Lindsay Arnold on Her Pivot from 'Dancing with the Stars' to Social Media Influencer
Lindsay Arnold Cusick
Lindsay Arnold Cusick’s time on Dancing with the Stars, while always enjoyable for the dance pro, was not without its ups and downs. From winning Season 25 with Jordan Fisher, to being eliminated in week 2 with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and being paired with the controversial Sean Spicer (they finished sixth), it was an interesting ride.
“I had a lot of partners who weren’t good dancers, but it’s funny because those were some of my best seasons,” Arnold tells Parade in this exclusive interview. “I think what’s so cool about Dancing with the Stars is, yes, it is about dancing, but it’s also about America’s favorite. That doesn’t always mean that the best dancer is going to make it to the end. I’m so lucky that all of my partners were really good, fun people because that ended up [keeping us on the show].”
Season 30 (2021) was Lindsay’s last season in the dance competition, but she wants to make it clear that she isn’t retired. Rather, she’s on a hiatus to focus on projects that keep her closer to home.
“I wouldn’t ever use the word retired because I don’t feel like I ever want to close that door,” she says. “So, I would say more I’m on a break. It’s something that I would love, love, love to bring back into my life in some aspect if possible. But, for me, it really is just guided by the phase of life that me and my family are in and just if it’s doable for us.”
ABC/Craig Sjodin
Instead, Lindsay pivoted to becoming a content creator because it’s something that allows her to work from home and spend more time with her kids, yet still produce an income.
“Right around the time that I started to get pregnant and have my kids and shift my career, that’s when I feel like this world of content started to really become what it was,” she says. “I’m like, ‘I want to do this.’ I already enjoyed sharing my life with my followers because I had gained a following from being on Dancing with the Stars. I love sharing my life, keeping it real, showing people what my life is like. So, that was a fun and natural transition for me.”
Related: Dancing With the Stars Pro Lindsay Arnold Gives Birth to Baby No. 2: See the First Pic
In addition to building a following on Instagram, Lindsay also created an app called The Movement Club to help inspire women of all ages and body types to fall in love with working out, but more importantly, with themselves.
“I actually started that during my first pregnancy with my daughter, Sage [now 3],” she explains. “It was the start of COVID, so I was stuck at home. I was not doing Dancing with the Stars, so I wasn’t moving my body in the same ways I was before. I felt like there weren’t programs out there that supported me through all the different phases of life. I wanted something that could really guide me through all the different changes I was going to be going through, and I didn’t feel like that was out there.”
So, what’s a dancer—who is also a Certified Personal Trainer—to do but start her own program, which she literally filmed in her basement and launched in January 2021.
Lindsay began her reality TV career as a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance before moving to DWTS, but it’s the latter that has been a major influence in her life. She says she had no clue when she started how the lessons she learned there would help her outside of work but the show helped prepare her for the many different aspects of motherhood, because as a pro she had to learn how to adjust and adapt to the different celebrity partners she had.
“I feel like that’s helped me so much in motherhood with being able to adapt to my children, to their needs, to the different personalities they have based on whatever day they’re having,” she says. “Another example is being able to continue going when you have things going on around you. Being on Dancing with the Stars and all the craziness of it, the hard work, the dedication that had to be put into it, and the stress levels, nothing could have prepared me more for motherhood and for the phase of life that I’m in right now.”
Related: Abs of Steel! Here Are 8 of the Best Core-Defining Workouts You Can Do at Home
During our conversation, Lindsay also talked about her very close connection to last season’s DWTS, using her influencer status to recommend a product she personally used—Invisalign—and more on The Movement Club.
Photo by Hollywood To You/Star Max/GC Images
Did you get a chance to watch Dancing with the Stars last season with Alfonso and Julianne? If so, what did you think?
Oh gosh, yes. My youngest sister Rylee [paired with Harry Jowsey] was a professional this last season on the show. So, I watched every single episode. It was the most special season for me to watch, honestly, because I’m watching my baby sister do something that I had done for almost 10 years. It was her very first season. She’s fresh out of high school. It was so cool to watch her do it. Just such a special, surreal, kind of 360 moment for me and our family.
And then it was also so cool to see Alfonso [Ribeiro] and Julianne [Hough]. I think they brought a really fresh, fun vibe to the show that we needed to see. They were incredible.
Was there a little bit of nepo in there? Because she’s your sister. Did you help her?
You know what’s funny? People think that we have a lot more say as pros over what goes on in the show. We don’t. We have absolutely no say. I get asked all the time: Do you get to pick your partners? Oh, my gosh, no. We just get stuck with whoever they give us. So, no, there was none of that.
I actually didn’t get to do anything. I’m not even the one who actually got the interview for her. But it was really cool because when she did get the interview, I was actually hiding in the room upstairs so I could listen to everything that she said to the producers.
Rylee was actually on the junior’s version of Dancing with the Stars about seven years ago. So, I think that’s how they got to know her. Then as soon as she turned 18, they’re like, “We’ve got to get this girl on the show.” She did a good job, and it was so fun to watch her.
One of the products that you influence for is Invisalign. Would you agree that teeth are important to our health, and it’s more than just a beauty issue.
Oh, 100 percent. First, I think that the smile is something that is a little bit underrated. Especially as we get older, I feel like you think you take care of that when you’re younger and then whatever is, is. But I have been so blown away by how much everything has changed for me since doing my Invisalign treatment. The confidence and just the overall happiness I felt by seeing my smile literally change right before my eyes has been huge.
But, also, from a health standpoint we’re taught all the time to take care of our bodies. Our smile, our teeth are part of our bodies and it’s so important that we take care of it so that we can feel confident, we can feel good, and we can be healthy. It is the best thing that I’ve done for myself in such a long time. I cannot recommend it enough.
Courtesy: Invisalign
When you decided to do your teeth, why Invisalign as opposed to regular metal braces?
Well, first of all, I had the most traumatic experience as a teenager with braces. Think about slapping metal across your teeth. Instantly it kills your confidence, it’s not discreet at all, it’s painful. All of those things I was never, ever, ever going to put myself through again. To be honest, thinking of my daughters, I’m so grateful that Invisalign aligners are a thing because I will definitely be doing that for them rather than slapping metal all over their mouth.
For me, it was a no brainer. I had so many friends who had actually already gone through their Invisalign treatment that recommended it to me. But then if you do your own research, you’ll see that it’s the No. 1 doctor-recommended brand. Like I said, it was a no brainer. Invisalign was always the way I was going to go.
How long did it take? I know everybody’s different.
Everyone is different. With what I wanted to do with my teeth and all the adjustments I wanted to make, it was a little bit over 12 months. I was so pleased with that. Like I said, I had a horrible experience with braces growing up. I had about three years of braces and still wasn’t even happy with my smile. So, a little over 12 months. The best part is it’s so discreet. I would be wearing them all throughout the day. Especially being somebody who’s in front of a camera often I was worried about that. So discreet, nobody could even tell that they were on my teeth, which was so important for me personally.
Let’s talk a little more about The Movement Club. What’s the concept you came up with?
Every workout is under 30 minutes, because, to me, when it comes to moving your body, it doesn’t have to be this long gym session. It’s getting your body moving so that you can feel good, go about your day, reduce your stress. So, yeah, I created this subscription-based app. I put out new videos every single week, new workouts. It’s just been so special for me and I’m also grateful that people love it, too.
I also wanted to create a pregnancy program and a postnatal program so I am also pre- and postnatal certified. It’s been so cool, too, to expand my knowledge of moving my body in a different way. I feel like I knew everything there was to know about the dance aspect of moving your body, and it’s been really cool to expand my knowledge in this direction, as well.
Do you have a program for senior women?
You know what’s so fun? I have a lot of senior members. When I was pregnant, I learned how low impact workouts, minimal movement but still moving your body, can seriously, dramatically change your day and the way that you feel and your health. I have a ton of workouts that would be perfect for senior women.