I started up the studio because I wanted to build a safe, creative space where people can become the best they can be and then showcase those skills to their friends and family. I wanted their time at the studio to be a massive confidence boost, encourage them to challenge themselves and conquer achievements they never thought possible.
I found the location when I was walking down Great Central Way one day and all of a sudden this huge industrial estate appeared next to the walkway - I didn't even know it was there until then! I had a look around and saw there were a few units available so I inquired about one that was previously used as a dance studio. It was absolutely huge and could have been daunting but as soon as I saw it I knew how I would use the space, I've never been one for thinking small! The studio had another unit attached to it, but this just didn't fit into my vision of the potential use of the space. It took me 6 months to convince the landlord that he could put a wall up between the two and rent it out as a separate space, there was so much red tape! While I was waiting for this to happen I was still working my part time job and performing around the country. After my gigs had finished around 3 or 4am I would go and sit in my car in the industrial estate just seeing if it was safe enough to develop a studio there, the last thing I wanted was to set up a pole dance studio in a dodgy area!
The studio was a mess when I first signed the contract and I had to do an awful lot of work to get it looking like it does today. I hired professional electricians and builders to put all the beams in and make sure everything was tested, rated and as safe as possible. I did all the painting myself and I even made the curtains by hand to save money. I had to chip off self leveling concrete that the previous tenants had poured all over the beautiful wooden floor, but luckily it was still salvageable. My family pitched in to help me knock all the nails in, sand and varnish the floor and then hand sand it for the best possible finish - it took about 6 weeks to do this and it felt like forever!
When I first opened I only had 4 small poles as I had a lot of difficulty installing the taller poles and making sure they were safe enough to use. I have never been happy to cut corners especially when it comes to safety! I eventually found a solution after a year of testing and now I'm happy they are the safest poles we could possibly have. Now we have 19 poles - 6 permanent, 12 semi permanent and 1 stage pole and I am happy they all meet my very high standards of safety. I am a safety geek so I secretly love our monthly rigging check even though I hate the tall ladder!
What drives me every day is that I love pushing people to achieve the most they can. I believe that whatever size, shape, background, age, style etc etc you are you can give any of the things we offer a go. I love it when people achieve things they never thought possible and I feel honoured to have been a part of so many people's journeys.
I love to learn, I find the way the body works fascinating and I love seeing how different people do different things - I love it when someone comes up with a new way to do something as nothing is set in stone! I encourage people to be confident enough in their own abilities to experiment and try new things (safely of course!). I want everyone here to be happy in their own success - I don't encourage comparison I love to celebrate everyone for their own individual triumphs. We are all so different and that's what makes the world such a fantastic place.