Grooving to Wholeness: Dance, Wellness and Embracing World Groove with Deb Powell

Episode 10: Join me to hear Deb's incredible story of her lifelong love for dance, which intertwined with her personal wellness journey.  From her study of naturopathy to igniting her passion for helping others become their best selves, Deb's journey is a testament to the transformative power of holistic wellness.  Tune in as she shares how she found the missing piece that brought dance back into her life and complemented her wellness-focused business.  Get ready to be inspired by Deb's embrace of the World Groove Movement and the Groove truths.

Links for Deb Powell:
Facebook: The Inside Connection Coaching
Instagram: Debra Powell
Linkedin: Debra Powell
Podcast:  Finding Your Heartlight
(Check Podbean in September for her new podcast: Uplift Your Heartlight)
Youtube: Finding Your Heartlight

Other Links:
World Groove Movement
Body Groove

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/

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Transcript

Lisa: 0:49

Welcome to the Happy Sweat Life podcast. My name is Lisa Rung and today I'm excited to be talking to Deb Powell. Deb is located in Australia, but she and I met as we were both going through the World Group Facilitator Training and we've stayed in touch as part of a group kind of supporting each other to become facilitators. And I'm so pleased today to be talking to her about her journey and how she ended up becoming a facilitator and her journey through dance, et cetera. So Deb, do you want to say a little bit about yourself

Deb: 1:27

Thanks so much, Lisa, for having me on. It's always a pleasure to connect with you. I really enjoy it. Yeah, like after we joined and, and became friends and and went through the facilitation program, which was absolutely amazing. It's wonderful that we've been able to stay in contact like this. When I first started, actually, going right back, my introduction into dance was like many, many others back when I was young. I love dancing. I have a passion for dancing, which is where groove is such an important part of my life. But I started dancing the traditional tap ballet. I did Scottish dancing. I did every type of dancing when

Lisa: 2:13

Oh, you did Scottish?

Deb: 2:14

About eight. Yeah.

Lisa: 2:15

Oh, well, didn't know that.

Deb: 2:17

I don't know what prompted my mother to put me into that. I think it was either Irish or Scottish. And for some reason I got into Scottish, although I loved watching the Irish, but yeah, so I've tended to do it all. And I did that for quite a few years until probably I was about 11 or 12. I stopped doing the trained style of dancing, but it was very good, I think, just having that backing. But I always loved dancing, but other things in life happen as you're growing up and getting into becoming a teenager. So I stopped for a little while. But it certainly couldn't hold me back. I ended up getting back into joining a performance, a dance performance group in my mid teens. And that was really wonderful to be able to, to do that. I did that for a couple of years where we had a, had a troupe that traveled around and, and did dance for, you know, in the shopping centers and at schools and Anywhere that that they, we were able to, it was a, it was a kids, I guess a young, young adults in a sense. a lot of them were a lot younger than me,

Lisa: 3:28

So were you doing different kinds of dance?

Deb: 3:30

look in that type of thing. It was more modern style of dancing oh, the, yeah. Within the dance studio itself. We were also training in different aspects of dance again in, they did a lot more acrobatics, which I didn't actually do. it's really interesting because being trained in ballet and tap and things like that, I, I certainly wasn't very acrobatic. I didn't think so anyway. You can do basic stuff, but not like some of the gymnasts. So I mean, gymnastics and is so totally different the way that the body is utilised and, and, and the, I guess the spring buoyancy and my body shape definitely wasn't gymnastic, particularly when I started getting into teenage years, which is where I think I started becoming very self conscious of my body shape because I, What is the term that they would use? I know when I was younger, it was like well developed. And so I was a little bit, I guess you'd say on the plump side. And and, and I was really, really super self conscious of that. And that's where, as much as I love to dance, it's really started playing on me with my weight. And so I, I didn't, didn't continue that for very long. I was just really too self conscious and it just grew and grew and grew, particularly I think teen, being teenagers. With me, it it started having quite an effect on the things that, that I was doing. So it was a matter of jumping out of that limelight. My passion was still there, but I got into other things with you know, friends. You walk away from that. In my early twenties, I guess I've always had this pulling back into dance and it was after, must have been after my, my first daughter was born in my, I was in my twenties and I lost a massive amount of weight. huge amount I think through maybe hormones just settling yet they're up in the air after you have a child. But I, I did lose a lot of weight. I wasn't eating very well. I lost weight and, and, I found the opportunity of getting back into a dance theatre group and took the opportunity. I went and auditioned and I was really fortunate enough to be able to get that. So that was a, a show that I was doing. And I did quite a bit of that for quite a few years, which I just loved doing a lot of theatre performance, but always in the the dance side of things. So that was really wonderful. That's while I was in Sydney. And then in the late eighties, I ended up moving from, the city into a more regional area, which there wasn't a lot of that around, I was very involved in family at that stage. So I tended to drop out, although I was still connected. I would get involved in musical theatre and and it was only after a few years in the, regional area that I was living, that I came across people within the musical societies. And again we had a, a theatre, like an old time theatre group that we, we travelled around. And I got into a lot more of the, old time dance and a little bit of ballroom y dance within, within a performance group, you know, where we, we did old time theatre like, By the light of the silvery moon, you know, all of that old stuff. It was great. Loved it so much. So it just kept my foot in the door of a passion that I loved. Until after having a couple of kids and family. That really took over my life and work, so I didn't do it for quite a long time. And as you get older, going on a couple of decades later and I just dropped out of that dance side of things because I guess life, life takes over as it does. And through my work, I was working actually at a restaurant and I noticed my health started, it wasn't very good. I, so I stopped doing that and became very involved in natural health. So in my health, and I started studying in naturopathy to just to learn. About the health side of it, which I really loved. I really loved the ability to be able to take care of the self. So I directed myself into there and a personal care development into life coaching, into health and wellbeing and became a health and wellbeing coach, which led me into being able to connect the circle back of introducing the The, the physical, the emotional wellbeing. And this is where I spotted Groove and the dance. And I thought, wow, this is amazing because I still love this dance and the way that it made us feel it, the way that it makes people feel. And so I ended up becoming a facilitator to be able to bring this amazing style of dance that can be so joyous and, and, and do so much for our own health in that sense, health and well being. And, and this is where I met you, Lise while doing the this facilitation for it. So it was a matter of bringing in the, this dance style. To incorporate in what I was already doing in helping people with becoming the better versions of themselves and helping them in their health and wellbeing. And so that's where it kind of all, all very, very fast paced ended up finding groove. A passion of dance that I just love to have in my life.

Lisa: 10:03

That's quite a journey. I didn't realize all those elements you had in there. So did you do body groove on demand at all, or did you just sign right up for being a World Groove facilitator?

Deb: 10:17

I thought that this, this may inhibit me not having done Body Groove. So the answer to that is no, I didn't do Body Groove, but I did watch a couple of the Body Groove videos an idea of what it was about. Because the way I actually found it was it was scrolling through Facebook and it was Actually, another coach that I saw, and she was doing, it was, it was like a pop up class, this pop up class, and I thought, wow, I love this style of dance, because it isn't structured in the way, So many people are inhibited to allow themselves and give themselves permission just to enjoy movement. And movement is so important for our, our health and our wellbeing. And to be able to bring that in, and I looked and I thought, it's... How is she doing? Like, where is she getting this style from? So that's where I started doing some research where I came across Body Groove and that's where I saw one of Misty's advertisements on there explaining her story. And I thought, wow, that certainly does resonate in people having health issues and the way that it can affect us and what prevents us from stepping out and allowing ourselves. Selves to just be our authentic self. And this is where I really I love to be able to help people to come back and not worry about what other people are thinking and, and know that. You're not being judged in what you do, especially when you're being you, because we are the most beautiful people. Each of us has such an amazing quality inside and to allow others to freely see that is such an important aspect. And I really believe Groove has so much of that to be able to offer. And I noticed one of the things that really helped me, and it was certainly in the confidence aspect, because it's, I, I, Still was very self conscious about things. I could help others, but when it came to helping myself, isn't it amazing? We can reach out and help other people, but looking at yourself, it's I certainly needed that confidence boost and Groove certainly did that for me because it allowed me to just. So while I was in that dance environment, in that groove environment, I could be me, and it was okay to be me. And this is what I loved about it. And so this is where I wanted to help others to recognize that it's okay It's okay to be you because you're a beautiful person. And so I'm so thankful that I, I saw this popup class. I'm so thankful that I put in the effort to scroll through and find Misty Tripoli and the World Groove Movement and, and again, coming together and doing the facilitation again, the wonderful friends that I've been able to meet and Groove has just such a strong and. Supportive community why would you want to be anywhere else? It's great.

Lisa: 13:40

It's true. Yeah. I think groove does do that really well taking people where they're at, whatever physical fitness level that they're at and just saying you're welcome. You're welcome on the dance floor. And, and how much that really does help your mental as well as your physical well being. So was it hard to do the training without having done too much of the groove itself

Deb: 14:10

I was extremely nervous when I first started and, and, and strangely enough, even though we did it on Zoom, On video, I was very, very self conscious when I first started. It was like, oh, you know, I, I feel very awkward. I'm in my own space, in my own comfort zone, in my home, and still felt that resistance of, but it didn't take too long. I guess I still felt it during the facilitation of it, but the more you get to meet the others, the other facilitators that were there for exactly the same reason, and listening to some of their stories as well, of how they were too feeling it, you realize, wow, I'm actually not alone. And so I got over that very, very quickly, the fact that I hadn't done body groove before and, and really didn't know a huge amount about it because the facilitation certainly explained it and we went through it and as I did, I fell more and more in love with it was the best decision that I'd ever made doing the, body groove. The facilitation and getting involved, it was wonderful. And it's, Groove is like no other really with the different styles that you can tap into and know that it's really great for our, as you say, you know, our health and wellbeing it's our emotional health and our physical health. It's very, very good for all of that because it allows us to, to really express. in our own way. And it really doesn't matter what anybody else thinks of us. We're allowed to express and and enjoy it. And so the other facilitation was a great stepping stone. And it was fine that I hadn't done body groove before. You learn it very quickly.

Lisa: 16:11

Yes, that's great. So are you doing that? are you still coaching right now? Doing the life coaching? Are you taking a break from that?

Deb: 16:18

Well, I had taken a break for quite a while. I had a bit of a transition and move from where I was. I moved about six months ago to care for my mum and dad. And also have become a, have become a full time. Carer for my grandchild as well. I had my daughter and granddaughter living with me. So life became incredibly hectic. The move transition it has taken me a long time. So six months off and ready to get back into into all of my groove and back into, which I've started back with the with my. life coaching and which what I'm doing at the moment is very much like you on a different aspect. I've started a new series on a podcast of being able to uplift your heart and, and which I'm doing with a fellow. Coach. So we do that together and which has been a lot of fun. We've only just started that and ready to kick that off soon. It's our second in the series. So really looking forward to doing that and bringing the, the groove aspect back into, which is Where I wanted to, to be able to bring it back into my coaching, into the sense of being able to connect the physical and the emotional side of it into being able to offer to people, because I think it's a, it's a really great, great thing. So, yeah, took about a six month break and, by September that's where I'll be starting back in with my Zoom groove classes and with my coaching.

Lisa: 18:07

oh, that's exciting. be look forward to taking, as long as they're not at 2 a. m. in the morning for me or something. It's always a little struggle with the time difference here, but it is, it's

Deb: 18:21

it certainly has its drawbacks, but I think the fact that we can touch base globally is really fantastic to be able to get those, and, and without that it. May not have been able to find groove. So I'm really lucky. Sometimes we have to have to make those adjustments in that timing. But I think the great thing is there's always a time available. Most of the time. So it's it's good.

Lisa: 18:53

So if somebody is looking for your podcast, what should they look for?

Deb: 18:58

that going come that's coming out, which will be releasing toward the end of this month is called Uplifting Your Heartlight and we've actually got a, well, we have a private Facebook group at the moment, which is Finding Your Heartlight. So, or you can contact me directly. I'm also doing it with my co host on the podcast Barry O'Donnell. He's actually from Canada. So we really know about time zone differences when we come to do our recordings as well. And so through Facebook, I advertise through Facebook and and the group that we have on there is Finding Your Heartline, or I also have my, my own group and my business, which is called the Inside Connection which is where I'll be. Introducing groove into that as well, because it covers everything. It covers the health and our well being and our physical and emotional health as well. And that's where I work from the inside connection.

Lisa: 20:11

wonderful. Well, I'll have all that in the show notes. So if you want to look up Deb and what she's up to, you can find it there. So there's several groove truths. Was there one that kind of resonated the most with you?

Deb: 20:42

I think the most important one for me with the, with the groove truths is to not to worry about what anyone else thinks. Because it doesn't really matter. And so the one that they have is nobody cares what you look like is really very factual. People aren't there standing and watching you dance and, and, and judging you on it. And this is what I love about groove. It's a totally non, non judgment zone. Everyone's in there to have fun, really embody the music. So it's I think the whole philosophy of groove is so valid. And yeah, just to be your authentic self. So don't worry about what other people think. Have you

Lisa: 21:35

had experiences with some of your clients in terms of? Their connection with Groove or how it helped them or, Yes,

Deb: 21:42

actually, I've had a couple of them during the groove classes when I was running groove classes earlier on, certainly. I used to love it when they would say, oh, The people that were very inhibited to step out of, outside of themselves and, and just not care about what other people think, it gave them the confidence to be able to be themselves, to not worry about what other people think, and And because they loved it so much, they just really, really enjoyed the fact that they could express themselves and they could do it in their own way. And, and this is what groove is, is to be able to, with the styles we offer or the, the simple movement and rhythm that we offer with a variety of different dance music. and to do it in your own way. And, and it's okay. And this is what they do. And it's, I think it's wonderful to be able to watch others and how they bring in their own self and how they express a certain, a certain movement and to different genres that of music that we play. And we're all different. We're all different and it looks so great. And it really is being able to come together as and create this wonderful party and together and do it in, do it in our own way. And it's just wonderful. So yeah, the, the couple that have come to it have really loved the groove and one, one particular girl. definitely thought that she couldn't dance and had never found anything that made her feel like a dancer. I said Everyone can dance. We were born to dance. As Misty says, we were born to dance. It's the first thing that we learn almost before we can walk. We're up there and we're moving to music the whole time. And it's just unfortunate that as we get a little bit older, we tend to come away from that thinking that What are people going to think of me? So to be able to get back into the groove and the music and to close your eyes and to be able to allow that inner child to be able to come out and express the way that you want to and have fun. It does absolutely amazing things to the way that we think, to our mental health, to the fact that we feel so good. And apart from that, it's doing wonderful things for our body. It's. It's a wonderful, wonderful way to tone up. Who wouldn't want to have fun and know that they're getting all these benefits?

Lisa: 24:28

I think that's one of the things I keep hearing about people that really love Groove is that they just, they keep coming back to it. Like, it's not a chore to do. It's just, you know, there's something they look forward to in their day to go and put on their Body Groove On Demand or take a class.

Deb: 24:44

Absolutely.

Lisa: 24:45

And just get moving. And I, I kind of was hearing in' what you were saying as well that people's sense of nobody cares what I look like kind of carries out into the rest of their lives. Maybe. Do you find that?

Deb: 25:02

Yeah, look, very much so. It gives, and I think when we talk about the nobody cares what we look like, it's. It's more being able to understand it doesn't matter what other people think, because the truth, the people that our friends, our circle, our inner circle of friends that we have, you know, they love you for who you are. And the more we can release that, the more it allows that circle to grow. And it gives the confidence we, we enable ourselves. Ourselves to be more confident in a world knowing that we're accepted for who we are. And I think this is the, one of the, the greatest things that I notice is the, the added confidence. It, it gives someone when they can allow themselves to be who they are, which is, is what groove really pushes forward. Mm.

Lisa: 26:02

Definitely. Yeah, I think I've said to you before, but the, the group truth that resonated most with me was like, you can't get it wrong. So I was always sort of putting so much pressure on myself to like, be perfect in the choreography or in the technique and just having that permission to dance the way that I felt like I wanted to dance and just to know it didn't matter if it was, you know, it wouldn't be judged as being right or wrong. That was really freeing for me.

Deb: 26:34

Yeah, exactly. And interesting because you have a dance dance history as well. So that little bit of perfectionism can come in about not wanting to get it wrong. And I was the same being a trained dancer. It's. You have this different philosophy of what you're meant to be doing and how people are looking at you because you're meant to get it right. groove removes all of that and you can do it the way that you want this and that's where it's really fabulous and that's what I loved is to be able to be able to release. the style that I wanted to. There, it didn't need to be this choreographed structure. It was the way I wanted to release this, this dance passion inside. But interestingly enough, we're also putting that, that aside, there's so many people out there that are so petrified to actually get on that dance floor in a sense, because whether they've been ridiculed and males, males seem to be unfortunately more in that category where they hold themselves back from the most amazing freedom because they are But maybe it happened as they were growing up, which, you know, tends to be a lot of the effects that we've had and that prevent us from doing things. And they will not dance. They refuse to dance. And yet, when they can, and I've seen males that are in that sense that it's, oh no, no, no, so embarrassing. And so it's more like, no, I do not dance. Come in and have been encouraged to just begin that, that little bit of movement. And when they get used to the idea that no one's, no one's looking at me, no one's laughing at me, there's no one laughing at me, I will just move that little bit more until they grow into actually Because dance is movement. It's not being able to place your feet right because it really doesn't matter what you look like. And so that is one of the things that I love to see are those that refuse to Dance because they have this amazing fear about it because of ridicule, being able to slowly get into the fact that they know that they can move because a little bit of shoulder movement, clapping even to music is, is a form of, of, of dance. So it's I think being able to see that a person come from that to being able to do this is such a beautiful thing.

Lisa: 29:35

Yeah, and I'm sure you've kind of experienced how, like, just how many emotions can also be inside the body. And when you start to move it, you know, you're allowing all those emotions to kind of be released and work through that.

Deb: 29:49

very much so. I think too, with the, the, the different styles within Groove where there are internal, what we'll call internal rhythms that we, we use and, and this is where. allowing that music to just embody ourselves, allowing ourselves to be free to move in the way that the music is guiding us. And this is, is such a lovely thing and that's where you can see people's expression and to see them grow more and release more the more that they do it. And that's them freeing themselves more. And it certainly does impact them, as you say, their release of emotion. And this is where it's really good overall. It offers all of that to have that party side of things, and then very personal, that personal emotion that music certainly gives us.

Lisa: 30:48

I was reminded while I was doing one of the Body Groove On Demand, sessions this morning, and there was an end part where Misty was like leaning up against the wall on one of her poses, and she was just like, look everybody, look around and see how different we are, how beautiful everyone's body is, that we're all so different. It was just a really nice moment, you know, where she just kind of acknowledged everyone in their own way of posing You know. was beautiful. She's so good at that, that kind of encouragement.

Deb: 31:29

absolutely. It really is. And this I think too, from doing, from doing groove and dancing with others and things like that, you do really pick up an amazing amount of appreciation for. people around and just to be able to watch the way that they interact with others and the fact that we we are all different and it's so beautiful to see so many different people all coming together enjoying and really having fun and being able to be themselves and it's true we are all different and we are all beautifully different in our own way and this is where it's really lovely i i love the The world groovement for the philosophies that they offer to others and the way that we can all come together as very many different people, different cultures, different, different values, different beliefs, different standards. We have all of that, yet we can still unite and appreciate everyone for who they are and what they believe, the way that they think. And it's a really wonderful. a really wonderful community to be within.

Lisa: 32:49

Would you have any advice for anybody who wants to try groove?

Deb: 32:55

Advice? I think it would be what anyone within Groove would say or anyone that finds something that is so It will make you feel so good and that's it. Try it. You can't get it wrong. It's a great thing about you can't get it wrong. And you can even stay within your comfort zone for a little bit you can just stay there and you can move. You can just be involved. It doesn't take anything start Groovy. It just means that. out there and enjoy yourself. You get it wrong. No one really, it cares what you look like. You're going have so many people around to support you and it's very, it's just a thing. Get out there and try it. You know, even if you're just jumping and having a look at the groove side of things, just to be able to watch it, no one can actually see you there but have a look. Try it out and and You'll stick with because it's a, it's, who doesn't want to feel good?

Lisa: 34:02

How, Adaptable do you think it is to people that maybe have some physical challenges?

Deb: 34:09

Look, it's groove is fabulous for all that type of thing. When I was, I was mentioning to you I made the move six months ago to be nearer to my mum and dad, who are in a nursing home. my mother loves to dance and absolutely. And so interestingly enough, the, they, they have activity in there the nursing home where they do darts and, and they always have these community things. It's, it's a dementia unit. And. Mum as soon as I'd come there, she'd want to dance. So, and, and the, oh, they're so beautiful, the elderly. And so we, we would get together and we'd have a few songs with everybody just doing movements. So where groove is adaptable, of course, these, some of these people cannot get out of chairs yet. Believe me, watching the looks on their faces as they clap along. So I think it's very, very good for them. Because they can follow what you're doing and the music we've got a young at heart program within body groove. So a lot of the songs in there are very, very relatable. Everyone knows all the music. So it's things that they can get into, even even the grumpy old men, I'm telling you, they will, They'll, they'll clap along because why do they do it? They're doing it because the person over there, the other lady over there that, you know, they may not like is doing it and I can do this too. So it was, that was absolutely beautiful moments when we had a couple of times up there where we would do, I would bring some of these songs along and we'd do a couple of So it's really adaptable because these, some, some could stand and just move. Others would do it in their chair, so it's extremely adaptable. And this is what I love about Groove. The other area that I want to go into is we also have a kids programme as well and that's the next stage that I want to get to because Yeah, looking after my granddaughter for so long and she can't stay still and that's where I realised how beautiful it is for kids just to start dancing from, from the, before they can walk. So, allowing, I think to bring in a groove philosophy at this age and allowing it to carry through. We're not going to get those same inhibitions and, and things that hold us back if we can learn at an early age that it's okay and they love it. It's so much fun when you get out there and watch kids just expressing themselves in their own way. It's, it's just. absolutely amazing. So I, it goes from kids right through to as old as you want. And all groove is adaptable to anyone. There's different levels because you're allowing You know how far you can go on something and you only do what you can do, what you feel that you can do in the sense of body movement. But by always encouraging yourself to go that little bit further and things like that, it allows us to keep that movement and flexibility throughout our life. And as older, which is so, so vitally important, which I know because I get very stiff.

Lisa: 37:48

I'm with you. I'm with you.

Deb: 37:51

Yeah. So it's, been amazing for me. I had a time a couple of years back where I had a very bad problem with my hip and leg. And I couldn't move. It took me nearly a year to get over the whole lot of it. But for six weeks, I was I could not get out of bed. The pain was so bad. it was calcification in my tendons. So the muscle, the, the, the ligaments couldn't extend. So I couldn't walk. I actually didn't think I'd ever be able to walk without a limp again. And with groove, talk about doing it in any way. I would lay in bed because in bed it was the only time that I wouldn't get this intense shooting pain where I could not stand. And and I started, I wouldn't move because I knew I had to move. I had to do something, I had to do some form of exercise and so I'd put on some music which would make me feel better because I felt terrible and be able move and, and I, we do circulation and in, in groove to be able to allow our joints and our body and I... did that meticulously until I could at least start getting up. And actually with some of your classes, Lis you were doing, I think I expressed to you how much you helped me because you were doing a lot of marching where we pick up that. And I, that was so amazing. I went from really struggling and limping to being able to now It doesn't bother me at all. yeah, it was just amazing. And certainly the styles that we do. So yeah, you can go from being bedridden to sitting to doing it. And, and this is what it's all about. Do it at the level that you can do it. Just move.

Lisa: 39:49

Yeah. I think that's one thing too. I noticed about groove is sometimes you can be making progress and maybe you don't even notice it in the moment, but I remember like I was three or four months into it and I was like, I'm not having to roll my back out like every night, like before it was so tight. And the only thing I was doing different was the groove. I mean, didn't even really. Feel like I was purposefully like working my back out or anything It's just in the dancing and the way we were moving. It just was loosening all that stuff up So I think that's one of the fun things about it as you can, you know, have physical improvements without working at it

Deb: 40:32

Absolutely. That's the, that's the best thing about dance. Particularly style, in the fact that you can, who would think, most people have this philosophy that you've got to go to a gym and work out really hard, or you've got to really put yourself in such a stressful situation. Well, in a stressful situation in the fact that our body gets stressed on fairly heavy physical exercise continually. So if you can actually allow your, your body to tone in such a way that it's also feeling good, it has such a better impact. And it's sustainable as well. And this is the thing that I find with dance. And as you say, gradual things get better and better. And we don't realize it until we can look back and think, Mm hmm wow, isn't it amazing how we can actually get better with age if we know how to do it. And and that's what I really love about groove is something that you can do all your life. I, I wouldn't think that you'd be able to. Pump weights all your life and, and, you know, run a marathon. You can certainly be very, very active, but when it comes to treating your body well and being gentle on your body this is a beautiful way to do it. And, and it's a, it's a way of keeping your body very healthy without putting it on into any form of stress. It's. all you're doing is you're creating these wonderful endorphins that make you feel good. And everybody it's, it's wonderful to feel like that. Definitely and I think the other thing I was thinking about was a number of people have said that when they're doing Groove, even though they couldn't do it, like, full out, they still felt successful and I think with other things, like, maybe Zumba or something, they may give you modifications, but you still feel like you're not doing it quite right. Like, somehow you're not up to the level that you should Yes. Yeah. Yeah. there's something about groove where you can, as I said before, where you can come in wherever you're at and still feel like you're doing it right. Yes. Look, exactly. It's interesting. You mentioned Zoom. Because I, I remember going back quite a few years ago. I thought, before I even knew about Groove and I found Zumba and thought, oh wow, I would try that. And it's exactly, exactly as you said, it's, everybody knows what they're doing. So it can be, how, I often look at things like that and think, how would someone go that has never ever Because it's a form of dance and exercise mixed in. because it's, I guess it's very aerobic in the sense of what they do. It's a great style, but how would they start? And I, I was lucky enough that I had dance training that I could pick it up very quickly. But I remember a couple of friends that I said, Oh, you've got to come along. It's lots of fun. But believe me, they They hadn't had any dance training and so they felt very, very awkward and silly and stuff like that. And, and so it's like, no, they can do it and I can't. So they wouldn't go. I didn't go for very long because of that, you try to find something. And now, This something is groove, where you can come in at any level, because there is no, there is no level to groove, it's, it's your level, it's the way that you it, and everyone does it different, so because no one looks the same, you wouldn't know what you, what level you're meant to be at anyway, right, so that's the thing, and so this is where, people that I know that would not dance, because of this. Oh my gosh, you know, like I'll never be able to pick it up. And it's so fast that yeah, it's very hard that, yeah, groove is suitable for anyone. It's suitable for anybody, even, even the ones out there that are listening to this, that say, no, I'm not a dancer and I'll never dance. And then I say, Guess what? You are a dancer and you can do anything you want in any way you want. Right. You can have two left feet. It doesn't matter. We don't say whether you're going to be on your left or your right. Ah, look, he can dance sitting down and have fun, you know, and that, and that's it. It's more about I think just being part of, being part of it. And we, you know, we, we are creatures of that, that love connection and, and that's what Groove is. It's, it's connecting and we connect, we connect through, through dance. We connect through music and rhythm. And it's, it's a wonderful way and I think that's why it gives such a great feeling and we feel so satisfied after it because we've not only done something for ourselves and made ourselves feel good, we've been part of something and and that's a really, really wonderful thing. Mm hmm. Definitely. Yeah. I know I've talked on other episodes, but just how, like, if you look at the Facebook conversations, you know, people come in with all sorts of questions and all sorts of concerns and everyone's just so supportive to help them, you know, continue on their journey and say, yes, you can do it and don't be worried about X, Y, or Z or whatever it is. But yeah, it's such a supportive community that I really love that about it Look, it is. And it's really interesting within that community, if you have a look at other communities that may be involved in, away from the dance side of it, been involved maybe health aspects and weight loss and things like that, you'll get the trios and they drop out and it doesn't work and all of this type of thing. You never hear that from body groove. You hear it from there. What's really wonderful is where you have the, as you were mentioning some of the new people that come in and they want to know where to start or how to start because they haven't done it before. So it's where's the entry level? Well, there isn't one, but these are great areas to start. So much support. But what's beautiful is to be able to continue watching their journey because the community grows. They don't, they don't leave. They don't Mm hmm. because it is beautiful community. It's a great thing to do. So this is what I really, I really love being, going in there and watching and reading about. the journeys of people, where they started from, because there's many, many, many in there and they're, we're all the same in, in that sense where it, the journey is a continuing journey and, and it's really lovely, lovely to see. Great community.

Lisa: 48:03

I was thinking too, you have people that talk about, well, I was grooving and then this thing happened and now I'm kind of having to start at a other level. So you get to see kind of all these ebbs and flows of people's lives, but how. groove still continues to be a part of it in some form.

Deb: 48:22

exactly. Exactly. And that's it. It's body groove is once, once you experience body groove it, it's something that I think because you can do it at any time and, and it doesn't matter who you are, it's something that you can keep with you. And, and yeah, they, everyone tends to just stay with body groove and, and keep it as part of their life because it's a part of your life. You can do it anytime.

Lisa: 48:53

Well, it's been so great talking with you, Deb. Is there any sort of final words or thoughts that you want to say before we end the interview?

Deb: 49:04

it's just been a whole wonderful journey. Body Groove and the World Groove Move is certainly a wonderful journey for me particularly because I get to have wonderful friends like you and the others that we have in our support group, particularly the other facilitators that we always keep connecting with and the community. And to be able to do something like this, I certainly hope. that more and more people come on board because it's, it'd be wonderful to see everybody enjoy, enjoy who they are and and have the best, the best in their life. So it's it's been wonderful to be here today, Lisa. Thank you so much for for asking me to, to come on. It's been terrific.

Lisa: 49:51

Oh, you're welcome. And thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me. And I hope everybody enjoyed the conversation as much as I did. So thank you, Deb.

Deb: 50:03

Thanks so much, Lisa.

Lisa: 50:05

Okay. Bye.