Uncensored Interview:
Straight & Honest talk with a former exotic dancer – now making strides as a professional executive and ready to become a wife.
How did you become a stripper?
When I turned 18, my top priority was to “grow up” and become independent as soon as possible. To me, true independence meant never having to ask my parents for money — though they were more than willing to provide it. I had small job at little store, and I got a scholarship to help with my tuition, but living in the city was not cheap for a single woman. My meager income wasn’t nearly enough to survive on, and it drove me nuts. I felt so disillusioned and trapped. Just before my 19th birthday, I saw an ad for an “amateur night” contest at a local strip club. I’d always been a pretty repressed young lady — perfect grades, respectable hobbies, never so much as a parking ticket — but something about the idea of exotic dancing captivated my imagination.
How did stripping effect your ideas about sexuality and commitment?
Stripping taught me that “chemistry” — for lack of a better word — can explode in very unlikely pairings. To this day, my strongest friendships with men fall into that gray zone between “I want to know you” and “I want to sleep with you.” Learning to feel comfortable in that zone, without having to put a label on it, was a big part of my coming-out process.
You have professional career now. How did you make the extreme transition?
Like many young people finding their way, I have worked many jobs as an assistant producer at an independent film company, got a research grant to study alternative medicine and doctor-patient relationships, earned my helicopter pilots license, read voraciously and developed a writing “voice.” Once I made the commitment to complete my undergraduate degree, I went full-throttle, taking extra courses during regular semesters and squeezing in even more credits during winter and summer school sessions. I wound up graduating with my BA at the exact same time as my high school friends — even though I’d taken a significant “detour!”
Do you regret your past?
I honestly have no regrets. Every intricate part of my past whether good or bad has made me the strong, independent, woman I am today. I have developed a distinct way of handling various personalities, a firm voice in leadership & good decision making. This has empowered me to take the appropriate actions needed on a daily basis in a crucial role, in order to strategically manage my business sector.
How do you explain your past to a potential mate?
I believe, I use the no hold punches approach to dating. If the relationship develops after a period of time and the gentleman has earned the honor of knowing my history, I have no problem with sharing. If he is the one, and we are meant to be together, then being truthful and honest about what I want & need in a relationship as well as my past would be no problem. I just look forward to meeting the man of my dreams, in the meantime, I’m just focused on preparing myself for him in every aspect of my life.
Share your thoughts?
