Today we’d like to introduce you to E. Atiya Hodges.
Hi Atiya, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Well, my name is E. Atiya Hodges, and how you know me determines WHO you know. So you might know me as a social worker or a therapist; I may have even been YOUR therapist. Other people know me as a teacher of dance and a performer of the naughty type.
Anyway, I was born in the early summer not long ago but longer than you think in Tallahassee, Florida. I was raised in Roosevelt, Long Island, and finished high school in Tallahassee at the age of 16. I attended Florida State University for my education AND was a member of The Marching 100 at Florida A & M University.
By age 23, I had completed two degrees; Bachelor’s in Psychology, a Master in Social Work, and started my first job. I got married, got licensed in my field then moved to Nashville, TN in 2013 with my husband. When I moved to Nashville I got a job as a therapist and as soon as I got my first paycheck I signed up for pole dance classes (this is important).
Fast forward ten months later I quit my job because it was horrible and I decided (had) to start my own private therapy practice. It takes time to grow a business and I needed money immediately so I also applied to teach pole parties at the studio I took classes.
I got damn good at pole dancing and began performing in public. I met some friends and we founded Nashville’s ONLY all Black Burlesque Troupe (s/o to Back to Black Burlesque) Now it’s 2022, and I have my own group practice (staffed entirely by black women) and completely run by me. I perform ALL over the city and I’m completely self-employed. Everything I have I built from the ground up.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t think there’s even such thing as a completely smooth road, there’s always gonna be obstacles and it’s really just more about how you can handle it. Let’s just say I’m better at handling things now than I was before. There were definitely times where some difficulties have popped up over the course of the years though.
I mean figuring out how to run a private practice was a struggle at times. We weren’t taught the business side of things in school at all so everything I figured out was on my own. There’s actually a lot that goes into running a practice especially if you take insurance (which we do).
I won’t go through all of that now because it’s boring. Just know that it’s way more complicated than I anticipated even though I was completely equipped to handle it. Also figuring out how to navigate insurance credentialing and all that was a lot as well. You don’t just “get” to accept insurance and every single insurance company is different.
There was definitely a lot of personal financial struggle as well. When I quit my job, I had my last paycheck and that’s it. No savings because we exhausted them moving from Tallahassee. Trying to figure out how to survive while also building a business in a city that I didn’t really know much about costs money. And since I had quit my job I didn’t have money. But I did have good friends and my husband is literally Mr. Make it Happen so we always figured it out.
In terms of the dance side of things, the entire process was a struggle honestly. I started off wanting to perform pole and had seen other folk at shows… no melanin of course. So I decided to produce my own show with my friends and kept going from there.
When we (well it was technically Betty VouPlait’s idea) decided to start a troupe, there was a bopping burlesque scene but the same thing hardly any melanin to be seen. So we had to build a name for ourselves, prove that we were good (and you know how that goes when you’re a black woman… double the work half the credit) all while navigating covert/overt racism and every other ism you can imagine (and I do mean that seriously) Because you know America…
BUT ALSO… Burlesque is actually very expensive to invest in if you’re gonna take it seriously. You need GOOD costumes and the things that make them good like rhinestones, glitter, and sequins are actually quite expensive. Fringe too and you need a WHOLE lot of it.
And so in some ways when we first started, financially we were at such a disadvantage (I mean we still are but it’s better now) that costume wise we had to literally bust our ass to be able to catch up. Thankfully, what we lacked in money, we made up for in skill and creativity so here we are.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am:
- A therapist
- A pole teacher
- A Producer
- Business owner
- A pole/burlesque performer
- Co-Founder of Back to Black Burlesque
I spend most of my day providing therapy at my private practice which is staffed mostly by my friends. And I love it. My clients LOVE me and are always recommending me to their family and friends. My schedule STAYS booked and we almost always have a waiting list.
I spend my nights studying or performing. I have been on too many stages to count at this point and I do mean that literally. I’m currently working on my DSW (doctorate of social work) at UT-Knoxville so next year you will be able to call me Dr. I am proud of the practice that I built because it has been a dream of mine to become a therapist since I was 11 years old. And I truly built it from the ground up.
What sets me apart from others is that I’m me. Everything that makes me I am is what sets me apart, my experiences, and my life. I can’t blend in because no one does if you’re paying attention. No one is special because everyone is special. My literal existence sets me apart.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Whew, the (ongoing) pandemic has been a time. I think the lesson that I learned was a sad one in that we really are very self-focused and that’s a difficult concept for me to accept because I am community-minded when it comes to my actions and behaviors. It was really disheartening to see how many people don’t really consider how their behaviors impact others.
The pandemic has made me realize even more so than before that what I do absolutely impacts others around me and it is important to be mindful of that as I make my individual life choices. We are all connected and it’s important that we try to take care of each other.
Image Credits
LucidLoveVissions, La Photagraphie, KW, and Melissa Passons
