Small by Design: Dani Braithwaite on Culture, Creativity & Variant Movement

In this episode of Shady Characters, hosts Evan Burgher and Tim DeBrincat sit down with Danielle Braithwaite, founder and director of Variant Movement, for a deeply personal conversation about resilience, reinvention, and building something meaningful from the ground up.

Danielle never planned to become a studio owner. Her early dream was to dance professionally—traveling, performing, and living fully inside the art form she loved. But at just 21 years old, a serious hip injury abruptly changed her trajectory. Faced with an uncertain recovery and the loss of her professional path, Danielle found herself falling in love with teaching, choreography, and the impact she could have on others through dance.

After more than a decade of teaching and creating within other studios, Danielle took a leap—launching Variant Movement in 2021, during the tail end of the pandemic, while pregnant and navigating a high-risk pregnancy. What began as a low-risk experiment with a single studio room and a goal of 15 students quickly evolved into a thriving program of nearly 100 dancers in just four years.

Throughout the conversation, Danielle reflects on what it means to grow intentionally. Rather than chasing scale or multiple locations, she built Variant to stay small, personal, and deeply connected—ensuring every student is known, supported, and held to high standards both technically and personally. Success, for Danielle, isn’t just trophies or placements, but how students carry themselves, treat others, and grow into confident, respectful people.

The episode also explores Danielle’s experience as a working mother, balancing late nights at the studio with family life, and intentionally modeling ambition and leadership for her son. She speaks candidly about perfectionism, burnout, self-doubt, and the quiet pressure of wearing every hat as a founder.

Now entering its next chapter with the launch of Vivid, Variant’s elite performance team, Danielle reflects on the excitement—and fear—of growth, and why staying rooted in purpose matters more than ever.

This is a conversation about movement in every sense: physical, emotional, and personal. A powerful listen for creatives, founders, parents, and anyone navigating a pivot they never planned—but were meant for.