Sharna Burgess Would 'Always Say Yes' to “DWTS” Return After Not Being Asked for Season 32: They're 'Family'

Burgess, who currently co-hosts iHeartRadio's 'Old·ish' podcast, tells PEOPLE that "the universe has been guiding me in a different direction for this time"

Sharna Burgess still holds Dancing with the Stars close to her heart.

As the season 32 cast was announced on Sept. 13, fans probably noticed that Burgess, 38, was not among the list of pro dancers returning to the ballroom. The Australia native — who took a temporary leave of absence last year after welcoming her first child with now-fiancé Brian Austin Green — then confirmed on her new iHeartRadio podcast, Old·ish, that she wasn't asked back, saying it "was tough" since she "wasn't expecting" to not return.

Now, Burgess exclusively tells PEOPLE that "there's no real reason as to why, other than they were guided in their choices to choose the cast that they did based off of the celebrities that they have." She also believes that "the universe has been guiding me in a different direction for this time."

Related: Sharna Burgess Admits It Was a 'Shock' Not Being Asked Back for 'Dancing with the Stars' Season 32

Despite not being tapped for the upcoming season, premiering Tuesday, Burgess says she would still be interested in coming back in the future.

"I think for me, as far as would I go back to it or what does it mean for the future of it, I love that show. And as I said on our podcast, two things can be true," she says. "I can be deeply saddened in the fact that I don't get to be in the ballroom this season, and I can also truly love the show and want to support it and want to cheer them on."

"I grew up on that show, the cast, the crew, they are my family. Dance is a part of me and my soul," she continues. "I would always say yes to them. And again, I will be supporting and cheering them on."

Burgess also notes that her "heart goes out to them" as they're in a "really sticky situation right now," referencing to the previous calls to delay the season amid the then-ongoing writers' strike, in solidarity with the show's sole writer. (The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has since reached a tentative new deal with Hollywood studios to end the strike.)

"I think it's really hard. I see both sides, I can see why they want to move forward as a show. There's like 500 employees and everyone is needing and wanting to work. And that they're like family to each other. So you can understand this need to want to move forward," she explains. "And I can also understand the need to stand in solidarity with the WGA and with SAG and what is going on right now. Because to create real change, we do have to stand together. I could not imagine what that feels like to have to make that choice, to try and make that decision, especially when they were moving forward, thinking that it was all okay."

Related: 'Dancing with the Stars': Mauricio Umansky, Jason Mraz and Alyson Hannigan Among Cast for Season 32

In the meantime, Burgess is shifting her focus toward her Old·ish podcast, which she co-hosts with Green, 50, and Randy Spelling.

Each week, the trio will share their life experiences and what they've learned along the way. Burgess says the podcast ultimately gives them a place to discuss "deep and big and personal subjects and allow people to realize they are not on an island of one in their issues."

"Part of wanting to do this was we thought, okay, we speak to so many people on Instagram and sometimes, when we share things, I certainly share a lot of stuff. People have no idea that we could ever experience things like this," she explains of experiencing hardship. "They feel this sense of being seen when they can relate to you. It was a really cool idea to create this open space."

The professional dancer adds, "Our purpose is not necessarily to give advice and to fix it but simply to say, 'I see you and I hear you. This was my experience and what helped me.'"

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New episodes of iHeartMedia's Old·ish podcast arrive weekly everywhere podcasts are streamed.

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