Maddie Ziegler has danced on to greener pastures.

The 14-year-old Dance Moms alum sat down with PEOPLE and talked about moving on from the world of competitive dance. Being under notoriously tough coach, Abby Lee, took it’s toll on her. She said, “I learned a lot of lessons. I had the craziest time when I was with her and on that team. I’m really glad that I did move on from that, and I did learn a lot from her and we did have some fun times. But I feel like now, I’ve never been happier in my life.”

She explained, “It was so much pressure, winning a competition,” and that “I was stressed at 11 years old, which shouldn’t happen!”

The young star admitted that she’s never even seen an entire episode of the Lifetime series! She said, “We lived through it, so I don’t feel like we have to watch it, and it was just so much drama that I don’t want to see it again.”

Maddie is now focused on performing with her mentor, Sia, and on her brand new book, “The Maddie Diaries,” which was just released. She said, “I’ve always been the type of person who really enjoys writing stories.So when I found out I would be writing books, I was so excited that I got started right away!”

Congratulations on your new adventures, Maddie!