As a sport and fitness regimen, pole fitness is beginning to garner genuine respect and admiration from people around the world.
Jen Avison Smith is a beautiful and talented pole fitness instructor who has become a shining light in the lives of her students across the city of Las Vegas and beyond.
Catch her on Instagram: @poletrotters, @jenavisonsmith, and @avisonventures.
Here’s what you should know about Jen, her views on pole fitness, her stance on self-love, and what the future holds for her as a dancer.
LoveTravelBeauty: What got you started with pole fitness and how long have you been doing it?
Jen: I’ve been doing pole fitness since I was 25 years old, so about six years now. My best friend got a pole in her living room and said, “Do you want to try it?”
I was like, “You know, sure. This sounds like a cool thing to try.”
And I was instantly obsessed with it. We took a class at a studio in Chatsworth, California, and loved it.
I loved the people, I loved the structure, I loved how challenging it was, and I made it my mission to make [pole] my sport ever since.
Other sports weren’t as satisfying to me up until that point.
LoveTravelBeauty: I know you previously taught Zumba back in the day, but which other sports are you referring to?
Jen: I played volleyball – and I didn’t like it. I don’t like team sports. I didn’t enjoy volleyball, but I played it for almost 10 years.
Before that, I played soccer, which I also didn’t like because I’m a very slow runner and I didn’t like the girls I played with. It was a whole thing.
I did track and field for a year and hated that.
I tried hot yoga, which I loved, but the studio where I was learning closed down, so I never progressed to becoming a yoga instructor.
I tried a lot of sports and did them for different periods of time, but didn’t love any of them like this.
LoveTravelBeauty: Your background in athletics is incredible, even though a lot of those sports weren’t meant for you in the long haul.
Ultimately, it’s wonderful that you connected with pole fitness on such an intrinsic level over the last six years. In your opinion, what are the highs and lows of being a fitness instructor?
Jen: For a high point, seeing somebody succeed at something they’ve been working at, whether it’s a move or choreography they want to master, seeing somebody take pride in their accomplishments and feeling like I had a part to play? That’s the most satisfying high point.
Watching people become more confident – even if I didn’t directly encourage it – and witnessing that growth is a huge plus as an instructor.
Some of the lows are… There aren’t too many of them, really. I mean, you’ve got your petty drama here and there, but that comes with everything.
Sometimes, it can also be a little grueling to demonstrate things over and over again. You work your body so hard, especially if you teach 10, 11, 12, or more classes a week.
It can be really exhausting. But, then you just take a break like everything else. You gotta have your off days. Those are probably my highs and lows.
LoveTravelBeauty: Understood. Are there any dancers who’ve inspired you along the way?
Jen: Yes, there are quite a few. I love Judy Gray, her Instagram handle is @Coffee_Pole.
She is an instructor in San Francisco, she’s won competitions, she has the most amazing style, and she has the best work ethic around. She also takes nobody’s bullsh**.
LoveTravelBeauty: As a pole fitness teacher?
Jen: As a teacher, as a person, as an internet user. She doesn’t let anybody dictate her thoughts, her feelings, her opinions.
She has no tolerance for crap from anybody and I really respect that. I also really love Marlo Fisken. Her Instagram handle is @MarloFisken.
Everybody loves Marlo Fisken, though, because she’s the queen of being loose and flowy.
LoveTravelBeauty: Sweet! Heading over to follow their IG pages as soon as we are done with this interview! So… You are in great shape!
What nutrition and exercise tips do you have for people who aspire to look like you? Aside from pole fitness?
Jen: That’s difficult because no one is ever going to look like me. You’re only going to look like you. I don’t do a lot outside of pole the achieve physique I have.
Even then, I can still see areas where I can improve. To answer your question, I don’t really snack almost ever.
I eat three times a day, if that’s a tangible answer. A solid three meals a day.
I don’t drink carbonated stuff. I don’t drink Lacroix, sparkling waters, or soda. I just never have.
Those are the things I don’t do.
There’s going to be a different version of being in great shape to everybody and it’s going to rob you of your happiness to try to look like somebody else. You know what I mean?
LoveTravelBeauty: Absolutely.
Jen: Try to look like the best version of yourself and just be confident in knowing no one else can do that. That’s all you’ll need to do!
LoveTravelBeauty: I feel like that’s such a perfect answer, honestly. What’s your go-to song on the pole and what’s your favorite trick?
Jen: My go-to song isn’t super traditional. It’s “Confidently Lost” by Sabrina Claudio. It’s a very moody song.
LoveTravelBeauty: She has the most beautiful voice. It’s very angelic.
Jen: It is, it is. When I play that song, I feel like nothing can go wrong in my life and that, I think, is what inspires me to be athletic and creative, and not get in my own way. That’s my song.
My favorite trick is probably the next one I have to master. Just because I’m always so hyped on whatever I’m doing next.
I’m working on my handsprings. I have it on one side, but not the other. So, whatever trick I’m currently working on is my favorite trick because then I’m inspired to make it perfect.
LoveTravelBeauty: I’m excited to see your perfected handsprings soon enough! How do you see pole fitness playing out in your future?
Jen: I’ll be teaching it for the rest of my life, probably. There are pole classes for women who are 45 years old and up. Women who are getting started with pole at a later stage in life.
There are really calm flow classes, so I’ll probably teach pole forever. I’ll do it on a really basic level until my body won’t let me anymore.
Even then, I’ll transition into doing something similar like flow yoga classes. It will always be part of my life, probably in a teaching capacity.
LoveTravelBeauty: Okay, last question. Pole fitness has become a beacon of self-love for individuals of all shapes and sizes around the world. What does self-love mean to you?
Jen: Self-love is not comparing myself to other people, only focusing on my goals and what I’m trying to accomplish, and then being satisfied and proud of those accomplishments.
It doesn’t have to be a career move, it could be like, “Hey! I didn’t weigh myself today!”
Or I didn’t do some wardrobe trick to hide some part of myself that I don’t like.
It’s not looking at other people as competition but as inspiration, because then you free yourself of the need to be like anyone else.
Self-love is not letting comparison be the thief of joy.
LoveTravelBeauty: Fabulous! Thank you for opening up about pole fitness, self-love, and your future plans in such a beautiful industry. Additionally, thank you for continuing to be such an inspiring individual in the fitness realm.
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Follow Jen on Instagram @poletrotters, @jenavisonsmith, and @avisonventures to keep up with her updates.
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