Learn how to thrive in intense, competitive environments with these secrets from one of America's premiere ballerinas--and get a sneak peek at what her life is really like.

From Megan Fairchild, the New York City Ballet principal dancer, Broadway actress, and host of the advice podcast Ask Megan, comes an inspiring how-to guide for dancers, athletes, artists, and anyone struggling to stay sane in a high-pressure environment: THE BALLERINA MINDSET: How to Protect Your Mental Health While Striving For Excellence (Penguin Books; December 7, 2021).

Ballet may look glamorous and effortless to audience members, but it requires grueling discipline. It’s a competitive and physically and mentally demanding career that combines elite athleticism, artistry, and performance. Not only do dancers rehearse for six to eight hours a day before performing at night, but they have to make it all look easy!

As a principal ballerina with NYCB—not to mention a mother of three and a recent MBA graduate from NYU’s Stern School of Business—Fairchild is all too familiar with these challenges. In THE BALLERINA MINDSET, she shares all the wisdom she’s learned from her nearly two-decade career, drawing upon her own experiences to reveal how she learned to overcome everything from stage fright and negative feedback, to a packed calendar and weight management. Her warm and wise guidance is both achievable and healthy, especially perfect for young dancers, performing artists, or athletes.

In THE BALLERINA MINDSET, Megan provides easy-to-follow, encouraging advice

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