What does it look like to have a healthy and thriving team? Throughout the month of November, we are excited to bring you a mini-series focused on developing and cultivating a Positive Team Culture! The context of this series is dance team culture, but the content will be applicable to all teams and relationships.

It is such an honor to have Mary Wendt join us for part one of this series! Mary is a dynamic speaker, educator, and leader. She has been involved in the dance team industry for over 41 years as a coach and industry professional. Mary was the Education Director for USASF Dance and the Associate Director of Enrichment/Leadership. Mary has judged internationally and facilitated coach and athlete workshops, including developing a leadership program for students from Moldova. A part of the original judging panel at The Dance Worlds, Mary was the Dance Scoring Director for the IASF, the International All-Star Federation.

Mary was the executive director and former choreographer of the Citrus Bowl and worked for MA Dance as their Vice President for over 35 years. The Texas Dance/Drill Team Educators voted her as their youngest Lifetime Achievement Recipient and Hall of Fame Recipient. She has received the Hall of Fame award from DX Events and the National Dance Coaches Association.

Mary shares so much wisdom from her experience as we dive into this series. We cover a wide variety of topics including being intentional in building a positive team culture, leading out of your values, practical tips for building communication skills, and why the work of directors and coaches is so important.

You can listen to the show HERE, and you can be sure not to miss a Creative Impact conversation by subscribing through your favorite podcast app (ie. Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher).  We are so grateful to have you as a part of the Creative Impact community and would love it if you would share the show with your friends!

About Mary:

Mary has been involved in the dance team industry for over 41 years as a coach and industry professional. A part of the original judging panel at The Dance Worlds, Mary was the Dance Scoring Director for the IASF, the International All-Star Federation. She has served as the Scoring and Adjudication Director as well as the Pom, Junior, and High Kick Category Advisor for the Dance Worlds. Mary was the Education Director for USASF Dance and the Associate Director of Enrichment/Leadership, assisting in the development of workshops for coaches and athletes such as Bolt, Dance FUNdamentals, What’s your IQ Jr, and Impact. Mary has judged internationally and facilitated coach and athlete workshops, including developing a leadership program for students from Moldova.

Mary is the former director/choreographer of the North Texas State University Songleaders and the Assistant Director/Choreographer for the Texas Christian University Showgirls, her alma mater, where she received a BS and MS in Kinesiological Studies. A former Kilgore College Rangerette Lieutenant and TCU Showgirl Captain, Mary has been a director for several high school teams in Texas, Ohio, New Jersey, and Washington. The Texas Dance/Drill Team Educators voted her as their youngest Lifetime Achievement Recipient and Hall of Fame Recipient. She has received the Hall of Fame award from DX Events and NDCA, the National Dance Coaches Association. Mary was the executive director and former choreographer of the Citrus Bowl and worked for MA Dance as their Vice President for over 35 years.

Mary has been married for over 34 years to Ted Wendt and has a son, John, a 2018 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

Culture Pac Man graphic from Ray Dalio; newageleadership.com

“50 Questions to Ask Your Friends” by Jennie Allen; JennieAllen.com/freebies

Trust Builders Team Activity “Team Builders and Breakers” by Jon Gordon; powerofapositiveteam.com

Feelings Wheel Graphic; Originally from Cedar Creek Church, 2022 Source Unknown

Links from the Show:

• North Texas State University
• Texas Christian University
• TCU Showgirls
• Kilgore College Rangerettes
• MA Dance
• Citrus Bowl
• U.S. All Star Federation (USASF)
• The Dance Worlds
• Andy Stanley
• Brené Brown
• Abraham Lincoln Quote
• Texas Dance Educators Association (TDEA)
• Dance Educators Assessment of Learning (DEAL)
• Enneagram
• Episode 51 with Kayla Sokoloff
• It’s A Wonderful Life
• Topgolf

Connect with Mary:

Email: marymirendawendt@yahoo.com