Lawyer ‘in better shape now than my 30s’ thanks to pole dancing

By Adam Dutton

A top barrister says she’s in the best shape of her life after swapping the court room for a pole dancing studio - aged in her 50s.

Leisha Bond, 52, hangs up her gown and wig after a day in court then slips into knee‑high boots and a bikini to practise pole tricks by night.

The family lawyer only tried the sport last January after feeling “something was missing in her life" but now trains five times a week and says she’s never felt more empowered.

The mum-of-one says she feels fitter now than she did in her 30s and pole dancing had worked wonders for her Type 1 diabetes.

Leisha, who has worked as a lawyer since 1999, said: “I think I was having a bit of a malaise when I turned 50.

"Everyone says life begins at 40, my 40s were great. But what have you got to look forward to in your 50s?

"It's pretty much perimenopause and waking up with a new injury because you slept a bit funny.

"I’ve done my job since 1999, most of the people who started with me are judges and that didn’t appeal to me.

“I got headhunted to head up a family law department in October 2024, I was offered the job and resigned.

"Something didn’t feel right after taking this job initially, I wasn't quite right. It felt like I was missing something.

"And it turned out my something was pole dancing."

Leisha, from Kenilworth, Warks, had wanted to step out of her comfort zone and Googled pole dancing classes nearby.

She started attending sessions at Pole Elevation, Coventry, and quickly fell in love with it.

Leisha added: “I can’t say why but I remember Googling pole dancing classes near me.

"I thought it would be a challenge and so far out of my comfort zone.

"I was so far from sporty at school, I was the kid who was picked last at everything.

"The egg and spoon race was as good as it got for me.

“I started in January 2025, and I went to one lesson a week. In the February I went and picked up another lesson and was doing it two times a week.

“It snowballed and now I'm scheduled for five times a week. It’s through the week and one day of the weekend - it can be a lot.

“When you first start it’s basic things, but things which aren’t normal to you. Everyone has kicked a football, but no one has span around a pole.

"It’s a slow process of building your strengths. I’m about as flexible as a brick, but you’ve got to play to your strengths.

“There’s a conception about pole dancing, but it’s ridiculously empowering.

"It’s supportive and the community there is nothing like I’ve ever experienced.

"It’s body positivity of all shapes and sizes - in the studio it’s about everyone doing their own thing at their own pace.”

Leisha says pole dancing has helped transform her personal health through the gruelling training sessions and says she’s fitter now than she’s ever been.

She said: “I don’t do any other sort of exercise at all.

"In my 40s I went to the gym, I did that for a couple of years to build strength in my upper body.

"But I found it boring and overrated - you’d be waiting an hour and a half for some bloke to do his 10 sets of 30 reps.

“I did climbing for a year before lockdown, I enjoyed that. But it can be a lonely sport.

"The only thing I’ve stuck at is pole, and that’s literally all I do now.

“I hadn’t done any exercise at all for a year before pole. I wasn’t vaguely fit in my 30’s. I’m fitter now than I’ve ever been, albeit I repair slower.

“I am also Type 1 diabetic since I was 12, and my recent blood test was probably the best its ever been. Which is literally the best I’ve ever had.”

Family and friends have been supportive of her decision, and Leisha claims it’s in her nature to push boundaries.

She said: “I haven’t had anyone say anything to my face, you can tell if someone doesn’t necessarily agree with what you do.

“Someone did say to me at a party ‘do you think it’s an appropriate thing to do as a barrister?’ - and that was from another woman.

"I’m not defined by my job or what I do outside of it.

“Everybody has been supportive, a lot of my friends expect me to do something random. I’m impressed that I'm not shocking at it as I'm not sporty.

“I want to do it as long as I can, it’s good for strength as a woman that’s getting older. I’m so not a dancer, I'm quite strong but not flowy.

“I like the tricks, the dances not really. I have a memory like a goldfish with pole flow and can’t remember the order, so I like the tricks.

"I like the dancing involving a chair.

“I like things really where I'm hanging upside down by my legs, I'm like a bat. I love that.

“I’ve broken a rib doing it. I think it was a bad invert and knocked my rib on the pole. It can be quite dangerous, it’s a pole so you can fall off.

"Most dances have a real array of pole kisses, they're bruises and they hurt. I’ve had some interesting bruises in time.”

Leisha is now encouraging all women to give the sport a try, advising would-be dancers to ignore any misconceptions.

She added: “Try it I say, don’t be limited by what you think it’s appropriate to do by your age or size.

"Literally everyone can do something and everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses.

“It’s really empowering and it’s a great place to go. You don’t go as a barrister, or as a mother or wife, you go as yourself.

"It’s the only thing we do for ourselves.

“I’m often told I'm quite extra. Blending in is my idea of hell.

“I think a lot of people think of barristers as quite aloof. Part of my appeal is that I can relate to anyone.

"I’ve had people ask me if it’s going to impact cases and clients.

“It’s a conservative profession and I'm known in the legal world for slightly unusual dress.

"I won’t break the rules, but I like to push the boundaries.”