An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Learn how to observe your thoughts instead of attach to them. Once you can do this, you can realize when you’re taking on limiting beliefs, fears, or doubts from the external world.
As a part of our series about “dreamers who ignored the naysayers and did what others said was impossible”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Zara Silver.
Teen dance and acrobatic phenomenon, Zara Silver, is a fierce soul with a tender heart posed to become a world-renowned dancer. Zara is currently a student at Hussain College In Studio, and travels between Miami and LA for dance and school. She enjoys making content to inspire young women to develop confidence and follow their dreams.
Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to ‘get to know you’ a bit better. Can you tell us your ‘backstory’?
I was adopted at the age of 4 by an American family. When I first came to the US, I was very sick and weak. I was fortunate enough to have a loving family who nurtured me emotionally and physically. I feel so blessed — they have allowed me the freedom to explore my dreams and passions instead of raising me in a traditional setting.
I have been able to find my love for dance on my own instead of being forced into a traditional school setting and activities that I would not have personally chosen.
When I was adopted and came to the US, I began teaching myself acrobatics. I spent countless hours watching Autumn Miller videos and copying them on my own. I worked one-on-one and in group settings with professional ballerina Kimberly Thompson (The Redhead Ballerina) and acclaimed Miami dancer, Julian Mireles (So You Think You Can Dance), among others, which inspired me to keep pushing forward.
Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? How do you think that will help people?
As a first-year student at Hussain College in Studio, I am working on my academic portfolio, attending dance classes, while working on my content creation. I notice that my consistency helps me grow stronger mentally, which allows me to show up more confidently in my content and structure my time more efficiently to interact with my audience.
In your opinion, what do you think makes your company or organization stand out from the crowd?
I believe it comes back to my story. From a young age, I had the deck stacked against me. I was blessed to be given the privilege to get to where I am today. I never want to lose sight of that, and always remind my community the importance of gratitude and humility. I like to use inspiring quotes, affirmations, and mindset messages to remind my audience to connect with themselves.
Ok, thank you for that. I’d like to jump to the main focus of this interview. Has there ever been a time that someone told you something was impossible, but you did it anyway? Can you share the story with us? What was your idea? What was the reaction of the naysayers? And how did you overcome that?
When I was younger, I had a classmate make offensive comments about my appearance, and told me I wouldn’t be able to become a full time dancer. I was really hurt at the time, and believed this to be true for a long time. It really affected the way I showed up on social media for a while.
In the end, how were all the naysayers proven wrong? 🙂
Soon, I realized that it didn’t matter what anyone else said. At the end of the day, people will pick up on my character and energy as a person. I knew I had to keep going and show up as my best self, so I continued to make my videos, and built an incredible online community across my social platforms over time. I’m so grateful to them for reminding me why I do what I do, and thankful to myself for continuing to move forward even when others doubted me.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My mom has been my biggest cheerleader along the way. She noticed my passion for dancing when I was watching dancers on TikTok, and encouraged me to continue perfecting my skills, auditioning for performances, and putting myself out there on social media. Without her support, I’m not sure I’d be where I am today.
It must not have been easy to ignore all the naysayers. Did you have any experiences growing up that have contributed to building your resiliency? Can you share the story with us?
Based on your experience, can you share 5 strategies that people can use to harness the sense of tenacity and do what naysayers think is impossible? (Please share a story or an example for each)
- Prove to yourself what you thought you couldn’t do. I did this by putting myself out there on social media at a very young age even when I doubted myself.
- Learn how to observe your thoughts instead of attach to them. Once you can do this, you can realize when you’re taking on limiting beliefs, fears, or doubts from the external world.
- Be consistent. If you can remain disciplined, the results are bound to come.
- Learn to validate yourself by identifying your strengths, positive traits, and how you’ve impacted others.
- Continue to exit your comfort zone. The most magical outcomes tend to come from taking risks.
What is your favorite quote or personal philosophy that relates to the concept of resilience?
My favorite quote is “everything happens for a reason.” I am very hard on myself so when something doesn’t go as planned I get upset with myself but then I have to tell myself that there are many more opportunities to come and that one was just not the one for me.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I would start a movement to increase accessibility to dance schools for those who are socioeconomically at a disadvantage from doing so. I would like to promote equal educational opportunities for all youth, no matter their financial status or nationality.
Can our readers follow you on social media?
Yes!
Insta: @zarasilverofficial
TikTok: @zara.silver
Thank you for these great stories. We wish you only continued success!
Zara Silver: They Told Me It Was Impossible And I Did It Anyway was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.