Meet Galit Friedlander | Dance Teacher & Personal Trainer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Galit Friedlander and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Galit, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
To start…I didn’t used to have any balance. When I was a newer dancer and trainer in Los Angeles, it was all about the grind and filling up all of the ‘white space’ in my calendar with things to do. Rest felt like a betrayal to my goals, and I prioritized work over everything.

The pandemic years taught me that without human interaction, nothing matters. Part of balance is being around people I love, quality time, savoring the moment, and recharging in a myriad of ways. I’ve also learned, very slowly, that without a pause, I am not nearly as productive or happy as I could be. Since I work for myself, structure can be challenging. There is no official end of start to the workday or workweek. I have learned that having a ‘clock-out’ time on weekdays, creates a sense of completion and space for recharge at the end of the day.

While balance is an on-going pursuit, I think of balance as having a minimum of one day off a week, making sure that I see friends, checking-in with myself to see where I am imbalanced, and also experiencing joy. When I am balanced, I am joyous. When I am imbalanced I am depleted.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have always operated from the heart. I am passionate, and I cannot hide nor fake that. I am proud of my fire and my persistence to make my dreams come true. I have never followed a typical path and I maintain my authenticity/integrity at every turn. I am also not classically confident. I believe in me, I believe in what I do, but I do not possess any veneer of perfection or that I always have it all together. I embrace vulnerability and share that with my clients and audience.

In terms of hard and soft skills, I believe that my cross-overs in experience and training have sharpened what I bring to each offering in my portfolio. I received my degree in Communication, from a top college (USC’s Annenberg) and it informs the way I connect to clients, employers, and view the world. I understand that we all have a diversity of perspectives and instead of making people wrong about it, I see how I can tailor things for each client, program, and project that hires me.

I have 20+ years in dance, 20+ years in fitness, multiple certifications, 17 years in the self-development world, and I’m not shy about my different hats. When I teach dancers, I bring history into the room, cultural connection, and my knowledge of fitness to make sure they are building healthy habits. As a personal trainer, the eye on form I have from dance, is top-level. When I podcast (DanceSpeak podcast), I bring my industry and underground perspectives to the table with each guest. And then I can take what I’ve learned from the podcast and refine my process as a choreographer, teacher, etc. It’s a beautiful feedback loop!

None of this was easy. At times, the wins feel easy, because they can come in quickly through referrals, recommendations, being seen…but all of that work to get to ‘easy’ is challenging. I’ve overcome the challenges by always being flexible and willing to learn. If something doesn’t go well, I learn everything I can as fast as I can. I’ll interview colleagues, ask for feedback, and I keep refining. This has not stopped.

Distilled Lessons:

1) Always embrace your inner student, every situation can teach you something
2) If you are an independent contractor or looking for work, part of your job IS your business development
3) Be willing to let go of things that no longer serve you
4) If there is something you are not getting done, and you are clear on its importance, outsource it and/or get a coach for accountability and growth in that area

I think I just want the world to know that I am here to serve. I’m here to empower high-achieving woman through movement, here to guide and inspire the youth, and podcasting some of my biggest inspirations in the dance world. I’m approachable, I’m atypical, and if I can do it, so can YOU! (Whatever your IT might be!).

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Day 1 – Coffee/breakfast at Aroma Cafe in Studio City. Go to the Getty, and then head to the Getty Villa in Malibu. Walk along the beach and then café it up at Malibu Farms. I would get a seat next to the water and enjoy the view/vibes.

Day 2 – Go on the ferris wheel at Santa Monica Pier. Enjoy brunch at Shutters on the Beach. Then walk South on the boardwalk towards Venice and people watch. Pick the most interesting looking restaurant on Abbot Kinney and Uber back to our parked car in Santa Monica.

Day 3 – Universal Studios in Studio City. Then Sushi Happy Hour at the local neighborhood-spot Sushi House. No frills and great pricing. Go to a local movie theatre to chill and not be attached to our phones.

Day 4 – Head to Old Pasadena, walk and shop. Then go to Huntington Gardens to explore and enjoy our reservation for High Tea!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
So many shout-outs I could give! I’m going to shamelessly start with fam because I’m realizing how much they continue to give me tools. I used to think we were so different because we are in separate fields, but then I realized that our ‘different’ has provided more space to learn from one another.

My sis-in-law and coach Tania Friedlander (LL.B., PCC). I hired her months ago to uplevel my business. I was like “Hey. I know we are family, but can I proper hire you?” I was feeling stuck in my growth and could see that Tania was the best-matched coach to take what I am doing and bring it into my next phase of life. She continues to be impactful with her structure and encouragement. Her background is in law, so tenacity and vigor are second-nature. I wish I could have a pseudonym to leave her a review that doesn’t look like it’s coming from a family member.

Okay, and my bro Amit Friedlander. He is a true entrepreneur, he sold “creepy crawlers” which are basically a homemade gummy toy to my mom’s students when he was around 6-7 years old. Amit has always maximized his time with learning and showed me by example what business with passion looks like.

And then, so sorry y’all…I can’t leave out my mom, Edna Golandsky (Master Teacher for the Piano, Golandsky Institute, and Healthy Typing). She just published her first book to ‘Unlock Your Pianistic Potential’. I remember visiting home when she had the idea. Mama said “I don’t know how to do this but it must happen.” I witnessed her step by step bring her dream, paved by purpose, into reality. Like…she literally has over 1 mil YouTube views. She knows how to put in the work and be unstoppable.

Last for these shoutouts, Lilian Manansala (Emmy-nominated choreographer/Business Insider journalist). She was my dance teacher circa ~2001 in NYC. She was my first dance teacher to deeply believe in my ability to become a professional. She saw it early on and was encouraging when I needed it the most. 23 years later, we bumped into each other in Los Angeles at a BBQ. I just had the honor of interview her on the DanceSpeak podcast and she gave me that same boost that I received over two decades ago. Also, she’s been continuing her education in academia while being a choreographer and became a journalist for Business Insider during the pandemic. GOALS!

Website: https://www.gogalit.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gogalit/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/galit-friedlander-9a5741b8/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GalitInc/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/gogalit

Other: On-Demand Fitness Course: https://galit-s-school-0397.thinkific.com/courses/fit-from-home
Exercise Accountability Group: https://www.patreon.com/trainwithgalit

Image Credits
Adel R. Emata
Christine Bisquera
Allie Costello