Celebrity Trainer and Former Ballerina Candy Tong Writes a Letter to Her Teenage Self

Ballerina, model, designer, educator, trainer: Candy Tong has done it all. Originally from San Francisco, Tong trained at San Francisco Ballet School and English National Ballet School before getting her BFA in dance performance from the University of California, Irvine. She danced with Complexions Contemporary Ballet from 2018–24, where her expansive movement and gorgeous, long lines filled the stage in the company’s contemporary ballet repertoire. A signed model, she’s the owner of her own dancewear line, Candy Tong Collection.

Last year, Tong dived into the world of celebrity coaching. She founded her Pilates and strength-training program, Candy Tong Movement, in 2025, and she’s currently on tour with the Icelandic singer-songwriter Laufey as her personal trainer. Follow Tong at @candytong12 on Instagram and TikTok. —Kyra Laubacher

Dear teen Candy,

This is you, more than a decade older, looking back at the young, naive girl you are.

Oh, how I wish you could see the life you are living now. Nothing turned out the way you thought it would—and somehow, it became even more beautiful than you ever envisioned.

You dream of becoming a prima ballerina in a major ballet company. As you pursue that dream, you will face challenges you can’t yet imagine, both mentally and physically. You will feel defeated by rejection after rejection, constantly being told that you don’t fit the mold. You’ll hear that you’re “too tall” or “big-boned.” Please don’t let those words diminish your confidence. One day, you’ll learn to see those very features as some of your greatest strengths—and use them to your advantage.

Despite all the rejection, all the doubt, and all the moments you wonder if you’ll ever be enough, you will live out the dream you’ve worked so hard to achieve. You’ll build an incredible career in one of the toughest cities in the world—the Big Apple, New York City—and dance with Complexions Contemporary Ballet for seven seasons. Along the way, you’ll sign with a top modeling agency, build your own dancewear line, and eventually make the difficult decision to step away from the stage.

But that won’t be the end of your story. It will be the beginning of an entirely new chapter.

I know you’ve always seen yourself as just a dancer, but you are so much more. You have talents you haven’t even discovered yet. Explore them. Break out of your comfort zone and give yourself permission to become more than the identity you’ve known your entire life.

And, Candy, would you believe that almost immediately after retiring from the stage, you’ll become a celebrity trainer?

After appearing in a music video with Laufey during your final months of dancing, you’ll become her personal trainer, traveling the world on tour for her Grammy-winning album, A Matter of Time. You’ll then work with other celebrities (like Suki Waterhouse, to name one) to help them prepare for high-energy concerts, TV series, and movies. Within your first year, you’ll build your own strength-training and Pilates business, Candy Tong Movement, helping dancers and other performers become stronger, healthier, and more confident in their bodies.

If there’s anything your future self could tell you, it’s this:

Anything is possible…just trust the process.

There is no single, direct path to a successful or fulfilling life. Your future won’t unfold exactly the way you imagine it will. In fact, it may look nothing like the life you wished for upon all those shooting stars you watched from your backyard, over the lagoon, in California.

But every world you enter, you will pour your heart and soul into. You will learn, you will grow, you will reinvent yourself, and you will continue becoming more than you ever thought you could be.

And that, little Candy, is your superpower.