Josiane Peluso
Josiane Peluso the Director of Sales and Marketing for a New York Medicare company. Since joining the company eight years ago as a Health Education Specialist, Josiane has gradually worked her way up the corporate ladder.
Josiane received her Bachelor’s Degree in Health Promotion and then paid her way through CUNY-Brooklyn College, where she graduated with a Master’s degree in Community Health Education. Before joining her current company, she worked in a call center for two years with Health Plus. Currently, Josiane is working towards a Strategic Healthcare Leadership certificate from eCornell.
In the beginning of her career she was involved with City Harvest and specialized in teaching healthy eating and nutrition to New York’s most vulnerable on a volunteer basis. She had completed an internship in Nutrition through NYU before she found her calling educating people on how to improve their health and well-being through a variety of programs. She also volunteered with the Police Athletic League as a youth educator.
Josiane enjoys spending time in nature, as well as with her family. Constant personal growth is very important to her as she believes that if you are not constantly growing then you are not getting the most out of life that you possibly can.
What is your hobby?
Dancing and healthy self expression through physical movement. I thrive when I have a positive mindset. By having a positive mind, it generates higher quality thoughts which impact us on an emotional, mental and spiritual level. Dancing helps me do all of that and is a way for me to exercise.
How did you get started with this hobby? What inspired you?
There are very sentimental reasons for me. Not only is it a way for me to relax and express myself but during childhood every Saturday, my mother and I would clean the house. As we would clean, we would listen to music and together dance in the mirror, while singing along to the songs. When I dance, I forget everything else, problems, stress, deadlines, whatever that is in my head. I just have fun, express myself and enjoy the moment.
Tell us what you love about it?
I am really passionate about dancing; Its good physical exercise, it makes me feel happy. “To dance is to be out of yourself,” Agnes de Mille famously proclaimed. “Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. This is power, it is glory on earth, and it is yours for the taking.” I really enjoy the therapeutic nature of dance. It allows me to refocus my thoughts and mind and helps to
What is your favorite thing about your hobby?
My favorite things about dance are the aspects of self expression, healthy release of energy, and community when dancing in groups. In this day and age, we have many outlets to express ourselves, the main one being social media. I’m fairly old school and I like to express myself in the ways that it used to be done. Dance is an important way for me to blow off steam. For me as well, it’s a great way to exercise. Going to the gym and doing the same workouts week after week can get boring, dance allows me to incorporate another form of exercise to keep things fresh.
How would you say your hobby has changed your life?
Dance has done a lot for me. As I mentioned before, it has met a lot of basic needs such as self expression and exercise. Besides this, it has helped me cope and get through some of the most challenging times in my life. It`s ability to relieve stress has been such an important factor in my growth as a person. If I was ever sad, angry, frustrated, or even tired in some cases, I danced it out. Even in the rain. It would help me refocus and reenergize myself. I also find that I have much better coordination, agility and flexibility which is a very important factor of staying healthy as you grow older.
Are there any groups you’re a part of that you attend related to your hobby?
I`m a part of a local hip-hop yoga studio which I really enjoy. Feeding off of the energy of the other people that I attend class with is a lot of fun. They`re great people as well which makes the whole experience more enjoyable. I also attend a swing dance club in Manhattan which is amazing. There`s something very different about swing dance for me that draws me to it. I think its how high energy it is. During the whole routine there is very little time slow down, its high intensity and it`s a lot of fun. My husband and I also take salsa lessons at a local dance studio. I love being able to spend time with him in this way. It`s definitely a great bonding experience and another way that we are able to change up our workouts and get some more variety.
What advice do you have for other starting out with this hobby?
Forget about how you think you look to others and enjoy yourself. There are a lot of people these days that are very hesitant and timid about dancing, but its such an important form of self expression and a great way to build confidence in public. Let yourself feel the beauty of dancing. Dancing is a way to find yourself and lose yourself at the same time.
Are there any other hobbies you have?
I have a few other hobbies that I really enjoy. I love to travel, play darts, rollerblade, hike, read, and take boating trips in the New York area. Traveling is my favorite out of all of those. Having all the knowledge and experience that I have gained from traveling has been indispensable. I am so grateful to have had numerous opportunities to travel across the world and I recommend anyone with the ability to do so to get out there and experience what the rest of our planet and its people have to offer.