Becoming a mother brings beautiful yet challenging experiences. For me, it came with a decision that shook my entire sense of self—hanging up my dance shoes to embrace motherhood. After years of performing and dedicating my life to being a professional ballet dancer, something I loved since childhood, stepping away didn’t just involve logistics; it felt like losing a part of my identity.

The Decision to Step Away

For years, my husband and I lived apart, navigating the challenges of a long-distance relationship while pursuing our passionate careers. When our daughter entered the world, I knew I needed to change. It was no longer just the two of us—our family needed to come together under one roof. While the thought of continuing to dance professionally tugged at my heart, I felt a stronger pull to build a home with my husband and child.

Read more: Sadly Hanging up My Dance Shoes to Embrace Motherhood

Losing and Rediscovering My Identity

This decision wasn’t easy. Dance defined me more than just a career. From the age of 11, I trained rigorously, perfected my craft, and turned my passion into a successful career. Leaving the stage meant losing a part of me that I thought defined who I was. It represented the thing I excelled at, the constant in my life. Without it, I felt lost.

And I know many mothers can relate to this feeling. We give so much of ourselves to our families that, somewhere along the way, we can forget who we are. We lose sight of the person we were before becoming “mummy.” For me, stepping away from dance compounded that sense of losing myself in more ways than one.

Embracing the New Chapter

The combination of these two huge life changes definitely shook me but I knew time would be the best healer. And as time passed, I started to see this period of transition as an opportunity. Albeit a challenging and quite daunting one, but never the less one that I am growing with.

While I stepped away from my identity as a professional dancer, I also gained the space to rediscover who I am outside of that role. I’ve had the chance to explore new paths, to rebuild my work life in a way that still connects me to the dance world I love so much. Teaching has allowed me to stay close to my wonderful husband and daughter and connected to dance. I share my passion with others and am slowly rebuilding a new identity as both a mother and a mentor.

I’m still finding my way, but I’m learning that it’s okay to let go of one chapter to embrace another. Even though I have hung up my dance shoes for motherhood, through this journey, I’ve discovered that losing yourself doesn’t have to be permanent—it can be the beginning of finding yourself again in new and unexpected ways.

With love,

Harriet