Up the Pole

Amy Bond of Up the Pole Podcast talks with Hannah Mico, one of the co-founders of Midwest Movement Collective, an intentionally inclusive and all-varieties dance & movement studio in Grand Rapids, Michigan. MMC opened in June 2022, and welcomes diverse styles, modalities, and people. Hannah started pole dancing in 2017, and has competed twice through Pole Sport Organization (once earning a silver medal at PSO Great Lakes in Chicago). Through pole dance, Hannah took an interest in other dance forms, including ballet, contemporary, and even tap dance! While she isn't an expert in any form of dance and doesn't consider herself a master of any form of movement, she is enthusiastic and excited about the pathways safe & comfortable movement can open for adults of all ages, abilities, and identities. 

NY based Pole Position Dance Studio owner Taylor Starke (@starkestruck) talks with host Amy Bond about the delusion required to jump into becoming a studio owner, creating a studio culture that feels authentic, and more. 

Posture and movement specialist Lorae Lyn talks with host Amy Bond about working with pole dancers' bodies, opening and expanding her own practice, and more! 

Cari Leigh started her business as a tiny pole studio in the back of her dad's coffee shop, and Victoria was her student. Years later, they had the opportunity to become partners and, as their new business boomed, open a second location. Amy Bond, CEO of Pole + Dance Studios, talks with them about why it's so important to have help when you're building a pole studio, and so much more. 

After meeting at a yoga studio that had a few sensual pole classes, Kirsten and Sharon decided to partner up to open their own pole studio with their personal savings account. Amy Bond, CEO of Pole + Dance Studios, talks with them about everything from partnership to hairballs to wearing a thousand hats as a small business owner. 

From eight foot ceilings in the back of a sex boutique, to hourly rentals of a shared space using stage poles, to 10-person waitlisted classes, Kelly Campbell of Rise Pole Fitness chats with Pole + Dance Studios CEO Amy Bond about her journey becoming a pole studio owner in Sacramento, CA.