Alyson Stoner: Oh gosh, it makes me think of my family in Ohio who mus...

I like to take risks as long as they're healthy, you know. They're good, smart risks.

Alyson Stoner

smart healthy long

I like to aim for significance over success because rarely can you be significant and also successful, but many people can be successful and not significant.

Alyson Stoner

significant successful people

Honestly, what keeps me grounded is my faith and my value system.

Alyson Stoner

grounded honestly value-systems

My relationship with God is what gives me a moral compass on what decisions to make and that stuff. I'm thankful that I have the people around me that I do, and they remind me each day of who I am and what I stand for.

Alyson Stoner

who-i-am giving people

The good thing is in my case I'm all about love and communications, so there was no hard feelings, it was like ok we reached the end of this season and I wish you well and it's time to move on. As a pop song it's definitely open to many different interpretations, I received a call from a cousin saying that it helped her heal after an abusive relationship and another friend said it represented her of a summer fling. We tried to write carefully so that it can be relatable to cover a wide audience.

Alyson Stoner

cousin summer song

Also, with acting and dancing I portray a predetermined character and story for the most part, with music I have the creative freedom to create a song on a whim with whomever I choose and at whatever time I choose to do it. It's more liberating artistically and that's why I've stuck with it. It's a good balance to be able to portray a character and also be myself in avenues that I'm passionate about.

Alyson Stoner

dancing song character

Being a perfectionist, I didn't want to settle for just getting by, so I enrolled in a vocal training program. I then learned that songwriting and studying the voice actually pair with a lot of troubles that I had expressing myself, being vulnerable, trusting other people, trusting myself, calming anxiety. It became a life instructor of sorts and that is what kept me engaged with it.

Alyson Stoner

anxiety voice people

What's great is we actually have friends who belong or have previously belonged to the Amish community, so we got first hand stories and I was able to talk with them about visitors and visiting the Amish country. It was very enlightening to think this is very much going on as we speak. What was really interesting was that the upcoming Amish generation is actually closer to average American teenager in their use of the English language because of the use of technology.

Alyson Stoner

teenager country thinking

For me it's a new experience every single time, because - The dance community has a great strength in synergizing immediately. So we recognize that opposed to being competition, which we are in the audition process, once we're on the job is about cohesion, it's about striving to highlight each individual in their own element, while also creating something that is visually tantalizing to the audience. While the ingredients of each movie has been different, the recipe for success is the same, which is to click immediately and make the best possible movie.

Alyson Stoner

creating new-experiences jobs

I think that the success of the franchise is helpful for launching different aspects of my career. It's sort of the reliable cousin that you can always count on for every family reunion. Because of 'Step Up' I've been able to really take my career to the next level. I have them to thank for a lot of my success.

Alyson Stoner

cousin careers thinking

I personally find that each instalment has a different director, cast and crew, and I've also been in a different season in my life for each of them, so I feel like each movie is a unique experience that centres around my undying passion for music and dance.

Alyson Stoner

passion unique directors

I started dancing when I was 3 in Toledo, Ohio, and started hip-hop dancing at the age of 7.

Alyson Stoner

ohio hip-hop dancing

I enjoy going to the Y. I take all the fitness classes that my dad takes; that's sort of our bonding - anything athletic, anything sports related.

Alyson Stoner

dad class sports

What I love is that their approach is not a common western individualistic approach which is 'we are the solution for your problem.' It’s not a superior helping an inferior, it’s really dropping all of our differences and working alongside another human being asking how they are doing and doing life with them. Developing relationships that are consistent—and not a onetime handout –that is when you see the transformation.

Alyson Stoner

entertainment

I’ve found that a lot of the work I do with people outside of the business relates to emotional awareness, psychological wellness and that’s where my fascination with neuroscience came in.

Alyson Stoner

entertainment

From a business standpoint I was able to be a part of a more mature topic without being the character that necessarily does all of the edgy things.

Alyson Stoner

entertainment

I'm a thinker and feeler and dreamer and explorer.

Alyson Stoner

explorer thinker dreamer

I love what I do, and I just remember that every breath and every moment is a gift and it can be taken away at any time, so I want to appreciate it and be grateful for it while it's here.

Alyson Stoner

moment grateful time love

I am a pet person. My dog actually lives in Georgia now. But I work with animal trainers and pets quite often. I also volunteer at different places like animal shelters. It's good to be around pets. They kind of put things into perspective. They're easygoing, loyal, and they seem to get it, even when humans don't.

Alyson Stoner

i-am good dog work

I'm a hip-hop dancer, but when I'm in my room it turns into this lyrical nonsense, and I listen to Phil Wickham and India Arie, who has the most precious songs.

Alyson Stoner

listen hip-hop nonsense india