04/09/2026
Bit of a story time with this post ๐ฅน
3 years ago this week since this picture was taken with me and Hender Corredor-Escalante and honestly, a night that shifted my whole perspective and started my Zumba journey as an instructor properly.
Around this time I had been at a bit of a crossroads. I was working in digital marketing and had been since I was 18, but any passion I once had had really disappeared with the constant grind and pressure to get people's websites to number 1 on Google, only for google to undo all of my work overnight with a "core update".
Our family had also had a few bereavements that summer in 2023, with a family friend, my cousin & my auntie passing away within a few months. At the same time, I had been paying my Zumba instructor membership since 2020 and was unsure whether I should just cancel it as I9 hadn't been doing teaching.
Around that time I saw a poster advertising my now friend Vince Taupin-Khan's masterclass and decided to go, but to say I was ๐ฉ myself would be an understatement!
At this time, I'd only really played the Wii games at home and taught a few classes on Zoom with trusted family and friends, I'd also posted my oldest videos on here but had never danced in a zumba class in a room with other people. I even remember saying to myself in the car park, "If I get laughed at during this then I will know once and for all."
In fact, the opposite happened. As the music started I eased into it and Hender gave me a few nods here and there. Then at one point he pointed for me to join him on stage. I remember for a second thinking no, but another side of my brain told me I'd already gone further than expected, so to just do it.
Watching him from the stage and being up there, it felt like I had to at least try or I would always be wondering.
After the class, I spoke to Vince, who teaches on Mondays at West Bromwich Leisure Centre, as he had very kindly offered for me to come to his class to teach a song earlier. I did that for the first time a few weeks later & for around 3 months before getting my first class, again with Vince's help putting my name forward.
3 yeats later I never imagined any of this but always grateful to these two. โค๏ธ
