Finding Our Worth Beyond the Applause: A Conversation with Emma Poole
Introduction
Some people leave a lasting impression, not because of what they do, but because of how they make you think.
Years ago, while navigating my own journey through circus, I followed an aerialist whose work stood apart from the usual highlight reels and endless pursuit of bigger tricks. Through her writing and reflections, she spoke openly about mental health, self-worth, identity, and the complicated relationship many performers have with achievement. At a time when so much of circus culture seemed focused on always becoming better, stronger, and more accomplished, her voice was asking a different question: who are we when we stop striving?
I remember her vividly. Her red hair, her orange rope, and the thoughtful posts she shared under the name Tangled in the Air. Her content challenged me to think differently about success, self-worth, and what it means to be enough exactly as we are.
As I've been building Bubble Bum Banter, I've often described it as a love letter to my younger self. It's a space to share stories, wisdom, and experiences that might help the next generation of artists navigate their own paths with a little more confidence and a little more self-compassion. Throughout this journey, she was someone I knew I wanted to speak to.
When I recently went looking for her, I discovered that Tangled in the Air no longer existed. After asking around, a friend finally pointed me toward her new work and Instagram page: Body of Worth Somatics.
Honestly, the transition didn't surprise me at all.
The themes she explores today are the very same ones that made her work resonate with me all those years ago. Through Body of Worth Somatics, she now helps big dreamers cultivate embodied self-worth and expand into lives that feel deeply aligned and meaningful. In many ways, it feels like a natural continuation of the conversations she was already having with the circus community long before coaching became her profession.
I'm so grateful that I found her again.
In this conversation, we explore the lessons she's learned through circus, mental health, identity, self-worth, and what it means to build a life that isn't dependent on external validation.
Let's dig in.
(Celebrating 1 year of Body of worth)
Tangled in the Air
Jess: At a time when a lot of circus content was focused on tricks and achievements, you were having conversations about mental health, self-worth, and identity. Your posts always felt incredibly honest and reassuring.
For anyone reading who may not know your story, how did circus first enter your life?
Emma: Circus was something I stumbled upon when a friend of mine didn’t want to go to an aerial class alone. She asked if I would go with her and I said yes before knowing what it even was. After that class I said “this is what I want to do!” and that was the start of my aerial obsession. I wasn’t someone who remembered going to see the circus as a kid but as soon as I entered that class I knew it was where I was supposed to be.
Jess: What was it about circus that captured you?
Emma: I think it was just so accepting of everyone and welcomed people from all different walks of life and all shapes and sizes which was so refreshing to see whilst in the middle of my dance training. I felt like I could be accepted there and fit in as I was. Plus the feeling of flying is just the best.
Jess: I remember so much of your content revolving around self-worth and the pressure performers often place on themselves. Was there something happening in your own life that led you to start sharing those conversations publicly?
Emma: Yes, absolutely! I was silently struggling a lot mentally as an aerialist and I had started to believe that I was too sensitive for the aerial world. I was struggling a lot with my body image, over training and not feeling worthy of anything. Nothing I did was ever good enough to me and it was really taking its toll on me. I decided I should change careers so started studying a masters in psychology where I did my research into aerialists for my dissertation. This uncovered the fact that so many aerialists were struggling with the same things I was so I knew I had to start speaking up about it. I started sharing posts on instagram about how much I was struggling behind the scenes as an aerialist and I was overwhelmed by the response. That started my mission to help improve the self-worth of circus artists.
Jess: I think a lot of us in circus can relate to tying our value to our achievements. Whether it's finally getting a trick, landing a contract, getting into the splits, or feeling like we're constantly chasing the next level.
How did your relationship with achievement and self-worth evolve throughout your time in circus?
Emma: At first circus was just for fun and every achievement was exciting but as soon as I decided to start working towards becoming a professional everything shifted because I became hyperaware of my ability. Over time my aerial ability and ‘sucess’ became entangled with my self-worth so it had a hold over me that was really hard to let go. A good training day was good, a bad training day made me feel worthless so it became really complicated for me. It all became about what I was capable of instead of listening to my body and doing it for the enjoyment of it. It was only when I began doing deep self-worth work that I started to untangle my worth from aerial completely. This is where I found the joy and freedom that I was attracted to in the first place.
(Practicing somatics for my Body Of Worth shoot)
A New Chapter
Jess: At some point, the page Tangled in the Air disappeared, and when I recently went looking for you, I discovered Body of Worth Somatics instead.
What led you from circus artist to the work you're doing today?
Emma: I honestly thought I would be an aerialist forever until I started exploring somatics and self-worth work. After getting my somatic and psychology qualifications which were meant to continue on the side of my aerial career I found myself cancelling training sessions to focus on that work instead. I was so fascinated with these new modalities and how I was able to help people unlock true embodied self-worth and aerial became more and more of an afterthought. It got to the point where I would go to the studio to film something in the air just so I could write about self-worth on top of it. Then people started saying “I know you only work with aerialists but could you help me?” and I started to realise this work was needed everywhere. It was only last year that I decided to change my brand to something more relevant to my new work and open my services beyond the circus scene (though the majority of my clients are still aerialists). This was when Body Of Worth was born.
Jess: Leaving circus can be a huge identity shift. For many of us, it becomes such a big part of who we are.
Did that transition feel difficult, or did it feel like a natural evolution?
Emma: As I said I wasn’t expecting to ever leave circus. I thought I would be a granny in the air still but the fact I was ditching my aerial practice a lot made it clear that my heart wasn’t fully in it anymore. So although the transition away was natural I think letting go of Tangled In Air brought a lot of unexpected grief. It felt like I was letting a part of me go which was really difficult and I knew it meant I wasn’t going to see my aerial friends as much which was hard. But also my ego hated my new job. Being an aerialist I felt cool, strong, different. I felt interesting in some way and embarrassingly my ego thought my new role in somatics was a bunch of fluff compared to that, not to mention how my body changed when I stopped training. Ironically I needed my own work to navigate the identity shift out of circus and I know that process was a lot less painful because of the tools I had available to me.
Jess: I hope this doesn't sound strange, but when I found your new page, one of the first things I noticed was how grounded and at ease you seem.
Your writing always inspired me, and so did the way you spoke truthfully about things that many of us were feeling but maybe didn't have the words or courage to share so vulnerably. But when I look at your work now, you just seem so free, confident, and fully yourself.
What has changed between then and now?
Emma: Thank you so much for saying that because that is exactly how I feel. I never thought I was someone who could achieve the kind of confidence I have now because I was always so anxious and shy but I honestly feel able to be fully me now which I am so grateful for. The main difference is that my self-worth is no longer outsourced via validation, ability, strength, appearance and it is something that I know is inherent and something I work on embodying more every day. This is what has completely shifted my quality of life and how I show up in the world and it is what I now help others do too.
Jess: What role does circus play in your life these days? Have you completely stepped away from it, or does it still show up in some form?
Emma: I still enjoy watching circus and having a little play every now and then but at the moment I am pouring most of my energy into my coaching work. Aerial will always have my heart and I will always hang upside down whenever I can but for now I am pretty grounded.
Jess: Does it feel liberating to be following this path and doing the work you're doing now?
Emma: Yes, absolutely. I feel like I was really meant to follow this path and I am excited to see where this work takes me. It feels liberating to follow it and trust it and not be stressed about if it is the ‘right’ decision which is what I used to worry about a lot. I feel free and so content with my life at the moment.
(When my obsession with rope began. This was one of my first rope performances)
Looking Back
Jess: What's something you spent years worrying about that you no longer worry about today?
Emma: What my body looks like! I spent years and many many hours worrying about my appearance. If I looked strong, if I was small enough, if I was the right shape, if I was pretty enough, if I was interesting looking enough and oh my god am I grateful I am not there anymore. It was exhausting! I now focus on what I feel and listening to my body instead of picking it apart and it is so much better for me. I actually made a piece called Smiley Girl all about this a couple of years back.
Jess: One thing I've noticed in circus is that there's often a culture of perseverance. We push through fear, bruises, setbacks, injuries, and discomfort. There's almost this belief that if we just keep going, we'll eventually get where we're meant to be, regardless of the pain we endure.
Because of that, choosing a different path can sometimes feel confusing and complicated.
I'm curious, when you started moving away from circus and towards the work you do now, was there ever a sense of failure, loss, or guilt attached to that decision? Or did it feel completely right?
Emma: Yes! There was a part of me that was saying “you gave up” “you didn’t make it” but I knew that was just the part wanting to keep me in the familiar and not doing the scary thing of following my heart. I also found it interesting telling people I had moved away from circus because their response would vary. Some people were supportive, some had pity for me, some would say “oh but you’ll be back” and they all brought up different feelings for me. Even though I made the decision from an empowered place I still had to navigate complex emotions.
Jess: Even though I'm not a full-time circus performer today, I have absolutely no regrets about following that dream. The experiences, the people, and the lessons shaped who I am.
Looking back now, do you think circus was preparing you for the work you do today, even if you didn't realise it at the time?
Emma: Yes for sure! I had no idea circus was going to lead me in this direction but what a cool journey we got to go on to get where we are now. I am grateful for every lesson and every experience that got me here and I will never get tired of sharing my circus stories.
(First crane performance with Fidget Feet)
Listening to Ourselves
Jess: This question feels quite personal for me.
One of the things circus taught me was resilience. The ability to keep going when things are hard, uncomfortable, or don't go to plan. It's something I'm incredibly grateful for and it's a quality I've carried into every area of my life since, including motherhood.
But sometimes I've wondered where the line is between resilience and ignoring our instincts.
For our readers who might be struggling with a similar crossroads, I would love to hear your perspective as a coach.
Sometimes we hit a difficult patch and the answer is to stay the course, trust the process, and keep going. Other times, the discomfort is telling us something important, and it's actually time to pause, change direction, or let something go.
How do you tell the difference between the two?
And what advice would you give to someone who feels torn between pushing through the pain and listening to the part of themselves that is asking for something different?
Emma: I LOVE this question and I also feel the same about circus teaching me resilience.
With this I like to get really clear on what part is driving me and what it is saying. Is it fear of failure wanting you to push beyond your limits to prove your worth? Is it fear of the unknown keeping you in your comfort zone? Is it your ego wanting to show off? Is it a part seeking validation? I think getting to know what part is speaking gives you so much clarity and asking yourself the question ‘does this feel in integrity?’ is really helpful for me.
Then listening to your heart. What is your heart saying? Your heart knows you are complete and worthy so it doesn’t need to prove anything or fill a hole.The more I listen to my heart the more I get to know what I truly truly want and it might be completely different and illogical but it is definitely worth listening to. It did not make logical sense to quit my successful aerial business to set one up from scratch but I KNEW it was the right thing for me.
(Celebrating 1 year of Body of worth)
The Important Stuff
Jess: And finally, on a slightly lighter note...
Velvet or stripes?
Emma: Ooooo tough one! I think.. Stripes!
Afterthought
This conversation with Emma stayed with me long after I read her answers.
There is something really powerful about hearing someone speak so clearly about change. Not as failure. Not as giving up. Just as growth.
And maybe that is why it hit me so much.
Sometimes when someone asks me what I do, I struggle a bit.
Because I dabble in and out.
I don’t know if I would fully claim the title circus artist anymore. Not because I don’t love circus, or because I’ll never perform again, but because I’m not really sure what my title is right now.
Mother? Circus lover? Entrepreneur? Person who can still do an elbow stand if absolutely necessary?
Who knows.
Depending on who I’m speaking to, I might adjust the title a little. Hehe.
But maybe that’s okay.
Maybe we don’t have to hold one identity so tightly forever just to prove that it mattered.
Circus shaped me in ways I probably don’t even fully realise. It still lives in how I move, how I play, how I mother, how I solve problems, and how I keep going when things feel hard.
It’s there when I’m carrying two children at once, getting down on their level, climbing around the floor, becoming some sort of little animal on command, or being used as a climbing frame before 9am.
So no, maybe I don’t know exactly what title I would use right now.
But maybe I don’t need to.
Maybe the things we love don’t disappear just because our relationship with them changes.
They just become part of us in a different way.
That is why I found Emma’s words so moving.
She speaks about change without making it sound like failure. She reminds us that we are allowed to grow into new versions of ourselves without having to reject the old ones.
And maybe that is the part I needed to hear most.
You can love something deeply and still let your relationship with it change.
You can be grateful for who you were, and still make space for who you are becoming.
Resources & Links
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bodyofworthsomatics/
Link tree - https://body-of-worth.com/
Smiley Girl Piece - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-9kZ3Cieck