Let’s Talk: Studio Talent Collective Blog

Why Leaders Need a Greenroom Too 

There’s something nobody really tells you when you start leading a studio business, running a program, or stepping into a higher level of responsibility in the performing arts industry:

It can feel unbelievably lonely.

Not because you’re physically alone. After-all, you’re surrounded by students, staff, parents, partners, production teams, artists, clients and constant communication! But because leadership often requires you to hold space without having a space of your own.

In this week’s podcast episode, I talked about the moments that have actually shifted my life and business. And spoiler alert… they weren't always during the big “official” moments.

It wasn’t the keynote presentations, the checklists, or the carefully curated masterclass bullet points.
The breakthroughs happened in the in-between.

You know the moments...

• Those unplanned conversations backstage.
• The shared nerves side-stage before a performance.
• Talking in a hallway on a quick break, where someone finally says, “I’m struggling with this too.”
• Or sitting at a conference table and realising everyone around you gets what you're carrying, without having to explain the entire backstory.

There’s a certain honesty in those moments.
A softness.
A letting-your-shoulders-drop kind of relief.

If you’ve ever attended an industry conference, mastermind, exhibition, training, or online coaching community, you’ve probably seen it:

✨ The true “AHA moments” don’t usually appear on the slides, they show up in conversation.

On the episode #224 of STUDIO TALENT COLLECTIVE ~ the podcast, I explored that idea using a concept we all know, but maybe haven’t looked at deeply: The Greenroom.

Not the glamorous part.
Not the curated image of someone nibbling on platters, calm and prepared before walking on stage.
I mean the real Greenroom, the one where people:

Breathe and settle their nerves. Get reassurance and drop the armour, saying what they’re actually thinking. Where they ask for support without "performing" strength.

There is a rawness in The Greenroom that doesn’t exist anywhere else. In business, though, many of us don’t have that space.

We expect ourselves to be “switched on,” decisive, capable, strategic, inspiring, confident - ALL. THE. TIME.

But where do Studio Owners, Choreographers, creative directors, Producers, Mentors, and Leaders go to just… exhale and have some fun amongst likeminded friends?

In our industry we create spaces for everyone else... for students to grow, teams to learn, families to feel connected, audiences to be inspired.

Yet somewhere along the way, the people holding it all together stopped feeling held themselves.

And that matters.

Because 2026 isn’t about doing more just for the sake of being productive.
It’s about being in the room with the right people. 

Sometimes the only thing we really need is another person who understands our world, sitting across from us saying:

“I’ve been there.”

Not with pressure.
Not with a list of tasks.
But with presence.

Leadership in the performing arts isn’t meant to be done alone.
But for many of us, it has been.

So maybe this year is less about adding another strategy, and more about creating space. YES to that!! 

Because when you have a place to process, you have a place to grow.

If you’re craving real connection, conversation, and support in your leadership, you don’t need to create it yourself… it already exists. Step into The Greenroom and experience leadership that feels intentional, empowered, and inspired.

🎧 To see how community, connection, and conversation can transform your studio leadership, listen to episode #224 of STUDIO TALENT COLLECTIVE ~ the podcast, titled “Inside the Greenroom.”

[CLICK HERE TO LISTEN]

x Josephine