Queen Nkpubre is dedicated to nurturing Flirty Fitness- a space where Nigerian women can freely explore their sensuality through pole dancing. “I noticed that women express a certain level of discomfort when they exercise in the same spaces as men and it made them less likely to return to the gym. So I decided to do something about it,” she said.
This article covers Queen Nkpubre’s experience running Flirty Fitness and valuable lessons you can learn and apply in your journey through life.
What is the drive behind Flirty Fitness?
First of all, women are running the world and we need to empower ourselves to run it well by staying healthy. Women also statistically live longer than men and tend to have more health-related issues in old age. So while we are living longer, we are living poorer lives.
Women take care of everybody and sometimes it is to our own detriment. We take care of the kids, husbands, extended family members, you know, everyone! There is this famous saying that you can’t take care of anyone properly until you take care of yourself and I strongly agree. Dance is a great way to unwind and take care of ourselves. It is something that we can happily lose ourselves in and be energised by.
Another important thing is that our bodies are constantly changing- from puberty to pregnancy to menopause- it is easy for us to lose touch with our sensuality, our confidence and our beauty. So an activity like pole dancing is a good way to keep those core parts of ourselves alive.
What is a common misconception people have about pole dancing?
People still associate it with stripping. The stigma around pole dancing keeps “respectable” people from trying it out. Even when they do, they do not want their pictures to be taken or shared online and I understand that. Still, there are people that are bold about it because appeals to their adventurous side.
What are some lessons we can learn from your experience with Flirty Fitness?
- Be at the forefront of your brand: Don’t shy away from your brand, if anything, pitch your brand. Have enough confidence in your brand to passionately advocate for it in spaces you think it should be in. Be ready to do the backend and frontend work. Don’t hide.
- Be sure about your why: Before you go into anything, you should know why you want it. Do not start something just because it is trendy or it seems like it will gain popularity. You need to be very sure because there are things that will discourage you. If you are sure of your “why” even when those challenges come, they won’t make you give up easily.
- Ask for feedback: It is so easy to be so caught up in the process of what you are doing. When this happens you may not easily see some things that someone removed from the process may notice. We all have blind spots no matter how smart we may be.
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