Are Our Dancing Days Over? Mum Life, Pain & Missing The Old Us | Life Lately

2026-08-04

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The stage is gone, but the part of us that belonged there never really left. 🎭 This week is a mix of genuine relief and absolute emotional carnage. Dena’s back procedure may have finally worked (thank GOD 😭), Alicia is surviving a very intense toddler phase, and one innocent trip to the park ends with magical unicorn ponies, an hour-long meltdown and Bluey being called in as emergency support. Underneath the chaos, we talk about something much bigger: what happens when the thing that shaped your identity is no long...

The stage is gone, but the part of us that belonged there never really left. 🎭

This week is a mix of genuine relief and absolute emotional carnage. Dena’s back procedure may have finally worked (thank GOD 😭), Alicia is surviving a very intense toddler phase, and one innocent trip to the park ends with magical unicorn ponies, an hour-long meltdown and Bluey being called in as emergency support.

Underneath the chaos, we talk about something much bigger: what happens when the thing that shaped your identity is no longer part of your life. There is grief, jealousy, yearning and a lot of love for the girls we used to be… because honestly, sometimes you don’t miss the job, you miss who you were when you were doing it.

Plus, the very important discovery that neither of us was ever built for running 💀

0:57 — Finally getting relief from chronic back pain

4:37 — Self-care, fake tan disasters and trying to feel human again

11:16 — Time-poor mums, marathon friends and why dancers cannot run

15:06 — Dance Academy memories and pushing past physical limits

16:08 — Grieving the performer identity and the life that never happened

20:51 — Unicorn ponies, a public meltdown and the Bluey emergency

24:11 — Toddler boundary battles and living in survival mode

28:17 — The public bathroom meltdown that broke Alicia

31:42 — Overwhelm, nervous-system freeze and why replying feels impossible

33:47 — Acting doubts, rejection and being better at supporting each other

37:48 — Recs, beauty swaps and the future Life Academy tour