Mimi Deddens

I’m Mimi, a ballet dancer, turned Strategy Consultant, based in New York, NY. I’ve spent the last four years in the corporate business world, advising clients in the Life Sciences, Aerospace & Defense, and Logistics industries for enterprise transformations. My first career, however, was in ballet. I trained to be a professional ballet dancer with the Philadelphia Ballet (formerly, Pennsylvania Ballet) for over 10 years and danced with the company in various child lead and corp de ballet roles from the age of 8 to 18. I took a gap year after completing my high school degree. At the time I was recovering from an injury and feeling burnt out by the ballet world, so I decided to explore other career options via internships and entry-level jobs. I also applied to undergraduate programs during my gap year and ultimately decided to attend the University of Pennsylvania, where I went on to receive my B.A. in Cognitive Science, concentrating in Computation and Cognition, and a minor in Consumer Psychology. The journey from pointe shoes to PowerPoint was not easy, having focused for so long on becoming a pro ballerina, but I’ve learned a lot about navigating the transition and the corporate world from it. I would love to use my personal experience to help other dancers in the same situation.