Dre Lakin’s inspiring true story is a riveting testimony of faith and a masterclass in gratitude. Despite unspeakable hardship throughout a thirty year career in the dance world and a ferocious battle with Addison’s disease, her love and devotion to the genre of lyrical carried her into a life of joy. At the center of her very own Cinderella story, is a bold and triumphant message: Transmuting the pain from the wounds we collect, is a responsibility we all carry in order to make it better for the next generation.

Dancers, artists, and athletes of all walks of life will benefit greatly from the many lessons throughout Damage Control, which span from hilarious to heartbreaking. Written entirely to Dre’s students and their parents, this collection of memoirs will also give educators and leaders in the dance industry at large, much insight from Dre’s first-hand accounts of surviving repeated trauma, while simultaneously living her dreams.

Throughout the journey and as the tragedies continued to add up, her mission to write the survival guide became clear. Now, with journal prompts at the end of each chapter, Dre helps you apply the lessons within each, by encouraging you to think your way to joy. A master at visualization and storytelling, Dre will mentor you through every word as you read along. By the time you have finished each written challenge, you will have the tools required to build a life of joy. Only once you get to know who you truly are, can you begin to take steps towards the life you are meant to live: A life of genuine purpose where the light inside you is the driving force. Allow Dre to teach you how to work through the pain and brokenness, so that your unique light can shine, for all the world to see!

Most important of all, Damage Control will help dancers and athletes see that their biggest dreams are possible, while preventing emotional injury, especially those of a permanent nature. Leaving dancers feeling better than when they arrived has always been Dre’s goal in the studio, and becoming the teacher she needed most as a child, is at the root of it all. Helping educators foster an environment of support and creating safe dance spaces at all levels of the industry, are only two of the ways Dre hopes to leave the dance world better than when she arrived in it.