think very literal.
I want your athleteto put their leg next to their spine.
(35:27):
And they're only going to flex classonce a week.
Yeah.
It's kind of like weight loss, right?
If I work out once a week,I'm probably not going to lose any weight.
Right?
So what happens in most gymsis number one, they don't have the space.
Number two, they don't have the time.
And even if they do have the spaceand time, they don't really have
a great person that truly knowswhat they're doing to run it.
(35:50):
Yeah.
So you put a junior coach, you know,offense, the junior coach there also.
Yeah, we put a junior coach thatthat maybe doesn't
have that experience yetand it's just unproductive.
Yes. Right.
It it requires so much delicate,attention.
So, so again, this allows your athletesto progress the way they should.
(36:11):
And in my opinion, that then allows
your flex class to become more of a flierperformance class.
And they can maintain their bodypositions, they can work on the strength
training, they can workon, what is needed for their teams.
And to me, that is a more valuableuse of time than you know.
Suzy, who attends flex classonce a week for 12 months
(36:34):
and she can't even get past a Dorito.
So absolutely, absolutely.
So what is a way that you suggest for gymsto keep it fun.
You know, because like I saidflex is not necessarily fun all the time.
You know it is somethingthat you have to really dedicate to.
And some kids are born more, you know,genetically more flexible than others.
(36:55):
And that can be challengingand frustrating.
And yeah, so but like, what would bethe number one thing to help make
either the Kat Haley methodand getting people bought into it
to keep it fun and exciting and like, whatways can we as gym owners make it fun?
For sure.
We are living in a time where people valueinstant gratification and listen.
I love to complain about my kidsthat like instant gratification,
(37:17):
but I'm guilty as charged, like I'm also,I would also like,
you know, to be a millionairetomorrow. Yes.
You know, like so I get it.
Like we all have our thingthat we want tomorrow. So
my thing
is, how can we celebrate the athleteas much as possible?
Something I've realized as an adultis that when you're young,
(37:40):
there's so many thingsthat you're constantly celebrating.
So, like, you get an A on a testor you get a new skill in the gym
or whatever,you know, those have categories.
As an adult,the the amount of times you celebrate
something are so far lessbecause the process, you're
not going to have $100,000 in your IRAtomorrow.
(38:03):
Yeah.
You know, that takes yearsand years and years.
So my thing is, is how can we celebratethe athlete as many times as possible?
So with the seven step process,
there are the first couple of stepsare intended to be really easy.
So your athletes have absolutely zeroflexibility.
They're nervous to try it.
(38:26):
They're going to be able to dothose first couple of steps
right out the breakand love that right off the bat.
And they're going to be ableto say to themselves,
oh my God, I can do I can do this. Yeah.
Because right. We look atwe look at someone
with a straight leg scorpionand we say I to do that.
Yeah. Yeah, right.
But if we can do those first couple ofsteps, it will encourage us to keep going.
(38:47):
Yeah. So that's number one.
And then number two, when your athletegets their needle or they get their bow
and arrow keeping, I like to number twothe sorry to the Excel.
And number one, I like to have a poster.
So that wayall the names are on the side and on.
You know you have all seven steps.
(39:08):
And every time they get their step,check it off.
When they get their set, check it out.
So that way they can see their processand their progress and say okay,
I really am getting.
So I'm doing it.
So it justyeah, it's an encouragement thing.
And then when they get their needle
or they get their bow and arrowmake a big deal about it.
Have have the needle Cluband have a poster on your wall.
(39:30):
Yeah. You have a t shirt.
I actually have t shirts
that say I got my needlewith Kylie Cheerleading, so I love that.
Make a big deal over it.
You know what arethat's like, I don't know, giving them,
giving them a t shirt,
putting them on a wall,giving them $25 for your pro shop.
(39:51):
Yeah. Whatever
we always need.
Like, I,
I think I do a bad jobat celebrating myself
because I'm always, like,looking for the next thing.
Yeah.
But even as adults,it's important to be like, you know what?
Like, I'm going to go aheadand reward myself with the expensive shoes
I've been looking atbecause I've been working really hard.
(40:14):
You know, we havewe have to, we have to celebrate the kids.
And those are just a few of my waysthat I like to do that I love that.
Okay, so one more thing.
If if an athlete was to, you know, belistening and be able to implement
something right nowevery day that they could do to help them
become better, and flex,what would that one thing
be that you would, youknow, recommend for them hip flexibility.
(40:38):
So we often think that back flexibilitycomes from our back,
but it actually comes from our hip.
So when I explain to people,you know, I'll put my leg forward
so, you know,pretend I'm doing a heel start right now.
This is not a heel stretch.
I say, if I'm doing a heel stretch,
am I stretching the back of my legor my stomach?
(40:58):
And people look at me and they're like,the back of your leg, obviously, right.
And I'm like, correct.
So now if I'm putting my leg behind me,am I stretching my hip or my back?
And they're like, your backand I'm like your hip
because the only thing that's movingis your leg.
So removing those crazy bridgesand backbends
(41:20):
and like contortionist stuff is numberone way safer for your body.
Number two,it's actually not doing anything for you.
And number three, we have to really digdeep into those deep hip flexor stretches.
So that's going to remove lower back pain.
It's going to help you progress faster.
And like I said,I always tell my athletes, if you're on
(41:42):
if you're on Instagram or TikTokand you see something that looks crazy,
like it looks like it looks like
it'll be insertdisplay, it's because it it's crazy.
And you should. Yes.
Yeah. So I love it.
And then is there an age that, you know,you recommend athletes
start with your method. Like what?How old should they be?
I mean we've got kiddos cheeringnow when they're three years old.
(42:04):
So what age is a good agefor them to start working.
You know, your flex program.
So these days I have been recommending 7or 8.
I had originally been recommendingage five.
The reason is,is because in in gymnastics world,
it is actually sort ofagainst coaching guidelines
to do bridges for athletes under the ageof five for development reasons.
(42:27):
So for me, I always said, all right, well,in that case then we can start at five.
What I have learned pretty quicklyis that, it's a lot like it is
expecting expecting athletes to do bodypositions is a lot.
So can athletesstart at five and six? Yes.
I think you have to know your kid.
And whether or not they can handle it.
(42:48):
But as kind of a general rule,I've been kind of leaning
more towards seven and eight.Yeah, I love it.
And then this whole Kat Healymethod, is it only for body positions?
Is this also for kids that want to become,you know, better at jumps?
We know that flexibilityis a huge piece of that.
Tell melike who this is really targeted for.
So right now it's specifically targetedfor fire flexibility and jumps training.
(43:12):
I actually have a few mini series out.
I just released a wrist strengtheningseries.
Love.
So, I have a few projectsthat I'm going to be working
on when my travel sort of clears up.
So, my goal in the futureis to be able to create more series
that target everybody in the sport,instead of just those fliers.
(43:32):
So if you are not a flier, stay tunedbecause I have some fun, fun ideas
I'll be working on.
That's amazing, I love that.
Oh, this has been so great.
Okay, my last final question for youis just
giving one piece of adviceto our listeners, one take away.
I mean, you've given so many in termsof all of the flex things and
but just being a person in our industryand, you know, who's worked with so many
(43:55):
programs, spoken at so many conferences,
you know, your impact is so great.
What would be one piece of advice?
You could kind of leaveeverybody with that?
You know,we need to do better as an industry
or like one thing
we could stop doing, startdoing all of those kind of great things,
I think just find the right people.
I think it took me a long time.
And I'm still learningabout finding my circle.
(44:19):
You know, I'm so blessed that I consideryou very much a part of my circle.
Find find your people.
But also make sure that you're wise
about what information you are taking in.
I think that just like everything in life,you know, especially with diet
culture, right?
There'shundreds of different diets out there.
(44:40):
And a lot of them are not awesome.
Right.
And that same thing goes in our sportthat,
you know, to be really direct,just because someone has
a lot of followersmay not mean that the material is correct.
So just be really, really.
Rob, I love that girl on girl. Yeah.
Like don't look at the followers,look at the material and ask questions.
(45:03):
Right?
So find your people,find the right community.
Make sure you're being wise aboutthe information that you're taking in.
And just remember that this is a process.
I feel like I could write a bookabout what not to do.
And I think just giving yourself gracethat you're going to have people
that maybe fall out of your circleor your maybe the way you teach
(45:23):
may change,you know, allowing, allowing that sort of,
natural
process to happen is is importantnot just for coaching but just life.
So yeah, I love thatyou're the most beautiful,
amazing human being that I'm so gratefulthat you've been here with us.
How can people get in touch with youif they, you know, are ready to jump
(45:43):
and get their programsigned up for that cat healing method?
Or, you know, just reach you directly?
Yes. So you can follow me on Facebookat Cat Haley cheerleading.
Same thing with Instagramat Cat Haley cheerleading my TikTok.
I'm trying to change the handle
to Cat Haley Cheerleading,but it's currently the cat Haley method.
But if you ever need anything.
My girl Gina, who runs all my emails,she is amazing.
(46:05):
You can contact her at info at Cat.
Haley cheerleading.com.
I can do clinics.
I can do staff training. You can do it.
I would love it.
We're so lucky.
The industry is so lucky to have you.
Yeah, we need more people like you justwilling to share and, you know, educate.
And, we've had, like I said,so many wonderful conversations.
(46:27):
You're just you're amazing.
You're real, you're honest, you're raw.
You're not afraid to,you know, share your experience.
The highs, the lows, the in-betweensof every point of your journey.
And I think that that is so rareand special, and it means so much
for me to call you my friendand to have had you on here today.
Thank you to all of our listenerstuning in.
We hope that you loved today's show.
(46:49):
I knowI have so many takeaways that are valuable
and that we can work to implementin our program, and I love it.
Like, share, follow,
subscribe all the things, of our podcast.
Please hear for cheer so we can continueto reach people and get amazing
people on like Kat, Haley, Megan,thank you so much.
(47:10):
I'm so excited for this projectyou've started
and I think it's going to blow upand be an amazing thing for the industry.
So I am honored to be episode two.
Yes. And I am like, so ready for the rest.
Rest of the seriesyou produced. So, I love it.
All right.
Thanks everybody for joining.We'll see you next time.
We are glad to see you're great.
(47:30):
All we do is hereplaying high and super clean.
Where the best you've ever seen.
How is your flight?
We've been riding every night.
Had to earn the things we got.Gotta work to stay on top.
One shot, one chance.
So don't make it to the next.
One shot one chance.
Gonna make it another day.
(47:52):
This year.
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