I was interviewed by Cecilia Villero for her podcast, The Raw Bar . Cecilia is a Pleasure & Sexuality Educator and also a beautiful magical mermaid. Our conversation centers around why feminism must include sex workers, and how sex workers are, as they've always been, on the frontiers of radical feminism. This episode is bubbly and fun, and/but also contains descriptions of anti-femme and anti-Asian violence. Follow A Stripper's Guide on Instagram Follow Cecilia on Instagram Visit AStrippers...
Mar 21, 2022•57 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Both sex workers and fat people must contend with a mainstream culture that feels entitled to our bodies in a way that is violent, objectifying, and dehumanizing. I wanted to explore this connection because it’s an important overlap that allows us to very clearly examine root causes. In the second half of this 2-part episode, me and my guest, Erica Sosa, look at just some of the real world effects of discrimination against both sex workers and fat folks. Check out my accompanying blog post, “Dec...
Mar 14, 2022•47 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Both sex workers and fat people must contend with a mainstream culture that feels entitled to our bodies in a way that is violent, objectifying, and dehumanizing. I wanted to explore this connection because it’s an important overlap that allows us to very clearly examine root causes. In this 2-part episode, me and my guest, Erica Sosa, look at how media representations of both sex workers and fat folks reflects and perpetuates social stigma. Check out my accompanying blog post, “Decolonize Sexy”...
Mar 07, 2022•48 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Many strippers know what it's like to be with a romantic partner who becomes jealous and possessive about our jobs. Actually, unfortunately, this happens to femmes and women across every single labor sector, not just the sex industry. That's because the problem's not us or our jobs. The problem is misogyny.
Feb 28, 2022•37 min•Season 3Ep. 7
The phrase “daddy issues” often gets thrown around as a joke or a meme. Maybe it rubs you the wrong way, and maybe you can’t even explain why. If that sounds familiar, allow me and my guest, Tanesha (Fecund Maiden), to help you put your finger on! Join us for this deep-dish analysis of the early 2000s B-rate movie classic, Coyote Ugly, to unearth the issue with daddy issues. (You do not have to have seen this film to enjoy this episode!) Read The Daddy Issue blog post here Follow A Stripper's Gu...
Feb 21, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Do your love affairs feel like emotional roller coasters? Do you feel like you have to hide parts of yourself to please your partner(s)? Do you know you need to cut someone out of your life, but always seem to find excuses to let them back in? Then tune in. This is a recording of a real Breakup Coaching session between me and my client, Genie. Genie is a fabulous, independent femme who is ready to leave her 5-year toxic relationship behind (for real) and embrace her full, complex, glorious self....
Jan 31, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Cera Byer of Intuitive Edge Coaching joins me for a thorough exploration of infidelity--part 2! We talk about why people cheat and some signs to look for, but most of this episode is focused on survivors of infidelity, like us. Cheating can be physical, sure. But it can also be emotional, and even digital. If you've been cheated on, or feel like you've been cheated on, this episode's for you. Go back and listen to Part 1 for the whole experience! Life After Cheating Need some support in your inf...
Jan 24, 2022•36 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Cera Byer of Intuitive Edge Coaching joins me for a thorough exploration of infidelity. We talk about why people cheat and some signs to look for, but most of this episode is focused on survivors of infidelity, like us. Cheating can be physical, sure. But it can also be emotional, and even digital. If you've been cheated on, or feel like you've been cheated on, this episode's for you. Part 2 coming next Monday, January 24! Life After Cheating Need some support in your infidelity recovery? I crea...
Jan 17, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Our relationships are either a reflection of the oppressive society we already live in, or a reflection of the liberated society we dream up. Season 3 of A Stripper's Guide Podcast is all about relationships--the romantic kind. Highlights from this season include: a two-part special on infidelity, a deep-dive into dating as a sex worker, a live recording of a Breakup Coaching session where I coach a client through the aftermath of a toxic relationship, and some incredible guests, both new and ol...
Jan 17, 2022•3 min
Sex workers around the globe are fighting for their rights, not only to work, but to live, free from fear and stigma.In this season finale episode, my very special guest, Ariela Moscowitz of Decriminalize Sex Work , breaks down the four different legal frameworks for sex work, and explains why Full Decriminalization is the only viable option. Let's stay connected! Join my free newsletter , follow me on Instagram , and visit astrippersguide.com for resources & offerings. Leilah Founder of A S...
Dec 06, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Wanna hear about the time I made an ass of myself by joining a network marketing pyramid scheme and trying to sell fitness products to all my friends?! Tune in now! White supremacy so often takes on the chilling disguise of "wellness" and "spirituality". My guest this week, Tatum Fjerstad , and I (both white cis women) have each had experiences in abusive, white-dominated "wellness" communities. In this episode, we break down some of the ways we both were harmed by, and caused harm, in these env...
Nov 29, 2021•1 hr 24 min•Season 2Ep. 12
" I'm a belly dancer, not a stripper!" Think again, bb. Over the past half century, both belly dance and pole dance have become wildly popular industries. Now, the popularity of dances like twerk and dancehall are on the rise. The power in these industries concentrates in the hands of white women, rather than the cultural knowledge-holders of the dances in question. In this very special episode, I am joined by Tanesha , my colleague in erotic movement, to discuss racism and anti-sex worker stigm...
Nov 22, 2021•1 hr 21 min•Season 2Ep. 11
You ever think about your finances and feel slightly sweaty, dizzy, or nauseous? Does the word "budget" send you into a tailspin, or cause you to immediately run for the hills? Cera Byer , life coach and anti-capitalist business coach, joins the pod to talk about what it means to develop a magical (and even pleasurable!) relationship with money, no matter what your income level. Wanna get involved with A Stripper's Guide? Here's how: Sign up for A Stripper's Guide newsletter Follow A Stripper's ...
Nov 15, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Season 2Ep. 10
#FemmesAreAllowed to feel erotically empowered. We don't owe anyone anything. Our erotic energy is ours. Sometimes it's sexual, but it's so much more than that. Join me and my incredible guest, pole dancer and AIDS activist Dey Phoenix. We discuss how both stripping and practicing magic have helped us each recognize and embrace our power as femmes, creators, community members, and helped us embody our values of anti-oppression. Tangents include crusty vampires and an in-depth analysis for why Me...
Nov 08, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Season 2Ep. 9
CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses gender violence, partner abuse, and sexual assault. If these are difficult subjects for you, you may want to skip this one <3 #FemmesAreAllowed to survive. When I was 29, and in an abusive relationship, I got a tattoo for my abuser. When I was 32, I got it covered up. My guest on this episode, Lina Aquino, is the artist who did the coverup. Tune in to hear the story, and to learn more about why the world needs feminist, trauma-informed tattoo artists li...
Oct 18, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 6
#FemmesAreAllowed to be slutty! This week on SGP, writer, comedian, and self-proclaimed Fat Slut, Alison Stevenson, takes us to school. Alison is the founder of ThickStrip, a strip show celebrating fat femmes. Learn all about the show, why she started it, and the what it means to be a professional slut on OnlyFans versus an unpaid slut on Tinder. Follow Alison on Instagram and Twitter , and sign up for her newsletter here . Follow ThickStrip on Instagram, too! Use the hashtag #FemmesAreAllowed o...
Sep 20, 2021•47 min•Season 2Ep. 2
#FemmesAreAllowed to be queer. Let's talk about queer femme erasure. Season 2 of A Stripper's Guide Podcast kicks off with a conversation between myself and my good buddy & fellow sex worker, Deborah Fritter ( @deborah_borealis on IG). We discuss what it's like to spend a lifetime defending our identities, navigating friendships with cis men, misogyny from other queer people, and the challenges and joys of embracing queerness in our 30s after a lifetime of being presumed straight. Digression...
Sep 18, 2021•45 min•Season 2Ep. 1
This season on A Stripper’s Guide Podcast, my amazing lineup of guests and I will come from many different angles to present, examine, and attack the foundation of one complex problem: within patriarchy, femininity is expected to reduce itself into an impossibly simple shape. Femmes are expected to be either one thing or another; either smart or pretty, either a wife or a lost cause, either a good girl or a bad bitch, etc. When we present as fully nuanced, complicated humans, we are met with chr...
Sep 18, 2021•5 min
Conspiracy theories are inundating our society, scooping up people from all angles of the ideological spectrum, from right-wing QAnon Karens to crunchy-earthy, anti-mask "yoga mommas". And one of the largest group of people caught in the crosshairs are sex workers (not to be confused with sex trafficking victims!). Dive in with me and my guest, Annie McCasland-Pexton, host of The Baby in the Bathwater Podcast , as we walk you to the core of this issue. Wanna get involved with A Stripper's Guide?...
Aug 30, 2021•1 hr 56 min•Season 1Ep. 18
As a thin person, I recognize that I must actively and publicly speak out against fat-shaming. This episode explores how becoming a stripper led me out of the woods of body dysmorphia, and how that brought me into an embodied understanding that all bodies are perfect and beautiful (and also an understanding that I'm gay as heq). For bonus episodes & other exclusive perks, support A Stripper's Guide Podcast on Patreon here :) Resources mentioned this episode: Click here for Aubrey Gordon's es...
Aug 12, 2021•44 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Is "femme" a queer term? Yes. But what makes a person queer? This patriarchal culture puts immense pressure on femininity to "prove" its identity through sex. Speaking from my personal experience as someone who was "presumed" by others to be straight for most of my life, my queerness was (and still is) frequently doubted, and often erased, by both straight people and queer people alike. Wanna get involved with A Stripper's Guide? Join my free newsletter , follow me on Instagram , and visit astri...
Jul 28, 2021•39 min•Season 1Ep. 15
In this episode: If you frequently find yourself in relationships that feel messy, dramatic, or dangerous, I encourage you to give this episode a listen. Me and my good friend Cera Byer talk about identifying and breaking the underlying factors that keep leading you into toxic relationships. To connect with Cera Byer: Check out www.intuitiveedgecoaching.com or click here for her Instagram . To connect with me: Join my free newsletter , follow me on Instagram , and visit astrippersguide.com for r...
Apr 13, 2021•1 hr 32 min•Season 1Ep. 12
In this episode, examine queer misogyny and the epidemic of abuse-enabling within communities that claim to hold sacred the values of social justice. The text version of this episode first appeared in the online publication, Boston Hassle, on January 5th, 2021. In that version, there are resources linked throughout, all of which are accessible through a growing YouTube playlist I’ve created, “Ending Abuse Cycles” . This playlist contains resources for understanding abuser psychology, as well as ...
Jan 27, 2021•15 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Stripper dance, just like the strip club industry, is rife with cultural appropriation. Because we live in a white supremacist capitalist patriarchy, the appropriation of BIPOC dances, specifically within the strip club industry, which actively disenfranchises BIPOC strippers (particularly & especially Black strippers), is nothing short of an act of cultural and interpersonal violence. This panel discussion includes four guests: Joy , a black stripper/pole dancer; dancehall queen Hershey (al...
Nov 06, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 4
In this episode, musician/visual artist/retired stripper/babe extraordinaire, Valley Latini, chats with me about her music, her years as a stripper, her experience navigating her identities with U.S. immigration, and her dedication to the SW community at large. Find Valley Latini on Instagram here and follow her on Spotify here . Let's stay connected! Join my free newsletter , follow me on Instagram , and visit astrippersguide.com for resources & offerings. xo, Leilah Founder of A Stripper's...
Aug 19, 2020•25 min•Season 1Ep. 2
I'm a white stripper. On 7/22/20, I held a discussion panel with V, Tiffany, Chenelle, and Joy (click for her IG), four of my Black/Afro Latinx colleagues, about the rampant and insidious racism in the strip club industry. We break down the unique structure of the strip club industry that protects and proliferates racism. Listen to my colleagues' first-hand experiences, and learn from all of us about what we need from you, whether you're a stripper or civilian. In this critical & historic mo...
Jul 29, 2020•1 hr 41 min•Season 1Ep. 1
