Stacey Snedden |Time Management and Naked Newsletters| Episode #019
My interview in this episode was with IPDFA Industry Person of the year Stacey Snedden, who most of the pole community have or will come into contact with in some form over their pole journeys. She’s worked with Xpole for over 13 years, she’s the International sales manager for XPERT, runs Pole Theatre UK, Dance Filthy UK, Pole Art UK , The Pole Weekender, Once Upon a Pole PLUS judges numerous competitions, runs her successful studio HD&F Fitness alongside having two boys and a husband to keep happy...
I also asked her some questions from the members of the Off The Pole Community Group
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Sarah: All right. Welcome, Stacey Snedden, to my podcast. It feels-
Stacey: Hi!
Sarah: It feels odd in this interview format because you're my best friend, so we chat all the time. We must remember that we're on a podcast and not in a private conversation and take off on a tangent and start chatting about other stuff. But yeah…
Stacey: I promise clean language only.
Sarah: Oh, that's all right. It's just going out to pole dancers. Many of them have met you. Most of the industry I think has met you at some point. I think if you took a ratio of who's met Stacey Snedden in polers, it would be, I don't know what pie chart you'd use, but it would be a big chunk.
Stacey: Not sure that's a good thing…
Sarah: Well, that's a lie. So yeah, thank you for giving me some of your day. You're currently in your X-POLE office, hidden in the back. So if people need to come in, they need to be promptly told to get out because we're busy!
I've posted in the group that I was gonna be having you on the podcast and got quite a few questions. Most of them were from Dan Rosen granted. He definitely jumped in and asked quite a few.
But I wanted to ask a couple of questions at the beginning. Because you did a post recently about how many events you've been a part of. Be that organizing them, running them, putting the trusses up for them, judging. How many comps have you been a part of in 2018 events?
Stacey: Well, 18.
Sarah: 18 events?
Stacey: So 18 pole events, just pole.
Sarah: So that's not even including the yoga, the fitness events? The X-POLE events?
Stacey: No. That's plus. So this year, just pole events itself has been 18. Which the only reason why I did that exercise was because I was actually trying to figure out where the hell I'd been this year. I couldn't figure it out.
Sarah: You've been around.
Stacey: Yeah.
Sarah: What have been your highlights of this year? Out of those? I know you can't pick one top moment maybe, but what have been your highlights?
Stacey: Oh, it's been a really weird year 'cause everything's kind of seemed quite epic. So everything that's happened has seemed really, really big.
So I think probably on a personal level, is seeing all my friends have babies. Which has been really nice. Obviously with Lorna and Kris and Hannah and loads of people.
But from a pole, I think the biggest one was having Pole Theatre in London. It was pretty epic.
Sarah: It was very epic.
Stacey: Yeah. I think that's gotta be the biggest one that we've done this year. So yeah, that's probably my highlight, for sure.
Sarah: Yeah. It was the first year that you launched pole weekender, which was huge in Sheffield. That was the Dance Filthy finals. It was the first ever Pole Art UK. About a million workshops, seminars. That's definitely been one of my highlights this year. That was awesome.
It's always difficult the first year of an event. And to be that successful and that busy, I think was awesome. So good job.
Stacey: Thanks. Well, I mean that was both Lorna and I. We didn't really know how it would go, to be honest with you. It was always difficult knowing how it'd go. But we're really pleased with it.
Sarah: And Lorna was running around...(pregnant)
Stacey: Albeit we're not allowed to go back to Sheffield. So-
Sarah: Yeah. Well, you know, maybe it's a good thing. Maybe it's a bad thing. Maybe that was because of Dance Filthy. If you were there, you'd understand. If you weren't there, you should've been there. I won't say why potentially we went on with that.
Stacey: It's fine. It's fine. Dance Filthy was just too filthy for them.
Sarah: Little bit too filthy for Sheffield.
Stacey: Little bit too filthy.
Sarah: That's fine. We can find somewhere else that will accept our filth for next year. But it was fantastic. I mean yeah, we'll find somewhere else. It was fine.
Stacey: Yeah.
Sarah: Lots of people were asking, I mean segway these kinds of questions is why I wanted to give a little bit of background. But how do you find the time to do ... 'cause you don't just do events. I would've done an intro and everyone knows who you are anyway, but you work for X-POLE, you work for Expert, you have your own studio. You have two children. You have your trussing company that you do. You have all your events.
So do you have ... how do you do it? There was quite a few questions like, do you sleep? How are you still alive? But I think we can maybe go a little bit more specific rather than general. 'Cause you're still here, which is good.
Stacey: Yeah, I'm still here. I don't know actually. To be honest with you. I think I just wander through life going, "Oh, okay, I did that. Okay, that's good. I managed to do that too."
Sarah: I'll do another project.
Stacey: I'll do another one.
Sarah: That's a good idea.
Stacey: I've always been a project person, so I love projects. I can't stand being bored. I like to be busy. My nights off are ... like with last night, I had a night off, kids were out, one was out at karate. Paul was out, it was great.
I thought, you know what? I'll get my newsletters done, perfect.
Sarah: Most people are like, "Oh, night to myself. Have a bath, put my feet up. Have a glass of wine." You're like, "Oh, newsletters." That's where your brain goes. I think you might be-
Stacey: But you can still have a bath and a glass of wine and some chocolate, of course.
Sarah: Multitasking.
Stacey: And do a newsletter at the same time. You see?
Sarah: This is good.
Stacey: This is why-
Sarah: This is very good tips, write these things down, people. Do it in the bath, yeah.
Stacey: Yeah, I just don't like to be bored. So I like to make sure that things are ticking along. I'm really lucky, I've got amazing people that work around me. I have a really good PA, I have Lucy. Then I have Vanessa who's incredible.
Then all my instructors at the studio. To be honest with you and I shouldn't really say this, but the studio runs itself. Other than me jumping in on the odd occasion and doing the admin and bits and bobs, the girls keep the studio running.
They're such good instructors that I don't really need to do anything. Other than make sure they're out training. Make sure the studio's good and safe and everything. The rest kind of ... students just keep coming and it's awesome. I couldn't ask for anything better really.
But then it's 10 years in the making. So-
Sarah: Yeah, I was gonna say, it's been a long time that you've been running the studio. We were speaking to Annie on another podcast and we mentioned about having the right team and that can be massively important. About whether you've got the support system and having that experience and the longevity in the industry.
I think people expect to be earning money straight away from businesses. But if it's a startup, it takes years until you're even breaking even half the time.
Stacey: Well, I think this is probably the first year that I've actually sat back from the studio and gone, "Oh, actually, it's good." We're good. There's students coming in, the instructors are amazing. We're just renovating because I don't have anything else to do other than renovate.
Sarah: Yeah, not at all. It's been a quiet year.
Stacey: Right. We're just renovating. So the problem was, we have so many students coming through the door now that I need to make more use of the space. So everything's coming down, everything's being put back up. It's being completely ripped out and started again over the next couple of weeks.
But yeah, it's been great. Then obviously Expert, I have an amazing team of people as well. So I think it definitely helps. It's been a long time coming, but I think this year has definitely been the year where everyone has settled in to what they're doing and everyone has picked up work and is kind of running with it, which is really good. That I can trust a lot of people to be able to do stuff.
Sarah: Yeah, definitely. Hannah Lee Dobson, she was the one who asked do you ever sleep? But she feels that she needs more hours in the day. So do you have any tips on self organizing? And do you have set hours where you don't reply to work things?
Do you have like a this is my work and this is how I'm gonna break it down. And this is my non work time?
Stacey: No. I'm really bad. I'll wake up at two a.m. and answer emails. I'm really bad for that.
Sarah: Snedden!
Stacey: I know. Well, the world doesn't stop just 'cause I'm sleeping. The biggest thing I was always taught, I've been really lucky that I've had a really amazing business mentor, which is Clive who runs X-POLE. He has always taught me to make lists. Make lists of everything that needs to be done and then prioritize them.
So I have a big book that comes with me everywhere. You've probably seen me big orange book that's with me. That basically is my life. So in there is lists of stuff and I divide them into what needs to be done in the days, in the weeks, and the months. Then they get crossed off. If one thing gets moved over to the next month, then that's fine, so be it.
But eventually, by the end of the year, I like to have everything crossed off and done. Or a reason next to it as to why I haven't done it. So just being as organized as possible and then have that. And have anything in your Google mail. Like I'm a nightmare because I'll be like, "Oh, god, I forgot to put that in. Paul's like, "Oh, Stace, what are you doing?"
I'm really bad for travel booking myself as well.
Sarah: Happens.
Stacey: Bad times recently. But ...
Sarah: Are you a paper person? Or a digital person? 'Cause I know a lot of the times people have a specific system for what they like to do. Like I have a Google calendar and that kind of stuff. But I still feel like I have to physically write stuff on a bit of paper, otherwise, it doesn't go in my brain. But then I lose the paper. This is-
Stacey: This is why I have a book.
Sarah: The problem. Yeah, but then I'd lose-
Stacey: This is why I have like the bible that comes with-
Sarah: The bible book.
Stacey: Me everywhere. Yeah. So it's a book. I've always done it, like ever since I started here at X-POLE. Say, what, 13, 14 years, however long. I've always had just a book with me and just scribble your notes in and everything else. Yeah, pen and paper for me.
I'm not very good with technology. It kind of dies on me quite a bit. So yeah, if it's written down, then I'm good to go.
Sarah: I've seen you building XPERT manuals, you can't say that you're not good at tech. You're all sorts.
Stacey: Yeah. How many times do I then ring you crying that I've lost it?
Sarah: It's happened a couple of times. Not gonna lie, it's happened a couple of times. But we've pulled it back, so I think you're all right.
Stacey: Yeah. I think as well, the other thing with the time management is that I feel like I've got better this year. But you do need to make some personal time. I was really, really bad at that. Just because I've always been really scared of missing an opportunity. Or, oh, if I don't do this I might not get the opportunity again. Or if I don't do that.
You know what? I think as I've got a bit older, 'cause I'm creeping towards 40, as you know. As I've got a bit older, I've got a little bit more ... like if I miss something, it's fine. It is what it is.
I have to be a lot less stressed about it than I used to be. If they really, really want me and they want the opportunity and they want to work with me, then they'll wait for me, kind of thing.
I know it sounds a bit not the best way of doing it, but I've had to because otherwise, yeah, I just couldn't fit everything in. And the kids and Paul. Yeah, so-
Sarah: I think there's so many opportunities now. Like back in the day, there was only like a few events a year that everyone would get involved in. And there was only limited spaces of people that could be involved in those. And this, that, and the other.
And now there's so many opportunities and so many events and camps and competitions and everything. If you said yes to everything, 'cause everyone wants to be a part of it and everyone wants a piece of you. Because they've seen your success in previous things.
It's like, "Oh, just pop along and do a bit of judging." Or, "Can we borrow your truss? Or can we do this?" And they think it's just a small block of your time. But it's actually the planning of it, it's the going back and forth with emails. It's the travelling to and from the event. It's the time at the event.
So even if it's a small event, it can take a lot out of your personal time. I think people respect that now. They see how busy you are. So they can't expect you to do everything.
Stacey: Yeah, I mean it's hard though 'cause I always still feel really grateful that people still ask me to judge. Like after all these years, I kind of think, really? You still want me?
I do pole on the odd occasion, but as you know, very little. But I kind of like ... I'm still always grateful when people ask me to judge or be involved or do this or do that. 'Cause it just means that people still want you to be part of their event. It's nice.
I still enjoy doing what I do. I still really, really enjoy going out judging and going out helping an event become an idea to actually being there on the stage.
So it's exciting and I love that there's so many events out there now. It's good. It's good for the industry.
Sarah: You gave me some of my first feedback in my first competitions. Which has stayed with me forever. It was blunt, it was firm, but it was to the point. Can you remember what I'm talking about?
Stacey: I feel like it was something like, "Put some sparkle in your life. Don't ever wear that ever again."
Sarah: Yeah, little bit. I pretty much wore a sports bra to do a competition and you were not impressed. You were like, "If you ever wear that on stage again, I will be livid." Then the next competition, I covered the whole thing in sparkles.
Stacey: And it was glorious.
Sarah: And it was-
Stacey: Might I add.
Sarah: It was glorious. It was so heavy.
Stacey: You do know that was like 10 years ago, right?
Sarah: I know. Making me feel old. But no, it did help. You've always given great feedback. But you've always been very honest, as well. It's constructive, constructive but fair.
Stacey: Well, I know I can be quite brutal sometimes. I know I'm a bit of a nightmare like that. I can be quite brutal. But I never mean anything in a horrible way.
When you're giving feedback, and actually I messaged a contestant. I judged You Filthy Amateur at the weekend, which by the way was amazing. Emma Coffee did an awesome job.
Sarah: I've seen her awesome videos and pictures come out of that already. I'm so glad I didn't see it.
Stacey: It was wonderful. But I emailed a contestant this morning actually just to say how much actually ... she didn't win. But I messaged her to say how glorious I thought she was. And that please take my feedback on board. She was like, "Oh, that's amazing. Thank you so much. It's really nice for you to message."
It was more ... we won't get into it 'cause it's quite controversial. It's more about having your bruises on the show. But we won't get into that.
Sarah: Oh, for that, yes.
Stacey: But yeah, it was amazing. Just yeah, I love being able to give people feedback and I love being able to ... basically them to be able to take it on and take it in a positive light. And be like, "Well, actually, yeah. You know I do need to do that and I can work on that."
I think that's the point of having feedback is that you can take it away. As long as it's constructive and you can use it, then you don't mind that you haven't got in or you haven't won, but you've got something solid there that you can go off and make things better.
Sarah: Definitely. Yeah. It's receiving the information in the right way. Sometimes it's difficult from a judge's perspective. You're scribbling it down really quickly because you've only got three minutes to watch it, write it down. Then the next person's rolling on.
So sometimes it's written in maybe quite a shorthand way. But the reason back behind it is actually something that's really like, "Oh, it was really positive, but just do this little thing." But it can come across quite blunt sometimes. But yeah.
Stacey: Well, I've always tried to say to people, if you have a problem with my feedback, come speak to me. Because a lot of the time, it is just that. I haven't had enough time to write stuff. It's just been like ... I can't remember what.
I'm sure it was Kassia Portas I said once. Something like "I can't stand your music." And it wasn't that I didn't see her, I just wasn't a fan of the music. I just wrote it down. She's like, "Oh, that's it." And smile more. 'Cause she always used to be really quite straight faced. I was just like, just smile more. Then so the next routine, she had this big grin on her face.
Sarah: I remember that.
Stacey: It's not that we're being mean, it's just that that's what we see at the time and at that performance and in that moment. It's nice, we get front row seats. We get front row seats to your show, it's awesome.
Sarah: Yup. Yeah, front ... sorry, my dog is barking at something. He never barks at anything and he's taking this opportunity to bark. Rio, shush. Hopefully that'll do it.
Stacey: Got that.
Sarah: Epic dog trainer here. Yeah, I was front row for Dance Filthy, one of the best days of my life. It was glorious. I loved it, absolutely loved it.
Harriet Wolf wants to know, what's your fave thing about running comps? And what is your least favorite?
Stacey: My favorite thing about running comps is giving people a space to be creative in a safe environment. So I run such different types of comps from ones where you're too filthy for Sheffield, bless them. Ones that are super filthy, super dirty, but fun. Again, in a safe environment.
To ones that are artistic. Between Dance Filthy pole theater, pole art, they're all such different comps. So I love that I can basically give this space and good stages to people. So they can really just create an amazing piece and really pour their souls out on stage.
My biggest one is when ... I actually love it when the amateurs go on stage because they come off stage and usually the first thing is, I get grabbed hold of and they give me a big hug and they cry. You know I'm a crier at competitions. I love a good cry.
Sarah: You get quite emotional.
Stacey: Yeah, it's just seeing them really just have this adrenaline and the buzz and the confidence. I've watched from when I used to run UK amateur pole performer, some of the girls that were in there as amateurs and now Carrie Summers, She's an international superstar. Bendy Kate is another one. She started in UK pole performers.
It's incredible to watch everyone's journey. I think that's what I like. I like having that space for them to do it.
What I dislike-
Sarah: And least ... yeah, it was like, yeah, enough. That's cool, yeah. Least favorite? The juicy stuff.
Stacey: So most people know I love social media for the positives, but I don't like social media for negatives. So I do not like people who don't come and speak to me face to face about stuff. Sadly, you find not everyone's gonna be happy with their performance. Things go wrong, things happen.
So what I don't like is people not understanding situations and then going on social media, ranting away. So I think that's my least is probably I'm not really a fan of negative comments. I don't think it's necessary. And it upsets me. I am human. I know people don't think that. But I am human.
See I think that's my least is people not being happy. 'Cause I'm a people pleaser. I like to make everyone happy and I want everyone to have a good experience on stage. So if they don't, that makes me sad. So yeah.
Sarah: Yeah.
Stacey: That's my least.
Sarah: That's a good one. That definitely can be understanded. Yeah, I think the social media thing is definitely two sided coin. There's definitely a huge amount of positives to it. It's great that people can voice their opinion on stuff. But yeah, sometimes it's not necessarily the right platform to get.
'Cause sometimes it can be taken ... like text can be misconstrued. It can be said in quite an emotional point. So things can get ... and then everyone jumps on board and there's threads, and threads, and threads.
Stacey: Yeah.
Sarah: If it's literally just more of a private conversation, a lot of the time it can just be dealt with more professionally. And also that there's a better outcome to it than things escalating, which can happen on social media quite easily.
Stacey: It's nice to be nice. I say that all the time. I say that to everyone. I say that to my kids, I say that to my staff, I say it to everyone. It's nice to be nice. If you're nice about things, you will get a lot more out of me if you're nice.
If you start with, "I'm disgusted." Then my back is gonna be straight up straight away. I think that's just human nature, isn't it? I love feedback, I'm grateful. In fact, I ask loads of people to give me feedback about pole weekender and I got loads of emails in. It was like, "It's awesome, but you couldn't have done this, you could've done that. The lighting for amateurs wasn't as good. But that got sorted out for the pros and dot, dot, dot."
So there was loads of feedback, which is all stuff that we can work on. But there was no massive negative stuff, so it was nice. Because then I could take that and make everything better. So yeah, it swings around about sometimes.
Sarah: Exactly, exactly. Dan did actually do some quite good questions here. He said, "How much has the industry changed since you started?" Do you like the direction that it's going? Or I would like to say, what direction do you think it's going? You can answer that as you want.
Stacey: Oh, wow. Actually I love the direction it's going in. Yeah, I think it's incredible. I think that you ... I kind of feel like we've done a big full circle with our industry actually. And that you can be whatever you want to be.
So on a Monday, you can be a bit slutty and on a Tuesday, you can be artistic. On a Wednesday, you can be sporty, and on a Thursday, you can be whatever you like. Doesn't really matter.
Sarah: Exactly.
Stacey: I think that's what I love about it. Is that we've done this over what, oh, god, too long. 10 plus years. It went from kind of out of the strip clubs because that's where it did originate. It came out into the fitness. Then so we've gone from everyone being like, "Yeah, I'm a stripper." Which is awesome. Then everyone going, "No, no. I'm fitness, I'm gonna be this."
To then again, a big circle. It just keeps rotating. What everyone likes, it just keeps changing. And everyone, one minute stripper star. Then it's not. Then it's fitness. Then it's sport. Then it's this, then it's back stripper.
So I feel like now we've kind of ... you can chose what you want to do. Does that make sense? I feel like I'm waffling a little bit.
Sarah: Definitely. No, no-
Stacey: But yeah, that's-
Sarah: It definitely makes sense. I remember kind of about that time that eight, nine, 10 years ago, you used to have to say or used to feel like you had to say that you were a pole fitness instructor. If you wanted to get a bank account, I remember having to write a business plan to get a bank account for a studio and you had to be so clear that it was a fitness exercise.
And you had to wear trainers and warm up and now there's a lot more freedom. You can just openly say you're a pole dancer. People can see that it's a legitimate business. People respect sex workers and a lot more of the history of pole and where it came from.
There is a little bit of a fight against it still, but I think most people have come around to the idea that that's happened.
Stacey: I think there's always gonna be a fight against it. But to be honest with you, if it wasn't slightly risque, none of us would be doing it. Let's be honest.
Sarah: Yeah, it's a big part of why people enjoy it is it's because it's a bit taboo. It makes people feel good. It makes people feel sensual. If you strip all that way, a lot of people wouldn't necessarily want to do it.
Stacey: Exactly. So yeah-
Sarah: Strip, ha, excuse the pun.
Stacey: Yeah. Again, it's more that you can choose. You can choose whatever you. So actually I do love our direction and I hope it continues on. I hope as peacefully as we can all do it, just respect what each other are doing.
I'm not particularly a fan of hardcore tricks. Mainly 'cause I can't do them. But I can still appreciate it. I can appreciate when someone bashes out an awesome trick. I'm more a floor person. I love to roll around on the floor, as you know. Just 'cause it's nice and safe down there.
Sarah: Floor dancing, yeah.
Stacey: Floor dancing.
Sarah: I'm a floor dancer. Roll around on the floor.
Stacey: I'm totally gonna use that next time. I'm not a pole dancer, I'm a floor dancer.
Sarah: I'm a floor dancer. Not even a dancer. We don't even stand up. We literally just roll around on the floor.
I'm with you. In wintertime, I'm a slippers and fully clothed, I just want to roll around on the floor and not really do a lot.
But it's really difficult and we should do a training on that.
Stacey: We should.
Sarah: Expert training manual next year. Floor dancing, level one.
Stacey: What was the other question that Dan asked? I can't remember.
Sarah: How much has the industry changed since you've started?
Stacey: Loads. Yeah, it's changed so much from standards. Well, I mean, an outside leg hang was advanced when I first started. I was really super advanced. No, it's changed-
Sarah: Those were the days.
Stacey: Massive. Yeah, kind of those days. It's changed massively, but it's changed for the good. We're more safety conscious now. We have the pole safe federation, which is awesome.
We're more business minded. So instead of ... I'd like to think that people look at it more seriously. Rather than just like, "Oh, yeah, I'm gonna go and be a pole dance instructor." They kind of think, "Oh, actually, this is a business and we're gonna setup a business for that."
Which I like that. I like that it's being taken more seriously. As you know, I'm heavily involved in the fitness industry as well with XPERT. When we first started XPERT six, seven years ago, people would be like, "Oh, yeah, pole dancing. You're never gonna get anywhere." And now we've won awards and we get everyone's like, "Oh, yeah, it's the XPERT girls. They're great." And all this.
So it's definitely, it's a good change and a good transition, for sure.
Sarah: Yeah. How many countries is XPERT taught in now? Do you know? I know you've been looking at all of the stats recently.
Stacey: Oh, yeah, it's accounting time sadly. A lot.
Sarah: 'Cause you listed off like one weekend, there was like a ridiculous number of trainings going on in one weekend. And you were like, "This is where we're teaching this weekend." It was like global, absolutely global.
And not many of the fitness companies that I've seen when we've done fitness expos and stuff, most of them barely crack Europe. So yeah, I think definitely people are taking it more seriously. It's like, "Oh, you are in everywhere."
Stacey: Yeah, we really are everywhere. From China to Asia like Philippines. We're just about to go to Japan, which is incredible. We're in Hong Kong a lot. Just all over China.
Well, I'd like to get more into Australia. We do the odd one. But New Zealand 'cause we have Karrie over there. Then obviously Europe has been a crazy. You're going to Estonia soon.
Sarah: I am, yeah.
Stacey: Which is fast, which is awesome.
Sarah: I did the first one in Thailand as well. We did the first one in Thailand this year.
Stacey: Yeah, first one in Thailand.
Sarah: It's just, I feel like there's less people ... when you said you're pole dance instructor, less people go, "Oh, is that like a thing?" Less people say that now.
Or they think like ... I used to get a lot of comments like, "Do you think it's gonna last? Do you think it's a longterm thing?" Like it was really seen as a short term fad. And it just keeps getting ... it just keeps going on and on and on.
I can't see it ending now because it's so much ingrained into people's lifestyles. I can't see people being able to switch off from it. Especially not the pole tattoos I've had-
Stacey: So I have to-
Sarah: Like seen around, there's a lot of pole tattoos going on. Like you've really got to commit to it to be getting stuff like that.
Stacey: I saw, I think it's Natasha, did an amazing routine at the weekend and she has your logo up the side of her leg. I spotted that straight off. I thought, "Oh, if only Sarah was here."
Sarah: Blown away when people get that. I'm like, "You are ..." I feel guilty. I think I should get it done because all these people have got these amazing tattoos. I'm like, do I need to do that?
Stacey: Maybe we can get drunk next year and go get matching tattoos. I don't know.
Sarah: Let's do it. I'm definitely up for that.
Stacey: I'm down. Anyway, let's get back on 'cause-
Sarah: Yes, focus. Not a private phone call, focus.
Stacey: Yeah, I can't remember what we were saying now. Go on, carry on.
Sarah: I've got another question. Well, we'll segue off into a new one, it's fine. Again, from Dan. Dan basically wrote this for me. Thanks, Dan.
Would you want your kids to go into the industry and take over from you in the future? The Snedden empire of pole dancing. Would you get them involved? 'Cause they're always at all the events. They would know how to run it now probably.
Stacey: Anyone who's met my kids, which is quite a few, will know that they're as bossy as I am. Jacob often is the one that's showing contestants around as to where their dressing rooms are.
Sarah: With the clipboard. Regardless of whether it has anything on it or not. He's ready.
Stacey: Ronny loves to be up on stage. Usually he does the raffles. He's in charge of the raffles in most competitions.
Sarah: They performed at pole theater, professional. This year with Brandon Grim. Not many people can say they've done that.
Stacey: I don't know. Well, I think Jacob would be more interested going into the industry. He loves circus. He still goes to the odd class when he's not being a karate crazy child.
But yeah, I wouldn't mind them going in the industry. I think I would definitely ... I never want to be one of these pushy moms that'd be like, "You are taking over the business. You will take over."
But if they wanted to, I wouldn't be adverse to it, for sure. I think it would be a good thing. I do think, god help the pole world though if they did. 'Cause they're way more bossier than I am.
Sarah: And they're just used to being surrounded by beautiful women.
Stacey: All the time.
Sarah: They're so confident. They're like the most confident, they're like tiny miniature adults. It's quite scary when you speak to them. They're just like ...
Stacey: Well, I'm gonna embarrass Jacob now 'cause I think he's got a crush on Mimi 'cause every time he sees Mimi, he's like, "Hi, Mimi."
Sarah: Oh.
Stacey: Very cute.
Sarah: My goodness. The new pole celebrity couple coming up the ranks. That would be very cute.
Stacey: It would be.
Sarah: Right. I'm gonna finish with one more question. Because we are actually ... I don't even know how long we've been talking. Like 30 minutes, we're doing quite well. I know you're actually at work and so Clive will tell me off if I just take you away for my very important podcast.
This is from Vicky and she wanted to know, "Are you game to start up a service where she sorts you out when you're having a flap? She did this for me at Dance Filthy and to be honest, I could do with just having someone to do that for me most days." And you are known as the flap sorter. That's the wrong word.
If anyone's having a problem or an issue or some drama's going on, nine times out of 10, you're having to deal with it. Like someone's phoning you up or you're calming people down. Think you could, not necessarily monetize it because that doesn't necessarily sound as charitable as what you do at the moment.
Stacey: Bless her. So Vick's was having a bit of a major meltdown at Dance Filthy. Her costume wasn't going right. So the thing is, I'm quite a doer, so I got down on my knees.
I basically was sorting her knickers out for her. Making sure that they looked good. Taping her in, getting right in there. We just kind of looked up at each other and she was like, "Thank you."
Sarah: And she went on to win.
Stacey: And she went off to win.
Sarah: And she looked amazing. The costume, you would not know, but 10, 15, I don't know how long before she actually went on stage, it was completely misfitting. Because she hadn't tried it on or it just arrived or something. But you would have not have known 'cause she looked absolutely calm. She owned it and she won.
Stacey: Yes, she was amazing. I think she was more having a stress than anything else. I think if she just took a bit of a breath. But to be honest with you, I've competed once in my life, never again, can I just add that. It's the most stressful thing ever. Yeah, I mean I don't know how everyone does it.
But bless her, she just needed a bit of a sensible head where someone would just come in and do it for her. Then she was fine and she was all right after that. And I gave her a bit of a hug and all was good. Everything can be resolved with a hug, as far as I'm concerned.
Sarah: And old pictures of boobs, which we do sometimes...
Stacey: Yeah, I have a very big folder.
Sarah: Very big folder. Leah's involved in that. There's quite a few of us. I mean I recommend anyone to send anyone each other pictures of boobs if you're having a bad day. 'Cause it really just brightens up the day, for sure.
Stacey: It definitely brightens the day up. But yeah, I don't mind helping anyone. I think that if anyone needs help, as you know, if anyone needs help or advice, if I can give it, I will. So you know.
Sarah: You've helped me many, many times. Some of the things we cannot discuss on the podcast, which is why we did this sober at work, so that those things couldn't come out.
Stacey: I feel like they're gonna demand a drunk version now.
Sarah: We should do a drunk version. When we next do a trip together. We should've done a pod ... well, I don't think I was doing it at the time. We should've done one when we were in Vegas. The Vegas podcast.
Stacey: Was that before or after we pretended to be on the Titanic when there was a hurricane going on?
Sarah: We're already going into dirty water. Stay well away from that discussion. In fact, well, I leave you to get back to work. I know you've got pole theater pro and semi pro closing dates, deadlines?
Stacey: So we've got pole theater amateur coming up on the 9th of Feb. So all the contestants have been announced. But lots of tickets. We have on the Friday before, the 8th, we've got a big seminar day with loads of seminars.
We've got Expert spotting classes coming up and all sorts. So that's gonna be on the Friday before. Then we have the comp on the Saturday, which is gonna be epic.
Sarah: Yeah.
Stacey: Dance Filthy applications have just been announced.
Sarah: Skeggers.
Stacey: So they are out now. Then we have the pole theater pro and semi pro, so they are due on ... you've got until the 15th of Jan to get those applications in. So yeah, there's a big newsletter going out over the next couple of days.
Sarah: That you wrote out yesterday in the bath. So we know that was written naked. So that's good.
Stacey: Oh. So yeah, that's it so far.
Sarah: So far.
Stacey: But there's lots more coming.
Sarah: That's like a glimpse into what's gonna be going on with you next year. But awesome. Thank you very much for giving me some of your time. We'll have a chat in a bit. Love you.
Stacey: Love you.
Sarah: Bye!
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