Cheer to 3 Years!
"3 Full Years of Thrive!"
Whether you’ve been with us since the beginning, or you are brand new, maybe you’re still summoning the courage to walk through our door, or you've finally found yourself on that waitlist, today - I deeply honor and celebrate you.
When the studio was in its earliest stages- I’m talking pre-Covid- when I was a traveling artist popping into other spaces to cover a few week long residencies- I remember thinking a very strong thought (which may come as a shock to you).
“I never want to own a studio.”
And at that time, circa 2016-2019 that was 100% the truth. I was hopping on planes and living in NYC galavanting around in my 20’s. I could barely even stand to be home, here in Sussex County, where I was born and raised, for longer than 24 hours.
But here’s the thing.
We are usually terrified of the things we are destined for.
And because we are messy humans, the very thing that lives so deeply in our heart and soul gets pushed aside in fear if we aren’t ready to claim it.
I remember the exact moment I landed back here in Sussex County and knew it was time to anchor back into my roots; to take over 10 years of working intimately with women and people, 4 of which included living out of a very ugly purple carry-on suitcase, and share it with a space and time that actually did mean so much to me. At that moment, I didn’t know the fully alive body of the studio would live on a street I used to frequent with my mom as a young child (anyone remember Abigail’s and Flowers in the Attic?!) but I did know 2 things…
It was time.
And…
Not everyone would “get” this.
For the year that I prepped signing my name on a dotted line of a lease for our Thrive home, the most common thing I heard was…
“Oh…pole dancing? That’s…. interesting .”
(Anyone else relate to this?)
And with every jab I took, allowing others a generous peek into the fragile stage of conception, I couldn’t help but shift my gaze to those that would call this place, this community, “this pole dancing thing,” a second home.
A place to put down their armor, and meet themselves where they are at.
A place to stop pretending and performing and letting others walk all over their authenticity.
At place to grant yourself permission for possibility, to be weird and awkward, and uncoordinated and feel fucking sexy and relaxed for the first time in a long time.
A place to truly embody gratitude, abundance, pleasure and joy.
And a Coven, to call your own.
These last 3 years have taught me so much about myself. I have asked myself to show up in ways I didn’t even know was possible and the girl who once taught allllll 10 classes we had on the schedule in year 1 and half of year 2, living in a space of “I hope they like this”, now has an INCREDIBLE team of 10, a full time manager, nearly 20 classes weekly, a waitlist that’s hundreds of humans long, and a clear message that speaks loudly to us all-
“Thrive is so much more than a pole dancing studio.”
AND
“You belong here.”
Deep watery, ugly cry gratitude to our incredible team who show up daily to share their gifts, their love for our community and their light with you all, as an extension of me and this mission. We are all fortunate and more expansive to learn from each of them.
Deep gratitude to my mentor and business coach Leslie Lyons, who has championed me to lead loud and fiercely in my authentic and true voice (even when shaky) and stand 10 toes on my values that shift us from surviving to thriving, so that I can do the same for so many others.
Deep gratitude to my wonderful partner, (who literally built our space and is our biggest cheerleader) and continues to provide stability in my expansions, and a soft space to land in my contractions. I’ve never known love and support in this way.
To mom and dad, who both (separately lol) have always given me space to be different, creative and wild… and have shown me how kind I truly can be. Mom has always been the embodiment of free-spirited kindness.
And last but certainly not least;
All of You.
The inhales and exhales that feed and nurture the fully alive vessel that is Thrive Embodied Arts and her community. I could write a book (wink) on the sheer bravery, respect, adoration and vulnerable curiosity that I am so privileged to witness, as an embodied way of life, that so vibrantly lives here in our collective.
What we have tapped into, peeled back, continue to cultivate together... and the channels we have opened for our futures, and the future of communities not yet created, is nothing short of Magick.
Esther Perel shares that “the quality of our lives is directly related to the quality of our relationships.” And I know that means not only the relationships we share with others, but the one we must have with ourselves.
We spent nearly 5 long months incubating during quarantine. For those of you who aren’t familiar with our birth story; I signed our lease March 1, 2020- and we know what happened next when the world shut down.
From 4.5 people allowed in our studio at a time, when we were terrified of human interaction, to now over 120 vibrant members sharing space, I can’t thank you all enough for the way you show up for yourselves and each other here.
It really is just so damn beautiful to watch and be a part of, and I feel like we are just getting started.
I say this at every retreat…
“I will continue to show up to hold space and do the work, for as long as there are people willing to show up and do it with me.”
From the depths of my scorpio heart (which is deeeeeep AF), I truly love you all and find unwavering purpose in guiding women and people to a thriving life of soulful clarity and wholehearted living.
Thank you for an absolutely epic 3 years together, and cheers to many, many more.
BIG, deep love!
Xoxo
Emily Rose and Thrive Embodied Arts
