THE DANCING ECONOMIST MAKEITHAPPEN Newsletter: Find Your Rhythm & Transform Your Journey

🎯 Core Focus: Dare to Dance Your Way

2025 February

Are you following someone else's choreography instead of creating your own? For years, I balanced corporate demands with my passion for dance—living a dual life that pleased others without truly analyzing what was happening to me.

Sound familiar?

Many of us find ourselves dancing to rhythms set by others—corporate expectations, cultural norms, or family traditions. We move through carefully structured routines that may bring external success but leave us feeling out of step with our authentic selves.

📊 By The Numbers: A Journey of Transformation

My path from Hungarian economist to Singapore-based creative event specialist reveals what's possible when you dare to find your authentic rhythm:

• 7+ years transforming experiences across Southeast Asia

• 560+ international speakers managed across 80+ countries

• 3000+ participants engaged through innovative event formats

• 500+ hours of live-streamed content with measurable impact

• 4.9/5 client satisfaction rating maintained across diverse portfolios

But these metrics only tell part of the story. The true transformation happened when I stopped dancing a fake dance and started choreographing my authentic life journey.

My works as The Dancing Economist

✨ Transformation Framework: The 4-Stage Dance

STAGE 1: THE ORIGINS | Finding Your Beat

Like many of you, I began by following traditional paths—earning an Economics degree, building a corporate career, and advancing through the ranks at Lexmark International. Yet throughout this journey, dance remained my passion and taught me about myself, life, connections, and collaboration.

Reflection Question: What passion continues to pull at you even as you follow conventional paths?

STAGE 2: THE TRANSFORMATION | Creating Your Choreography

True transformation begins when we face disruption. For me, moving to Malaysia meant leaving behind family, friends, my dance school, and corporate career to start again in a completely different environment.

The difference? This time I knew my purpose.

Within six years, I built a new dance community, trained as a Transformation Coach, founded Globalicious Consultancy, and organized the Global Empowerment Summit that grew to host 560+ international speakers from 80+ countries.

Reflection Question: What disruption could become your catalyst for authentic realignment?

STAGE 3: THE EXPANSION | Performing With Purpose

When we align our professional expertise with deep-rooted passions and meaningful mission, we create value that transcends traditional boundaries.

In Singapore, I've established Innovent Production & Consultancy, leveraging my unique background in economics and creative events to deliver brand activation with measurable ROI. I've co-founded EmpowerBizSG, created Singapore's largest female founder startup competition, and orchestrated cross-cultural events that bridge European and Asian business cultures.

Reflection Question: How might your unique combination of skills create extraordinary value when fully aligned with your purpose?

STAGE 4: THE FLOW | Improvising With Resilience

Entrepreneurship is not for the faint-hearted. There are periods when prospecting doesn't bring the results you hope for, times when client contracts get delayed, and moments when your carefully choreographed plans encounter unexpected obstacles.

Just like on the dance floor when another couple blocks your path or you lose your shoe mid-performance, business requires the ability to pivot gracefully. The most successful entrepreneurs are those who can improvise while maintaining their rhythm.

To be honest, I would have given up long ago if I hadn't learned from my dancing career about enjoying the journey itself. The same dedication, commitment, and resilience that got me through dance competitions now carries me through business challenges.

Patience breeds flow, and once you experience that state of effortless momentum, there's nothing that can stop you from wanting to experience it again. You become hooked on a healthy substance—the flow of happiness and abundance that creates a natural drive in everything you do.

Reflection Question: When have you experienced flow in your work or life, and how might you create conditions for more of these moments?

My Work as a Dancing Economist

"Dance has taught me everything I needed to know about business and life. In ballroom, your posture creates presence—just as in business, your stance shapes perception. In salsa, we learn to follow and lead interchangeably—just as entrepreneurs must listen to the market while guiding their vision. And when the music changes unexpectedly, dancers don't freeze—they adapt their steps while maintaining their grace. Every misstep is simply an opportunity for a more creative sequence. Life, business, dance—they're all about finding that perfect balance between structure and spontaneity, between planning your choreography and embracing the freestyle moments that often become your signature moves." – Andrea Zsapka, The Dancing Economist

This perspective is shared by many visionary leaders throughout history:

"The strongest companies aren't companies at all, they're something much more like a ballet troupe. They've spent thousands of hours working together. They can anticipate each other's moves. They've learned to adapt to each other and are perfectly in sync. Their individual strengths and weaknesses have become irrelevant because they've figured out how to capitalize on what works." – Seth Godin, Marketing Pioneer and Author

📊 Research Insight: Why Dance Makes Better Leaders

This connection between dance and business effectiveness isn't just metaphorical—it's backed by research from leading institutions:

Harvard Business Review published findings showing that executives who engage in creative arts like dance demonstrate greater innovative thinking and strategic adaptability. Research from Professor Teresa Amabile revealed that artistic engagement helps leaders develop essential "right-brain" capabilities that complement traditional analytical skills.

Stanford University's Graduate School of Business has incorporated embodied learning techniques from dance into their leadership curriculum after research demonstrated that movement-based practices improve executives' presence, communication effectiveness, and decision-making under pressure.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers found that dance improves leaders' neuroplasticity—the brain's ability to form new neural connections—which directly correlates with adaptability and creative problem-solving in complex business environments.

The evidence is clear: dance doesn't just provide a useful metaphor for business—it physically and mentally transforms how leaders think, adapt, and perform under pressure.

The rhythmic intelligence developed through dance creates neural pathways that enhance a leader's ability to:

• Navigate uncertainty with confidence

• Respond to market changes with agility

• Build synchronicity within teams

• Balance structure with spontaneous innovation

• Maintain presence under pressure

Cultural Collaboration in Singapore

💼 Proven Success: The ROI of Authentic Movement

When we find our authentic rhythm, results naturally follow:

• Professional Growth: From small-town Hungarian to Singapore-based entrepreneur

• Impact Expansion: From local dance instructor to creative event specialist working across APAC

• Personal Fulfillment: From divided attention to integrated purpose

The journey wasn't a smooth ride but rather an emotional roller coaster. Yet this authentic path has led to opportunities I could never have choreographed through conventional planning alone.

Cultural Collaboration in the Philippines

🤝 Your Next Steps: Begin Your Authentic Dance

1. Identify Your False Rhythms: What parts of your current life feel like "dancing a fake dance"?

2. Reconnect With Core Passions: Which activities make you lose track of time and feel most aligned?

3. Envision Your Unique Choreography: How might your professional expertise combine with your passions to create something remarkable?

4. Take One Bold Step: What single action would move you toward your authentic rhythm this week?

5. DM me:+6582941767 and learn to dance and start to transform your life through it in a natural flow!

   
   
   
   

   

   First EmpowerBiz Event Where SG danced with us

   
   
   
   
   
   

💫 Final Thought: TOGETHER WE THRIVE!

Your journey toward authentic movement doesn't have to be solo. Just as dance requires partners, transformation thrives through connection and community.

My path from economist to "The Dancing Economist" wasn't about abandoning my expertise but integrating it with my passion in ways that create unique value. Your journey won't look exactly like mine—and it shouldn't. Your authentic choreography will be uniquely yours.

But the principles remain: Find your rhythm. Trust your movement. Make it happen.

And remember—when we dare to dance our way, we inspire others to find their rhythm too.

With warmth and momentum,

Andrea Zsapka

The Dancing Economist

Want to explore how movement-based principles can accelerate your personal or professional transformation? Book a Power Hour strategy session with me:+6582941767