QUISPAMSIS, N.B. — A New Brunswick woman has lost over 100 pounds and gained new confidence through pole dancing.
When Jessica Wilson had a pole installed in the living room of her Quispamsis, N.B. home, she thought pole dancing would be easy.
“I had no idea, being 300 pounds, you can't lift your body weight if you have no physical background or training,” says Wilson.
It took three months of strength training before Wilson could lift her feet off the ground, but once she did it, she was hooked.
“It was like a snowball effect. Once I got one, I just practiced it all the time and got another one, another one, and that's how it went for me,” she says.
Between pole dancing and changing her eating habits, Wilson has lost 130 pounds. It’s a transformation she says has not just been physical, but mental as well.
Wilson has shared her story on social media and it’s resonated with her followers.
“I decided January of last year to start posting, almost like a pole diary, on Instagram and I had no intentions of my social medias blowing up the way they did,” says Wilson.
She now posts content on Instagram, Youtube and TikTok, where her videos regularly rack up tens of thousands of views. Her most popular has recorded more than 12 million views.
“I get these messages daily. I have a lot of messages saying I'm so inspirational and you're the reason I got my pole or why I started pole dancing,” she says.
Wilson says the response she’s received has given her a sense of purpose.
“I didn't know that's why I was starting my social media, but once I did it's become clear that I want to be what I didn't have when I first started. I really started, I really struggled, so I'm amazed I can be that for some people,” says Wilson.
“I've never felt strong in my life, but pole is such a powerful way to feel strong.”
