In this episode of YAS Podcast, AM Davies (they/them) interviews pole dancer, stripper, and educator Miles Woods (he/him) during the early COVID lockdown. They dig into the ongoing divide between pole studios and strip clubs, and why respecting pole’s stripper origins matters, without forcing everyone into the same identity.

Miles shares how he came up in dance, discovered stripping as a teen, and built his platform around supporting dancers (especially strippers) with practical tools: stage strategy, VIP psychology, hustle mindset, and movement that actually translates into money. He talks about how pole studios can sometimes alienate strippers, not just through “not a stripper” culture, but by treating dancers like entertainment or interrogating them like a spectacle, and why his teaching space is intentionally stripper-centered and safe.

The conversation turns toward labor exploitation in LA clubs, how wage theft and changing laws push dancers into riskier work, and why criminalization creates a “wild west” where safety, sanitation, and consent protections fall apart. Miles and AM compare this to more clearly structured adult-work environments (including an example from Mexico) where expectations are explicit and harm is reduced. They also touch on organizing, community advocacy, and the importance of union power as the industry faces economic instability.

Miles breaks down why “Stripper Bowl” type events often exploit dancers while prioritizing celebrity spectacle, and contrasts that with events created for dancers, like community-centered showcases that build unity across identities. He also shares what it’s like working as a male performer in predominantly female clubs, how he earns support by uplifting dancers, and the realities of male stripping spaces, from professional environments to seedy, unsafe ones.

Stripper Tip (Miles Woods)

Miles’ stripper tip for this moment: adapt and stay connected. Keep client numbers, maintain relationships, and remember you can still “strip from home” by selling the dream creatively. He emphasizes mental health, meditation/manifestation, and broadening what “entertaining” means, because it isn’t just tricks; it’s conversation, presence, and finding what works for each client.