Last updated on July 20th, 2025 at 06:20 pm
What Pole Dancing Taught Me About Trusting Myself (On and Off the Pole)
There’s a unique kind of trust that pole dancing demands of you.
It’s not just about trusting the pole to hold your weight—it’s about trusting yourself. Your instincts. Your grip. Your timing. Your ability to choose the right moment to move, to transition, to let go.
And if I’m honest, I didn’t realize just how deeply I had been carrying the weight of self-doubt until I found myself suspended in midair… holding on for dear life… afraid to release, afraid to fall.
Pole became my mirror.
Because here’s the thing:
You can’t fake trust on the pole. Your body knows when you’re not all in. It shakes. It hesitates. It overcompensates. And that’s often when you fall—not because you weren’t strong enough, but because you didn’t believe in your own strength.
That same pattern was playing out in my life.
I had spent years second-guessing myself, apologizing for my truth, and waiting for someone else to tell me I was worthy of love, of success, of taking up space. And every time someone betrayed my trust, it made me question my own ability to make good decisions.
But pole has been slowly rewiring me.
Through every spin, drop, and climb, I’ve started to rebuild something sacred:
The ability to trust myself again.
To know when to hold on.
When to loosen my grip.
And when to let go completely—without fear that I’ll crash.
Sometimes, letting go is the only way to rise.
Pole taught me that surrender isn’t weakness—it’s wisdom.
That strength isn’t about holding on tighter—it’s about knowing when to release.
That boundaries, both in movement and in life, protect our peace and power.
This isn’t just a dance form. For me—and for so many others—it’s therapy.
It’s healing.
It’s freedom.
And every time I step up to the pole, I’m not just training my body.
I’m rebuilding a relationship with the one person I need to trust more than anyone else:
Me.
your turn:
If pole has helped you reconnect with your body, your voice, or your self-worth, I’d love to hear your story.
Leave a comment below or come say hi on Instagram @becoming_shonnonnicole
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