I created Before the Applause to honor the unseen work that shapes us. As a former athlete and current filmmaker, I know the outcome is what people celebrate, but the real transformation happens in private discipline through routine. My artistic voice lives in that process. I am drawn to quiet, intentional images that treat preparation as sacred, because for many of us the journey is built without recognition or a roadmap. This film makes that invisible labor visible and reflects my belief that becoming is the story.