New View Collective: “It’s About Creating a Space for Conversation”

Mackenzie Mahler and Megan Stuart have each collected a plethora of competitive titles in the Irish dancing scene over long dancing careers. Mackenzie hails from Calgary, Canada, having competed with the Blakey-O’Brien School for her entire dancing career. She retired from competition in 2025 after being crowned two-time World Champion, four-time All Ireland Champion, as well as many other CLRG major championship titles. 

Megan is from Minnesota, USA and danced with the Corda Mor school until her retirement the same year as Mackenzie. She’s equally as accomplished, having won the World Championships, three All Ireland Championships and a collection of other Major championship titles.

Both dancers clearly stand out for their competitive achievements. But for Megan and Mackenzie, dancing became about much more than training and winning. And their friendship, careers, and the perspectives they aim to share with the world highlight that.

The duo started their own podcast and social platform, New View Collective, in 2025, with the aim to share some of the conversations about growth and mindset in the Irish dancing space that formed such a cornerstone of their friendship. 

The Irish Globe spoke to Megan and Mackenzie about their most memorable moments in Irish dancing, New View Collective’s future, and what comes next for each of them after wrapping up their competitive careers. 

Apart from your shared interest in Irish dancing and competitive experience, where did the idea for a podcast come from?

Megan: Mac and I have been friends for quite a while, and our friendship really started as a question-and-answer relationship. We quickly realised we’re very similar, and we love having deep conversations about dancing. We’re both really interested in the sports psychology side of things and optimising our success and being our best in whatever way we can.

Mackenzie: It came up in conversation that maybe we should open that dialogue up to other people. If these conversations have been helpful for us, they might help others, too.

Megan and I both have extensive backgrounds in competitive Irish dancing, so we do bring experience. But it’s not about saying, “This is how you should do everything”. It’s more about creating a space for conversation where different expertise and experiences can be shared and heard.

You mentioned that psychology in Irish dancing was something you connected over early on. How did that interest develop?

Mackenzie: I fell into performance psychology because of my own experience in dancing. Like many competitors, I struggled with the mental side of things. I realised I needed to take care of my mindset if I wanted to achieve the things I was aiming for, and that became a major difference maker for me.

That experience inspired me to pursue further education and eventually a career in performance psychology. There’s always so much to learn about physical training, but more and more the mental side is becoming part of the conversation. If you’re not tending to it, you’re not looking after your own wellness or setting yourself up for the competitive success you’re striving for.

Megan: For a long time I saw the very best dancers as a different breed, like they didn’t struggle with confidence or nerves. I had separated myself from them until I started having these conversations with Mac and realised she felt the same way.

That was really powerful for me, because imagine how many people never discover how far they can go simply because they think they’re not capable, because they get nervous or doubt themselves.

What are your plans now that you’ve retired from competitive dancing?

Mackenzie: I plan to be teaching with Blakey O’Brien forever. That’s my community and my family. I’m also part way through my doctoral dissertation. 

My research is an exploratory study on competitive dancers and hot yoga. In hot yoga I might be struggling with the heat or something physical, but it gives me an opportunity to practice mental control and bring myself back to the moment. It’s helped me realise that when I feel extremely nervous at a competition, I don’t have to label that feeling as something bad that I need to avoid. I can be okay in that discomfort and manage through it.

Megan: I’m teaching a lot right now, just not as a TCRG. I’m also very focused on school. Dancing will always have a special place in my heart, so I would love to work with dancers and help them be their very best. I’ve been lucky enough to have people in my life who helped me achieve my goals, and I’d love to be able to do that for others.

You’re both highly decorated competitors. Are there achievements in your career that stand out beyond winning titles?

Megan: The All Irelands in 2025 was the happiest I’ve ever felt dancing. That day felt like a dream, honestly even better than the day I won Worlds.

I’m someone who usually struggles on a feis day because I get really nervous. But that morning I didn’t wake up feeling that way. I remember going into awards thinking, “Okay, whatever happens.” I was shocked and thrilled to win, but the experience itself was what made it so special.

Mackenzie: Megan was doing a lot of work behind the scenes on her mindset and her relationship with dancing. She worked very hard to get to a place where she could have that experience and frame what it meant. It was the result of serious reflection and very intentional meaning-making.

For me, I had a very long dancing career, so there were many milestones along the way. But the Worlds last year stands out. I placed third.

The year before that I was fourth, and the way I reacted to that result was a wake-up call. I realised I wasn’t making dancing mean something that felt right to me. I wasn’t proud of how I reacted or the example I set for younger dancers in my school.

So when I placed third the following year, it was a completely different experience. I still had emotions about it, but I could also feel grateful to be there, recognise the talent in my group, and celebrate being in that moment with my family and my community.

Megan: You have to find meaning in all of it. Connecting with each other has also been one of the most pivotal parts of our dancing careers. I’m incredibly proud of winning Worlds, but I don’t think I would have reached that point if I hadn’t connected with Mac during the pandemic.

A lot of success comes from those connections and from realising we’re more similar than we think. But you only discover that when you’re willing to have honest conversations.

Where do you see New View Collective going in the future?

Mackenzie: We hope to continue growing New View and welcoming more perspectives. We want it to be a place where people can come together and have meaningful conversations about the evolution of Irish dancing.

When you look at things like the Olympics, there’s a shift happening in how athletes approach performance and wellness. We’d love for New View to be part of that evolution and to help people create better meaning around something we all care deeply about.

Follow New View Collective on Instagram.