Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Natalie Deryn Johnson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Natalie Deryn, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
Living with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) has been a masterclass in resilience. Long before I had a diagnosis, setbacks were a constant presence, whispering that I couldn’t keep going the way I was. For years, I tried to push through—buying into the culture of hustle, endurance, and self-neglect. I wanted so badly to prove my worth, to move like the dancers I admired, to have what other artists had in ability or opportunity. But my body had other plans.
Eventually, I had no choice but to shift my understanding of what I could give. I was facing a hip-replacement at 15 years old. Later in life I would face other medical set backs. I had to build a life—and a career—that included me as I was, with each change, not as I wished I could be.
At first, this felt like defeat. The world doesn’t make much space for people who need to slow down, modify, or redefine what success looks like. But I discovered that honoring my limitations was not only practical—it was liberating, it made me a unique artist, and it turned me into an excellent teacher. In owning my vulnerabilities and folding them into my craft, I found a profound power.
As a choreographer, I experienced more connection to my gifts than I ever did when wrestling with the labels of “healer” or “artist.” Certain titles felt easier to claim than others, but I realized that my identity wasn’t the point—my approach was. Each challenge taught me how to adapt, how to savor the present, and how to listen deeply to what my body was communicating. I began to develop softness and deeper levels of honesty.
Resilience became less about grit and more about grace.
There was a time when I believed strength meant pushing through pain at all costs. I’ve danced through injuries and ignored my body’s pleas for rest, only to find myself burnt out and broken. It wasn’t until I stopped objectifying my body as a tool for success and started treating it as a partner in my journey that I began to restore—not just physically, but emotionally and creatively.
I’ve had to confront the narratives that society feeds us: success is linear, rest is laziness, limits are failures. Instead, I’ve chosen to view my limits as opportunities for creativity and intimacy. Smaller movements can hold more virtuosity than grand, sweeping gestures. A pause can be as powerful as a leap. My work, my life, became exquisite in its simplicity and impact.
Sometimes this looks like doing a task or hobby seemingly unrelated to a challenge only to emerge shortly after with new insight, energy, and perspective. If we dismiss the intelligence of process, it is easy to dismiss growth and necessary steps towards integration or recovery. I began to learn that moving through a challenge doesn’t always look like following a plan, forcing the timing in my head, or looking like other successful artists. It can be more organic, full of rest, infused with discover. I have to be willing to let change teach me.
Chronic illness is a relentless teacher. It has taught me to pivot, to grieve, and to innovate. There have been moments—after surgeries, infections, medical malpractice—when I felt utterly defeated. I’ve been forced to recalibrate my dreams time and time again. But every time I get knocked down, I learn something new about myself and connect back to the thread underneath the undulations. I find new ways to show up, even if what I bring looks different than it did before.
I’ve stopped trying to control everything and started collaborating with the creative chaos of life. I know when I crave controlling outcomes, I am setting myself up for major frustration. I’ve learned to trust the process, to be patient, and to recognize the beauty in imperfection. Also, when I identify with the chaos, I miss out on identifying with my approach. I am not chaotic, I am actually deeply peaceful and wise. When we make the mistake to see the challenge as an extension of us, we miss out of seeing the gifts we are cultivating. Sometimes, it’s less about getting what you want and more about discovering what you’re capable of when everything feels like it’s falling apart.
I remember one time adding chairs to a dance piece because I wasn’t sure if I would be able to stand come performance. If I hadn’t adapted to the challenge of facing an injury and had decided instead to reject my value as a performer due to negative bias about my shift in ability, I would never have created the meaningful solo or story in the first place. There is a way to share struggle in a way that transcends defeat.
One time I lost a majority of my dance cast and had to create a completely new idea. Improvisation is a skill I’ve developed as someone that has seen what an over-attachment to plans does to my sanity. Adapting and improvising gives me a moment to contemplate my values and trust the material and people in front of me. The result was stunning embodiment and a strong connection to the moment.
If I had decided that only able-bodied practitioners are wise and worthy advisors, I would never have given myself the chance to develop my work or even share my movement methods with others. Part of resiliency is seeing ourselves as worthy of participation, even if it defies what the culture says is valuable. Often times the challenge brings us innovation and brings much needed nourishment to our industry and culture. To that point, I remember working with a top-tier dancer that reported never feeling as comfy in their body as when they were doing my work. What I had developed for myself around my limits had provided a top-athlete with a new experience that conveyed beauty over objectification.
Resilience, for me, isn’t about “powering through.” It’s about building a model of success that includes fragility, rest, and surprise. It’s about honoring the down moments as much as the up ones. It’s about crafting a life that allows space for imperfection, experimentation, and play.
In my artistry and in my life, I’ve found that resilience is about relationship—first with myself, then with others. How I treat myself in moments of chaos or failure shapes how I rise to the next challenge. When I embrace my humanity, my pain, my joy—I bring something real, something alive, to every stage, every room, every moment.
I don’t move like other dancers. I don’t create like other artists. I don’t facilitate like other practitioners. And that’s okay. I never had to have the hip-replacement because I individuated my practice and learned to listen deeper. Over time I learned to sit with my emotions differently and have grown to witness how my personal journey enhancing my communal work. My journey has taught me to make my gifts exquisite and meaningful. To see the beauty in limits. To trust the wisdom of chaos. And to savor every fleeting, fragile, powerful moment.
We decide what has meaning and significance. Challenges will come. It is the quality we carry in our hearts and imagination that will carry us through. You are the thread. You are needed.
I am a creative and healer that works deeply with words, movement, image, and intentional gathering. The special thing about my approach is how I listen and look at what is in front of me. How we look at something or someone determines what can emerge in any given moment. The values I have developed and infused into my work, regardless of medium or purpose, and continue to create beautiful results and growth in my sphere.
I was often teased for my voice, optimism, tenderness, and commitment to profundity. In the end, those qualities have turned out to be immense blessings and gateways to sensational experiences. I have held grief parties and found ways to desexualize nudity. I create connection where there is disconnection. Since I am delighted by paradox and subtly, the presence I cultivate in the studio or with clients creates grace and renewed embodiment.
I make room for grief, pain, and the discarded aspects of humanity. This all leads to individuated belonging, celebration, and empowering wholeness. I like to say I am not for everyone, even if I am in service to unity consciousness and societal transformation. I work deep and in poetic ways that go against the grain of what the dominant society deems as recognizable intelligence.
In my personal creative sphere, I am working on music that me and my creative partner will be releasing in 2025. I have been connected to singing for a long time and it was a low-key secret. Giving myself room to emerge as a lyricist and vocalist in my own way has been the rebirth of a life-time. Most of the songs are written by improvisation. Improvisation is a corner-stone of everything I do. Movement may carry the signature of my being, but my songs carry something deeply precious. I really hope it resonates with the folks it’s meant to reach.
As far as services that I’m most excited about, I am re-opening my 1 on 1 work and group facilitation after a focused health break. I have created Gesture Sessions as a space to give people custom movement phrases for the emotional challenges they are wishing to transform and embrace. I recently created a class called Witch Body, I am so in love with this class. I guide intuitively based on the moment, infusing the room with imagery, contemplation, and a journey towards potency. I believe witches are people that understand power and hold a responsible connection to the web of life. I don’t know if I saw this far when I was dreaming about being a choreographer, but guiding a group of strangers into lush embodiment and self-trust is madly fulfilling and each class ends almost in tears because we move a lot of stagnancy and everyone feels more real and connected by the end.
I have been promising a grief course for the last couple years, after some unforeseen new additions to my grief resume, I am finally launching my grief course this coming year. People can get on the waitlist at mysticdare.com. I believe in having the skills to grieve and be in community. Growing the capacity and legibility around our emotions allows for positive change we need in this world right now. The fun thing about how I do this work, too, is that it is infused with humor and play. We often don’t think of grief as fun. I often find it requires a party.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
In this moment, what feels most resonant are Body Awareness, Storytelling, and Intuitive Leadership. These have been consistent assets throughout my journey. As someone who lives with a sense of multiplicity and values the process of evolving, my understanding of my core wisdom is constantly unfolding. This, in itself, is a blessing. We are all meant to evolve and meet our strengths over and over again with renewed eyes.
With that said, I believe deeply in the immense value of what body wisdom, presence, and owning perspective can yield. In my story, these have played pivotal roles: choreographing performances, creating community experiences, managing Kickstarter campaigns, transforming pain into purpose, developing artistry and style, advocating for myself and my community, deepening intimacy, and unlocking the positive attributes of sensitivity.
These are not skills reserved solely for artists or performers—they are universal tools for human connection, expression, and growth.
For those craving increased body awareness, my offer is to see body awareness as developing a partnership with your body’s intelligence—moving away from societal norms of objectification and toward a relationship grounded in intimacy and trust. It’s not about control or fixing; it’s about listening, being present, and respecting the body’s inherent wisdom. How your body feels is not a personal failing but a valuable source of information about your internal and external experiences.
Exploring body awareness takes courage. Respect is a profound gateway to creating trust with your body. For those beginning this journey, start by recognizing your body as the home of your life experience. Even saying aloud, “Thank you for teaching me and collaborating with me,” can shift your mindset.
The key is to observe without rushing to act. Simply notice. Embracing slowness fosters deeper self-knowing and allows you to savor the sensations and wisdom your body offers along the way.
Infusing intuition into leadership is a journey towards expanding trust. Intuitive leadership isn’t about abandoning structure or plans—it’s about integrating them with a deeper level of listening and responsiveness. It’s about partnering with the moment, trusting your instincts, and paying attention to what is happening beneath the surface. By doing so, we can uncover strengths, navigate necessary conversations, and foster both connection and efficiency.
While plans are important for creating safety and direction, intuitive leadership acknowledges the power of non-linear processes. It holds space for the subtle dynamics of energy, emotion, and tone in the room, bringing the whole experience—including our bodies—into focus. When we trust intuition as a companion, we invite authenticity and reduce objectification, creating a more human-centered dynamic that honors values and needs.
For those cultivating intuitive leadership, consider these practices:
1. Listen beyond words. Pay attention to energy, emotion, and unspoken dynamics. Practice naming realities beneath the surface to bring clarity to the moment.
2. Trust the wisdom of the room. Allow the space to expand and contract naturally, knowing when to pause or shift focus. For example, you might ask a question to the group to reset or refine the tone.
3. Ask revealing questions. Pose questions to yourself and others that elicit new understanding rather than just expected responses. New information is not inconvenient; it can add depth and integrity to the process.
4. Anchor yourself in values. Clarify the guiding intentions of your process, ensuring decisions align with those principles.
Intuitive leadership requires the courage to engage fully with what arises. It’s an emergent process that balances structure with responsiveness, often moving beyond rigid plans to honor the bodies and voices in the room. Trusting yourself—and building trust with others—allows for the dynamic flow of movement and stillness, creating space for authentic connection and transformative outcomes.
To begin, start small. Try experimenting with simple yes-or-no questions to connect with your instincts and practice tuning into subtle shifts in energy as feedback. With time, you’ll find that intuitive leadership doesn’t just enhance outcomes; it deepens the experience of leading and being led, creating pathways for integrity and innovation.
Lastly, I love storytelling.
Storytelling shows up in my life in multiple ways. I have performed movement-memoirs, written poetry, photographed birth. I help people tell and transform their relationship to their stories through movement, coaching, and photography. How I witness and see the world is my greatest gift. It is how I listen and how I move that listening into form. I see storytelling as fashion, portraits, branding, collective healing, transformative practice. Storytelling is one of the oldest arts. It is as much a communal act as it is the art of personal becoming.
Stories are a play between creation and truth. We are surrounded with stories in our daily lives: in our minds, the spaces we navigate, our homes, our relationships, in our businesses. We generate images in our language, movement, fashion… all of this conveys meaning. Sometimes stories need to be told as a cathartic act and sometimes stories need to be told to create change or understanding.
A major part of story is style. I find style to be the playful maturation of self-knowing and aspiration. For those beginning a relationship with storytelling, whether for their brand or art or community, I’d ask, what kinds of qualities do you want to see more of in the world? Try sitting for two minutes inside that quality; can you sense what the world feels like from that place? What would it be like to bring those qualities into how you dress, how you use language, how you see others. Your values and stories create a presence and consciousness that people can tap into when they interact with your creations and services. Investigating the perspective you have or wish to have is a great place to begin with actualizing a more generous reality.
Before it gets cerebral, I would suggest enjoying the sensorial experience of storytelling. What does it feel like to write? Can you imagine loving the sound of your voice, not as self absorbed experience, but as the body being in integrity with what needs to be spoken? Potency comes from something deeper than logic. Can you feel how the room changes when you speak? Can you feel the room move when you move?
Lastly, when we allow ourselves to been seen through our storytelling, we create authentic relationships and unforeseen echos. I tell stories in many mediums and often focus on a poetic way of being. You will have your own way of being and vision that wants to be shared and told. Wishing you a journey of enchantment and permission as you deepen into how storytelling belongs in your world.
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
My ideal client is a sensitive, introspective artist or creative leader ready to shake off stagnancy and rediscover their creative spark. They’re drawn to exploring deeper self-intimacy, confronting denial, and open to non-linear processes like metaphor, ritual, and energy healing. They might be navigating reinvention, wanting to transform grief, or craving a new relationship with themselves and their work.
An aptitude or desire for enchantment is key. Humor and depth are major components of my work. Since I bridge the body and unseen with conscious awareness, having a comfort or calling towards the magical and embodiment matters. They might know they have dormant abilities and leadership or are in the midst of major projects that are aching for the wisdom of sensitivity and sacred defiance. Often I work with professionals and mother figures well acquainted with excellence culture and high achievement, but know a new approach is needed.
Tender folks can feel those around them and pressure to a fault, forgetting to satisfy or integrate their body as a key ingredient to success. A sincere desire to explore a shift of inhabitance in front of the lens, in the comfort of their home, or in their professional element allows for the curiosity and drive necessary to invest in authentic expression. They must be brave enough to feel honored and seen as a majestic unique happening in the universe. When someone comes to me already valuing fluidity, subtlety, and profundity, it is very easy for me to direct and bring them the fullness of my sensorial gifts, vision, and intuition. We then have the opportunity to collaborate towards elevating and innovating the beauty within their relationships, endeavors, and bodily experience. Not from a sense of fixing, but from a sense of making space and honoring individuated process.
We all have the individual capacity to create change. When we sense into our fire from a tender relationship with pain and beauty, it is amazing how stunning our lives and communities can become.
Contact Info:
- Website: mysticdare.com / nataliederynjohnson.com
- Instagram: @ladyderyn / @mystic_dare
- Other: https://poetsbooty.substack.com
Image Credits
Red dress: Jaka Vinsek @jakavinsek Gold Portrait: Theik Smith @theikphoto Bath: Effy Grey @effygrey_photography Hug + stage duet unreleased Film Stills from Dance Residency by Melissa Wu / 828 media @828media featuring (hug) Trinity Dawn Bobo + Alexander Anderson + Natalie Deryn Johnson duet: feat. Alexander Anderson + Natalie Deryn Johnson Hand leaf: Rhys Tivey @rhystivey Bald portrait: Rhys Tivey @rhystivey Bw portrait : Rhys Tivey @rhystivey Divination journaling : Natalie Deryn Johnson @intimte_witness Bald: Rhys Tivey @rhystivey
