August 14, 2023 • 45 mins
Episode 8: Join us for an inspiring episode as we sit down with Carissa Prati, a phenomenal individual who defied exclusion in the fitness world and found her empowerment through dance. Tune in to hear her heartfelt journey of navigating a world that often overlooked her due to her size, until she discovered the transformative power of Body Groove and World Groove. Through these inclusive dance forms, Carissa discovered not only a way to move her body but also a community that embraced her with open arms. Embark on a story of resilience as Carissa shares how her journey led her to become a Facilitator, passing on the message of welcome and empowerment to her participants. Get ready to be moved by Carissa's message of self-love, inclusivity, and the joy of grooving beyond limits.
Links:
Carissa's Website
Carissa's Facebook Page
World Groove Movement: The World Groove Movement - More Furious Dancing!
Body Groove On Demand: Body Groove On-Demand (bodygrooveondemand.com)
Contact me at happysweatlife@gmail.com for questions, suggestions, or to be put on the email list and be notified of new episodes.
Find my World Groove movement zoom class on Thursdays, under my name, at: https://theworldgroovemovement.com/virtual-search/
If you're interested in starting a podcast of your own, consider joining the SPI Community. The All Access Pass, in particular, has a step by step course for starting a podcast which absolutely was key for creating and launching my podcast. And equally important, I made connections with other fellow entrepreneurs/podcasters. If you do sign up through my affiliate link, I will receive a commission fee.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Lisa (04:29):
So I've heard a couple people say that, that they've
had somebody make a comment ontheir body or the fact that they
couldn't be a dancer.
I, I don't know why danceteachers feel the need to say
that.
I mean, there's so manydifferent opportunities to be a
dancer, you know, in the bodythat you have.
(04:51):
Do you think that's what drewyou to a groove?
Carissa (04:54):
I do, I do.
I saw, you know, I, I think Isaw it on Facebook for the first
time.
I saw Misty talking about howeverybody is a dancer's body,
and I I was like, ha, Then my,my, I thought of my dance
instructor.
I was like, I hope she hearsthat
Lisa (05:11):
Right.
It's, it's amazing how healingthat can be to just be told,
yes, you can dance.
Carissa (05:16):
Yes, it, but it takes some time.
Just hearing it was, was likemind blowing to me.
I, I, you know, I'd never heardanybody say that before, and,
and I, I thought it was great,but I, for me to actually
internalize that, took a, tooksome time,
Lisa (06:00):
So after you Graduated high school.
You said you didn't really doany dancing, so was the groove
Facebook ad the first time youkind of thought about dancing
again?
Carissa (06:12):
Yeah, I was, I was very physically active.
I continued throughout my life.
Throughout my life.
I've always been active.
I've done all kinds of fitnessprograms.
I was a Beach Body member formany years.
Lisa (06:25):
Oh, yep.
Remember that?
Carissa (06:26):
I've done all, all kinds.
I was a big Chalene Johnson fan.
I, I, so many different fitnessinstructors that I've followed
over the years and I, I'm notbigger now, but my whole life
I've been a bigger person andyou know, there's, there's a lot
of stigma around people who areActive and if you, if you don't
(06:50):
look a certain way, you know,people assume that you're not an
active person.
And it was hurtful to me becauseI, I've always been active.
I, I've always tried to be ahealthy person.
It just didn't reflect on theoutside necessarily.
And, and for me, body groove,when I saw the videos and I saw
people who looked like me and Isaw people whose bodies didn't
(07:11):
fit the, the typical fitnessbody stereotype, it, it was just
so, it, it was freeing to me.
I was like, look, look there,the, I'm not the only person
Lisa (07:25):
It seems like such an easy thing to be inclusive, you know,
in who you're showing on videos,but it's so not the norm to, you
know, to have that.
Carissa (07:36):
yeah.
Lisa (07:38):
And I think, yeah, I've heard a couple other people just
say that they saw that video,you know, different videos that
she had and were like, that'sme.
Even though I don't look likethe typical, dancer, like you
were saying, or fitness person.
Yeah, I, I don't know.
That whole idea of you have tolook a certain way in order to
(07:59):
be fit or to be healthy.
It's pretty damaging for people.
Unfortunately, you know thatthat's out there, but,
Carissa (08:08):
It was really hard.
It was hard for me to get overto get over that and to just
accept my body, you know, how itwas and And, and that I think
that the thing that I loved thatmy favorite groove truth is, is
that our bodies should be, we,they're made differently and so
they shouldn't look the samewhen we're dancing.
(08:29):
Right.
They don't need to
Lisa (08:31):
Right so you see the Facebook ad, and what happens?
(09:14):
Where do you go from there?
Carissa (09:15):
Well, it took me some time.
I saw it and I was reallyintrigued by it.
I thought it was great, but Ijust kind of moved on, you know,
kept doing the things that I wasdoing.
Then I saw it again.
Eventually I was like, okay, I'mgonna, I'm gonna check this out.
And I saw that there were somefree videos on YouTube, and I,
and I gave it a try and I lovedit and, and I mentioned it to my
husband and he ended up buyingme a subscription for, for
(09:38):
Christmas.
Lisa (09:39):
Oh, that's so sweet.
Carissa (09:41):
it was great.
He's super supportive and he's,he's one of my biggest
cheerleaders.
But anyway, I digress.
So I, I got, I got that forChristmas and I started doing
it, and I loved it.
I started doing it every day.
It became a, a routine, a habitand it was the first program.
So I, I mentioned that I'd donea number of programs over the
(10:01):
years.
Body Groove is the only programthat didn't result in some kind
of injury for me.
Lisa (10:07):
Oh wow.
Okay.
That's interesting.
Carissa (10:09):
I, I would go and I would get so involved in
something and eventually, youknow, most fitness programs,
they try to get you to keep upwith the instructor.
They tell you to push your body.
They, they try to get you to dothings.
They, they don't have anyconcept of what other people,
your body isn't gonna move likemine.
So here, do this.
You should do, do it the sameway I'm doing it.
(10:31):
Well, when I was, I was 333pounds at my highest.
I and I, yes, I couldn't dothings the way other people did
them.
So But that didn't mean Icouldn't do things.
I just couldn't do them the wayother people were doing them.
And so for me, being able to, togive myself permission to move
(10:52):
my body in a way that feelsgood, it was just like the most
amazing concept,
Lisa (10:58):
That is amazing.
I find too for myself that oftenthese programs go from zero to a
hundred.
Like
Carissa (11:07):
Mm-hmm.
Lisa (11:09):
you know, you're going along nice and slow in the
beginning maybe.
And then all of a sudden they'relike, okay, you know, 20 jumping
jacks, 50 burpees.
And you're like, what?
Like, I just started, how can Ibe doing all that?
Carissa (11:24):
Yeah.
And sometimes they're geared atbeginners, right?
Those programs are, they marketthem to Yeah.
Yes.
Lisa (11:30):
Supposedly.
Carissa (11:31):
I encountered that time and time again, and so I would
get down to a certain point.
I'd follow the program, and thenI would, I would hurt myself.
I would, I would be out forweeks, you know, trying to get
back.
And then you, you get sodiscouraged when you start over
and you're behind where youleft.
Right.
And I just It was frustratingand I always felt like I was
(11:51):
chasing something and now Idon't feel that way.
I just feel like wherever mybody's at on any given day is
perfect.
That's where I'm supposed to be.
Lisa (11:59):
And do you think, do you feel like it's that groove truth
about everybody's, you know,going to look different?
Are there other ones thatresonated with you or helped
keep you kind of feeling okaywith dancing the way that you
were in that particular session?
Carissa (12:14):
Yeah, I mean, I think all of them, right?
Like that, that my way is theright way.
I think that it, it, it took mesome time to internalize them
all because, you know, and, andthat's the, the last one is that
you don't, they don't make senseuntil you practice'em.
And that's true.
you can say one, you can saysomething and it's easy to say
something, but actually puttingit into practice and, and
(12:34):
believing it and internalizingit is, is a whole nother thing.
And I, I think all of the groovetruths together really have just
changed my life for the better.
So I, I feel more comfortable inmy skin.
I feel more comfortable beingdifferent
Lisa (12:55):
Hmm, that's nice.
So was it kind of a gradualprocess or was there like a
moment you remember where itsuddenly kind of clicked for you
or
Carissa (13:07):
I think it was gradual.
I think it was over time, right?
Watching and, and, and doing itevery day and practicing it and,
and, and then certainly becominga facilitator I think pushed me
a lot even further than just,than just being a participant in
the class.
Because I actually had to embodythese things.
(13:27):
I'm trying to, to get otherpeople.
To, to believe these truths and,and so I can't expect other
people to believe them if I'mnot, if I, if I don't really
show them that, that I believethis.
And I do believe it.
I do believe that, that ourbodies are meant to be
different.
We're all meant to be different.
We're not meant to look thesame.
We don't have to look the same.
(13:47):
We don't have to move the same.
Your way is perfect.
However your body wants to moveis exactly the way that it
should move.
And I can't explain how freeingit is when you really believe
those things, like you don't,you don't limit yourself, right?
Lisa (14:04):
So for the people that don't maybe aren't familiar with
the groove truths can you justkind of say what they are?
If you don't have to rememberall of'em, but if the ones that
you do
Carissa (14:13):
Yeah.
So one is, is your way is theright way.
You can't get it wrong as longas you're doing it your way.
Your body is, is builtdifferently.
So it doesn't need to move thesame way.
No one cares what you look likeSo it's, it's not about what it
looks like.
It's about what it feels like.
(14:34):
I, I love telling people thatdon't worry about what it looks
like.
It doesn't matter what it lookslike.
And if, if somebody else doescare, it's not your business.
It's, you know, there's nothingyou can do about that can't
change what other people think.
All you can change is yourself.
And so focus on what feels goodin your body and make yourself
happy.
And who caress what anybody elsethinks.
(14:55):
I.
How many is that?
That was three or four.
And then Think so.
none of them work unless you putthem into practice.
Lisa (15:05):
Thank you for saying those So how long was it between like
getting your subscription todeciding to become a
facilitator?
Carissa (15:15):
Yeah, I think it was, it was about a year to a year
and a half and I didn't knowthat there was like live
classes.
I didn't know that I could be afacilitator when I first signed
up for Body Groove'cause thecompanies are, are separate and
I.
I think I happened upon it bychance.
I found like the World GrooveMovement website and I was like,
(15:37):
wait, this looks like bodygroove and, and I put two and
together and I was like, ohwait, I can teach this to people
And that to me was like soexciting because I knew how much
benefit I had gotten out of itand I knew how it had changed my
life for the better.
And I just really, really wantedto share it with other people,
especially people who Feel likethere isn't a place for them in
(15:59):
fitness, because that's where Iwas I got started.
I felt like, you know, I, I wasan outsider in the fitness
industry, but I loved moving mybody and I knew it was good for
me.
I just didn't feel welcome.
I didn't feel like there was aplace for me and Body Groove was
that place.
Lisa (16:16):
That's very moving.
Yeah.
To find that.
Carissa (16:20):
It, it was wonderful.
Right.
I felt included in fitness forthe first time ever in my entire
life.
I've done all these programs.
I mean, my whole life I've beenvery active.
I just, people you wouldn't haveknown you wouldn't have known
because I was, I was veryoverweight.
So fitness comes in all shapesand sizes and that's what I, I
(16:40):
love, that's probably the thingthat I love most about body
groove is that they embrace andcelebrate that and they want any
body, if you can move, you cangroove and it, it's really,
really true.
Lisa (16:51):
It is definitely, I know you've said you've sort of lost
some weight.
Was that on purpose or just kindof a natural progression from
beginning to sort of feel moreself-accepting or, you know, how
did that all evolve?
Carissa (17:06):
I think it was a combination of things.
So I think body groove reallyhelped because, like I said, I
didn't get injured, I didn'thave to sideline myself.
I, I started eating better.
Obviously.
That's, I think that's alwaysthe case.
Eating healthier things likeonce you get done with a, with A
groove workout, you don't reallywanna go eat a bunch of heavy,
greasy food, like I want to eatlighter food.
(17:29):
And so I started naturallyeating, eating better.
My doctor has also been helpingme, so I've had some hormonal
imbalances.
I found a new doctor and, andI've had hormonal imbalances
that I didn't know I had.
And so we fixed those and thathas made a world, all of those
things have made a world ofdifference.
So it was gradual.
But I really do believe thatbody groove Was the, it, it was
(17:54):
like the, the instigator, right?
Just a quick interjection hereabout what Carissa was
describing.
I think so much of the currentfitness options are more, have a
more masculine energy to them.
They're about working hard,pushing through, you know, not
(18:15):
really listening to your body,but just trying to get it done.
As Carissa said when she startedGroove, she actually was able to
be very consistent with itbecause she wasn't getting
injured.
And I think when you have thatcloser connection with your
body, when you start to trustit, maybe when the exercise is a
(18:39):
little bit more feminine in itsenergy then you can really start
to listen and connect with yourown body which is part of what
Groove is all about.
And from there, you know, shewas inspired to eat healthier as
a natural result of that.
(19:00):
Again, not from choosing to, youknow, force her body through
some diet.
And then, finally, she wastalking about how she discovered
that she had some hormoneimbalances that she worked out
with a doctor.
And again, I think that's partof the, the really connecting
and listening to your body andhaving communication and maybe
(19:22):
discovering that it needssomething else, which probably
doesn't come into play whenyou're doing a more aggressive
form of exercise and so thatwhen you don't succeed at it,
you blame yourself.
You feel like you're not doingenough or you're not working
hard enough.
But in this instance withCarissa, when she allowed
(19:45):
herself to exercise in a waythat felt good, then she could
really listen to her body and beopen to other options that might
be.
Going on, in her body.
Lisa (20:01):
So you're doing the group for about a, a year and a half,
and then you decide to join thefacilitator training.
And how was the training foryou?
Carissa (20:09):
Yeah, it was really good.
I mean, I really liked it.
It, so right off the bat theyhave, you go out and do an iPod.
Yeah, I think that's what theycalled it, an iPod groove where
you just go out to a publicplace and you have to put your
headphones in and just dance I,I was really scared to do that.
I didn't want to do it.
I considered not doing it andjust saying I did, but I.
(20:31):
I, I'm too honest for that.
So I, convinced my hu my husbandwent with me.
Actually.
We went to a park and took ourdog and, and we danced and
nobody cared.
People, there was all kinds ofpeople at the playground.
There were families there, therewere, it, it was a busy park and
we just, Danced and nobody couldhear our music.
And we were both doing our ownthing and people walked by.
(20:52):
Some people smiled.
That's, that's it, that's allthat happened.
And so I was like, look, no onecares right.
There's the group truth.
No one cares.
It's true.
Lisa (21:03):
Right, Maybe that's why they have you do that so you can
really embody
Carissa (21:06):
Yep.
Absolutely.
Lisa (21:09):
Oh my gosh.
And who did you have as aninstructor?
Carissa (21:14):
Dani
Lisa (21:15):
Danny.
Dani okay.
Okay.
So did you start teaching, likeafter you got certified, or how
was the certification process
Carissa (21:24):
Yeah, I finished, I had been talking to like my
coworkers and to friends andfamily about body groove and I
told them that when I, when Ifound that I could be a
facilitator, I started tellingpeople I'm gonna go be a fitness
facilitator and that I.
Reminds me that I always wantedto be a fitness facilitator.
My, I did like, I had theseambitions, but I, you know,
(21:45):
again, I was, I was a biggerwoman and I didn't, didn't think
that I could.
I was like, nobody's gonna cometake a class for me.
But they did That's the thing,is that I would tell people
about this program and I wouldtell them all the benefits and,
and why I loved it so much andwhy I wanted to be a
facilitator.
And they were like, yeah, thatsounds fun.
Why don't you invite me?
I'll, I'll come check it out.
(22:06):
And, and I got a, a good numberof people to come check it out
with me.
Lisa (22:09):
That's great.
Yeah, I'm sure your enthusiasmand just your enjoyment of it
must have shown through.
That's so great.
and then how soon after that didyou decide to keep going with it
and take more training?
Carissa (22:23):
I mean, pretty quickly.
I, I loved it right away.
The biggest thing for me, thehardest thing for me about being
a facilitator was, was themarketing and like growing my
class.
Right.
And, and I think I stillstruggle with that, like trying
to, I.
Just explain it to people thatdon't have any idea of what it
(22:43):
is and, and, and that, that'sbeen the most difficult for me
and it's really uncomfortablefor me.
I don't like, like puttingmyself out there in, in social
media and stuff, trying to like,attract attention to my posts
and like, I'm just not good atthat.
I'm not good at it.
And that's a whole, it's, it'sthe aspect of this that I didn't
consider going into it.
Lisa (23:05):
Yes.
Carissa (23:06):
So that's the one thing that was surprising to me.
But I love the teaching.
I love the training.
I love learning from like otherfacilitators, taking classes
from other people because we alldo it differently, right?
We're group facilitators.
We grew our facilitation, and I,I think it's great.
Like I, and we have such asupportive community, right?
(23:27):
Everybody supports each otherand, and.
That's also not something thatI've found in the fitness
industry until I found groove.
So
Lisa (23:36):
Oh, that's so true.
I hadn't thought about thataspect of it, but yes.
Yeah.
Nobody's there to tear you down,but just to, you know, help you
and build you up and
Carissa (23:46):
yeah, it's not competitive, right?
It's non-competitive fitness,which I think is unique.
Lisa (23:53):
Absolutely.
So are you teaching just on Zoomor do you have an in-person
class or,
Carissa (23:59):
I'm only teaching on Zoom for now, but I, I would
love to do an in-person class,but again, my, my marketing is
like my weak point and so youknow, just I, I.
I have friends and family andcoworkers that are all over and
they wanted to take my class.
And so I knew right away that Iwas gonna start doing it online.
And I do have a, a day job, soI, I've been struggling to find
(24:24):
the right balance of, you know,practicing for my classes and
get, preparing for my classesand keeping my day job.
I love teaching group like I do,and if I.
If I could make a living off ofit, I would but that's not what
I'm doing it for, you know, andI, I don't think any of us do.
(24:46):
But it is, it is my passion.
It is definitely my passion.
Lisa (24:50):
Yeah, that definitely shows through and just how you
talk about it.
You're lucky participants inyour class,
Carissa (24:56):
Yeah, they, I, I'm so, I'm so grateful to have a class.
I have regulars.
They come, you know, every week,and I, I just, I'm always so
grateful, when, when I finish aclass, I'm just, I, I, it blows
my mind still some days that I,I am a fitness instructor, you
know,
Lisa (25:15):
you're doing
Carissa (25:16):
I am, I am.
Lisa (25:18):
And have you seen any, or has anybody told you about any
changes or.
Shifts that the people who aretaking your classes have had.
Carissa (25:26):
Oh yeah, for sure.
I mean, they, they tell me thatthey're, they feel so much more
grounded.
Right.
And I think one of the commonthings is people feel They come
out of my class feelingenergized.
So I, my classes are in theSaturday mornings and so a lot
of people start their weekendthat way and they, they just say
that it, it starts their weekendoff with such positive energy,
(25:47):
right?
And they feel so just refreshedgoing into their weekend, which
I think is a great way to startyour weekend.
Lisa (25:55):
Definitely, And for yourself, I know.
Can you maybe talk a little bitabout just the benefits that
you've experienced?
Carissa (26:03):
Oh yeah.
I mean so many.
I'm definitely stronger.
Like you wouldn't think thatdancing can make you strong.
I.
But Groove does.
I mean, I think that the, the,the kinds of moves that we do,
and there's a good variety, likesometimes we get down on the
floor, right?
And you're crawling around andthat's building your arm
strength and building your corestrength.
(26:24):
And it, it, it doesn't seem likeit's, it's not like pushups,
right?
I'm not sitting there doing amillion pushups or anything like
that.
But I definitely get strongerand, and I can do things that I.
Have never been able to do like,like pushups or burpees or
things like that, that, youknow, I wasn't necessarily very
(26:47):
fond of.
But now they, they get easier.
Not, not overnight for sure, butover time I've been doing it for
several years now, and so, Ithink I heard Karin say in, in
her interview that she used togroan when Heather's videos
would come on, on body groove.
And I was, I was in that sameboat.
I was, I was in that same boat.
(27:07):
And so for me to have taken theFIT certification and now I'm a,
you know, I'm, I'm certified fitfacilitator, like, that's a huge
accomplishment for me.
And it, it, it makes me feelreally, like I'm proud of
myself.
I am, I'm, I'm proud of, of howfar I've come and the fact that
I'm Physically able to, to dothose things.
(27:28):
It's all because of body groove.
I mean, I was, I was my highestweight ever.
I was not standing.
I'd have to take a break after15 minutes.
You know, like that's where,that's where I was when I
started Body Groove.
Lisa (27:40):
my gosh.
Wow.
I, I just was, I think I wasreflecting on the fact that for
me, I had a shoulder injury andI remember I was in the shower
and I was like, oh my gosh, Ican lift my arm to shave
underneath it, you know?
And, and it wasn't anything Ihad done in particular, but all
the sort of lifting of your armsand moving of your arms, you
(28:01):
know, anytime you danced in the,in the groove, it just totally
li loosened up my whole Shouldergirdle in a way that it hadn't
for a long time.
So it, it is amazing just howmoving and dancing the groove
way can have so many physicalbenefits as well as, you know,
(28:22):
sort of emotional.
And I could dunno if you sayspiritual,
Carissa (28:27):
Yeah, for I would, I would say spiritual.
Lisa (28:30):
Yeah.
Carissa (28:31):
I was, I was not in, not in good shape after the
pandemic and you know, I hadbeen working from home and.
Yeah, it was, it was not a, nota good time.
And now I am, and, and I don'tfeel like I was particularly
happy.
You know, things were kind ofrough right at the beginning of
the pandemic and everything wasso uncertain.
And I think live, our lives wereupended right?
(28:54):
And everybody was suddenly shutin and everything changed
overnight.
And I think I, I was reallydepressed, I was anxious and I
wasn't healthy and Now I feelthe opposite of all of those
things.
I, not that I'm super zen allthe time, but the stillness and
the meditation aspect that, thatyou bring into groove it, it has
(29:18):
changed me and, and my, I don'tknow.
I'm, I'm a pretty, I'm a type Aperson and so I'm pretty high
strung.
But I can totally Let go ofthings like that.
I didn't used to be able to,and, and my perspective, my just
I, I'm much more a go with theflow and let things go type of
(29:39):
person than I've ever been.
And, and I don't have anythingelse to attribute that to other
than Groove
Lisa (29:46):
That's quite a shift.
Wow.
was there one training that youenjoyed more than the other or
that you felt like youincorporate more into your
classes or,
Carissa (29:58):
I think the advanced, I probably incorporate more of But
I think for me, the FIT trainingwas what felt like the biggest
accomplishment.
But, I think I definitelyincorporate more, there's just
more available, right?
Because there's the advanced oneand the advanced two, so I end
up pulling a lot, a fair amountof those into my class classes.
Mm-hmm.
Lisa (30:20):
I think I re remember watching your video after, I'm
not sure if it was level one ortwo, but advanced one or two.
You had talked about being abetter observer I wondered if
you could maybe talk a littlebit about that.
Carissa (30:33):
Yeah.
I mean, observation I think issuch a, it's a key thing when
you're facilitating, becausewhen, when I first got done with
my training, I was rattlingthrough a checklist, right?
I'm like, well, I need toremember to tell my style words
and I need to remember to, togive the moves in this way, and
I need to remember to tellpeople to, to relax or I want,
like, I had all these thingsthat I wanted to say to people,
and it was really just me.
(30:55):
before the class, figuring outwhat are the things I wanna say
here?
And then going through andsaying them and, and no, no kind
of particular rhyme or reason,just spouting them off because I
had the checklist in my head,
Lisa (31:07):
Right.
I.
Carissa (31:08):
Well, that's, that's how, it's when, when, when
you're first getting startedand, and even now, sometimes.
I mean, it's not like I'mperfect and I'm, I never do
that.
But you know, it it, theobservation takes you out of
that when you stop.
And don't just worry about whatyou're gonna say next, but stop
and look what's happening in myclass.
Do I see people connected?
Do I see somebody you knowstruggling?
(31:30):
Do I see somebody who maybelooks tired?
Right?
Because sometimes I have a, a, amix of, of ages and, and
physical abilities in my class.
And so I have to pay attentionto, am I Am I giving enough
permission for, for people whomay not be wanting to go as high
intensity today?
I need to give them morereminders to take it at their
(31:53):
own pace and to go slow and tolisten to your body.
And I'm not doing that if I'mjust rattling through the things
that I think I need to say.
So just paying attention to whatI see happening and then
responding to that and that itjust takes practice.
Lisa (32:09):
it does take practice.
Yeah.
And I, as you said, sort of the,the training starts to bring
your awareness more to thataspect of the teaching.
Carissa (32:19):
Exactly.
Yeah.
Because I wasn't, I wasn't awareof that until I got the
feedback.
Right.
And another thing is, is my Myenthusiasm and, and I get
really, really excited aboutteaching Groove and like in my
classes.
And I have to remember whenwe're doing a soft, slow song
(32:40):
not to be as you know, my voiceneeds to be soft and slow.
And so that's been just, it'sbeen a, a, a growth experience
for me.
So, yeah.
Lisa (32:51):
That's so great.
I mean, yeah, just from startingout, just doing it for yourself
and then, you know, becoming,becoming a facilitator, Kudos
for you,
Carissa (33:02):
Yay.
I just want, I wanted to shareit.
If I can touch one person'slife, you know, the way that it
has touched mine, then it's allworth it.
That's how, that is truly how Ifeel.
I.
Lisa (33:49):
I'm just curious, when you were doing the body groove on
demand, was there a particularteacher that you resonated with
or you really looked forward to?
Carissa (33:58):
I think probably Misty and Miranda were the two that
were my favorite to, togravitate towards.
I think Misty's personality is,is, is great.
I think it was, you know, Shereally drives home the, you
can't get it wrong, and, and theinclusive aspect of everything.
And I just, her story, you know,really resonated with me.
(34:22):
yeah, so,
Lisa (34:23):
I'm always sort of amazed when I,'cause I try to watch her
videos and then I'm like, whatis she saying?
And it's, it's so just naturalfor her, I think, you
Carissa (34:33):
Yep.
Yep.
Lisa (34:34):
it's so encouraging and it always seems like the perfect
thing to be saying, you know, tohelp somebody.
Dance to their fullest.
Carissa (34:42):
Right.
Lisa (34:44):
Yeah.
Yeah.
But I mean, that's something wecan all grow towards and, and
work on, you know, to find ourown way of doing that.
But it sounds like you've,you're sort of settling into
your, into your style
Carissa (34:57):
I hope I am.
I mean, I try, I'm, I feel likeI'm still learning and growing,
but the trainings definitelyhelp.
And I think just Continuing to,to have class every week, right?
Like that is where I learn themost, is just doing it.
And, and sometimes things aren'tsuccessful, especially over
Zoom, right?
you could try to teach somethingand, and you do it and it's
(35:20):
like, oh no, that just, thatjust didn't work at all over
Zoom.
I won't do that.
I won't do that song again.
But you never know until youtry.
So
Lisa (35:28):
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Carissa (35:30):
group, groove that's another groove truth
Lisa (35:33):
do you how do you put together your playlist?
Like are you trying to do adifferent set of songs every
time or do you repeat a littlebit?
Or
Carissa (35:42):
Yeah,
Lisa (35:42):
that
Carissa (35:43):
that I don't, I, I try.
I, I try to do a little bit ofboth, so I, I feel, I asked my
participants once, I was like,do you all want me to have
repeats?
Like, I tried to put myself intheir shoes and when I was, when
I was doing body groove, right,there were certain tracks that I
really liked and I found myselfwanting to do them again and
again and again, and other onesthat I didn't like so much.
(36:04):
And so I thought, well, I'll betthat's the same for them.
And I don't, I don't know, they,it's not like they They do a
survey or something and tell mewhich songs they liked and which
they didn't.
But sometimes I'll ask, I'll askfor feedback at the end of
class, you know, was there onethat you particularly liked or
something that you didn't like?
And I did ask them if theywanted me to, to mix in some
older songs or if they likedhaving all new songs and they
(36:28):
said, oh, a little bit of both.
So that's what I try to do.
I don't have like a formula of,of like old to new and some
weeks like, I think last week Idon't think I had anything old
in it.
Just'cause I wasn't, I, I gowith what I feel.
I think I, I go off of like,what's my vibe for right now
that when I'm putting a playlisttogether, I have, I do it in
(36:48):
Excel because it's easier for meto make sure I, I don't wanna
have too many of the same moves.
Like, you know, I, I make surethat we get a full body
experience.
Like I wanna make sure that wework some of our arms and some
of our legs and like, I don'twant it to be Too heavy or
intense on, on any, like, nottoo much cardio.
And I try to give a well-roundedexperience and usually a variety
(37:11):
of genres and things.
And they, they always, they knowthey can always get a Latin
track out of my classes.
I, I the Latin so that's, that'ssomething that I do try to get
at least one Latin track inevery song.
So,
Lisa (37:25):
I like it.
Carissa (37:26):
I grew up on the border.
grew up on the border of Mexico.
So for me like that, yeah, likeit's just, it, I love it.
I, I, it reminds me of home.
Home.
I've been here as long as I livethere.
I have two homes so
Lisa (37:39):
Yeah, where you grew up though is always, you know, kind
of got a place in your heart,I'm sure.
Carissa (37:44):
right.
That's exactly right.
Lisa (37:46):
I was just thinking about like, how do you tell somebody.
Like likes a song.
I, I remember my fellowfacilitators, they'd be like,
whenever they, you know,whenever you start to play a
song that they like, they'd claptheir hands silently over the
video.
Carissa (38:02):
Yep.
I do that.
I totally do that.
I'm a clapper or putting myhands on my heart something.
Yeah.
Lisa (38:08):
Yeah,
Carissa (38:09):
Yeah.
Lisa (38:10):
It is.
It is kind of encouraging whenyou see somebody do that.
'cause you're like, oh good,they're gonna enjoy this.
Carissa (38:15):
Exactly.
Exactly.
Because, because you do wannaknow.
I mean, that is something like,how do we get that feedback from
people?
I don't know.
I've gotta, I've gotta work onthat.
I try to, try to ask, at the endof every class, I ask for a
word.
I ask for one word.
That,
Lisa (38:28):
Oh
Carissa (38:30):
Summarizes how you're feeling after class.
So, It's not quite the same asgetting feedback on my playlist,
but it, it helps me know if I,if I hit my mark right, because
some weeks I'm trying to be moreenergetic and energized, and
other weeks I might wanna bemore just like refreshing and
just like maybe peaceful andcalm.
So yeah.
Lisa (38:50):
Hmm.
I think that's one thing that'skind of fun about being a group
facilitator is there's so manysongs to pick from.
I.
You can really put it togetherin any way.
I mean, there's sort of aformat, but any blend of songs
that you want, you know, in yourown style.
(39:11):
I know like some people like todo themes and I've, I'm a bit
more like you.
I just kind of go on what I feelfor the
Carissa (39:20):
Yeah, I, I've tried to do some themes and I feel like
when I do themes, they don'tThey don't tend to work out as
well because you're, you'retrying to box yourself in right.
And, and, You can end up withthe same type of song like, I
think I did.
I, I don't remember what I did,but I did some kind of
confidence a, a theme and, andit ended up being a lot of,
(39:41):
like, there was a lot ofsassiness and a lot And by the
end I was like, okay, people areprobably tired of being sassy
now.
But anyway, that's how my
Lisa (39:50):
another funky walk.
Carissa (39:52):
exactly.
Exactly.
You get, you get tired of it.
So for me, I, I, I, I need tostay away from themes.
They don't work well for me.
Lisa (39:59):
I'm the same I have tried a few things, but not so much
theme oriented, but
Carissa (40:06):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Lisa (40:08):
I also want to ask you like how easy it was to sort of
keep doing your own groove andteach, like to, to balance both
those things.
Carissa (40:15):
That's tricky.
So like I, I find that I don'tdo body groove nearly as much as
I used to.
And that's just because when I'mnot practicing or getting ready
for my class, I'm taking someoneelse's class, So, for me, like
groove has become, it's become abigger part of my life than body
(40:36):
groove.
And that's just because, youknow, I'm a facilitator, I'm
part of a community now and I'mbuilding these connections and,
and so, It is a struggle becauseI, I do have a day job, so I
need to, I, I have to spend myafter work, my after day job
hours, planning for my classand, and working on my playlist
and working on my marketing and,and then practicing your
(40:57):
playlist, right?
So there's a whole process.
I feel like every week I havelike a cycle.
I need to go update my websiteand I need to go do this, and
I've gotta send out my email andI've gotta, you know, so I, I, I
have specific activities that Ido on certain days and Body
groove is the thing that I thinkhas fallen away.
But when I, when I don't havesomething going on, I know it's
(41:20):
always there and like when I'mtraveling, that's what I go to.
I take my phone out and I canbody groove wherever I am.
So it's accessible to me anytimeof the day, no matter where I am
in the world.
And, and I think that's, it'sgreat
Lisa (41:35):
That is great.
Yes.
The world has changed in termsof that.
Just all the streaming.
It's amazing.
Carissa (41:42):
Yeah, it is.
It's, it's great.
I mean, we can, we have accessto it whenever, whenever we
want.
And I have, I have traveled, I,I was traveling for work and I
was able to take my body grooveapp and, and know, I was in the
hotel room dancing away, so
Lisa (41:58):
That's great.
That's great.
Well, anything that you feellike you, we haven't covered or
you feel like it's important tobring up or any anything else
you'd like to talk about orexplain about your groove
experience or.
Carissa (42:14):
I don't think so.
I mean, I think, I think it'sjust a all around inclusive and
welcoming non-competitiveexperience that really can it,
it.
It just will change your life.
That's what I think.
If you, if you can, you know,give it the chance and if you're
looking for something a, a wayof moving your body that is
(42:38):
different than anything you'veprobably experienced and, and
it'll teach you to, to honoryour body and to just show
yourself love through movement.
Right?
Like that's, that's how I.
Look at Groove is that it's,it's something I do to show
myself that I love myself.
Lisa (42:59):
That's beautiful.
I, I like that.
Yeah.
So any advice for somebodywho's, you know, curious about
it, maybe wants to try it out?
Like where, where would you havethem start or what would you say
to them?
Carissa (43:13):
I mean, it, it, they could do body groove.
Certainly.
I think it's a wonderful way toget introduced to the program.
I think that the, being able tosee the diversity on the videos,
like there's people of all agesand abilities and shapes and
sizes and ages.
Like they even have peoplesitting in chairs, right.
(43:34):
Doing it in chairs.
And I think that, for me it wasreally helpful because it, it,
it's showing you, it's, it's onething for people to say, do it
at your own pace.
Or, you know, listen to yourbody.
But to see a bunch of peopleexercising together and
everybody's really, really doingit their own way, it, it drives
(43:55):
home that that's okay.
And, and so I think body groove,you, you might not get that if
you join a Zoom, a zoom class,right?
Like you're gonna see, you maysee people of, of all abilities
and ages and sizes, but you maynot, you may it, it.
In the body groove videos,they've done a really good job,
I think of, of showing that itis for every body.
(44:20):
And so if you're, if you'reconcerned or if you're, if you
have doubts, I'd say start withbody groove and, and see that
this really is for everybody.
And, and there, there is noreason to, to hold yourself
back.
Try it and, and see if you likeit.
And if you do, then there's awhole world of groove.
You know, there's in-personclasses and there's zoom classes
(44:42):
and there's a community and youcould be a facilitator and like
there, there's, there's just awhole world opens up to you.
So I don't see what people wouldhave to, to lose by just
checking it out.
Lisa (44:55):
Great advice.
I like it.
well thank you so much Carissa,for spending the time and
talking to us about your
Carissa (45:03):
Thank you for having me.
Yeah.
Lisa (45:06):
Very inspiriing
Carissa (45:07):
Aw, thank you.
Lisa (45:20):
Thank you so much for listening to the interview with
Carissa.
If you were interested in takinga class with her or would just
like more information, I willhave her contact information in
the show notes below.
If you know anybody that youthink would enjoy the podcast or
benefit from it, please feelfree to share it with them.
And I look forward to bringingyou another interview next week.
(45:42):
I'm going to be talking aboutWest Coast Swing with Morgana
Rae.
So I've heard a couple people say that, that they've
had somebody make a comment ontheir body or the fact that they
couldn't be a dancer.
I, I don't know why danceteachers feel the need to say
that.
I mean, there's so manydifferent opportunities to be a
dancer, you know, in the bodythat you have.
(04:51):
Do you think that's what drewyou to a groove?
Carissa (04:54):
I do, I do.
I saw, you know, I, I think Isaw it on Facebook for the first
time.
I saw Misty talking about howeverybody is a dancer's body,
and I I was like, ha, Then my,my, I thought of my dance
instructor.
I was like, I hope she hearsthat
Lisa (05:11):
Right.
It's, it's amazing how healingthat can be to just be told,
yes, you can dance.
Carissa (05:16):
Yes, it, but it takes some time.
Just hearing it was, was likemind blowing to me.
I, I, you know, I'd never heardanybody say that before, and,
and I, I thought it was great,but I, for me to actually
internalize that, took a, tooksome time,
Lisa (06:00):
So after you Graduated high school.
You said you didn't really doany dancing, so was the groove
Facebook ad the first time youkind of thought about dancing
again?
Carissa (06:12):
Yeah, I was, I was very physically active.
I continued throughout my life.
Throughout my life.
I've always been active.
I've done all kinds of fitnessprograms.
I was a Beach Body member formany years.
Lisa (06:25):
Oh, yep.
Remember that?
Carissa (06:26):
I've done all, all kinds.
I was a big Chalene Johnson fan.
I, I, so many different fitnessinstructors that I've followed
over the years and I, I'm notbigger now, but my whole life
I've been a bigger person andyou know, there's, there's a lot
of stigma around people who areActive and if you, if you don't
(06:50):
look a certain way, you know,people assume that you're not an
active person.
And it was hurtful to me becauseI, I've always been active.
I, I've always tried to be ahealthy person.
It just didn't reflect on theoutside necessarily.
And, and for me, body groove,when I saw the videos and I saw
people who looked like me and Isaw people whose bodies didn't
(07:11):
fit the, the typical fitnessbody stereotype, it, it was just
so, it, it was freeing to me.
I was like, look, look there,the, I'm not the only person
Lisa (07:25):
It seems like such an easy thing to be inclusive, you know,
in who you're showing on videos,but it's so not the norm to, you
know, to have that.
Carissa (07:36):
yeah.
Lisa (07:38):
And I think, yeah, I've heard a couple other people just
say that they saw that video,you know, different videos that
she had and were like, that'sme.
Even though I don't look likethe typical, dancer, like you
were saying, or fitness person.
Yeah, I, I don't know.
That whole idea of you have tolook a certain way in order to
(07:59):
be fit or to be healthy.
It's pretty damaging for people.
Unfortunately, you know thatthat's out there, but,
Carissa (08:08):
It was really hard.
It was hard for me to get overto get over that and to just
accept my body, you know, how itwas and And, and that I think
that the thing that I loved thatmy favorite groove truth is, is
that our bodies should be, we,they're made differently and so
they shouldn't look the samewhen we're dancing.
(08:29):
Right.
They don't need to
Lisa (08:31):
Right so you see the Facebook ad, and what happens?
(09:14):
Where do you go from there?
Carissa (09:15):
Well, it took me some time.
I saw it and I was reallyintrigued by it.
I thought it was great, but Ijust kind of moved on, you know,
kept doing the things that I wasdoing.
Then I saw it again.
Eventually I was like, okay, I'mgonna, I'm gonna check this out.
And I saw that there were somefree videos on YouTube, and I,
and I gave it a try and I lovedit and, and I mentioned it to my
husband and he ended up buyingme a subscription for, for
(09:38):
Christmas.
Lisa (09:39):
Oh, that's so sweet.
Carissa (09:41):
it was great.
He's super supportive and he's,he's one of my biggest
cheerleaders.
But anyway, I digress.
So I, I got, I got that forChristmas and I started doing
it, and I loved it.
I started doing it every day.
It became a, a routine, a habitand it was the first program.
So I, I mentioned that I'd donea number of programs over the
(10:01):
years.
Body Groove is the only programthat didn't result in some kind
of injury for me.
Lisa (10:07):
Oh wow.
Okay.
That's interesting.
Carissa (10:09):
I, I would go and I would get so involved in
something and eventually, youknow, most fitness programs,
they try to get you to keep upwith the instructor.
They tell you to push your body.
They, they try to get you to dothings.
They, they don't have anyconcept of what other people,
your body isn't gonna move likemine.
So here, do this.
You should do, do it the sameway I'm doing it.
(10:31):
Well, when I was, I was 333pounds at my highest.
I and I, yes, I couldn't dothings the way other people did
them.
So But that didn't mean Icouldn't do things.
I just couldn't do them the wayother people were doing them.
And so for me, being able to, togive myself permission to move
(10:52):
my body in a way that feelsgood, it was just like the most
amazing concept,
Lisa (10:58):
That is amazing.
I find too for myself that oftenthese programs go from zero to a
hundred.
Like
Carissa (11:07):
Mm-hmm.
Lisa (11:09):
you know, you're going along nice and slow in the
beginning maybe.
And then all of a sudden they'relike, okay, you know, 20 jumping
jacks, 50 burpees.
And you're like, what?
Like, I just started, how can Ibe doing all that?
Carissa (11:24):
Yeah.
And sometimes they're geared atbeginners, right?
Those programs are, they marketthem to Yeah.
Yes.
Lisa (11:30):
Supposedly.
Carissa (11:31):
I encountered that time and time again, and so I would
get down to a certain point.
I'd follow the program, and thenI would, I would hurt myself.
I would, I would be out forweeks, you know, trying to get
back.
And then you, you get sodiscouraged when you start over
and you're behind where youleft.
Right.
And I just It was frustratingand I always felt like I was
(11:51):
chasing something and now Idon't feel that way.
I just feel like wherever mybody's at on any given day is
perfect.
That's where I'm supposed to be.
Lisa (11:59):
And do you think, do you feel like it's that groove truth
about everybody's, you know,going to look different?
Are there other ones thatresonated with you or helped
keep you kind of feeling okaywith dancing the way that you
were in that particular session?
Carissa (12:14):
Yeah, I mean, I think all of them, right?
Like that, that my way is theright way.
I think that it, it, it took mesome time to internalize them
all because, you know, and, andthat's the, the last one is that
you don't, they don't make senseuntil you practice'em.
And that's true.
you can say one, you can saysomething and it's easy to say
something, but actually puttingit into practice and, and
(12:34):
believing it and internalizingit is, is a whole nother thing.
And I, I think all of the groovetruths together really have just
changed my life for the better.
So I, I feel more comfortable inmy skin.
I feel more comfortable beingdifferent
Lisa (12:55):
Hmm, that's nice.
So was it kind of a gradualprocess or was there like a
moment you remember where itsuddenly kind of clicked for you
or
Carissa (13:07):
I think it was gradual.
I think it was over time, right?
Watching and, and, and doing itevery day and practicing it and,
and, and then certainly becominga facilitator I think pushed me
a lot even further than just,than just being a participant in
the class.
Because I actually had to embodythese things.
(13:27):
I'm trying to, to get otherpeople.
To, to believe these truths and,and so I can't expect other
people to believe them if I'mnot, if I, if I don't really
show them that, that I believethis.
And I do believe it.
I do believe that, that ourbodies are meant to be
different.
We're all meant to be different.
We're not meant to look thesame.
We don't have to look the same.
(13:47):
We don't have to move the same.
Your way is perfect.
However your body wants to moveis exactly the way that it
should move.
And I can't explain how freeingit is when you really believe
those things, like you don't,you don't limit yourself, right?
Lisa (14:04):
So for the people that don't maybe aren't familiar with
the groove truths can you justkind of say what they are?
If you don't have to rememberall of'em, but if the ones that
you do
Carissa (14:13):
Yeah.
So one is, is your way is theright way.
You can't get it wrong as longas you're doing it your way.
Your body is, is builtdifferently.
So it doesn't need to move thesame way.
No one cares what you look likeSo it's, it's not about what it
looks like.
It's about what it feels like.
(14:34):
I, I love telling people thatdon't worry about what it looks
like.
It doesn't matter what it lookslike.
And if, if somebody else doescare, it's not your business.
It's, you know, there's nothingyou can do about that can't
change what other people think.
All you can change is yourself.
And so focus on what feels goodin your body and make yourself
happy.
And who caress what anybody elsethinks.
(14:55):
I.
How many is that?
That was three or four.
And then Think so.
none of them work unless you putthem into practice.
Lisa (15:05):
Thank you for saying those So how long was it between like
getting your subscription todeciding to become a
facilitator?
Carissa (15:15):
Yeah, I think it was, it was about a year to a year
and a half and I didn't knowthat there was like live
classes.
I didn't know that I could be afacilitator when I first signed
up for Body Groove'cause thecompanies are, are separate and
I.
I think I happened upon it bychance.
I found like the World GrooveMovement website and I was like,
(15:37):
wait, this looks like bodygroove and, and I put two and
together and I was like, ohwait, I can teach this to people
And that to me was like soexciting because I knew how much
benefit I had gotten out of itand I knew how it had changed my
life for the better.
And I just really, really wantedto share it with other people,
especially people who Feel likethere isn't a place for them in
(15:59):
fitness, because that's where Iwas I got started.
I felt like, you know, I, I wasan outsider in the fitness
industry, but I loved moving mybody and I knew it was good for
me.
I just didn't feel welcome.
I didn't feel like there was aplace for me and Body Groove was
that place.
Lisa (16:16):
That's very moving.
Yeah.
To find that.
Carissa (16:20):
It, it was wonderful.
Right.
I felt included in fitness forthe first time ever in my entire
life.
I've done all these programs.
I mean, my whole life I've beenvery active.
I just, people you wouldn't haveknown you wouldn't have known
because I was, I was veryoverweight.
So fitness comes in all shapesand sizes and that's what I, I
(16:40):
love, that's probably the thingthat I love most about body
groove is that they embrace andcelebrate that and they want any
body, if you can move, you cangroove and it, it's really,
really true.
Lisa (16:51):
It is definitely, I know you've said you've sort of lost
some weight.
Was that on purpose or just kindof a natural progression from
beginning to sort of feel moreself-accepting or, you know, how
did that all evolve?
Carissa (17:06):
I think it was a combination of things.
So I think body groove reallyhelped because, like I said, I
didn't get injured, I didn'thave to sideline myself.
I, I started eating better.
Obviously.
That's, I think that's alwaysthe case.
Eating healthier things likeonce you get done with a, with A
groove workout, you don't reallywanna go eat a bunch of heavy,
greasy food, like I want to eatlighter food.
(17:29):
And so I started naturallyeating, eating better.
My doctor has also been helpingme, so I've had some hormonal
imbalances.
I found a new doctor and, andI've had hormonal imbalances
that I didn't know I had.
And so we fixed those and thathas made a world, all of those
things have made a world ofdifference.
So it was gradual.
But I really do believe thatbody groove Was the, it, it was
(17:54):
like the, the instigator, right?
Just a quick interjection hereabout what Carissa was
describing.
I think so much of the currentfitness options are more, have a
more masculine energy to them.
They're about working hard,pushing through, you know, not
(18:15):
really listening to your body,but just trying to get it done.
As Carissa said when she startedGroove, she actually was able to
be very consistent with itbecause she wasn't getting
injured.
And I think when you have thatcloser connection with your
body, when you start to trustit, maybe when the exercise is a
(18:39):
little bit more feminine in itsenergy then you can really start
to listen and connect with yourown body which is part of what
Groove is all about.
And from there, you know, shewas inspired to eat healthier as
a natural result of that.
(19:00):
Again, not from choosing to, youknow, force her body through
some diet.
And then, finally, she wastalking about how she discovered
that she had some hormoneimbalances that she worked out
with a doctor.
And again, I think that's partof the, the really connecting
and listening to your body andhaving communication and maybe
(19:22):
discovering that it needssomething else, which probably
doesn't come into play whenyou're doing a more aggressive
form of exercise and so thatwhen you don't succeed at it,
you blame yourself.
You feel like you're not doingenough or you're not working
hard enough.
But in this instance withCarissa, when she allowed
(19:45):
herself to exercise in a waythat felt good, then she could
really listen to her body and beopen to other options that might
be.
Going on, in her body.
Lisa (20:01):
So you're doing the group for about a, a year and a half,
and then you decide to join thefacilitator training.
And how was the training foryou?
Carissa (20:09):
Yeah, it was really good.
I mean, I really liked it.
It, so right off the bat theyhave, you go out and do an iPod.
Yeah, I think that's what theycalled it, an iPod groove where
you just go out to a publicplace and you have to put your
headphones in and just dance I,I was really scared to do that.
I didn't want to do it.
I considered not doing it andjust saying I did, but I.
(20:31):
I, I'm too honest for that.
So I, convinced my hu my husbandwent with me.
Actually.
We went to a park and took ourdog and, and we danced and
nobody cared.
People, there was all kinds ofpeople at the playground.
There were families there, therewere, it, it was a busy park and
we just, Danced and nobody couldhear our music.
And we were both doing our ownthing and people walked by.
(20:52):
Some people smiled.
That's, that's it, that's allthat happened.
And so I was like, look, no onecares right.
There's the group truth.
No one cares.
It's true.
Lisa (21:03):
Right, Maybe that's why they have you do that so you can
really embody
Carissa (21:06):
Yep.
Absolutely.
Lisa (21:09):
Oh my gosh.
And who did you have as aninstructor?
Carissa (21:14):
Dani
Lisa (21:15):
Danny.
Dani okay.
Okay.
So did you start teaching, likeafter you got certified, or how
was the certification process
Carissa (21:24):
Yeah, I finished, I had been talking to like my
coworkers and to friends andfamily about body groove and I
told them that when I, when Ifound that I could be a
facilitator, I started tellingpeople I'm gonna go be a fitness
facilitator and that I.
Reminds me that I always wantedto be a fitness facilitator.
My, I did like, I had theseambitions, but I, you know,
(21:45):
again, I was, I was a biggerwoman and I didn't, didn't think
that I could.
I was like, nobody's gonna cometake a class for me.
But they did That's the thing,is that I would tell people
about this program and I wouldtell them all the benefits and,
and why I loved it so much andwhy I wanted to be a
facilitator.
And they were like, yeah, thatsounds fun.
Why don't you invite me?
I'll, I'll come check it out.
(22:06):
And, and I got a, a good numberof people to come check it out
with me.
Lisa (22:09):
That's great.
Yeah, I'm sure your enthusiasmand just your enjoyment of it
must have shown through.
That's so great.
and then how soon after that didyou decide to keep going with it
and take more training?
Carissa (22:23):
I mean, pretty quickly.
I, I loved it right away.
The biggest thing for me, thehardest thing for me about being
a facilitator was, was themarketing and like growing my
class.
Right.
And, and I think I stillstruggle with that, like trying
to, I.
Just explain it to people thatdon't have any idea of what it
(22:43):
is and, and, and that, that'sbeen the most difficult for me
and it's really uncomfortablefor me.
I don't like, like puttingmyself out there in, in social
media and stuff, trying to like,attract attention to my posts
and like, I'm just not good atthat.
I'm not good at it.
And that's a whole, it's, it'sthe aspect of this that I didn't
consider going into it.
Lisa (23:05):
Yes.
Carissa (23:06):
So that's the one thing that was surprising to me.
But I love the teaching.
I love the training.
I love learning from like otherfacilitators, taking classes
from other people because we alldo it differently, right?
We're group facilitators.
We grew our facilitation, and I,I think it's great.
Like I, and we have such asupportive community, right?
(23:27):
Everybody supports each otherand, and.
That's also not something thatI've found in the fitness
industry until I found groove.
So
Lisa (23:36):
Oh, that's so true.
I hadn't thought about thataspect of it, but yes.
Yeah.
Nobody's there to tear you down,but just to, you know, help you
and build you up and
Carissa (23:46):
yeah, it's not competitive, right?
It's non-competitive fitness,which I think is unique.
Lisa (23:53):
Absolutely.
So are you teaching just on Zoomor do you have an in-person
class or,
Carissa (23:59):
I'm only teaching on Zoom for now, but I, I would
love to do an in-person class,but again, my, my marketing is
like my weak point and so youknow, just I, I.
I have friends and family andcoworkers that are all over and
they wanted to take my class.
And so I knew right away that Iwas gonna start doing it online.
And I do have a, a day job, soI, I've been struggling to find
(24:24):
the right balance of, you know,practicing for my classes and
get, preparing for my classesand keeping my day job.
I love teaching group like I do,and if I.
If I could make a living off ofit, I would but that's not what
I'm doing it for, you know, andI, I don't think any of us do.
(24:46):
But it is, it is my passion.
It is definitely my passion.
Lisa (24:50):
Yeah, that definitely shows through and just how you
talk about it.
You're lucky participants inyour class,
Carissa (24:56):
Yeah, they, I, I'm so, I'm so grateful to have a class.
I have regulars.
They come, you know, every week,and I, I just, I'm always so
grateful, when, when I finish aclass, I'm just, I, I, it blows
my mind still some days that I,I am a fitness instructor, you
know,
Lisa (25:15):
you're doing
Carissa (25:16):
I am, I am.
Lisa (25:18):
And have you seen any, or has anybody told you about any
changes or.
Shifts that the people who aretaking your classes have had.
Carissa (25:26):
Oh yeah, for sure.
I mean, they, they tell me thatthey're, they feel so much more
grounded.
Right.
And I think one of the commonthings is people feel They come
out of my class feelingenergized.
So I, my classes are in theSaturday mornings and so a lot
of people start their weekendthat way and they, they just say
that it, it starts their weekendoff with such positive energy,
(25:47):
right?
And they feel so just refreshedgoing into their weekend, which
I think is a great way to startyour weekend.
Lisa (25:55):
Definitely, And for yourself, I know.
Can you maybe talk a little bitabout just the benefits that
you've experienced?
Carissa (26:03):
Oh yeah.
I mean so many.
I'm definitely stronger.
Like you wouldn't think thatdancing can make you strong.
I.
But Groove does.
I mean, I think that the, the,the kinds of moves that we do,
and there's a good variety, likesometimes we get down on the
floor, right?
And you're crawling around andthat's building your arm
strength and building your corestrength.
(26:24):
And it, it, it doesn't seem likeit's, it's not like pushups,
right?
I'm not sitting there doing amillion pushups or anything like
that.
But I definitely get strongerand, and I can do things that I.
Have never been able to do like,like pushups or burpees or
things like that, that, youknow, I wasn't necessarily very
(26:47):
fond of.
But now they, they get easier.
Not, not overnight for sure, butover time I've been doing it for
several years now, and so, Ithink I heard Karin say in, in
her interview that she used togroan when Heather's videos
would come on, on body groove.
And I was, I was in that sameboat.
I was, I was in that same boat.
(27:07):
And so for me to have taken theFIT certification and now I'm a,
you know, I'm, I'm certified fitfacilitator, like, that's a huge
accomplishment for me.
And it, it, it makes me feelreally, like I'm proud of
myself.
I am, I'm, I'm proud of, of howfar I've come and the fact that
I'm Physically able to, to dothose things.
(27:28):
It's all because of body groove.
I mean, I was, I was my highestweight ever.
I was not standing.
I'd have to take a break after15 minutes.
You know, like that's where,that's where I was when I
started Body Groove.
Lisa (27:40):
my gosh.
Wow.
I, I just was, I think I wasreflecting on the fact that for
me, I had a shoulder injury andI remember I was in the shower
and I was like, oh my gosh, Ican lift my arm to shave
underneath it, you know?
And, and it wasn't anything Ihad done in particular, but all
the sort of lifting of your armsand moving of your arms, you
(28:01):
know, anytime you danced in the,in the groove, it just totally
li loosened up my whole Shouldergirdle in a way that it hadn't
for a long time.
So it, it is amazing just howmoving and dancing the groove
way can have so many physicalbenefits as well as, you know,
(28:22):
sort of emotional.
And I could dunno if you sayspiritual,
Carissa (28:27):
Yeah, for I would, I would say spiritual.
Lisa (28:30):
Yeah.
Carissa (28:31):
I was, I was not in, not in good shape after the
pandemic and you know, I hadbeen working from home and.
Yeah, it was, it was not a, nota good time.
And now I am, and, and I don'tfeel like I was particularly
happy.
You know, things were kind ofrough right at the beginning of
the pandemic and everything wasso uncertain.
And I think live, our lives wereupended right?
(28:54):
And everybody was suddenly shutin and everything changed
overnight.
And I think I, I was reallydepressed, I was anxious and I
wasn't healthy and Now I feelthe opposite of all of those
things.
I, not that I'm super zen allthe time, but the stillness and
the meditation aspect that, thatyou bring into groove it, it has
(29:18):
changed me and, and my, I don'tknow.
I'm, I'm a pretty, I'm a type Aperson and so I'm pretty high
strung.
But I can totally Let go ofthings like that.
I didn't used to be able to,and, and my perspective, my just
I, I'm much more a go with theflow and let things go type of
(29:39):
person than I've ever been.
And, and I don't have anythingelse to attribute that to other
than Groove
Lisa (29:46):
That's quite a shift.
Wow.
was there one training that youenjoyed more than the other or
that you felt like youincorporate more into your
classes or,
Carissa (29:58):
I think the advanced, I probably incorporate more of But
I think for me, the FIT trainingwas what felt like the biggest
accomplishment.
But, I think I definitelyincorporate more, there's just
more available, right?
Because there's the advanced oneand the advanced two, so I end
up pulling a lot, a fair amountof those into my class classes.
Mm-hmm.
Lisa (30:20):
I think I re remember watching your video after, I'm
not sure if it was level one ortwo, but advanced one or two.
You had talked about being abetter observer I wondered if
you could maybe talk a littlebit about that.
Carissa (30:33):
Yeah.
I mean, observation I think issuch a, it's a key thing when
you're facilitating, becausewhen, when I first got done with
my training, I was rattlingthrough a checklist, right?
I'm like, well, I need toremember to tell my style words
and I need to remember to, togive the moves in this way, and
I need to remember to tellpeople to, to relax or I want,
like, I had all these thingsthat I wanted to say to people,
and it was really just me.
(30:55):
before the class, figuring outwhat are the things I wanna say
here?
And then going through andsaying them and, and no, no kind
of particular rhyme or reason,just spouting them off because I
had the checklist in my head,
Lisa (31:07):
Right.
I.
Carissa (31:08):
Well, that's, that's how, it's when, when, when
you're first getting startedand, and even now, sometimes.
I mean, it's not like I'mperfect and I'm, I never do
that.
But you know, it it, theobservation takes you out of
that when you stop.
And don't just worry about whatyou're gonna say next, but stop
and look what's happening in myclass.
Do I see people connected?
Do I see somebody you knowstruggling?
(31:30):
Do I see somebody who maybelooks tired?
Right?
Because sometimes I have a, a, amix of, of ages and, and
physical abilities in my class.
And so I have to pay attentionto, am I Am I giving enough
permission for, for people whomay not be wanting to go as high
intensity today?
I need to give them morereminders to take it at their
(31:53):
own pace and to go slow and tolisten to your body.
And I'm not doing that if I'mjust rattling through the things
that I think I need to say.
So just paying attention to whatI see happening and then
responding to that and that itjust takes practice.
Lisa (32:09):
it does take practice.
Yeah.
And I, as you said, sort of the,the training starts to bring
your awareness more to thataspect of the teaching.
Carissa (32:19):
Exactly.
Yeah.
Because I wasn't, I wasn't awareof that until I got the
feedback.
Right.
And another thing is, is my Myenthusiasm and, and I get
really, really excited aboutteaching Groove and like in my
classes.
And I have to remember whenwe're doing a soft, slow song
(32:40):
not to be as you know, my voiceneeds to be soft and slow.
And so that's been just, it'sbeen a, a, a growth experience
for me.
So, yeah.
Lisa (32:51):
That's so great.
I mean, yeah, just from startingout, just doing it for yourself
and then, you know, becoming,becoming a facilitator, Kudos
for you,
Carissa (33:02):
Yay.
I just want, I wanted to shareit.
If I can touch one person'slife, you know, the way that it
has touched mine, then it's allworth it.
That's how, that is truly how Ifeel.
I.
Lisa (33:49):
I'm just curious, when you were doing the body groove on
demand, was there a particularteacher that you resonated with
or you really looked forward to?
Carissa (33:58):
I think probably Misty and Miranda were the two that
were my favorite to, togravitate towards.
I think Misty's personality is,is, is great.
I think it was, you know, Shereally drives home the, you
can't get it wrong, and, and theinclusive aspect of everything.
And I just, her story, you know,really resonated with me.
(34:22):
yeah, so,
Lisa (34:23):
I'm always sort of amazed when I,'cause I try to watch her
videos and then I'm like, whatis she saying?
And it's, it's so just naturalfor her, I think, you
Carissa (34:33):
Yep.
Yep.
Lisa (34:34):
it's so encouraging and it always seems like the perfect
thing to be saying, you know, tohelp somebody.
Dance to their fullest.
Carissa (34:42):
Right.
Lisa (34:44):
Yeah.
Yeah.
But I mean, that's something wecan all grow towards and, and
work on, you know, to find ourown way of doing that.
But it sounds like you've,you're sort of settling into
your, into your style
Carissa (34:57):
I hope I am.
I mean, I try, I'm, I feel likeI'm still learning and growing,
but the trainings definitelyhelp.
And I think just Continuing to,to have class every week, right?
Like that is where I learn themost, is just doing it.
And, and sometimes things aren'tsuccessful, especially over
Zoom, right?
you could try to teach somethingand, and you do it and it's
(35:20):
like, oh no, that just, thatjust didn't work at all over
Zoom.
I won't do that.
I won't do that song again.
But you never know until youtry.
So
Lisa (35:28):
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Carissa (35:30):
group, groove that's another groove truth
Lisa (35:33):
do you how do you put together your playlist?
Like are you trying to do adifferent set of songs every
time or do you repeat a littlebit?
Or
Carissa (35:42):
Yeah,
Lisa (35:42):
that
Carissa (35:43):
that I don't, I, I try.
I, I try to do a little bit ofboth, so I, I feel, I asked my
participants once, I was like,do you all want me to have
repeats?
Like, I tried to put myself intheir shoes and when I was, when
I was doing body groove, right,there were certain tracks that I
really liked and I found myselfwanting to do them again and
again and again, and other onesthat I didn't like so much.
(36:04):
And so I thought, well, I'll betthat's the same for them.
And I don't, I don't know, they,it's not like they They do a
survey or something and tell mewhich songs they liked and which
they didn't.
But sometimes I'll ask, I'll askfor feedback at the end of
class, you know, was there onethat you particularly liked or
something that you didn't like?
And I did ask them if theywanted me to, to mix in some
older songs or if they likedhaving all new songs and they
(36:28):
said, oh, a little bit of both.
So that's what I try to do.
I don't have like a formula of,of like old to new and some
weeks like, I think last week Idon't think I had anything old
in it.
Just'cause I wasn't, I, I gowith what I feel.
I think I, I go off of like,what's my vibe for right now
that when I'm putting a playlisttogether, I have, I do it in
(36:48):
Excel because it's easier for meto make sure I, I don't wanna
have too many of the same moves.
Like, you know, I, I make surethat we get a full body
experience.
Like I wanna make sure that wework some of our arms and some
of our legs and like, I don'twant it to be Too heavy or
intense on, on any, like, nottoo much cardio.
And I try to give a well-roundedexperience and usually a variety
(37:11):
of genres and things.
And they, they always, they knowthey can always get a Latin
track out of my classes.
I, I the Latin so that's, that'ssomething that I do try to get
at least one Latin track inevery song.
So,
Lisa (37:25):
I like it.
Carissa (37:26):
I grew up on the border.
grew up on the border of Mexico.
So for me like that, yeah, likeit's just, it, I love it.
I, I, it reminds me of home.
Home.
I've been here as long as I livethere.
I have two homes so
Lisa (37:39):
Yeah, where you grew up though is always, you know, kind
of got a place in your heart,I'm sure.
Carissa (37:44):
right.
That's exactly right.
Lisa (37:46):
I was just thinking about like, how do you tell somebody.
Like likes a song.
I, I remember my fellowfacilitators, they'd be like,
whenever they, you know,whenever you start to play a
song that they like, they'd claptheir hands silently over the
video.
Carissa (38:02):
Yep.
I do that.
I totally do that.
I'm a clapper or putting myhands on my heart something.
Yeah.
Lisa (38:08):
Yeah,
Carissa (38:09):
Yeah.
Lisa (38:10):
It is.
It is kind of encouraging whenyou see somebody do that.
'cause you're like, oh good,they're gonna enjoy this.
Carissa (38:15):
Exactly.
Exactly.
Because, because you do wannaknow.
I mean, that is something like,how do we get that feedback from
people?
I don't know.
I've gotta, I've gotta work onthat.
I try to, try to ask, at the endof every class, I ask for a
word.
I ask for one word.
That,
Lisa (38:28):
Oh
Carissa (38:30):
Summarizes how you're feeling after class.
So, It's not quite the same asgetting feedback on my playlist,
but it, it helps me know if I,if I hit my mark right, because
some weeks I'm trying to be moreenergetic and energized, and
other weeks I might wanna bemore just like refreshing and
just like maybe peaceful andcalm.
So yeah.
Lisa (38:50):
Hmm.
I think that's one thing that'skind of fun about being a group
facilitator is there's so manysongs to pick from.
I.
You can really put it togetherin any way.
I mean, there's sort of aformat, but any blend of songs
that you want, you know, in yourown style.
(39:11):
I know like some people like todo themes and I've, I'm a bit
more like you.
I just kind of go on what I feelfor the
Carissa (39:20):
Yeah, I, I've tried to do some themes and I feel like
when I do themes, they don'tThey don't tend to work out as
well because you're, you'retrying to box yourself in right.
And, and, You can end up withthe same type of song like, I
think I did.
I, I don't remember what I did,but I did some kind of
confidence a, a theme and, andit ended up being a lot of,
(39:41):
like, there was a lot ofsassiness and a lot And by the
end I was like, okay, people areprobably tired of being sassy
now.
But anyway, that's how my
Lisa (39:50):
another funky walk.
Carissa (39:52):
exactly.
Exactly.
You get, you get tired of it.
So for me, I, I, I, I need tostay away from themes.
They don't work well for me.
Lisa (39:59):
I'm the same I have tried a few things, but not so much
theme oriented, but
Carissa (40:06):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Lisa (40:08):
I also want to ask you like how easy it was to sort of
keep doing your own groove andteach, like to, to balance both
those things.
Carissa (40:15):
That's tricky.
So like I, I find that I don'tdo body groove nearly as much as
I used to.
And that's just because when I'mnot practicing or getting ready
for my class, I'm taking someoneelse's class, So, for me, like
groove has become, it's become abigger part of my life than body
(40:36):
groove.
And that's just because, youknow, I'm a facilitator, I'm
part of a community now and I'mbuilding these connections and,
and so, It is a struggle becauseI, I do have a day job, so I
need to, I, I have to spend myafter work, my after day job
hours, planning for my classand, and working on my playlist
and working on my marketing and,and then practicing your
(40:57):
playlist, right?
So there's a whole process.
I feel like every week I havelike a cycle.
I need to go update my websiteand I need to go do this, and
I've gotta send out my email andI've gotta, you know, so I, I, I
have specific activities that Ido on certain days and Body
groove is the thing that I thinkhas fallen away.
But when I, when I don't havesomething going on, I know it's
(41:20):
always there and like when I'mtraveling, that's what I go to.
I take my phone out and I canbody groove wherever I am.
So it's accessible to me anytimeof the day, no matter where I am
in the world.
And, and I think that's, it'sgreat
Lisa (41:35):
That is great.
Yes.
The world has changed in termsof that.
Just all the streaming.
It's amazing.
Carissa (41:42):
Yeah, it is.
It's, it's great.
I mean, we can, we have accessto it whenever, whenever we
want.
And I have, I have traveled, I,I was traveling for work and I
was able to take my body grooveapp and, and know, I was in the
hotel room dancing away, so
Lisa (41:58):
That's great.
That's great.
Well, anything that you feellike you, we haven't covered or
you feel like it's important tobring up or any anything else
you'd like to talk about orexplain about your groove
experience or.
Carissa (42:14):
I don't think so.
I mean, I think, I think it'sjust a all around inclusive and
welcoming non-competitiveexperience that really can it,
it.
It just will change your life.
That's what I think.
If you, if you can, you know,give it the chance and if you're
looking for something a, a wayof moving your body that is
(42:38):
different than anything you'veprobably experienced and, and
it'll teach you to, to honoryour body and to just show
yourself love through movement.
Right?
Like that's, that's how I.
Look at Groove is that it's,it's something I do to show
myself that I love myself.
Lisa (42:59):
That's beautiful.
I, I like that.
Yeah.
So any advice for somebodywho's, you know, curious about
it, maybe wants to try it out?
Like where, where would you havethem start or what would you say
to them?
Carissa (43:13):
I mean, it, it, they could do body groove.
Certainly.
I think it's a wonderful way toget introduced to the program.
I think that the, being able tosee the diversity on the videos,
like there's people of all agesand abilities and shapes and
sizes and ages.
Like they even have peoplesitting in chairs, right.
(43:34):
Doing it in chairs.
And I think that, for me it wasreally helpful because it, it,
it's showing you, it's, it's onething for people to say, do it
at your own pace.
Or, you know, listen to yourbody.
But to see a bunch of peopleexercising together and
everybody's really, really doingit their own way, it, it drives
(43:55):
home that that's okay.
And, and so I think body groove,you, you might not get that if
you join a Zoom, a zoom class,right?
Like you're gonna see, you maysee people of, of all abilities
and ages and sizes, but you maynot, you may it, it.
In the body groove videos,they've done a really good job,
I think of, of showing that itis for every body.
(44:20):
And so if you're, if you'reconcerned or if you're, if you
have doubts, I'd say start withbody groove and, and see that
this really is for everybody.
And, and there, there is noreason to, to hold yourself
back.
Try it and, and see if you likeit.
And if you do, then there's awhole world of groove.
You know, there's in-personclasses and there's zoom classes
(44:42):
and there's a community and youcould be a facilitator and like
there, there's, there's just awhole world opens up to you.
So I don't see what people wouldhave to, to lose by just
checking it out.
Lisa (44:55):
Great advice.
I like it.
well thank you so much Carissa,for spending the time and
talking to us about your
Carissa (45:03):
Thank you for having me.
Yeah.
Lisa (45:06):
Very inspiriing
Carissa (45:07):
Aw, thank you.
Lisa (45:20):
Thank you so much for listening to the interview with
Carissa.
If you were interested in takinga class with her or would just
like more information, I willhave her contact information in
the show notes below.
If you know anybody that youthink would enjoy the podcast or
benefit from it, please feelfree to share it with them.
And I look forward to bringingyou another interview next week.
(45:42):
I'm going to be talking aboutWest Coast Swing with Morgana
Rae.
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