It is unprofessional and counterproductive to judge the women you work with. I’ve often observed dancers making critical and dismissive remarks about others without knowing their full stories—comments on someone’s approach to attracting clients, their performance style, or their pricing decisions. Every moment spent scrutinizing others’ methods is time that could be better spent focusing on your own work and engaging with customers who will support your money goals.

Dancers should be striving to foster a sense of camaraderie and sisterhood, and create a safe and supportive environment, especially given the challenges of this industry. A true professional respects colleagues and refrains from negative commentary about how they choose to make their money, or any of their other personal choices. And I’m not just taking about extras, I’m talking about so many other things that dancers judge other dancers on. Other people’s choices will not impact your success when working unless you let them. Prioritize respect, personal focus, and sisterhood in the workplace.