Valeria Yamin: Trusting the Voice Within

What happens when a 12-year-old decides to stop living a lie and pursue her true passion? For Broadway dancer Valeria Yamin, it was the moment that changed everything.

In this captivating conversation, Valeria takes us on her journey from Venezuela to Broadway, revealing the pivotal moments that shaped her remarkable career. From tearfully confessing to her father that she wanted to be a performer (not an eye doctor), to facing rejection from her dream school only to find her way there through an unexpected encounter – Valeria's story is a masterclass in resilience and authenticity.

Currently performing in the original Broadway cast of "Just In Time" after four seasons as a Radio City Rockette, Valeria speaks candidly about battling impostor syndrome, particularly when transitioning from dance to singing. "I don't have as much singing experience and training as I do with my dancing," she admits. "When I'm singing, I feel a lack of tools." Yet rather than letting this hold her back, she embraced vulnerability and gradual growth, showing how even accomplished performers continue to evolve.

The conversation takes a thoughtful turn as Valeria, now 25, reflects on gaining perspective in her career – moving from being "on the train" of non-stop performing to seeing her life from a "bird's eye view." This shift allows her to appreciate her journey while considering what colors and textures she wants to add next. Her approach to setbacks is equally enlightening: "Not now, maybe not ever, but not now, but maybe someday."

Throughout the episode, Valeria's definition of living in the moment shines through – being "out of your head and in the world." Her story reminds us that authentic living requires courage, resilience, and the willingness to embrace both successes and redirections as part of our growth.

Have you been putting your true passions on hold? Listen to this episode and find the courage to follow your heart, just as Valeria did when she decided to live her truth.

If you are enjoying the show please subscribe, share and review! Word of mouth is incredibly impactful and your support is much appreciated!

Chapters

• 0:47 Introducing Valeria Yamin
• 9:12 Origin Story: From Venezuela to Dance
• 18:14 Rejected, Redirected, and Resilience
• 25:19 Finding Power and Overcoming Impostor Syndrome
• 33:23 Quarter-Life Reflections and Future Dreams
• 43:43 Living in the Moment and Rapid Fire Questions

Transcript

Lisa Hopkins: 0:24

This is the Stop Time Podcast. I'm your host, Lisa Hopkins, and I'm here to engage you in thought-provoking, motivational conversations around practicing the art of living in the moment. I'm a certified life coach and I'm excited to dig deep and offer insights into embracing who we are and where we are at. Where we are at. I am absolutely thrilled to welcome today's guest, someone I had the great joy of teaching during her time at Pace University. Even back then, she absolutely stood out. Her determination, her work ethic and the way she carried herself, with positivity, grace and an undeniable light, made it very clear that she was destined for great things, no matter where she shone her light. Lucky for us, she's sharing her gifts on the Broadway stage and beyond.

Lisa Hopkins: 1:21

She's currently part of the original Broadway cast of Just In Time, which performed at the 2025 Tony Awards, Good Morning America and the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. She's also a four-season veteran of the Radio City Rockettes, with appearances in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Rockefeller Tree Lighting, the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Live with Kelly and Mark, and campaigns for Lululemon and Google Pixel. In 2024, she performed as a swing in Moulin Rouge, the musical on Broadway, and danced at the VMAs alongside Olivia, Rodrigo, Katy Perry and Dochi. A proud 2022 BFA graduate of Pace University, she leads with love, light and gratitude and continues to inspire with her passion and artistry, and I am so thrilled to have her here with me today and introduce you to Valeria Yamin. Welcome to Stop Time, Valeria.

Valera Yamin: 2:15

Oh, my God, thank you for having me. I'm crying. Thank you for those kind words and sharing your point of view and having me here today to talk. Sorry, I'll collect myself, but that was really beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

Lisa Hopkins: 2:31

Well, and you know what? It's sometimes really hard to receive, isn't it?

Valera Yamin: 2:35

Yeah, I feel like it's super difficult or like a little embarrassing, but I think I'm at a point where I'm trying to open up, to take in like a compliment and let it fuel me rather than let it like, let me like hide away from it. So those are all such beautiful words, thank you. I'm going to let it take me through the day with that.

Lisa Hopkins: 2:58

I love that. Is that sort of a pattern of yours. Is it difficult for you to to receive praise, to receive?

Valera Yamin: 3:07

I mean, personally, I feel like it's a little bit like I'm comfy, but I again, I'm like learning to just be like others. See you, see it in you, others see it in you, allow it, allow it to be, allow a compliment to be a compliment. And it's funny because I feel like I don't hold back when I see something I love and I see something I love in someone, I'm the first to say it because I I was told by someone or heard something that if, like, don't hold in a positive thought or a beautiful thought, like you would probably want to hear it too. So I took that and every time I see something beautiful or see something I want to compliment, I don't hold back, I'll say it and I think everything I say comes from the heart.

Lisa Hopkins: 3:51

Yeah, that's cool. It's so true, right? I mean as a naturally, because I am too. I'm a naturally, you know, I see things and I say things. I mean I tend to say what I think, and it's not so much an opinion giving as a compliment, giving Like what I said about you. I meant. So, if I have something to share that might shine or allow someone else to receive the warmth and then shine themselves and let themselves be them, then hell yeah, I'm all in. But it's interesting because it sounds like you do that naturally too. But even we can not only just not hold back, but we can actually go out looking for it, right? We spend a lot of time in our lives looking for things that might get in our way, or looking for things that might threaten us, or looking for things that make us feel unsafe, for obvious reasons, because we're hardwired for that and we want to be safe. But we can also look for things that are good and not instead of necessarily even.

Valera Yamin: 4:52

But yeah, does that make sense.

Valera Yamin: 4:54

Yeah, I think both can exist. I think you can protect yourself and be safe and then also share love, light and gratitude at all times. I feel like there's space for that to exist, to coexist. Yeah, yeah, similar with all feelings. You can have many feelings about the same thing and they can be different feelings and they can be opposing feelings. Yeah, so I I like, really, yeah, I agree with that sense of like, duality, existing in like one space yeah, and, and we can talk, dance for a second, which is shading and dance, isn't it, you know?

Lisa Hopkins: 5:31

I mean, you can dance just as powerfully as you want, right, you can dance in all bright reds, or, or you can, you can blend in some some yellows and blues and space, and right, I mean, that was all.

Valera Yamin: 5:44

Yeah.

Lisa Hopkins: 5:45

Yeah, you feel.

Valera Yamin: 5:50

No, yeah, I do, I agree and, like I agree, there's in dance. I feel like there's so much to play with, like there's so much dynamics, textures, musicalities, levels. What you were saying about the powers and the colors, I feel like is really special. There's so many ways that you can paint your own picture and color your own dance and I feel like you can move through spaces where maybe sometimes they're not appreciated, but I think, like somewhere somehow you'll find where you fit and I think, but if you just stick to you, I think I think that's like what's going to drive you forward the most.

Lisa Hopkins: 6:32

Totally. Hey, if you were a color, what color would you be? And maybe that's a hard, that's a hard, it's a hard question because you know, um, I, I totally respect that you don't always feel the same color, but but what would you say is is yeah, just off the top. If you, if you were a color, what would you be?

Valera Yamin: 6:50

That's funny. You say that because my everyone asks me what my favorite color is and I always tell them depends on the day.

Lisa Hopkins: 6:57

Yeah, of course.

Valera Yamin: 6:58

By my mood today. I'm feeling what color would describe me today? I feel like light, blue. I feel like I'm connected to like water today, to the sky, kind of like this clear, crystal calm. It's a Friday for me. I only have a show at 8 PM, so I'm feeling like and we were coming off such a big high of all the fun things that we've been doing.

Valera Yamin: 7:27

So this is like the first couple of weeks that I'm starting to find structure and find my own rhythm and my own routine of within my life, even though you know, as artists we're constantly living a different life every single day. But I do like to have a little bit of routine and I feel like today I'm bringing in like a light, blue, calm, clear color to allow myself to go through my day like a steady, calm pace. Um, so I can almost like use it as a rest day, without it being me just laying down all day, like just kind of have my body and my mind in like a calm state throughout what I'm moving through. Um, even though I'm not like in my pajamas like watching tv, I can still rest while like doing other things.

Lisa Hopkins: 8:24

I love that like physical yeah, it's a frequency kind of too, isn't it? Yeah, yeah.

Valera Yamin: 8:30

I feel like pretty calm today, which is good.

Lisa Hopkins: 8:35

I thought it was really funny that you said it's a Friday for me today and in my head I'm going well, it's a Friday for everybody.

Valera Yamin: 8:40

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, sorry. No, that was really cute. Do you know what I mean? Because I literally go day by day, day by day and I like remind myself and it's like, yeah, just day by day.

Lisa Hopkins: 8:53

I love it. So tell us a bit about your origin story. I don't actually know your origin story and I think it'd be really interesting.

Valera Yamin: 9:01

No one's ever asked me um, well, I guess I was born in Venezuela, in Caracas, venezuela, and I was there and my mom was taking care of me and my brother and being just a wonderful mom and taking care of us, which is something I value so greatly and so deeply with the both of them and who they've raised me to be. When I was four years old, I moved to South Florida. I started dancing and performing, honestly, in the womb, probably like my mom was. Like you came out and you were singing around the house. You always wanted to put on a costume. Um, you were always dancing. I would like play Shakira videos and like copy her dancing. Um, cause my family's uh, portuguese, italian, uh mixed. And then we're like born. I was born in Venezuela, so I have that culture too. I have this like ginormous, wonderful identity that I feel so connected to of all my different like cultures that I've like been exposed to and been raised by just so much beauty that I feel and connected to, and music and dance I feel like is a big part of those cultures as well. So, um, at family parties, we're like always turning on music, doing karaoke, dancing with each other. Um, so dance and performing has always been a like part of me.

Valera Yamin: 10:45

When I was like seven years old, I fell in love with dance, with the physicality of dance, and then I was so in love with it. When I was 12 years old, I say I had my midlife crisis. I went to my dad crying. I remember weeping, saying I'm lying to everyone and I don't want to lie anymore. I'm telling everyone. They asked me what do you want to be when you grow up? I they say I say I want to be an eye doctor because I want to help people who can't see, like me, because I have I had, like I have heavy glasses. I was like I'm lying, I don't want to do that. I want to be a performer, I want to be a dancer. And he was like, okay, do it. And his like response he was like, if okay, do it. And his response he was like, if you do it, just go all in. That kind of opened the doors for me to be like oh well, yeah, the support from my parents just really, really, really helped me, because I value their opinion a lot. I have so many doctors in my family too, so I was like I don't know if that's for me, but also when I realized that they just wanted us to follow our dreams and follow our passions and do what we love. I realized, oh, that's, it is what people are doing, what they love, it's just their own realms. So then that was like when I was like, okay, performance it is. I don't know how I'm going to get there, I don't know how I'm going to get to what I want, but I'm going to be open and I'm going to do it.

Valera Yamin: 12:11

Started training really hard and in my dance studio I went to a high school American Heritage and Plantation that I went on a full ride dance scholarship where I was exposed to theater and singing and acting, and I fell in love with all that there, although it was not the popular thing to do as a dancer to cross uh, kind of like cross into the different realms of, um, the industry, um. So I kind of was like pretty quiet on my love for these things and maybe didn't like jump in as headfirst as I probably wanted to, because I was kind of listening more to the outside noise than I was really listening to my heart. But I'm here today and then I was like I really want to pursue dancing college. Pace was my number one choice. From when I was like 15, I uh just like started doing research online through social media, which was like a big part of how I was like looking up people who were going to Pace and what they were sharing, um, what they were creating in those rooms. I was like, oh my god, I want to be there someday, like working hard and sweating and creating dance.

Valera Yamin: 13:28

So I auditioned for Pace and I did early decision and right before Thanksgiving I got an email that I was denied. So that was like a huge blow for me. I was like, oh my God, I put all my eggs in this one basket and then I was like, okay, take a day, you're going to cry. I cried all day, all day. I cried all day. The next day I got up out of my bed and I was like all right, what's next?

Valera Yamin: 13:51

Because, I was like I want to go to college for performing. It might not be pace and that's okay, but how am I going to get there now? What's my plan B? What's my next route? How do I have to redirect?

Valera Yamin: 14:05

I applied to I think 10 schools in the matter of one week, went through the audition season. It was such a big learning and growth experience for me because I got to experience so many different states, so many different programs, met so many people. I was on a waitlist for a school, didn't get into that one that I wanted that was in California, and ended up signing on for Point Park University, which I was obsessed with too, because I was like they have a business program that I want to do along with my dancing, and I kind of felt like really motivated to do that. I was a little bit like OK, I really want to be in New York, though, or I really wanted to be in LA. I wanted to kind of be in like the hub of where I thought what things were happening, and I was a little tunnel vision on places I wanted to be, but I kind of like respect the 18 year old for feeling that strongly about wanting to be in the places, cause I think I knew I would be inspired if I was around. What I wanted to become I wanted to, like, insert myself and then plant my little seed into, like the roots of a city, and I think New York was really calling my name.

Valera Yamin: 15:19

My dad had a work trip in New York. He was like come with me and I was alone at this convention. I remember walking out of the awards and thinking I don't want to go the alone route. I was going to go through the back and hide and just go to my hotel or wherever I was going. Next I was like well, let me walk through the people. I walk through and I catch eyes, lock eyes with Scott Jovovich and I'm like oh my God, hi, I know you work at Pace. And then I just started talking and introducing myself and I'm like oh my God, hi, I know you work at Pace. And then I just started talking and introducing myself and I'm like, oh my God, what am I doing? This is so unlike me, but so like me in a way. And he was like well, we'll see you at Pace in the fall. And I was like oh no, I actually Pace was my number one, just wanted to know, like, can I transfer? Maybe my sophomore get connected? I was like my God, cool. I left that conversation like, yes, like we get to the next day and he comes out of nowhere and finds me and he's like, can you send me where you got denied? And I, going through my 500 emails sending it to him right before the audition, we get into the audition room, I forget that obviously Pace is going to be there.

Valera Yamin: 16:22

This could be good Sophomore year. I could transfer to New York City, which is what I wanted to do, and I'm I mean so I'm the last in the group to go and I'm like, okay, I have to. Just this is my time, this is just my time to open up my heart and share my passion. And if they see something in me, then yes. And if not, it wasn't meant to be. And I do my audition combo and I remember feeling like so proud of myself which hard feeling, I think, as a performer, to feel like satisfied with what you do. But I I just felt good, I left my all out there, I did my, I did as much as I could. There's nothing else I could do or saying thank you to all the colleges and schools and teachers. At the end, and I get a tap on my shoulder and I turn around and it's Scott again and he says, if you want, we can make this happen. And I knew right away it was for this coming year. And I just crying again and it was so special.

Valera Yamin: 17:17

I remember like calling my dad and he left his the work event thing that he was at and he ran over to the hotel ballroom and we were like no, he was like no way, is this real? Is this this real? Is this really real? And then, within up two months, I was packing up and moving my bags to New York City in 2018 for the first time, with my mom and she was helping me move into my dorm. And this is it. This was where I wanted to be. This is what I wanted to do.

Valera Yamin: 17:44

I needed those four years to grow and COVID to put me back and close me into one room, one camera. Think about the details, think about my health, think about my mental health, think about who I was. I think COVID helped me strip away so much of these masks that I was putting on to please others and because in that time, by myself, I was like this is where I'm going to grow, at home in my childhood bedroom, but also dreaming about my future. And then, like senior year, I got a invitation to audition for the Rockettes and then I booked that invitation to audition for the Rockettes. And then I booked that and then I was doing senior year and Rockettes at the same time and finishing all these chapters and all of a sudden it's May 2022. And I'm like graduated with a pace and I'm like whoa, this is happening.

Valera Yamin: 18:41

Like now I'm outside of the real world.

Valera Yamin: 18:43

How am I going to use everything I've grabbed and put in my little backpack in my pocket?

Valera Yamin: 18:46

And what am I going to use everything I've grabbed and put in my little backpack in my pocket and what am I going to do with it? And I feel like I just try to be as open as I could be and try new things and meet new people and could just kind of let I always say like let the music move you. When I'm like two in my head about like choreography or anything, if I don't want to forget, and I feel like I feel that with my life, like I just like let the music move you. I just like let this song take me through the dance of my life, like I'm just having so much fun and I think I continue to tell myself if I like ever go to an audition and I'm like, oh yeah, this is the one. And then I don't get it, like, yeah, it's okay, not now, maybe not ever, but not now, but maybe someday yeah not to be like too hard on myself ever really and I just also try to believe that.

Valera Yamin: 19:38

Well, I do believe this fully that there is space for everyone in this industry. I think there really is like a seat for everyone at the table, and but I also say, if there is no seat at the table, you either go get your own chair, pull it up, or you go build your own chair and set a table instead of chairs to somewhere where you want to be, like, where you feel loved and where you belong and all the things. So, yep, I just do feel like there's space for everyone. I feel like it's worse. Such a beautiful community of people, um, oh yeah.

Valera Yamin: 20:14

That everyone is so talented and has their own strengths and weaknesses, and seeing everyone like step into their power is so inspiring to me.

Lisa Hopkins: 20:28

And yeah, it's a wonderful story. Thank you for sharing that.

Valera Yamin: 20:32

I feel a lot of value and very deeply about everything that I do. I feel like it. Nothing is more important than the other in my brain. I like to value everything. I like to give my fullest percent, a hundred percent, to what I do. So I feel like I try not to look at things as I'm just going to get through this, even though on the hard days you got to do what you got to do, and I have many of those. But in the overall, when I take my wide lens and look up, I'm like that's not just something you needed to get through.

Valera Yamin: 21:03

I think of the quote win or learn. You never lose. Like you're always. You can always get something from something, even if it was a bad experience. You're like oh well, I don't want to do that, or I don't want to be like that, or I didn't enjoy how that happened, but I learned from that. Or I love this and I gained this, and so I don't know. I try to walk through my life with that perspective, but then it also can like ouch, hurt really painfully. But I try to not take things like too personally, like they don't go my way, or no, 100%.

Lisa Hopkins: 21:36

A couple of things stand out to me. One is back in your early origin story when you at I think you said you were 12, maybe you went to your father and said I'm a lie, I'm not living my truth. How does, how does a 12 year old first of all say that or know that?

Valera Yamin: 21:55

I I can't even tell you like why I just like felt like a burning. I feel like I'm pretty intuitive, like when I feel something in my gut that's not right or not what I, that doesn't align with me. It rumbles. It was rumbling for a while and I felt comfortable enough to go to my father, to go to my dad who I saw, yeah, and he, I think, allowed me to come to him in a sense, because he went to school for civil engineering and was on that route and did that for a lot of his life and switched career paths. He was in the wrong place and then just was able to rewrite his story and I felt like that was so inspiring and I think at 12, I was like well, you're doing what you love, so how can I do what I love?

Valera Yamin: 22:52

I'm just going to tell you that I think I'm lying because I'm scared that people are going to say, no, that's not a real career, cause you know, you hear that being an artist is not a job, it's not a career. You can't sustain yourself, yourself, can't be happy. And I felt like the full opposite. I was like I can, I will and I must. I don't know why, but I I just like felt it so deeply that I was like you have to share this with your dad and and I think him giving me like the okay Was like like the door swung open. That was like really big for me and I that's something I like will thank my parents for forever and ever and ever Just allowing me to be me, knowing that like you start with you and you end with you, and just like you have to find a way to be like at peace, be happy with you and, just like you have to find a way to be like, at peace, be happy with you.

Lisa Hopkins: 23:51

Yeah, it's. It's still amazing to me that you're able to articulate it. I understand feeling it and and like, even at an early age, but the fact that you could articulate it although I do understand that it that it was modeled for you. So, yeah, that's the visceral piece. You actually could see it happening. So, even though you heard in your head that this isn't a good thing, what you saw from somebody that you respected is that, no, that that can be done. So, yay, dad, yay, parents. No, that's really cool. You know. You talked about the joy of being in this industry and witnessing people stepping into their power and their talents, all of which are diverse. And I'm curious when you say being in their power I know you mentioned it about yourself. You said, oh, on the days that I don't believe in my power, I can spiral and self-sabotage my mindset. I'm super curious, if you're comfortable, to dig into that A. I'm curious to know what it means to you to be in your power and what it looks like when you're not.

Valera Yamin: 24:48

Yeah, I guess like when I'm having a good day, I believe in myself and I know my worth, I know my work, I trust in me and my value and my power Power in my mind, power in my body, power in like so many different shapes. And like the days that I'm having a bad day or the days that I get a little bit like off my center, I feel like it's always trickles down to the mental, even if I'm injured, and it's a physical thing. It's the way I'm like reacting to the stressors is how I can then not be in my power and I feel like, as humans, like our mind is like so powerful is what I'm like starting to learn is like my mindset can really like help me fly or sink me lower than I need to. Instead of just floating on the water, my mindset can actually bring me down. I'm like, why do I want that? But I don't want that. It just kind of can happen, and so it's like learning the tools and things that I need to get out of those moments.

Valera Yamin: 26:03

I like to write things down and take things out of my mind and I think that will help, like if I see it visually on paper, if I love manifesting my best self.

Valera Yamin: 26:13

I love visualizing me at my best, closing my eyes and thinking about I'm going to do it in my head to my best of my ability and more, and I feel like that helps me gain the confidence and the mental strength to then get into the room or walk into wherever I need to be and feel in my power, not letting the outside stressors get into oh, that wasn't my best.

Valera Yamin: 26:38

But how you recover from that or how you could continue to learn from that, Yep, that then gives you the continued success. I try to think of it as kind of like a steady, paced forward motion, like a kinetic energy, that is, you know it's churning. It's not like a one hit, sort of like sprint. I believe in my career and I believe in the longevity of it. I never really see things as like a loss. I guess Like it's just a redirect or like a re, and I allow myself to grieve, though I will be crying with some ice cream and some good TV, but like of of, like moments that you know will hurt, like her, you know a hundred percent, a hundred percent, a hundred percent.

Valera Yamin: 27:37

And then like the next day. How am I going to?

Lisa Hopkins: 27:40

you mean, you're human? Yeah, yeah, you know absolutely, and what you're talking about is the growth mindset. You have a growth mindset and the growth mindset, literally, is that you can't fail, no matter what you do, because you can learn something from everything you do, including failure, and then the success formula that you create through these, through understanding your influencers, can help you, like you can look at your rhythm, your rhythm and become aware of how you're affected, how things wane, and then you can make accommodations for yourself.

Lisa Hopkins: 28:11

I mean, it's like having a tech writer you know for yourself Things will affect you, but you can be in your power about how and what you can do about it. It's staying open and then understanding what the detractors might be, and then you know, disempowering them honestly by becoming more familiar with them, so when they arrive they don't take you out.

Valera Yamin: 28:36

Yeah, as yeah, as like. Yeah, it's not like I felt this before. I've seen this before.

Lisa Hopkins: 28:42

Yeah it's not gonna kill me. No, you know, here it is. And what can I learn from this? And you know, sorry, we sidebarred a little bit, but no, and I think it's probably valuable too for our listeners. But I'm curious to know what is something? Would you be willing to share something that that threatens to get in the way of you believing in your power or feeling the way you know you can feel?

Valera Yamin: 29:05

Imposter for sure, I do not have as much singing experience and training and or education as I do with my dancing. So the moments where I feel like I'm dancing, I feel prepared, I feel calm, I feel easy, I feel like all my tools are available at all times and I can just, I'm like I'm able to perform in a sense, like with ease. When I'm singing, I feel a lack of tools. I feel like I'm like, oh my god, how am I doing this? How is it happening? When I got to just in time, I first of all couldn't believe I had booked it. I also didn't really know what we know. No one really knew what it was.

Valera Yamin: 29:49

When we were in the workshop in August and I remember that first day well, the first thing we did was music and I was like, okay, here we go and had never worked on holding my own harmony in a trio of amazing, amazing singers and performers and in a group setting where I was like with these iconic legends hearing me sing. All of a sudden I'm like, oh my god, do they like know that I've like never really done this? That dialogue started in my head. I don't know this enough. I don't have this enough. They think was like so hurtful for me, like they think I can't they, they think I can't sing, they think I don't know what I'm doing there. I'm going to like it was so. That was like a huge spiral that day, I remember.

Valera Yamin: 30:37

I went home and I was like, oh, I'm not, this is not for me. I was like, how am I going to do this? What did they just pick me for, like? And then it was like many, many weeks. It wasn't like a one. It wasn't like I'm going to fall asleep and wake up the next day and be an amazing singer. I was like, wait, how am I going to combat these stressors of like, this imposter syndrome and this like fake narrative that I was creating like it was mental, it was all my mental.

Valera Yamin: 31:12

Our workshop was in August and that was a four-week experience of fun, of stress, but also like, of so much learning, and every day was just like, little by little. It was so small, it was so humbling to be new at something again. It's really vulnerable to like hear your voice. Yeah, it comes all the time and I love it. I feel like I'm not afraid to feel it anymore and I feel like it'll for the rest of my life I'll be doubting something, but I feel like that's what keeps me motivated to learn and to grow and to yeah, I don't think it's a bad thing. I think like nervousness and excitement in my body live in the same place, and so sometimes I like can get them confused.

Lisa Hopkins: 31:59

That's real.

Valera Yamin: 32:01

It's good, both are good, both is because I care, both is because I want to grow and do better and change and evolve. And yeah, yeah, no 100. They picked you first of all, so they believe in you yes, you have to believe in you.

Valera Yamin: 32:18

I don't want to show, I just want to share, yeah, and I think that they're they're, you're doing the same thing, but the intention behind it is different, which is what I think has helped me stay aligned with myself. I think about what I'm doing. It's not showing anyone or improving anything to anyone. It's really just sharing me, me.

Lisa Hopkins: 32:44

Yeah, that distinction is powerful, right? I mean that's, I feel that it's beautiful. Hey, so you're 25 and and are you affected at?

Valera Yamin: 32:58

all by the quarter life crisis that so many talk about? Um, probably, yes, yes, a little bit, it's happening. It's happening now I do. I was on a vacation last week away from my show for the first time. First time I've taken a vacation on a job where I was at home. So I went home to Florida, wanted to be in the sun and the rain and with my dog and my family, and also with my girlfriend and her family, and have a vacation time. So it's like really wonderful time to reconnect that presence that I was talking about. I really needed it. It's like perfect.

Valera Yamin: 33:34

I was like on this vacation and I was like, oh, I got this. Like weird. Well, first I was like really happy because I was like, oh my God, I get to come back to New York city and I have a job, I have a roof over my head, I have a beautiful girlfriend, I feel safe. I feel so safe right now. Let me just enjoy. And I put my phone away and just felt so present with everything I was doing. It felt so nice to feel like I wasn't missing anything or like having to do anything. I need more of this.

Valera Yamin: 34:04

I need more of this feeling, even when I am on the hustle grind. I need to feel this more because I felt like so re-inspired. I had a moment where I was like wait, I'm 25. Like yeah, I did have like a minute. I think I had my moment last week. I was like I'm 25.

Valera Yamin: 34:23

I feel like I'm moving in the right direction, but how can I tap into more of me? I don't know. I had just a lot of brainstorming, brain dumping, fun ideas of like passions and just goals, and it was kind of nice to just have it out of my head. So, yeah, I feel like I am dealing with that like quarter life crisis and seeing like my family. Um, you know, all the cousins are all older, the grandparents are older, the the family was just like really it was really beautiful to be with them and just spend time with them and like it's hard being like away sometimes and I have a couple cousins here which is awesome and like that's why we do have the beauty of our phones is that we can like call and talk and nothing is like spending time one-on-one, like touch and seeing like a person.

Valera Yamin: 35:23

So, um, yeah, I think my my quarter life crisis kind of lies with like missing my family a little, because I feel so proud and accomplished and all the things, and. But I also know that it's seasonal. So this season of my life like is what it is and I know that at a time I won't be jumping from show to show or from event to event or thing to thing, I'll just be, and I I'm excited for that time too, whatever I'll be then, but I'm trying to enjoy this as much and then also like the family's happening at the same time. It's like all these timelines like moving together but separate. So that's just been interesting, yeah, for sure.

Lisa Hopkins: 36:13

For sure, For sure. Hey, one year from now. What are we celebrating?

Valera Yamin: 36:19

My physical strength. I have a torn meniscus and I've been moving through all this fun physical stuff with caution but with like attention and purpose because of my knee and because of how I want my career to be long and on. I think I trust in my body and it's a really hard recovery. It's very slow and I keep telling everyone around me I'm like a year from today I'm going to be stronger than I was.

Lisa Hopkins: 36:54

I love that. What about five years, 10 years? Where do you, where do you see yourself?

Valera Yamin: 36:58

See myself being happy, being aligned with myself and whatever that may be like. If in five years I'm still in a show, that's a slay from five years and teaching that's amazing. I definitely want to dabble in kind of those interests that have been buzzing around. I want to start to like I think in five years I hope I had have at least followed one of those little buzzes and little like kind of like exciting new passion projects do you want to share one of those buzzes, or do, and you don't have to like, because sometimes it's nice to hold, like to hold on to them I kind of want to.

Valera Yamin: 37:44

I think I'm going to hold on to them. Cool, I think I'm going to hold on to them. I kind of want to. I think I'm going to hold on to them. Cool, I think I'm going to hold on to them for a little bit longer and then allow people to come and share.

Valera Yamin: 37:53

I think I want to build on them a little more, but there's a few. It's been buzzing. I just I'm waiting is not the word I'm feeling out my timing. I like don't want to say like we were saying, saying yes to too many things at once. Yep, like I.

Valera Yamin: 38:10

I feel like I'm a little bit filled to the brim right now and it's just this these past two weeks that I've that I've been on the calm down from like such I would, I'm gonna say, like hectic year and a half to almost like kind of all blended with like Rockettes into Mulan, into Rockettes again, into a month break into this rehearsal. It's kind of felt like this, like I've allowed myself to literally let the music move me and I'm like this, like yeah, and I'm enjoying like every single thing, but I it's, I feel like I'm finally allowing myself to grab the handlebars and grab like my steering wheel a little bit more. And now I'm like, okay, now, now this is where I want to go. I think like I've been allowing it to just take me, which is awesome and I I've loved that part, but I'm excited to like well, it's still taking me to have like a side quest.

Valera Yamin: 39:12

I love learning, I love new perspectives, even if it's like a dance class and it's like this teacher saying one thing with that teacher saying the same thing in a different way. I love that. I love a second opinion. I love. I love to just hear it all. I'm like more.

Lisa Hopkins: 39:28

Totally, that's my girl. That's awesome, it's funny. I'm just going to, just going to. You can journal on this if you want. What came to me was you when you said about this year and a half that you've just had. You were on the train, going really fast and now I'm curious do you feel more like you're? I'm feeling both because you did say maybe it's because you suggested the blue today and the steering. I was imagining water because you mentioned it also, but then I thought about a plane with the bird's eye view and I feel like there's a bit of the water and the air going on for you that you're off the train and now you're looking at it in a broader way, right.

Valera Yamin: 40:15

I love that. I'm like so into the imagery of that I love. Yes, I do yes, and I feel like I've taken last week on my vacation like time to. It's like the first week that I actually thought about like even like writing my bio out. I was like, let me just like write it all out. And then I was reading it back and I was like, oh, my god, little valeria would be if I was a stranger.

Valera Yamin: 40:44

She'd be like, oh, I want to be like her yeah that's like, that was like so cool, and like last week I felt like I went home and my family was doing the choreo from our show and I was like, oh my God, this is why this is it. This was so fun to just have this shared experience with my family and what I'm doing they connect with, they understand, they care about, and so it feels good to feel loved and supported and to finally feel like I'm taking this bird's eye view the blue, yeah, like seeing, like, oh yeah, like there's so much that is around me and so much beauty or what was going by really quickly, but from the plane. And this is why the tears when I say how I feel about you or when you talk about your family because you're starting to be able to see it all.

Valera Yamin: 41:35

Yeah, yeah, and that's it. That's a beautiful place to be and it begs that inquiry, like of when you said what's next, you didn't mean like what show is next you?

Lisa Hopkins: 42:21

meant what?

Valera Yamin: 42:22

what layer, what, what? How do I want to texturize this? Or, yeah, I love that because it's not. It's like, yeah, like, how do I like, how do I want to keep writing my story? Yeah, how do I want to keep. Yeah, how do I want to add? What color is next? What layers? Yeah, that's, that's insane. That was so beautiful. I do. I so agree with the plane imagery. The train is so right Because I was just allowing it, like it started on me taking like buying the ticket, getting on the like doing all that obviously Exactly, and then I was like whoa, and then just like out and about.

Lisa Hopkins: 42:48

And arriving.

Valera Yamin: 42:49

Arriving, arriving and like being like no way.

Lisa Hopkins: 42:53

How did I get?

Valera Yamin: 42:54

here how Like scary arriving and like being like no way, how did I get here? How, like scary and like then not scary, but then like being on the plane is also scary. I'm like, oh, my god, I've done this like so these things and all. I'm so grateful and I feel very good and it's I am. This is so deep, but I'm afraid of flying.

Valera Yamin: 43:13

I don't like flying, I do not do not like planes like and I I used to not be afraid of flying, but now, as I'm older, I'm afraid of flying. I'm like, oh, it's so when I'm older, I'm like more and more afraid of and this I feel like is like symbolic. Sometimes I feel this, but then I I ground pretty quickly, but I feel sometimes I'm like, what if? Like am I plateauing? Am I going down and is my plane landing and or not crashing? Like I feel that and I feel like I can ground myself pretty easily and easily, and and then, similarly, when I'm on a plane, I trust in the pilot and the universe and the weather and the technology that we have and people that I'm around and the moment that I'm in that, no matter what's next, I feel the trust yep that it's like led me to here.

Lisa Hopkins: 44:19

What's really cool and maybe you can think about this is that a lot of people have a hard time knowing their why and a lot of us forget our why. So a lot of people in our industry know their why and that's why we're in it, but we lose track of why. Right, and it's about getting back on. I'm sure you've had that experience of you're like well, why lose track of why? Right, and it's about getting back on. I'm sure you've had that experience. If you're like well, why am I doing this? Like it's, you know it's so painful or whatever, or you just get caught in the thing and then it's not fun anymore and you forget and then you reconnect with yeah right, it's part of the journey totally.

Lisa Hopkins: 44:47

But. But you're pretty centered in your why. I feel that's loud and clear and and it's beyond the gigs and so on and so forth. Um, it's much deeper than that, but it feels to me like you are in your, you're in your how. Now you're who and you're how. I always say, I always say you're who, is in your how, right, meaning who you want to be in the world while you're doing what you want to do and why you know. So why is not the big question for you? Um, so it's, it's who and how.

Valera Yamin: 45:14

Ooh, I love that.

Lisa Hopkins: 45:16

That's, that's what I'm, that's, if we're working together, that's what we would work on, because it's it's how you want to be, because I think you're totally open to the notion that that it's up to you how you want to be, and and what are those possibilities?

Valera Yamin: 45:32

I'd never thought about like that. I never thought about it that way because I feel like a lot of the my community, we talk about our why. Pretty often, yep, yeah, like you said, you get off, you got thrown off a little bit and you're like, oh my god, the day is so long or what's my feet hurt? Or all all things that could like kind of be like why am I doing this? Like you know, you miss something and something and you miss a party, the sacrifices and everything. You're like why? So I always come back to my why, but I never thought about and that's kind of how I feel about that next layer. It's like how and who?

Lisa Hopkins: 46:10

That's where you are.

Valera Yamin: 46:11

That's so cool.

Lisa Hopkins: 46:12

I love that we put language.

Valera Yamin: 46:13

You're like I'm feeling that's so cool. I love that. We like put language to like feeling. I find that too. I like sometimes feel like I'm just like yappy, but I kind of like don't get to the point sometimes because a lot of me is like visual or feely.

Lisa Hopkins: 46:29

Yeah, yeah.

Valera Yamin: 46:30

So I love finding ways to articulate my feelings. So I love finding ways to articulate my feelings and, like I always say, like I'm not a good storyteller, I'm not a good, but I have to fix the language with that, but I yeah, finding words to feelings is like so exciting to me. Yep exciting to me, yep, and I feel like, as I continue to live, I feel like I find more words to express how I'm feeling.

Lisa Hopkins: 47:07

Yeah, but that just helped me so much. So, thank you. Oh, you're welcome. Oh, let's do the rapid fire. Okay, I'm going to say what makes you and you're going to say the first thing that comes to your mind.

Valera Yamin: 47:12

Okay, Okay, are you ready?

Lisa Hopkins: 47:14

Yeah, here we go. There's no to your mind.

Valera Yamin: 47:15

Okay, okay, are you ready?

Lisa Hopkins: 47:15

Yeah, here we go. There's no right or wrong, remember.

Valera Yamin: 47:17

Okay.

Lisa Hopkins: 47:18

Okay.

Valera Yamin: 47:21

What makes you hungry? What makes me hungry when I dance for too long? What makes you sad Sometimes?

Lisa Hopkins: 47:30

the book, a book I'm reading, what inspires you Visual arts. What frustrates you? Visual arts.

Valera Yamin: 47:41

What frustrates you Not?

Lisa Hopkins: 47:44

being able to articulate my feelings in words. What makes?

Valera Yamin: 47:45

you laugh, my girlfriend.

Lisa Hopkins: 47:48

What makes you angry?

Valera Yamin: 48:06

when I like, when I can't, when I feel like closed, like when I feel suffocated. I don't like. That makes me like really retaliate, like even if I, if someone tells me no, I get really angry in an interesting way, because then I just like it builds a fire in me. Oh wow, but I get angry first. What makes you grateful? My life, life, present moment like this, my eyes open on a beautiful day, rainy, cloudy, cloudy, sunny, anything, just being alive.

Lisa Hopkins: 48:39

You know, I didn't ask you what your definition of living in the moment is, because you've demonstrated it. So just, I mean we did it today. What you just said is that. So I deliberately didn't ask you that question.

Valera Yamin: 48:59

I felt like that was a really difficult question to answer, but also not Like it came so easily when I had read it. But I was like I was really afraid of the question at first Interesting oh, it's so deep, like I think. Like everyone says, like live in the moment. But no one's ever asked me, like how do you feel like you're living in the moment?

Lisa Hopkins: 49:23

Yeah, From my point of view, that's how you operate, but would you like to say what? What your definition is?

Valera Yamin: 49:30

I do. I I feel like that is how I operate. But what I said well, it just ties back a little bit to the show, but I love hearing the words be here now which is something we hear on the show and just like being out of your head and in the world. I think like that's how I try to be. If I'm like two in my head, then I'm not in the moment. If I'm blocked, like I literally my eyes are open but I'm blocked. Like I'm blocked, like I literally my eyes are open but I'm blocked. Like I'm there but I'm not there. I hate feeling that way. I don't like it. I feel like it's you're not living your life, the one, the one life we get to live, and I want to be there, I want to be full, I want to be present, I want to be in it what are the top three things that happened so far today?

Valera Yamin: 50:13

Ooh, today, today, this, this is like I was really excited for this, having breakfast with my girlfriend she's an amazing cook and she made bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches and so grateful that we got to spend some time this morning together calmly in our home and actually last night so it was today, it was within the 24 hour I had a really big, beautiful day yesterday. I really felt like so happy to share that with my community, because I feel like sometimes I can like be very like quiet about my life and about my successes and I felt safe to share.

Lisa Hopkins: 51:02

What's something you're looking forward to today and then in the future?

Valera Yamin: 51:07

Today. I'm looking forward to having a calm day at home, like having a home day, like if it's like cleaning up or like spending time just like being at home. I'm looking forward to my home In the future. I'm looking forward to following one of those little kind of like gut feelings that I've been kind of like have been rumbling within me.

Lisa Hopkins: 51:32

Yeah, I love that, valeria.

Valera Yamin: 51:40

I so appreciate you being here with me today.

Lisa Hopkins: 51:41

It was so much fun and so interesting. Oh my gosh, it's been such a pleasure, truly.

Valera Yamin: 51:47

It's been a pleasure for me too. I'm like so happy and grateful for this experience and this exchange. I feel fulfilled, like right now. I don't feel like drained, so I'm like so inspired and like feel like ready to have keep having a great day.

Lisa Hopkins: 52:04

Oh, that's amazing.

Valera Yamin: 52:06

And I, like, can't wait to talk more again.

Lisa Hopkins: 52:08

Amazing. I've been speaking today with Valeria Yamin. I'm Lisa Hopkins. Thanks so much for listening. Stay safe and healthy, everyone, and remember to live in the moment. In music, stop time is that beautiful moment where the band is suspended in rhythmic unison, supporting the soloist to express their individuality In the moment. I encourage you to take that time and create your own rhythm. Until next time. I'm Lisa Hopkins. Thanks for listening.