Hi, I’m Stacey. I’m a dance, physical education and theatre teacher in New York. At home, I’m mom to two almost grown women, two sweet rescue dogs and Mac the semi-indifferent rescue cat. My husband and I navigate the roller coaster of parenthood together, with varying degrees of success. Most importantly, everything we do is driven out of the love we feel for the people we care about.
Part of that love is in sharing stories about myself and the many people I’ve crossed paths with. I write about inspiring connections and navigating struggles in family, teaching, podcasting, flipping (on a trampoline), self-care and then some.
Thanks for visiting. I’m grateful you have taken the time to click around. Please subscribe and you can keep up with all the stuff swirling around in my head!
My One-Year Snapiversary
Oh, what a difference a year makes. 12 months ago, I was laid up on the couch in a cast. Today, I have 365 days worth of recovery stories. This…
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Waking Your Inner Child Through Adult Gymnastics
I’ve seen so many people awaken their inner child in my adult gymnastics classes. If you need to make a case for starting gymnastics, this is it.
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Taking Charge of My Health in Perimenopause
Time for a little update about my recent midlife therapeutic interventions.
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What did the GG Beta Readers Think?
Ask and ye shall receive. This encapsulates some of the incredible feedback I received from the beta reading team for my upcoming book, Geriatric Gymnastics: Flipping, Recovery an Defining Life…
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GLP-1 and Me
I’ve written plenty about my health/nutrition/weight maintenance experience as a woman steeped in perimenopause. The reality: it just gets harder to keep up as the years pass, as the hormones…
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The Sound of Shhhhp
There’s a new sound in my teaching universe that has become my new happy sound at work. It’s not a song. It’s literally just a sound.
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I’m on Substack Now!
Do I really need ANOTHER social media platform to keep track of? I suppose I do…
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What I Learned From Genetic Testing
Genetic testing for cancer markers feels like a big deal. It’s like walking a tightrope of wanting and not wanting to know what the future might hold. This is my…
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Help Shape Geriatric Gymnastics: Join Our Beta Reading Team
I’m seeking beta readers for my upcoming book, “Geriatric Gymnastics: Flipping, Recovery and Defining Life on Your Terms”. Interested in joining the GG team? Read on!
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First week, new studio
Sometimes, you need a little jump start in your career. This year, I received a huge one. Read on to see why after 30 years, I’m still excited to go…
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“Penguins don’t have wings”
Looking back at an old blog I had when my kids were young, I found this gem of a post. It almost makes me yearn for the days when my…
Keep readingNew Beginnings: a Dance Studio Transformed
Sometimes, life throws you something unexpected. While it may be uncomfortable at first, the unexpected can turn into something beautiful. This is a story of another evolution in my career…
Keep readingGiving Voice to The Geriatric Gymnast
Time to write another book! When I started writing about gymnastics in this blog in 2020, there was a “someday I’ll write a book” vibe. I’d write about all of the…
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Growing older with you
Looking back on 37 years of loving you, we’ve navigated some really hard times together. These are some musings and impressions that come to mind when I think of you. I…
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Returning to writing
I can’t believe it’s been over six weeks since I’ve posted anything here. No, I haven’t lost the love for writing. Quite the opposite. I’ve actually been working on another…
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Parenting 101: Recalling “The Talks”
Back in 2013, I started a blog called The Second Half. I was in my early 40s and my kids were 11 and 7. One of the entries shared a…
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Achilles Recovery: My 6 Month Snapiversary
For half a year, I have been recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon. The gunshot snap. The boot and crutches. The long, painful, drawn-out healing process. Here’s how strategic healing,…
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Why I Joined the No Kings Day Protest
Generally speaking, it’s not often that I post about anything but gymnastics, family and career stuff on social media. For this post, I had some thoughts to share about our…
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Reflecting On My Peri Journey
It’s a little surprising to think about how long I’ve actually been experiencing perimenopause. Thanks to my penchant for blogging, I can easily look back and reflect. Here’s an overview…
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Essential Wisdom for Becoming an Adult
The end of the school year is here. One kid graduated with a Masters degree. The other finished her sophomore year of college. This is one of those moments where…
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Achilles Tendon Recovery: 21 weeks
Time heals all wounds. As I approach the five month mark in my Achilles recovery, I am happy report many more skills that have been added to my movement rotation.…
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Achilles Tendon Recovery: 4 months
I’ve officially passed the four-month mark since rupturing my Achilles tendon at the gym. It was an awful disruption in my existence. To commemorate my resilience and commitment to healing,…
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Week 16 Achilles recovery: PT is coming to an end
In the past month, my biweekly physical therapy was reduced to once a week. At first, it was my March work schedule that limited my time. In April, it seems…
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Week 15 Achilles Recovery: Addressing Ankle Impingement
In my recovery week 9 post, I had spoken to the surgeon about my progress and the limitation at the front of my ankle that I had been enduring for…
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Empowering English Language Learners through Performing Arts: An Educator’s Experience
High school musical season presents both challenges and victories for all involved. For the second year in a row, English language learners performed a musical show for an audience in…
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The mental toll of Achilles injury
It’s been over 3 months since my Achilles tendon rupture. This is a reflection on the quest to balance fear and progress through long-term injury recovery. March 26, 2025 Not…
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Coping with Bronchitis During Achilles Rehab: Essential Strategies
I’ve now passed the 12-week mark since my Achilles was repaired. It’s been three whole months! Time flies, even when you’re limping along. Though progress has been great so far,…
Keep readingAchilles Tendon Recovery: 10 Weeks Post-Surgery Progress
It’s been ten weeks since the surgeon put my Achilles tendon back together again. This article shares exercises I’m working on, strategies for pain and fear management, and my comeback…
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Achilles Tendon Recovery: 9 Week Post-Surgery Follow-up
As I heal from this surgery, my ankle and foot are slowly waking up. There are lots of expected ouchies that I’m dealing with. And, the one issue that I…
Keep readingRecovering from Achilles Tendon Rupture: A Personal Timeline
I thought I’d share the highlights and milestones in each phase of my recovery so far. I’ll keep updating this as I continue healing. I won’t lie: this healing process…
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Achilles tendon recovery: 8 weeks post surgery
Here’s an update about my progress and trials 8 weeks after Achilles tendon surgery. February 12, 2025 I know that 8 weeks is a fraction of time when it comes…
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Collagen, Exercise, and Hormones: My Path to Recovery
Around your 50s, you hear the buzz about using collagen to maintain a youthful appearance. After my Achilles tendon ruptured, I was more interested in it’s ability to keep my…
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Achilles Tendon Recovery Week 6: Balancing Progress and Safety
At six weeks post-surgery, my recovery is going very well. When I compare my progress to some of the published protocols, I’ve been slightly ahead of the curve. That begs…
Keep readingAchilles Tendon Recovery: Best Practices for Healing
Healing from Achilles tendon repair surgery is no fun. But, it is manageable. In this post, I’m sharing the best practices that help me stay centered and keep my progress…
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Achilles Tendon Recovery: Five Weeks Post-Op Progress
It’s now five weeks after the surgeon repaired my Achilles tendon. Here, I’m sharing what I have found to be my next steps in a long recovery process. Read to…
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Achilles Tendon Surgery: Healing With Apolla Performance Socks
Rehabilitating from an Achilles tendon rupture is a long, arduous process. What has really helped in phase two of healing are my Apolla Performance socks. January 20, 2025 The short…
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Achilles Tendon Surgery: Four Weeks Post-Op Progress
Four weeks and one day after my Achilles tendon repair surgery, I returned to the doctor for my second follow up. Spoiler: it went really well. January 18, 2025 Earlier…
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Achilles Tendon Recovery: What Can I Do?
When you suffer a life-altering injury, you have choices to make: to do or not to do. Four weeks after rupturing my right Achilles tendon, these are the choices I…
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Overcoming Achilles Injury: My Return to the Gym
On one regular Sunday FUNday, I ruptured my Achilles tendon on a tumbling pass at the gym. Three weeks later, I returned to the gym to take back my life,…
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Thank You To My Secret Santa
Sometimes, amidst all the difficult distractions that life throws your way, lovely things happen that make your heart swell. As a result of my Achilles tendon debacle, I missed the…
Keep readingAchilles Tendon Recovery: From Cast to Boot
This is the ongoing saga of my recovery from a ruptured Achilles tendon in December. Two weeks post-op, this is how I’m doing. January 2, 2025 It’s my first post…
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Building Muscle Mass in Perimenopause
In this blog, I’ve been exploring a lot about nutrition in perimenopause. So far, I’ve covered bone health, cholesterol, weight maintenance, and phytoestrogens. This post is focused on increasing protein…
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My Husband, My Hero
This post is to show my gratitude for my hero husband, who never fails to be there for our family. December 27, 2024 It’s day nine post-surgery to repair my…
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Weight Loss 13: Combatting Perimenopausal Weight Gain
Attention: perimenopausal warriors. Feeling the waistline expand? Yeah, me too. This is the yearly overview of my personal experience that includes helpful resources and health-management strategies. My last weight-loss post…
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Managing Risk as a Geriatric Gymnast
Why do I keep coming back to the gym after dealing with so many injuries? This article gets into that very question. This is the continuing saga of me breaking…
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Navigating Post-Surgery: Tips for First Day Recovery
Getting through the first night and day after surgery is one of the toughest parts of the early healing process. Here’s how I managed the early obstacles. On Tuesday, I…
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Pre-op Hell and Surgery Heaven
Wednesday, December 18, 2024 On Sunday, I completely ruptured by right Achilles tendon. (Read Sometimes, You Break Yourself…Again for that story.) Today, my surgeon repaired it. This is my reflection…
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Sometimes You Break Yourself…Again
Gymnastics is fraught with risk. Anyone who participates knows this. Once in a while, the risk catches up with you. No matter how careful you are, sometimes you break yourself.…
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Estrogen Matters to your Mind
I’m slowly making my way through the book Estrogen Matters (2018) by Avrum Blum, M.D. and Carol Tavris, PhD. It’s deluge of science-based information has fast become the Bible of…
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Why Educators Matter in Challenging Times
In my thorough disappointment in this political cycle, one of my greatest concerns is how my students will be impacted. This discusses how I do my part to educate kids…
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Stacey's Headspace 