The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are a spectacle of precision—every hair curled, every toe pointed, every smile practiced. But behind the sequins and stadium lights is a relentless cycle of selection and cuts. Watching the Netflix series about their process, I found myself realizing the similarities between what they’re navigating—high turnover, legacy leadership, untold grief, and zero succession infrastructure—isn’t just reality TV. It’s what I work with every day inside nonprofits and mission-driven orgs across the country.

Every year, hundreds of young women try out. They make it to training camp. They get evaluated, critiqued, and sometimes cut. No ritual. No closure. Just... you’re out.

Just like staff members who quietly disappear during “reorgs.” Like founding executive directors who burn out without naming a successor. Like boards who evaluate leadership like judges on a reality show, forgetting that legacy is about more than brand polish.

Then there’s Judy and Kelli.

Two legacy leaders. Former cheerleaders turned culture holders. They are the memory and machinery behind the DCC brand—and they’re still running the show. But there’s no visible plan for what happens after them.

They are simultaneously irreplaceable and un-succeeded.

It’s a cautionary tale. Because when your legacy lives in the heads and habits of two people, it’s not succession—it’s scaffolding built on personality. And when they leave (or are forced to), the culture they held won’t cascade... it will collapse.

This isn’t actually about cheerleading. It’s about organizations everywhere that treat transitions as technical swaps instead of relational thresholds.

If the DCC called me for advice, I’d ask them some big questions (learn what those are in my video).

Leaving well isn’t about sentimentality. It’s about sustainability. Sparkles and sequins do not soften the sting of being cut, and transitions – even if just for tryouts – deserve more than a nice platitude and an escort out.

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