Ep 06: “I was willing to fall in order to fly.” Overcoming the obstacles to become a Cirque du Soleil performer with Shellie Epstein

The Resilience Files: Human Stories of Struggle and Triumph

My guest today is Shelli Epstein, author of Flying High: Life Lessons from the Big Top.

Shelli went to see the Cirque du Soleil at London's Royal Albert Hall when she was just eleven years old. Mesmerized by the show, Shellie decided then and there that one day, she would be up there performing on the world's biggest stages as a member of the troupe. This dream came true a decade later when Shelli became the running woman in Cirque du Soleil’s critically acclaimed show, ‘Luzia’.
In today's podcast, Shelli and I investigate and explore the immense grit, sacrifice and discipline that often seems to be lacking in our youth today. We delve into the resilience and the perspective she was able to discover as she came up against rejection; being told to lose weight or lose her contract; finding herself without a job during the covid pandemic; and facing debilitating, career ending injuries, which led her to ask herself : “If am not a circus performer, who am I?”

Shelli is an inspirational example of a young woman who had a big dream, and was willing to fall - in order to fly.

The link to Shelli’s book and website can be found in the notes.

0.00 - Introduction
2:07 - Childhood dreams and sacrifices
14:01 - Disappointment: Missing out on the Olympics
36:18 - Being told to lose weight
43:17 - Pinnacle: The Running Woman
47:41 - Dealing with praise and criticism
51:44 - Covid and job loss; what came next
55:34 - Injury and Identity crisis
1:00:52 - Leaving the Cirque du Soleil
1:09:55 - Resilience and life lessons
https://www.shelliepstein.co.uk

https://www.instagram.com/shelliepstein/

Flying High: Life Lessons from the Big Top

Chương

1. Introduction (00:00:00)

2. Childhood dreams (00:02:07)

3. Sacrifices to reach the top (00:09:33)

4. Disappointment: Missing out on the Olympics (00:14:01)

5. Competitiveness (00:17:56)

6. Support from coaches and parents (00:25:45)

7. Struggles at school (00:27:54)

8. Travel and living abroad (00:33:34)

9. Being told to lose weight (00:36:18)

10. Pinnacle: The running woman (00:43:17)

11. Dealing with praise and criticism (00:47:41)

12. Covid and losing her job, becoming a personal trainer and writing a book (00:51:44)

13. Identity crisis after an injury (00:55:34)

14. Injury and leaving the Cirque du Soleil (01:00:52)

15. Resilience and life lessons (01:09:55)