Who is Janice? Meet Our Studio Ghost

Before Embrace Pole Studio pulsed with music and movement, there was Janice, a fiercely independent woman with big hair, bigger opinions, and an undying love for Mariah Carey.

Janice lived in Edmonton decades ago. One rainy evening, as fate would have it, she locked eyes with a child (Lauren) just moments before Janice passed in a tragic accident. That instant became an anchor. Something about Lauren’s spirit kept Janice tethered to her until this day. 

She moved quietly into Lauren’s childhood home. She became louder when Lauren moved out on her own.The radio would scream Mariah Carey at 3 AM. The TV would flip on, volume blasting. Lauren’s cats would stare at corners and meow like they were answering questions no one else could hear. When visitors arrived, the lights would flicker if Janice didn’t like them.

Years passed, when she opened Embrace Pole Art and Fitness, Janice came too. Intrigued by the mirrors, the movement, and the Mariah remixes during warmups; over time, Janice became part of the studio’s strange charm.

There’s a wall clock that refuses to work, despite being hard-wired. Music playlists skip, loop, or switch unexpectedly. And then there was the day a nametag that read “Janice” appeared out of nowhere in the lost and found (despite having no students named Janice). A medium friend of the studio finally put the pieces together: Janice wasn’t just some residual energy. She was a full-on presence.

Grumpy, dramatic, but somehow protective, Janice has officially become Embrace’s resident ghost.

An Interview with Janice

Interviewer: Janice, thanks for… gracing us with your presence.

Janice: [A long, deliberate sigh.] I’m always here. Whether you acknowledge me or not. But fine—go ahead. Ask your little questions.

Interviewer: Let’s start with how you first connected with Lauren. You passed just as you saw her, right?

Janice: Mhm. I was crossing the street. Wrong place, wrong time, wrong weather. One second I was upright, the next, I wasn’t. But just before everything snapped, I looked over and saw this kid, Lauren. Wide-eyed, like a deer in the headlights. She didn’t even know it, but she anchored me. And after that… I followed her home. Not creepy. Just didn’t want to be alone. Don’t be weird about it.

Interviewer: And that’s when you started… communicating?

Janice: Is that what we’re calling it now? “Communicating”? Look, I tried subtle. The cats were the best listeners. Smart little things. Sensitive. I’d nudge them, sit with them, get them to meow in patterns. I figured if I could get Lauren to notice, she’d realize I was there. But did she listen? No. So I cranked the Mariah.

Interviewer: Why Mariah Carey? Always Mariah Carey.

Janice: First of all,how dare you say that like it’s a bad thing. Second, because Mariah gets it. She’s dramatic, emotional, talented, and doesn’t take crap from anyone. Just like me. If I’m waking someone up at 3 AM from the other side, I’m not doing it with Enya.

Interviewer: Fair point. So now that you’re here at Embrace, why stay?

Janice: Because this place is alive. The music. The moves. The chaos. You think I want to be stuck in some cold, quiet cemetery? Please. This studio has sass, I feel seen.

Interviewer: You’ve been known to mess with the studio’s sound system. Any logic to it?

Janice: Logic? No. Vibes? Yes. If I like what’s playing, I boost it. If I don’t,I cut it. One time I looped a song just because the instructor was giving bad cues. I won’t name names. You know who you are.

Interviewer: The clock in the studio hasn’t worked in years. That you?

Janice: [Snorts.] Yep. It was working fine until someone tried to hang a motivational quote underneath it. I don’t do “Live, Laugh, Love” energy. Now it just ticks uselessly. Like a reminder that I’m not on your timeline anymore.

Interviewer: What’s the deal with the nametag?

Janice: Oh, that was fun. I was tired of everyone calling me “The Ghost” like I’m some faceless background extra. Lauren and Jenna knew my name! I had a job once too, you know. I wore a nametag. Said “Janice” with a little sticker. I nudged it back into this world. Took some energy. Worth it. Now everyone says my name. 

Interviewer: Last question: Anything you want the Embrace community to know?

Janice: Yeah. I’m not here to scare you. Unless you bring bad energy in here. Then, yeah, I’ll make the lights flicker, skip your playlist, and maybe lock you in the bathroom for a minute or two.

But for the rest of you? The ones who come here to feel powerful, messy, alive, I’m rooting for you. Now go turn on some Mariah and spin like you mean it.