In August I continued my “Swashbuckling Summer” and “Splits this Season” series and kicked off a “Flights of Fancy” series and enjoyed late-summer harvest.
For me, it turned to be a pretty whirlwind season. Although we didn’t take any longer trips out-of-town, there were good warm times outdoors and outside the city as well as productive work on creative projects and a decent amount of teaching smaller summer holidays classes.
In this article I recap my month of August in projects, life and events.
August Action
The last month of summer was mostly fittingly warm, full of delicious fresh harvest and the first of the colorful falling leaves and nuts. Many folks leave Cologne in August, but my girlfriend and I stayed in town, so to speak, getting outside when we could and with a couple little weekend excursions:
- Radical PRIDE / Cologne Kalk was a refreshingly noncommercialized queer fest that happened to fall on a lovely sturgeon full moon night with lovely friends who I expected to be there and surprise acquaintances,
- Submitted descriptions of my upcoming elective courses for School Year 2025-6 and eagerly planned themes, syllabi and lessons
- Got my German Tax Return information all ready to file
- Cleaned, decluttered and organized our dusty bedroom bookshelves before the dark season returns
- Re-supplied for Back-to-School with paper, pens, inks, ballet slippers and unitard
- Grooves & Grapes Weinfest: Wine Fest among the grape fields with my favorite Rose, Ela’s mom, friends, music, food and all the good things
- Apple, Fig, nectarine & grape season – fresh fruit as snacks, in oatmeal, cakes…
Bullet Journaling & Planning
Because of its role in my creative process behind-the-scenes, journaling has become a part what I share on my YouTube channel along with dance, yoga, and joyful living. Here’s my monthly review of what I got up to in my notebooks and life in August 2025:
I shared my initial monthly setup in my Seasonal Book on Instagram here with shades of blue and butterflies then the flip-through video above shows what happened with my goals, glows, media favorites, and events “after the pen.”
Updated my Monthly, Weekly, and Daily Logs, Annual Collections, and set up my August spreads over the course of the month, continued to savor writing my Morning Pages and notes with colorful inks in my fountain pens.
Teaching & Coaching
Regular Mindful Movement classes in Balletlicious Ballet Barre+ and Yummy Gentle Yoga, studio classes in Ballet continued, while my elective courses took a break for the summer vacation in Nordrhein-Westfalen.
There are currently no coaching slots free in my weekly schedule, but I will keep you up to date here about any available coaching sample sessions and spots (message to schedule), workshops, and guest teaching to come.
Writing & Publishing Articles
In August I published 5 articles to the blog here at ablythecoach.com (3 in July, that’s just how the weeks fell). This is a great place to find out what I am up as well as other experts and creators who I recommend.
August’s new articles:
- Jaunty June – 2025 Month 6, Q2 & Midyear Reflection about how a sweet spring in Cologne and in the US came to a close, June brought a heat wave, hay fever, successful medical procedures in the family, end-of-schoolyear, start of the summer, and birthday fests. In this article I wrapped up the month of June, Quarter 2, and the first 6 months of 2025 as a whole in my own projects, life and events.
- Emancipatory Dance – Dancing Intersectional Feminism: This article was originally part of my Theory and Criticism work for my MFA in Dance in 2014, and critical pedagogy and artistic practice continues to be relevant to my teaching, coaching, and creative practice over a decade later.
- Be Buoyant like a Butterfly – Flights of Fancy – Airy Inspiration Roundup Having had encounters with Butterflies in the Amazon basin jungle, on the Appalachian Trail, migrating Monarchs in California, at home on the Big Island (black sand beach, at home…), rescue on the bus in Cologne… in every place I have felt blessed by their gentle presence and his article celebrates the miracle that is this insect.
- July was Sigh Worthy – 2025 Month 7 Reflection: July is about high summer, brought a heat wave and then cool rain to Cologne, and kicked off my “Swashbuckling Summer” and “Splits this Season” series with glowing energy and creativity.
- Philosophy for Children in a Dance Context – p4c teaching applications to performing arts education: What role can “gently Socratic” philosophical inquiry play in the context of performing arts education?I consider myself fortunate to have had the honor of participating in Dr. Thomas Jackson’s PHIL 492: Philosophy with Children (p4c) course in the Spring of 2015, one of the last courses in my work towards my MFA in Dance. The concepts and techniques have continued to prove valuable over time, so I wanted to share as a resource for fellow educators, performing artists, and dancers.
Filming & Sharing Videos
I published 6+ videos (additional bonuses exclusively for my online students to review between classes) to the A Blythe Coach YouTube Channel on the topics of dance, creativity, and purposeful living in August:
- Splits this Season Part 1b – Standing Side / Middle Split Stretch – Dance Mobility & Flexibility Video features supported side lunges & stretching we can do from a standing position without getting down on the floor, with a stable bench or ballet ballet barre and/or both feet on the floor.
- Splits this Season – Part 2 Upside Down / Inverted Supported Gravity Splits – Season of Stretching video, where we are trying out inverted reclining splits with prop support: I particularly love this version because it is so chill and literally kicked-back!
- Splits this Season Part 3 – Getting Lower to the Floor with Blocks & Props into Front & Side Splits video features supported lunges, “half” towards “full” splits on the floor (right, left, and center), with various props like yoga blocks or a foam roller, and you can use an assortment of pillows, bolsters, folded blankets or towels and the like to set up your ideal situation as you get ready to leap into lower splits (as appropriate). Remember to practice with good judgment, while warm, regularly, working up to holding 30 seconds/32 counts or more. All stretches, shapes, and steps should be taken gently, at your (and your doctor’s) discretion and with appropriate modifications, such as the variety of shapes in my Splits this Season playlist fun flexibility any time and in many positions!
- June Stationery, Emphemera & Empties – Creative Supplies & Personal Care favorites video: June being itself a favorite for so many reasons, with PRIDE and the Summer Solstice, it also marks the midpoint of the year and therefore necessitates deeper reflection than a typical month in my life. My June BuJo Flip/Q2/Midyear Reflection was therefore lengthy enough before I included my ephemera, creative supply and personal care commentary, so I decided to include these separately in this video. Having already published a flip-through of the month in my Seasonal Bullet Journal Book, here is a peek at other stationery & notebooks used, completed/used-up “empties” of art supplies and personal care products. Behind the scenes, I’m practicing mindful consumption and aware creation.
- July Flip & Reflection – Creative Journaling of a Bliss Catalyst Dancer Coach – BuJo Plan & Memories video on YouTube July is about high summer, brought a heat wave and then cool rain to Cologne, and kicked off my “Swashbuckling Summer” and “Splits this Season” series with glowing energy and creativity. This is a flip-through of the month in my Seasonal Bullet Journal Book, media published & personally consumed, high & lowlights and special events.
- Piratical Personal Effects Adventure Carry & TBR – Creative Supplies, Reading, Writing, Sketching video: Shiver me timbers, there’s still a little summer left in which to swashbuckle! Though I may not want a life on the open sea myself, I was raised on sailing and pirate stories and appreciate the ethos of freedom, treasure, and adventure. Set out on a Swashbuckling Summer, living it up outdoors, in nature with favored creative inspirations of the moment, channeling a wild and carefree inner pirate to help savor the season while it lasts. Here I unpack my Piratical Adventure Carry bag, loaded with reading picks, journals, writing & sketching supplies, tools with which to observe the world, gain insights, learn, make notes and art.
Connecting: Email & Social Media
The best way to keep up-to-date on everything I’m coaching, teaching, creating and sharing about as well as work from others that I believe to be of value for fellow creatives is to subscribe to my email newsletter. It lights me up to see new subscribers there as well as responses to me missives.
I sent 5 Email Newsletters in August:
- July gems, Cologne CSD, Quarter 3 came in HOT!
- Dancing in the Street, in the Kitchen, in the Studio, Online & Everywhere (someone unsubscribed after this one!)
- Shiver me timbers: plunging into a Piratical Summer of freedom, treasure & adventure
- Soar into the Splits this Summer: season of stretching, fun flexibility & other training contexts
- Midyear Refresh, June & Q2 wrap-up, Twenty 25s in 2025 update, Yoga Wednesdays in August
In addition, I posted 13 times to Instagram, my favorite being this one:
Creative Challenges
Teaching Artist, Choreographer, Movement Educator & Coach, I get to explore my soul’s expression through my work, and face new challenges each month. Some I design myself, and some I take on at the impulse of other creators.
For my summer celebration of (comparative) freedom and self-determination, I declared Jolly Roger July, as well as a flexibility goal for myself and students to soar into the Splits this Summer, and Flights of Fancy, starting with Be Buoyant like a Butterfly – Flights of Fancy – Airy Inspiration Roundup, and I’ve got birds, swans and others on my mind.
Twenty 25s in 2025
In August I published my 25th article of the year, reaching 13 out of 20 “Twenty 25s,” a playful way to track various leading metrics, projects and activities I wish to keep an eye on this year.
Media Musings
My August in reading, listening, and viewing pleasures:
Books & Reading
Books Read
Planning ahead, 8 cozy books for Fall from Morgan Long helped me populate my electronic library holds list for the season ahead. I completed reading 2 novels in August:
- Fun for the Whole Family: A Novel by Jennifer E. Smith, a sad but sweet family story about a talented group of siblings and those who love them
- Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez, a Rom-Com about family love, friendship as well as romance, commitment and the complexity of “happily ever after”
Still reading along on some of my nonfiction picks (also scripture, personal growth):
- Airplane Mode: An Irreverent History of Travel by Shahnaz Habib
- Someday is Today by Matthew Dicks
- 365 Poems for Life: An Uplifting Collection for Every Day of the Year collected by Allie Esiri
- The Notebook: a History of Thinking on Paper by Roland Allen
Listening Highlights
Favorite things heard over the course of the month go here, such as concerts, songs, pieces of music, playlists, podcasts and more.
Playlists & Albums
- Summer’s End Sweet Sadness Dance playlist on YouTube was my latest addition, a celebration of the beautiful heartbreak of end-of-summer and start-of-autumn with danceable beats to feel many feels.
Songs & Pieces of Music
- “Kitri Act III” and “Dance of the Matadors” from the classical ballet “Don Quixote” made for fun prop work (fans! capes!) and spicy dancing in late summer
- “BOOMBAYAH” from BLACKPINK was featured in an episode of “Wednesday,” wow they must have some budget!
- “Golden” and “Soda Pop” from the “KPop Demon Hunters” film, the whole sound track is full of catchy ear worms
- “Bodies (Tycho Remix)” from The Knocks & MUNA moved me right through the end of the season
- “Thunder Summer Storm” is my favorite from Melissa Czarnik, a conscious rap beat for stormy late summer
- “Summer Breeze” by Seals and Crofts, for when the balmy breezes still blow
- A working summer made me feel “I like tuh (make money, get turnt)” from Carnage, ILOVEMAKONNEN – not family friendly!
Monthly Viewing Highlights
August sights included…
Live Performance
Drag of several flavors live at Radical Pride, DJs spinning sets at Grooves & Grapes!
Films
- “KPop Demon Hunters” which was recommended by our neighbors and turned out to be a huge boon with my middle-schoolers, great animation and real Kpop bangers, lots of action with a good message
- “Thursday Murder Club” was a humorously adventurous murder mystery
- “Raising Arizona“ 1987 film with young Nicholas Cage and Holly Hunter: I love the Cohen Brothers, acting, writing and cinematography are flawless, humor on point, so glad I got to share this with Ela
- “Wings” animated short was adorable and suited to my annual theme
Series
Standout series seen:
- “Wednesday” season 2 helped me adjust to the idea that fall is coming and also featured Blackpink’s “Boom Ba Ya” in one episode, a crossover with other media
- Continued “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” and have become so attached to this cast of characters that I will be sad when we conclude the series. Who knew I’d become a Trekkie in my 40s?
- “Love Death + Robots” series is eclectic, maybe a bit morbid, though often humorous (and the episodes stand alone)
- “I Kissed a Girl” is trashy reality TV from the UK, but made for a fun end-of-summer fling
- “Southpark” selected new episodes for the stinging political and social commentary
- I watched “Decorating Cents“ back then and have happy associations with Joan Steffends’ voice so found this video essay hilarious
Questions for Reflection
- What did you adore in August?
- What are you harvesting now?
- How will you get into the Fall feels or lean into the seasonal transition where you are?
- How may I support your journey?
Resources for Further Exploration
- Summer Fun in or out of the Sun: a Bucket List of Hot-Weather Hits: Warmer weather lends itself to many activities I enjoy, such as time outdoors, bicycling, picnicking, and eating fresh produce. I try to seize the sunny fleeting days wherever I can and not miss out on my favorite bits before they’re gone again. Less decoration and dressing up, more dressing down, decluttering, deep-cleaning, taking in the natural beauty. Here is a collection of resources and activities that might provide a jumping-off point for your own longer-day adventures.
- 5 Steps to Soar into the Splits this Summer – Season of Stretching welcomes you to the Splits this Season series! This sequence of videos demonstrates a variety of stretching shapes from which to choose to adapt your condition and mood as well as encouragement and accountability to practice most days and achieve improved flexibility, performance, and comfort. This article and the accompanying SPLITS this Season Video Playlist on YouTube provide lots of tasty options for moving towards your splits!
- Float in 2025 – Word / Intention of the Year
- Twenty 25s in 2025: Analog Project Planning & Action Tracking, Creative Bullet Journal Style
- July was Sigh Worthy – 2025 Month 7 Reflection
- Jaunty June – 2025 Month 6, Q2 & Midyear Reflection
- April Adventures on 2 Continents & an Island – 2025 Month 4 Reflection
- May Replay – 2025 Month 5 Reflection
- Leaps & Bounds in 2024 – Reflecting on a Year’s Highs & Lows
- Quantum Leaping into 2024 Word of the Year Article
- Twenty-Four 24s in 2024
- Say the Magic Words
- Analog Journals for Creativity
Further monthly reflections for 2025, special workshops and collaborations in dance, coaching, creative living and more coming soon.
Thank you for reading, for being, and for dancing with me, in spirit or in fact!
Take care of yourself and keep moving mindfully, let me know how if I can be of service, would love to see you in my email newsletter or on social media as well.
Blythe Stephens, MFA & Bliss Catalyst
they/them or she/her
Creator of A Blythe Coach @ablythecoach
helping multi-passionate creatives dance through their difficulties,
taking leaps of faith into fulfillment through coaching, yoga & dance education