How does engaging in movement practices like Forró and parkour contribute to personal growth, emotional development, and professional coaching?
Naomi Honey shares her experiences learning the Brazilian dance of Forró, and how it relates to her other movement practices. She unpacks her work as a life coach; what that means, how it works, and why she loves it so much. Naomi wraps up by discussing her thoughts on her current interests, the idea of success, and self talk.
[It’s] amazing. I’m the cheerleader while they’re doing it, and while it’s difficult. And I’m the cheerleader when there’s success. And then—one of my absolute favorite moments—coaching is designed to end at some point.
~ Naomi Honey (11:45)
Naomi Honey discusses how her experiences with Brazilian dance and parkour have shaped her personal and professional life. She highlights the contrast between the individual nature of parkour and the partner-based dynamics of Forró, a Brazilian dance she has been practicing for over a year. Naomi shares how these practices have enhanced her ability to listen to her body and respond intuitively, revealing unexpected emotional blocks and new ways of engaging with others.
Her work as a life coach focuses on helping people recognize and overcome personal obstacles, drawing from her movement experiences. Naomi explains how self-talk plays a critical role in both movement and life coaching, recounting workshops where participants verbalize negative inner dialogues to foster awareness and shift perspectives. She also emphasizes the importance of celebrating effort over results, demonstrating how encouragement and playful experimentation foster growth and confidence in movement and beyond.
Takeaways
Engaging in movement practices — reveals emotional and mental blocks that impact personal growth.
Life coaching integrates physical practices — combining parkour and dance helps address personal fears and limitations.
Self-talk awareness — recognizing and addressing negative internal dialogue improves movement and emotional resilience.
Parkour’s impact on personal growth — confronting physical obstacles mirrors the process of overcoming psychological challenges.
The value of celebration and encouragement — celebrating effort rather than success fosters persistence and emotional well-being.
Physical closeness in dance — offers unique opportunities to explore connection and interpersonal dynamics, filling gaps not addressed by parkour.
Coaching designed to end — successful coaching encourages clients to become independent while maintaining ongoing connections for support.
Resources
Flytality — Naomi Honey’s life coaching business where she helps people achieve personal and professional goals.
Parcon by Andrew Suseno — A fusion of parkour and contact improvisation that explores movement through physical interaction with others.
Gerlev Idrætshøjskole — A movement-focused school in Denmark specializing in parkour and physical education.
Women’s International Parkour Weekend — An event organized by Parkour Generations to advance parkour training and self-talk awareness for women.
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
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