A personal letter from your studio founder

There’s something I need to say — not as your teacher and studio owner, but as a woman who’s walked through fire and still found a way to dance.

Since opening this studio, I’ve been asked more than once:

"What made you build this place?"

And my answer is always the same:

I built this studio because I survived.

I survived abuse.
I survived silence.
I survived manipulation, betrayal, and having my truth twisted until I couldn’t recognize myself in it.

And to be completely honest — I’ve felt a lot of that all over again since opening these doors.

People I trusted lied.
There have been whispers.

Judgments.

Mean girl energy that I thought I left behind in high school.

But here’s what I’ve learned:

You can’t let people who don’t know your heart define your worth.

And you — the women who show up in this studio every week — are walking proof of what it means to keep rising.

This space was built for the women who are done apologizing for existing.
Done playing small to keep the peace.
Done being polite while the world tries to mold them into something safer, quieter, more “acceptable.”

Here, you don’t have to be loud.
You don’t have to be strong.
You don’t have to be confident or sexy or fearless.

You just have to show up.

Raw. Tender. Quiet. Unsure.

Exactly as you are.

That alone is power.
That alone is rebellion.
That alone is enough.

If anyone has made you feel like you don’t belong — in your own skin, in this world, or in this studio — I want you to hear me clearly:

You don’t have to shrink for anyone. Not anymore.

We rise differently in this space.
We rise in softness.
We rise in truth.

So whatever you’re carrying — pain, fear, shame, exhaustion — bring it.
We will meet you exactly where you are.

This studio is your home.

With love, truth, and fire,
Christina Stark
Founder, Innovated Vibe Pole Studio