The best advice you’ve ever gotten
I’ve been fortunate to have known and met wise and wonderful people on my journey who have given me great gems of advice. I’m so grateful for that. One that has always stood out to me, I received from an incredible woman who did bodywork, when I was in my twenties. I was a Fly Girl at the time, and there was a lot of pressure and focus on our looks and physical appearance.
I can’t remember the exact words, but this was what I took away from it: As we age, our beauty will have less and less to do with the quality of our physical appearance and everything to do with the quality of life we lead. The light in our eyes, which represents the light in our hearts, will become the true source of our beauty. So, at an early age, I took the pressure off myself to look beautiful but rather to become a beautiful person. This is always my quest, to be a good person.
The hardest thing you’ve ever done
Making the choice to leave The Talk after only three seasons. It was just last year. And we were in the middle of the pandemic. Like many people, I had to reevaluate my life and my priorities. I was dealing with a lot of health problems at the time: lupus, Sjögren’s Syndrome, fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, anxiety, depression.
On top of it all, I had quite a bad case of Covid and then long Covid, which exacerbated everything to a breaking point. I still haven’t regained my sense of smell completely, and it’s been a year and a half. It was a very difficult time for all of us, and my body shut down. I couldn’t feel my hands or my arms and couldn’t walk very well, and I was in constant and excruciating pain. But that was a gift.
I have always believed that when difficult things happen in our lives, that is God helping us. We are being offered opportunities to make our lives better, to learn, to grow and to evolve.
And so even though it was scary to leave the job security and the family I cared about at The Talk, not to mention the job I was proud to go to every day, I was being called to change my path and I knew it. These were not things I could ignore.
A year later, I’m healthier than I’ve been in years. I have had the blessings of meeting incredible doctors and healers and wise beings who have helped me. I have rediscovered myself and what works for me and keeps me healthy and happy. So, while it was difficult, I also don’t regret a moment of this journey. I trust that even the most difficult moments are because God is helping us toward a more fulfilling life.
Your real-life hero
This is an interesting question for me. I don’t really have any real-life heroes. For me, life is about finding the hero within ourselves. Even with my faith in God, I believe we have to show up in life and do the work to grow into our best self.
I love the process of life, trying to figure out what we are supposed to do at each turn, knowing every choice unveils a different path and wondering which choice is for the higher good. This is what makes life so interesting and exciting for me. Life is a magical series of choices and actions set under the guidance of a loving and benevolent Heavenly Father.
I also believe that I not only need to be the hero in my own story but am tasked with helping others discover their own hero within. When you muster up what it takes to be your own hero, you find your own courage and your unique gifts and you stand up for yourself and others in need, which in turn gives you the gift of self-love and self-respect. It’s good to find the hero within.
The occupation you’d pursue if not your current one
There are so many other things I want to do in life. I love building things and organizing things in space, so I would love to be an interior designer. I enjoy creating spaces and things that help people feel good.
My purpose in life is centered around creativity and helping people find what works for them, what makes them happy. That has been a challenge for me in my own life so I like to help others who may be struggling. That’s why I started Carrie Ann Conversations. It’s hard to describe what it is, because it’s just me doing what I love.
I did a season of my digital series on Instagram and on YouTube and interviewed all the experts and doctors (including Dr. Daniel Amen and The Medical Medium) who helped me heal, along with a few celebrities who have had experience in going from being unwell to wellness (like Cheryl Burke, Fran Drescher).
I know not everyone has access, so I wanted to share what I learned through my deep dive into healing. We also write articles to help people who might be struggling with life. We offer simple solutions that could help make life just a bit better. At carrieannconversations.com, we encourage conversations and for people to share their own personal stories. I believe that conversations ignite our lives with possibility.
I’ve been seeking wellness my whole life, so there’s a lot to share. In the fall and winter, I will be doing a new season of the digital series and will be turning it into a podcast: Carrie Ann Conversations: The Power of Dance.
What you do for your spiritual well-being?
Spiritual well-being is a priority for me. I feel peace when I’m around God’s creations. Animals, plants and seeing the miracles in nature help me maintain peace in an ever-changing world.
I like to be in flow with my body as well. When my mind and my body are in flow, I feel more connected to God. Movement is my prayer. My body is able to express things that I sometimes can’t find words for. So when I dance or move or stretch, I feel connected to my spiritual truth.
Go-to place to pray
My favorite place to pray is in the pool at night. As I said, I love to move. Movement is my prayer. It’s even more incredible when I am in the water moving and surrounded by water and the night skies. I swim and I feel like I can speak freely with God. There are no distractions. Even thinking about that makes me feel peace in my heart.
Favorite Bible verse
“For we live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). I love this Bible verse because most of life is all about faith. We can’t always see the most important things, and this verse reminds us of that. I think this resonates with many artists because a lot of life as a creative being has to do with having an idea or a thought and then trusting and having faith that it is what you are meant to do. Knowing that there is so much more happening in the world beyond what we can see—that gives me peace and hope.
Early riser or night owl?
I’m both. I go through periods where I go to sleep quite late and wake up around 9 a.m. But I am mostly an early riser. I love the morning. When the orange light of dawn comes through my window is my favorite moment of the day. It’s incredibly magical and fills me with awe and hope for the day ahead.
What’s at the top of your playlist?
I love house music. I love that tempo. Tropical house music. I listen to any playlist I can get my hands on.
One detail about you that people would find surprising
I think there is so much about me that people don’t know. People think I’m a dance judge. But that’s not who I am. That’s the job I do to support my life. It’s an awesome job, but there’s much more to me than that.
I think people would be surprised at how often I move around furniture in my home. I’m always moving furniture. [laughs] It’s the choreographer’s creative spirit that will never leave me.
I also think people don’t know that I am naturally quite shy. I prefer to be in my head, and I love to learn and ponder things. So I am okay with solitude because I don’t feel alone. I like to play piano. I write music. I paint. I build furniture. And I am always writing. One day soon, I will finish the book I’ve been working on.
Why do you think viewers connect so much with Dancing With the Stars?
Dancing with the Stars is such a special show, and I’m honored I get to be a part of it even now, after 30 seasons. I believe that people connect with it because it represents and always will represent life and transformation. I think we can all respect someone who tries something new after having success in a particular area of life. It’s daring and inspiring.
Many people want to try something new and never do it. Watching the stars and contestants learn to dance is powerful. It is also fun and entertaining. Our show combines elements of the classic Hollywood musical (which the world needs right now), incredible soundtracks and stunning live event productions, not to mention some of our most beloved Disney tributes.
And that is all in addition to fantastically choreographed ballroom and Latin dances that can take your breath away…or not…which is also relatable. It’s a wonderful show that came on the scene and provided something for everyone. At its core, I believe it’s entertainment and inspiration. And this may be my own bias as a dancer, but I believe everyone loves the language of dance. Oh…and the glitter. [laughs]. Everyone loves the glitter.
Favorite moments from Dancing With the Stars
I have a few favorite moments. After 30 seasons, I can’t choose just one. I loved choreographing and creative directing the paso doble for Noah Galloway, who is a military hero and a double amputee. He hadn’t had a breakthrough yet with his partner Sharna Burgess. It was special to work with him and help create a piece that could allow him to feel the full power of performance, a dance that could showcase his real-life courage.
I also loved Derek Hough and Nicole Scherzinger’s quickstep back in 2010 to “Anything Goes.” It didn’t get great scores because they broke some of the rules of quickstep, but as a performance, I absolutely loved it. It stands out as one of my favorite performances of all time. They wore sailor suits and mops, and it was just pure entertainment.
I also loved Iman Shumpert’s Halloween performance with Daniella. It was unlike anything we’ve ever seen before on DWTS. It felt like it ushered in a new chapter of Dancing With the Stars. Daniella really created a masterpiece for Iman, who is our first basketball player to take home the Mirrorball trophy. Last season was so exciting on so many levels for so many reasons. From day one, when we met the cast, I loved the diversity we saw out there, and I am excited to see who they cast for Season 31, as we head to Disney Plus. I bet Disney Night will be extra special this year.
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