Falling Behind in Pole Doesn’t Exist

Sunday Reset ✨

A weekly note on training, mindset, and your pole journey.

Hi everyone,

This week, I want to talk about something I hear often from students (or from IG posts)…

“I feel like I’m falling behind.”

Behind who? Behind what? And according to whose timeline? ☺️

In my personal opinion, falling behind in pole doesn’t exist.

So, why is this such a common feeling?

Most of the time, this feeling sneaks in when we start comparing our progress to other people.

Maybe someone that started pole before you got the trick faster.

Maybe a classmate is training more days per week.

Maybe someone you saw on IG looks stronger, smoother, or more confident.

And when we start comparing like this, it’s easy to forget how many factors actually influence progress.

We have to remind ourselves that:

1. Pole training does not happen in a vacuum (it’s alongside work stress, relationships, life changes, sleep, nutrition, injuries, illness, hormones, travel, mental load)… this will look different for everyone.

2. Every single person on this planet has a unique body… different proportions, different anatomy, different muscle length, etc.

3. We all have different learning styles… some of us do better when we hear instructions, others do better when we see it, others do better by trying it.

4. We all have different backgrounds that have shaped our bodies, inherent movements, strengths, and weaknesses.

The list goes on 🙂

When you zoom out and look at all of this together, it becomes clear that comparing your progress to someone else’s without factoring in the full picture (which is truly impossible because there are too many variables) is never a fair comparison.

This feeling can also be amplified by what we see on social media. Progress can look clean and upward online… but in reality, progress isn’t linear.

So the next time you feel like you’re “falling behind,” remind yourself that doesn’t exist…

If your training looks different from your classmates, you’re not behind.

If your progress doesn’t line up exactly with your studio’s curriculum, you’re not behind.

If you can’t get that trick “that everyone is doing on IG,” you’re not behind.

If your pole bestie got a trick faster, you’re not behind.

If you’re resting right now, you’re not going to fall behind.

If your goals or priorities have shifted, you’re not going to fall behind.

You’re on your own timeline… exactly where you’re supposed to be… have fun with it!! 🙂

💜 If this resonated with you, or if you’ve ever caught yourself feeling like you were “behind” in your pole journey and you’re open to sharing, I’d love to hear about it in the Community Feed inside my App, Pole with Steph (www.polewithsteph.com/community). These conversations are so helpful, especially for someone who might be feeling this way right now!

💜 And one small ask:

If you found this helpful, it would mean so much to me if you took a screenshot and shared it to your social media stories. My hope with this longer form content is to reach and support as many people as possible, especially those who might need this reminder today.

Always cheering you on,

Until next Sunday 💜

xo, Coach Steph