Boss Chick of the Month: Véronique Daphnis
I am back at you with the final Boss Chick of the Month for 2017! I cannot believe the year is almost over! Ahhhhh! It has been one for the record books both for me and my new Miss December, Véronique Daphnis. Miss V has been a student of mine of a year now and is a Fellow Boss Chick Dance Workout Instructor. The transformation she has shown this year has been amazing to watch.
I met Véronique in August 2016 when a friend invited her over to a session where I was practicing for my very first Boss Chick event. Véronique and two other lades (who are, believe it or not, now Boston-based BCDW Instructors -- Geaux Boston!) gave me feedback on my teaching, playlist and overall “stage” presence. All three ladies including Miss V were veteran Zumba Instructors and I had NO IDEA what I was doing (full disclosure 😂). I immediately noticed Véronique’s dance abilities and fun-loving, kind attitude. I mean she volunteered to help a stranger prepare for a class she had little experience with. That’s pretty kind! Fast forward to 2017 when Simone, the creator of the BCDW, announced Boston as her first tour stop and new instructor certifications. I made it my mission to try to convince Véronique to become a Boss Chick Head Instructor and to my excitement, she did! After becoming a certified Head Boss Chick, Miss V began attending my classes regularly and by late Spring, began subbing for me. Though quiet at first in class, you could always tell V would lose herself in the music. Boss Chick was definitely the format for her!
Back in July 2017, I had the pleasure attending the 1st ever BCDW Instructor Summit in Miami, FL and was able to share that experience with Véronique. It was in Miami that I really learned how much V wanted her own class. Prior to the Summit, we would speak about her teaching; however, the urgency of branching out to do her own class wasn’t there. We returned to Boston from Miami both totally in love with Boss Chick but with a mission to push V where she belong - leading a class.
To say Véronique fought for her own class is an understatement. After weeks of speaking with studios and considering different offers, she was finally able to succeed in getting a class slot at the place she really wanted to start - her long-time Zumba studio, Studio 92 in Quincy. I felt so proud the day I was able to surprise Véronique by taking her class. The somewhat reserved, less vocal woman that takes my class as a student was nothing shy of a freakin ROCK STAR leading her own class. Such a proud moment!
Véronique embodies what Boss Chick is about. When she is not teaching her own students, you may find her helping out another instructor by being a substitute, running the roads to support a friend on their birthday or organizing a special day for someone special to her, or at someone’s gym doing some sort of crazy workout. Véronique is a force to be reckoned with. Big things are in store for her in 2018 and I cannot wait to cheer her on!
You can find Véronique on Sunday mornings, 10:30 am at Studio 92 in Quincy. Follow her on Facebook at The Boss Chick Dance Workout with Veronique and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/bosschickvee.
Scroll down to read an interview with Miss December.
Interview with Boss Chick Veronique!
Where are you from? Milton, MA
What do you do for a living? Investment Product Specialist
What do you like about the Boss Chick Dance Workout with Portia? First off, Portia is a great dance and I love love watching her dance so secretly, part of me goes to class of that reason. <Side note: I swear these are Veronique’s actual words>. Portia’s class is really one-of-a-kind because of who she is and what she embodies. You start off going just for the workout and stay for all the extra stuff you get: life advice, the group of amazing women her class has cultivated, the friendships and of course, her southern charm. She is very personable and as a student you really feel like she is a friend and not just an instructor who is there to teach you and go home. Portia takes time to get to know all her students and she has a unique - non verbal - way of pushing us to keep moving to the end of those particularly tough songs. Personally, without knowing (well, no, you do) she pushes me to constantly be better. It is also motivating to go a dance workout class with someone who has the same overall fitness passions that you do. Her weekly class helps me keep up with my fitness regimen and its fun as hell. The Boss Chick Dance Workout with Portia is not just a dance fitness class, but a place on comfort - to let loose, be yourself and get fit, while having the time of your life.
What is your favorite routine(s)? Oh man, this is a tough one! It changes every time a new volume comes out. When Johnny came out, I was obsessed. I think I just really like certain moves: pretty much everything afrobeat, fast booty poppin’ and the back up booty shaking move from Don’t Be Shy. If I had to pick one currently, I think its Party Animal. I always like to super challenging routines for some reason.
What motivates you to prioritize exercise in your life? I’ve been pretty active all my life. I played sports growing up and post college and joined probably more fitness studios that you can count on your two hands. It makes me feel good. But I really connected to Boss Chick because music also makes me feel good. Specifically the genres Boss Chick uses. It hits my soul! I just have to go to class. Can’t beat feeling good and being happy. 😀
Any advice you would have for a woman reading this? I want to share a quote that really resonated with me when someone relayed it to me a few years ago: “It’s not the catalyst. It’s the response.” Don’t focus on what life throws at you, instead spend your energy on how you choose to respond to these situations. I’ve tried to apply it in everything I do and take it everywhere I go. I want to share it with other women who may read this because when you really live by these words, it truly changes your perspective on pretty much everything in life and I think that it makes you a better person. You are able to confront and tackle pretty much anything in a positive way.
