How to Stay Motivated and Pursue Your Dreams Despite Setbacks

When I was a little girl, I wanted to be Snow White. I wanted to be Sleeping Beauty. I wanted to be the delicate princess with the clear skin, the slim body, the perfect high, lilting voice. But that was never me.

I was big. Bold. Brash. I took up space, I had presence, and I couldn’t disappear into the ingénue mold no matter how much I wanted to. Instead, I was cast as the Witch in Snow White, and from that moment on, I was always the villain. The powerful one. The one with fire and bite.

Then my voice changed. My natural soprano range put me squarely back into ingénue territory, and for a while, I pursued that. I studied classical voice, embracing the lyrical, high-floating lines of the roles I had once longed for. But even then, something in me was fighting for something bigger, something bolder.

Now, in my forties, I’ve learned how to belt. I’ve studied with incredible teachers, including Diane Tauser, and I’ve discovered a power in my voice I never knew I had. I’ve stepped back into the fearlessness I had as a child, but now with the wisdom and experience to wield it with purpose. And perhaps the greatest gift of all? Teaching others has helped me find my own voice again. Helping my students step into their own power has reminded me of mine.

And now, I’m stepping onto the stage as the Witch in Into the Woods—one of the biggest, boldest, most commanding belt roles in musical theatre.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: dreams don’t expire. They evolve. And the moment you think you’ve aged out, the moment you think the door has closed, is often the moment you’re about to step into something even greater than you imagined.

So don’t give up on your dreams. Keep growing. Keep learning. Keep taking up space. The role you were meant to play is waiting for you—sometimes, all you have to do is step into your power and claim it.