Kickin' it with Kristin McQuaid

Welcome to Tulsa Talks, presented by Tulsa Regional Chamber. I’m your host Tim Landes.  

My guest on this episode is Kristin McQuaid, who has danced through life, and is now also exploring all the other opportunities that are out there for her YouTube series “Kickin it with Kristin.” 

Kristin is a lifelong entertainer. She started dancing when she was kid and quickly became a professional. She danced in a Prince video and was a lead dancer on Britney Spears’ Onyx Hotel Tour in 2004. She went from dancer to choreographer and in 2015, Kristin was honored to win the choreographer’s TV show Make A Move. Her work has been featured in TV commercials and campaigns for major brands. It's also been seen on So You Think You Can Dance and fan favorite, Dance Moms. Her choreography has gone viral with such talent as Dance Moms star Nia Sioux, 6-year-old online star Boss Baby Brody, and Nickelodeon’s sweetheart Jules Leblanc. 

During the early days of the pandemic, Kristin thought about her life’s work and wondered if there was something else out there that might speak to her. She’s since tried glassblowing, horseback riding, pottery and more.  

I wrote about all of this for our March issue. The thing is we talked for over half an hour and 90% of the conversation didn’t make it into the article. By the time we were wrapping up, she had me even more excited to chase my own new creative adventures and see what happens. It’s not “What If, but when,” she reminded me.  

So, before it ended I asked her if we could talk again for this podcast. She agreed, shut off Zoom and within hours was on a plane to Vegas to meet her new daughter.  

When Kristin and I reconnected last week over Zoom, she was happy, but tired. That newborn life. We started chatting and the conversation started out heavier than last time we talked, but it's a very important topic that I knew little about before this conversation. 

Last year Kristin and her husband, Steve, started a nonprofit in honor of their daughter, London Quinn, who was stillborn at 39 weeks in July, 2021.  London is the Reason supports surrogates and their intended parents through infant loss and offers free resources and support groups to help both sides through their grieving process.  She is also the celebrity spokesperson for PUSH Pregnancy which aims to end preventable stillbirths. 

We discuss all she’s been through and learned and then we talk about season two of Kickin’ it With Kristin and how much Tulsa has changed for the better since she moved here a little over a decade ago, plus more. 

I can’t wait to check back in with her down the road and hear about what crazy fun she’s having for her series and in motherhood. 

Following my conversation with Kristin, hear new music from George Barton. More on that later.  

Ok, Let’s get this going.  

This is Tulsa Talks with Kristin McQuaid.