Two Years on the Pole, Three Years Celibate

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 Podcasts — $3.99/month or $34.99/year for ad-free episodes and more. Leave a Review: If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify — it helps more people find us. 🔗 Subscribe to Hyphenly, our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. 💌 Share your thoughts: [email protected] Follow Us: 📸 @lovelythepod on IG | @immigrantly on TikTok Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices