Between the Lines

Sara Kaiser

Between the Lines explores what great movement teaching is really made of. Using aerial arts as the starting point, we dive into the often-overlooked factors that shape learning: fear, confidence, motor learning, coaching, nervous system science, movement quality, communication, trust, and the culture we create in our classrooms. Whether you're an aerial instructor, movement coach, or simply fascinated by how people learn complex skills, this podcast goes beyond tricks and technique to uncover what actually helps students thrive. Hosted by aerial educator & owner of Embodied Aerial, Sara Kaiser.

  1. 2 days ago

    Aerial instructors are handling more than we think: teaching as a real skill, profession, and craft

    Aerial teachers are doing far more than we tend to acknowledge. You’re not just demonstrating skills and correcting shapes. You’re constantly making decisions about readiness, fear, technique, communication, risk, attention, strength, mobility, and learning, and you're managing a dynamic learning environment with diverse students. And yet, as an industry, we still tend to treat aerial instruction like something you can mostly pick up by doing aerial long enough, shadowing a few classes, and eventually stepping in to teach. In this episode, I’m unpacking the hidden complexity of aerial instruction, why being a strong aerialist and being a strong teacher are not the same skill set, and why our profession deserves to be taken seriously. We’ll talk about the hidden curriculum of aerial, variability between students, the sometimes unseen consequences of limited teaching, why even successful classes can contain blind spots, and what changes when we start treating aerial instruction as a discipline in its own right. FALL ENROLLMENT open now for online certification & mentorship: BLOOM Aerial Teacher Training www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-training FREE TRAINING: Aerial Teacher Upgrade: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-upgrade Aerial Silks Online Tutorial Library: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-silks-online Strength Programs - www.embodiedaerial.com/strength Cello Intro & Outro Music by Shaun Diaz Submit an idea or guest pitch www.embodiedaerial.com/podcast

  2. 7 Sept

    Trick Chasing & the Slow Aerial Movement

    In this episode of Between the Lines, we’re talking about trick chasing - when it's a problem, when it's not, and how it affects your training. EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT! ***The BLOOM Aerial Teacher Training Fall Session Launches October 4th: scroll down to learn more.*** We’ll also look at trick chasing from the instructor’s side: what happens when students bring you a constant stream of Instagram skills, why teachers can feel pressured to keep delivering something new and exciting, and how the culture you create in your classes shapes what your students learn to value.  Plus, I share practical ways to work with trick-chasing students without killing their enthusiasm, how to set boundaries around Instagram requests, and what to do if you’re the one who can’t stop chasing the next trick.  Between the Lines is for aerial instructors and aerialists who want the fuller picture and want to go deeper in their craft. FALL ENROLLMENT open now for online certification & mentorship: BLOOM Aerial Teacher Training www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-training FREE TRAINING: Aerial Teacher Upgrade: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-upgrade Aerial Silks Online Tutorial Library: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-silks-online Strength Programs - www.embodiedaerial.com/strength Cello Intro & Outro Music by Shaun Diaz Submit an idea or guest pitch www.embodiedaerial.com/podcast

  3. 24 Aug

    Grace doesn't have to wait: we’ve normalized beginner chaos without questioning the instruction

    What if beginners looking like a lizard on a stick isn’t inevitable? In aerial, we often expect too much and too little from beginners at the same time. We give them complex skills that demand strength, coordination, memory, and courage, without teaching real body awareness, then attribute their chaotic, disorganized movement to being new. But what happens when we reduce the complexity enough for students to actually pay attention to how they’re moving, and teach them how to organize - not just survive the skill? In this episode, we’re challenging the assumption that grace is something you earn once you become advanced. We’ll talk about why body awareness and technical detail is a missing layer in so much aerial instruction, and why struggle and messy movement absolutely belong in training without needing to define the entire beginner experience. Grace isn’t an advanced skill. With appropriately scaled tasks and detailed instruction, every aerialist can experience intentional, beautiful movement from the beginning. ⚡ Want to put this into practice? Cleaner Lines: 7 Days to More Intentional Aerial Movement breaks down the fundamentals of body awareness and engagement details behind cleaner, more organized movement without needing an apparatus. It’s for aerialists who want to better understand and organize their own bodies and aerial teachers who want practical tools and language to help their students feel and look graceful from DAY 1, and develop body awareness instead of simply telling them to “point their toes." www.embodiedaerial.com/clean-lines-challenge FALL ENROLLMENT open now for online certification & mentorship: BLOOM Aerial Teacher Training www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-training FREE TRAINING: Aerial Teacher Upgrade: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-upgrade Aerial Silks Online Tutorial Library: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-silks-online Strength Programs - www.embodiedaerial.com/strength Cello Intro & Outro Music by Shaun Diaz Submit an idea or guest pitch www.embodiedaerial.com/podcast

  4. 17 Aug

    New to Aerial? Safety, self-advocacy & getting the most out of class

    Starting aerial can be exciting, intimidating, confusing, and a little hard to know what’s normal when you’re brand new. In this episode, we can't cover everything, but we'll get started with what every beginner aerialist should know before (and during) their first classes: green and red flags to look for in a studio, what to expect when you’re starting from zero, what good instruction can look like, how to navigate the challenges of class, how to participate in a way that makes the space safer for everyone, and how to advocate for yourself without feeling like a “difficult” student. We’ll talk about safe equipment, boundaries, pain & fear, consent and hands-on spotting, asking for modifications, communicating with your instructor, and why you absolutely do not need to be strong, flexible, graceful, or “in shape” before you begin. Rigging Safety Information from Momentum Aerial: https://www.momentumaerial.org/blog/2020/3/29/rigging-at-home-series-2-rated-gear-and-its-applications Safety in Aerial Arts Facebook Group (ask questions here) https://www.facebook.com/groups/622174321133562 Get online support with strength & skills: www.embodiedaerial.com/strength FALL ENROLLMENT open now for online certification & mentorship: BLOOM Aerial Teacher Training www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-training FREE TRAINING: Aerial Teacher Upgrade: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-upgrade Aerial Silks Online Tutorial Library: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-silks-online Strength Programs - www.embodiedaerial.com/strength Cello Intro & Outro Music by Shaun Diaz Submit an idea or guest pitch www.embodiedaerial.com/podcast

  5. 10 Aug

    “Uncoachable” Students: let’s talk about it.

    “Uncoachable” is a big label to put on a student and it's been making the rounds on social media. But it's time to retire the concept altogether - not because you should work with every student, but because there's a much deeper conversation hidden between the lines. In this episode, we’re unpacking the idea of the “coachable” student, the assumptions we make about students who challenge us, and how labels can shape the way we teach and create less diverse spaces. We’ll talk teacher-student fit, psychological safety, confirmation bias, and why the students who are hardest for us to reach might expose some of the most important gaps in our teaching. Not every student is the right fit for every teacher. But “this student is difficult for me to teach” and “this student is uncoachable” are two very different conclusions. ANNOUNCEMENT! The wait list for the "7 Days to Cleaner Aerial Lines Challenge" is open now. Add your name to get this program for $27 instead of $97. FALL ENROLLMENT open now for online certification & mentorship: BLOOM Aerial Teacher Training www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-training FREE TRAINING: Aerial Teacher Upgrade: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-upgrade Aerial Silks Online Tutorial Library: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-silks-online Strength Programs - www.embodiedaerial.com/strength Cello Intro & Outro Music by Shaun Diaz Submit an idea or guest pitch www.embodiedaerial.com/podcast

  6. 3 Aug

    Learning Under Load - there's a reason you can't locate your right leg

    In this episode, I break down the common barriers to entering an aerial class and the unusual demands students face once they get there (yep, why you can't find your leg or remember your first name when upside down), and why teaching to the nervous system reduces risk and supports better learning outcomes.  I share the story of a student who barely convinced herself to try aerial, and explore how a teacher’s ability to recognize and respond to what students are managing can directly influence safety, learning, and their experience in the classroom. I also introduce my High-Load Teaching Framework and Beyond Technique Professional Development workshop for aerial studios. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Beyond Technique: The hidden curriculum of high-load learning for aerial and movement educators High-Load Teaching Framework FALL ENROLLMENT open now for online certification & mentorship: BLOOM Aerial Teacher Training www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-training FREE TRAINING: Aerial Teacher Upgrade: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-upgrade Aerial Silks Online Tutorial Library: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-silks-online Strength Programs - www.embodiedaerial.com/strength Cello Intro & Outro Music by Shaun Diaz Submit an idea or guest pitch www.embodiedaerial.com/podcast

  7. 20 Jul

    How Losing My Studio Led Me Here - the messy road of becoming

    In this episode, I'm sharing the story of my aerial teaching journey from day 1 to where I am today, including the joy and grief that happened in between.  We'll talk about letting go of something you still love, surviving the seasons that feel like brutal endings, and why what looks like an off-ramp may be something else altogether. Whether you're an aerial teacher, studio owner, artist, or simply standing at a crossroads in your own life, I hope this conversation brings a light to your journey and what matters most for you. FALL ENROLLMENT open now for online certification & mentorship: BLOOM Aerial Teacher Training www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-training FREE TRAINING: Aerial Teacher Upgrade: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-upgrade Aerial Silks Online Tutorial Library: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-silks-online Strength Programs - www.embodiedaerial.com/strength Cello Intro & Outro Music by Shaun Diaz Submit an idea or guest pitch www.embodiedaerial.com/podcast

  8. 6 Jul

    Evolving Past Generic Instruction - and how it's an equity problem

    In this episode we explore how deeply understanding skills makes you stand out as an instructor, and how generic aerial instruction is actually an equity problem. Because describing movement you can see isn't teaching - it's narration. FREE TRAINING: Aerial Teacher Upgrade: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-upgrade FALL ENROLLMENT open now for online certification & mentorship: BLOOM Aerial Teacher Training www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-training FREE TRAINING: Aerial Teacher Upgrade: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-upgrade Aerial Silks Online Tutorial Library: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-silks-online Strength Programs - www.embodiedaerial.com/strength Cello Intro & Outro Music by Shaun Diaz Submit an idea or guest pitch www.embodiedaerial.com/podcast

See All (18)

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

About

Between the Lines explores what great movement teaching is really made of. Using aerial arts as the starting point, we dive into the often-overlooked factors that shape learning: fear, confidence, motor learning, coaching, nervous system science, movement quality, communication, trust, and the culture we create in our classrooms. Whether you're an aerial instructor, movement coach, or simply fascinated by how people learn complex skills, this podcast goes beyond tricks and technique to uncover what actually helps students thrive. Hosted by aerial educator & owner of Embodied Aerial, Sara Kaiser.

Information

  • Creator
    Sara Kaiser
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    18
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Between the Lines
  • Show Website
    Between the Lines