Two Years on the Pole, Three Years Celibate

Two Years on the Pole, Three Years Celibate

From Love-ly: Exploring Modern Relationships by Immigrantly Media

July 17, 2026 · 54 min

About this episode

Yana shares her experiences working in a Toronto strip club and discusses her journey of self-discovery and celibacy.

This week, Mehak sits down with her close friend Yana — Ukrainian artist and former midnight ballerina— to unpack the two and a half years she spent working at one of downtown Toronto's most iconic strip clubs, and everything that chapter taught her about men, money, and herself. Yana sets the record straight on the women behind the stage, recounts the one boundary that was violated once and never again, and explains how she could be the "bitchiest bitch" to men at the club—because why wouldn't she be?? She opens up about how former partners reacted to her past — and why she now treats it as a privilege not everyone earns the right to know. Plus, how she’s dating now, celibacy as discipline, de-centering men, and the lesson she's still learning: you'll always get more love from within than from seeking it in someone else. You can find Yana @yanamyart on Instagram Hosted by: Mehak @whathemehak on TikTok | @whathemehak_ on IG Credits: Producer: Shei Yu | Content Writer: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin | Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan Subscribe & Listen to Love-ly on Apple…

People in this episode

Host: Mehak

Guest: Yana

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Immigrantly Media

Books & works: Love-ly

Places: Toronto

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