Ballerina Misty Copeland Talks about Transitions, Being a 'First' and Charting Her Next Move as an Entrepreneur

In 2015, Misty Copeland became the first Black woman to be promoted to Principal Dancer at the American Ballet Theatre in the company’s 75-year history. She grew up in San Pedro, CA, and has been dancing since she was 13. Now 37, married, and icon and in a different place in her life (and within her body), Misty is charting her next move with intention.

But dance isn’t the only passion that Misty is shaping to fit where she is nowadays. She is also thinking more about her business and how she wants to have an impact as an entrepreneur. Not one to just put her name on a product and let it go, she is serious about making products that matter, such as a dance wear line that reflects women of all colors. She also recently launched her production company, Life in Motion Productions, launched her first online course with MasterClass, and she’s an advocate for ballet dancers to receive as much respect, pay, endorsements and insurance as other athletes. (Because they are, after all, athletes.)

On this episode of the Support is Sexy podcast, Misty shares the challenges that come with being a “first” (and how she’s paving the way so that she’s not the last), the ways she is protecting her personal brand and what the path ahead looks like for her as an entrepreneur.

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