Monica Aldama Is Manifesting Her Dreams With the Power of Positivity

From Woman's Day

As the driving force of the docuseries Cheer, it should come as no surprise that Monica Aldama is all about positivity. "One thing I've always lived by is that your mindset is such a powerful tool," Aldama tells Woman's Day. "I really try to stay positive because we all go through ups and downs in life. 2020 just happened to hit us all very hard, but if your mindset stays positive, and you remain grateful for the things that you do have and not focus on the things that you don't have, it just brings such a different energy to your life."

That positive mindset is something that she's encouraged on all the cheerleading teams she's coached. On Cheer, Aldama and her Navarro squad are big on what they call "mat talk," which is a kind of hyped-up encouragement that teammates give to each other while they're performing routines on the gym's mat floor. In essence, mat talk is the vocalization of Aldama's powerful positive mindset, and it's something that propels her athletes to perform better. As a brand ambassador for Robitussin, Aldama will be bringing that mat talk to people around the country in a series of encouraging videos called "Coach Talks" that the cough-soothing brand will be sharing on its social media platforms. "I definitely use my voice a lot," Aldama says on the partnership. "I'm talking a lot, sometimes yelling—not in a bad way—sometimes cheering on the team," so having a go-to product to soothe her throat through all that mat talk is a must.

But just because she's made her living as an expert in all things cheerleading doesn't mean things are always rah-rah and pom-poms for Aldama. The show that made her a household name premiered only a couple months before the global Covid-19 pandemic entered the United States and put everything on hold. After a hugely successful cheer season last year, Aldama and her Navarro squad had their 2020 season cancelled due to the pandemic, and any big plans they'd had as a result of the show had to be postponed. But Aldama has stayed steady and positive throughout it all and says her mindset is to "just focus on the good things." It could be proof that manifesting with thought is real because even more good things have recently entered her life.

In late August, Aldama got the call to join the cast of Dancing With the Stars, a show that she's loved since its first season. "It was literally a dream come true, but at the same time a very scary thought to even accept this challenge," Aldama says. And even though the show has made many changes to enforce strict safety protocols and ensure there's no spread of the coronavirus, nothing is going to stop Aldama from enjoying this moment. "Obviously we're missing out on some of the special things with the camaraderie and stuff," she says. "But once again, I'm grateful for the opportunity, so really those things don't matter. You just have to stay positive and be grateful for what you have."

You can watch Aldama perform on Dancing With the Stars on Mondays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.

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