Stories of challenge, connection, and perseverance
Performing On The Edge was created from the lifelong friendship between Carmen Maria Mitchell and Alexandria Collis, who grew up training together as competitive figure skaters at Snoopy’s Home Ice. The same drive, focus, and discipline that once defined their athletic careers now shape their professional lives. Carmen has become an international actress, singer songwriter, and producer. Alexandria has built an accomplished career as a senior operations executive and award winning business leader.
Through humor, honesty, and heart, the series explores what it means to push limits while maintaining balance. From competitive arenas to creative industries and corporate boardrooms, these conversations reveal the shared mindset of people who live and perform at the edge, driven by passion, resilience, and the pursuit of excellence.
Performing On The Edge
Life at full speed, told with truth and humor. Honest talks about pressure, purpose, and perseverance. The real side of high performance and personal growth.
Podcast
Insights and inspiration for those who perform, lead, and live at full capacity.
Performing On The Edge invites listeners inside the lives of high achievers across art, sport, and industry. Each episode features personal stories and practical insights from individuals who have built careers grounded in discipline, performance, and ambition.
The series explores how these high performers navigate pressure, sustain motivation, and maintain a sense of identity beyond success. It examines how moments of failure become fuel for growth, how balance is found in chaos, and how purpose evolves when achievement is no longer the goal.
Equal parts inspiring and grounded, Performing On The Edge reminds us that greatness is not about perfection. It is about perseverance, adaptability, and the courage to keep showing up.
Meet the Hosts
Both originally from the Bay Area of Northern California, Carmen Maria Mitchell and Alexandria Collis met as children at Snoopy’s Home Ice in Northern California, where they trained side by side as competitive figure skaters. Their friendship grew through years of rehearsals, travel, performance, and lots of late-night life talks and hysterical laughing fits, trying to navigate their careers and life balance
Today, they continue to perform together every holiday season with the Redwood Ice Theatre Company, where they reconnect with their community and share new life updates about how they continue to perform on the edge. Beyond the rink, their shared journey has led to two extraordinary careers. Carmen is a multidisciplinary artist and producer. Alexandria is a senior operations executive and global leader in the retail and ecommerce sectors. Together, they bring a rare combination of creative and corporate insight to their conversations about performance, growth, and the human side of success.
Carmen Maria Mitchell
New York City, USA
Carmen Maria Mitchell is a multidisciplinary artist and producer whose career spans music, theatre, film, and professional figure skating. She is a U.S. Figure Skating double gold medalist, former Artistic National Champion, and made her principal debut with Disney On Ice, originating the role of the first live host. She is the founder and executive director of Redwood Entertainment Company, a nonprofit arts organization that produces theatrical productions, professional ice shows, film and media, youth arts programs, and international podcast series. Her work combines artistic performance, cultural exchange, and creative development across global platforms. Carmen lives and works between Italy, New York, London, and California.
Alexandria Collis
California, USA
Alexandria Collis is a senior operations and customer experience executive recognized for driving growth and transformation in the ecommerce and retail sectors. Most notably, she spent nearly 7 years scaling Princess Polly - the largest brand in the a.k.a. Brands portfolio and one of the fastest growing fashion companies worldwide. There, she partnered directly with the Co-CEOs and a.k.a. Brands leadership on board level strategies shaping global operations, customer experience, and U.S. retail expansion. She was among the first U.S. leaders at Princess Polly, building the customer experience function from the ground up before expanding into full operational leadership. She scaled operations to millions of annual orders, reduced unit costs, and drove AI/automation from 0% to 65% while leading omnichannel innovation. She expanded global support to serve millions of customers, sustaining CSAT above 90%. She also designed and executed the U.S. retail blueprint, launching the brand’s flagship store with record setting traffic and national press coverage, and represented Princess Polly at its NYSE IPO. Alexandria has been recognized globally as a Top 50 Woman Leader in Consumer Products & Retail and a Retail TouchPoints 40 Under 40 honoree, in addition to multiple Stevie and Globee Awards including Executive of the Year. Her thought leadership and work has been featured in Forbes, WWD, Bloomberg, Vanity Fair, and more. Drawing on her background as a professional athlete, Alexandria brings resilience, discipline, and a performance driven mindset to leadership. She is a visionary, passionate about building scalable ecosystems, breaking down silos, and empowering teams to deliver innovation, growth, and long term value creation.Alexandria Collis is a senior operations and customer experience executive recognized for driving growth and transformation in the ecommerce and retail sectors. Most notably, she spent nearly 7 years scaling Princess Polly - the largest brand in the a.k.a. Brands portfolio and one of the fastest growing fashion companies worldwide. There, she partnered directly with the Co-CEOs and a.k.a. Brands leadership on board level strategies shaping global operations, customer experience, and U.S. retail expansion. She was among the first U.S. leaders at Princess Polly, building the customer experience function from the ground up before expanding into full operational leadership. She scaled operations to millions of annual orders, reduced unit costs, and drove AI/automation from 0% to 65% while leading omnichannel innovation. She expanded global support to serve millions of customers, sustaining CSAT above 90%. She also designed and executed the U.S. retail blueprint, launching the brand’s flagship store with record setting traffic and national press coverage, and represented Princess Polly at its NYSE IPO. Alexandria has been recognized globally as a Top 50 Woman Leader in Consumer Products & Retail and a Retail TouchPoints 40 Under 40 honoree, in addition to multiple Stevie and Globee Awards including Executive of the Year. Her thought leadership and work has been featured in Forbes, WWD, Bloomberg, Vanity Fair, and more. Drawing on her background as a professional athlete, Alexandria brings resilience, discipline, and a performance driven mindset to leadership. She is a visionary, passionate about building scalable ecosystems, breaking down silos, and empowering teams to deliver innovation, growth, and long term value creation.
The Community
A space for people who give their all and lift others along the way
The Community is where connection continues beyond the podcast. It celebrates the athletes, artists, entrepreneurs, and professionals who share their stories with us and with each other. Here, we exchange insights, encouragement, and reminders that no one performs alone
From the Ice to the Industry
Practical guidance for life, learning, and connection abroad
From the Ice to the Industry traces the journey from our childhood training at Snoopy’s Home Ice to two distinct yet connected careers. What began as a friendship formed through skating has evolved into a lifelong pursuit of excellence, creativity, and balance.
Those early lessons in focus, endurance, and teamwork continue to influence how we approach our lives and our work today. The shared discipline that began on the ice now fuels our passion to understand how others perform, grow, and thrive in their own high pressure worlds.
Performance in All Forms
Exploring how creativity continues to shape our path
What started on the ice has grown into a way of moving through the world. The lessons of focus, endurance, and adaptability continue to shape how they approach their work, creativity, and connection. Whether in art or business, the pursuit remains the same: to bring discipline, focus, and an incredible amount of energy into all aspects of life.
These roots in performance serve as a reminder that mastery is not limited to a stage or an arena. It is about presence, adaptability, and a steady commitment to growth. The skills once developed through sport now guide their work as professionals and creators, each continuing to explore what it means to thrive in motion.
The Mindset
How we stay grounded in motion
Exploring the mental discipline that underlies every performance, whether in sport, art, or business. It is about showing up with presence, adjusting to change, and finding balance in intensity. These reflections invite a deeper look into how people sustain motivation, manage pressure, and keep growing through both success and challenge.
Each conversation opens a window into the inner life of high achievers who are learning to manage pressure, sustain motivation, and stay connected to what truly matters. It is a reminder that performance is not just about doing more, but about understanding when to pause, reset, and find balance within the movement.
Behind the Edge
Real moments & honest reflections. A look behind the curtain.
This space goes beyond the interviews to share what happens in between, the insights that stay with us long after the recording ends. It is a place for reflection, for lessons that reveal themselves slowly, and for the ongoing process of learning from the people who live and perform on the edge of their own limits.
Offering a closer look at the moments that shape every conversation. Our conversations capture the laughter, lessons, and honest reflections about what unfolds when the microphones are off and the real connections begin.
Performing On The Edge is where curiosity deepens into understanding, and where the journey continues long after the spotlight fades.
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