Episode Overview

Podcast: Bawdy Storytelling
Host: Dixie De La Tour
Episode: 17 – "Turning Pro"
Date: February 9, 2017

This episode of Bawdy Storytelling revolves around the theme "Turning Pro," focusing on real-life stories from individuals who entered the world of professional sex work and domination. Host Dixie De La Tour highlights tales of people who learned on the job, often starting with little more than curiosity, desperation, or a vivid fantasy. The featured stories—one by Alice Paige and another by Lola Divina—explore the vulnerability, challenges, humor, and transformation inherent in these professions, while also offering a candid, sex-positive celebration of authenticity and personal growth.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

[01:31] Introduction by Dixie De La Tour

• Dixie introduces the episode's theme: "Turning Pro," about people who “got their feet wet and learned on the job,” often in the realm of sex work and BDSM.
• Sets the stage for true, unvarnished stories about what it’s really like to get paid for activities many fantasize about.

[02:45] Alice Paige: From Graduate Student to Would-be Dominatrix

Alice recounts her journey considering sex work as a financial solution in San Francisco:

• Struggles of City Life: Noted the dire economy and the need for high-paying flexible work as a grad student.
• Initial Resistance to Sex Work: "I had no desire to have sex with people for money or even not for money." (03:07, Alice Paige)
• Discovery of Dominatrix Work: Inspired by her friend, Alice is drawn to the idea of being paid to "yell at men for a living" and wear fabulous heels.
• Application & Research: She applies to a BDSM co-op in Berkeley, humorously musing, "Aren't co-ops for fresh vegetables, not whips? And would there be communal chores?" (04:05)
• The Interview Process: Receives an interview call from a British headmistress, who tests her mettle by berating her over the phone.
• Transformation:
  • Alice overcomes her aversion to confrontation in a burst of assertiveness:

    "I can't take this anymore. You can't talk to me like this. I won't stand for this type of behavior." (09:01, Alice Paige)

  • The headmistress approves of her spirit, saying:

    "We've been looking for someone just like you. We need someone to fill the bubbly blonde niche. Our clients are sick of the overly tattooed Suicide Girls." (09:22, Headmistress, paraphrased by Alice Paige)

Memorable Segment:

• Alice contemplates her unique niche, landing on the idea of a "Jewish Mother Dominatrix":

  "Nasally voice, Childbearing hips. No tattoos. Jewish mother. Dominatrix... Oy vey. It's the perfect niche." (11:03–11:26, Alice Paige)

• She riffs on what it would be like to dom tech moguls and neurotic types:

  "Imagine a schmuck like Mark Zuckerberg... it's his turn to be brought to his knees..." (11:52, Alice Paige)

• Despite her success in the interview, work hours clash with her grad studies and she doesn’t take the job. But she keeps her new persona:

  "I still carry with me this Jewish mother dominatrix Persona and have felt validated in my ability to simultaneously stay, stand up to, and annoy the shit out of the likes of bad boyfriends and catcallers alike." (13:13, Alice Paige)

[14:09] Dixie’s Own House of Domination Experience

• Dixie shares her parallel experience interviewing at the same Berkeley house of domination.
• Discusses the elaborate structure, the staff, and how newcomers were sometimes brought in as "extra girls" for client fantasies.
• Describes a comical, theatrical BDSM session for a client who wanted to be told he was being turned into a girl:

  "He wanted the woman he had hired to drug him and tie him to a bed. And when he woke up, he wanted us to tell him that she had given him a drug and that he was in the process of turning into a girl." (15:54, Dixie)

• Admits she “did not get the job,” adding with characteristic humor:

  "I'm a failure at being a dominatrix. I'm not really good at that kind of work. But one thing I'm good at is collecting stories and coaching stories." (17:16, Dixie)

[20:46] Lola Divina: First Call Girl Experience

Lola details her first assignment as a sex worker—her “turning pro” moment:

• Setting the Scene:
  • Standing anxiously at "Destiny's door" in plain clothes, with her “laciest, sexiest” lingerie and high heels hidden for later.
  • Emphasizes the anticipation and personal significance of this decision:

    "It just so happens, on this Saturday night in 1991, I'm having one of those moments... It has the potential to change your life forever." (20:46–21:23, Lola Divina)

• Introductions:
  • Encounter with Jake, a major politician, and Emma, his glamorous lobbyist girlfriend, who "coordinated like a sex SWAT team" to sweep Lola into the bedroom.
• Awkward Realities of Sex Work:
  • Lola’s first sexual encounter is awkward and surprising—Emma is disengaged, and Jake is physically unreliable (“isn’t very big and isn’t very hard”).
  • Describes Jake’s cunnilingus style as akin to "Jim Belushi, right about the time of Animal House, just, like, sticking his hand into a bag of Frito Lays."
  • Self-deprecating humor about her own anxieties and lack of preparation (“I just showed up like God made me.”)
• Moments of Risk and Vulnerability:
  • Emma abruptly leaves, highlighting the precariousness of the work:

    "This is actually dangerous, what I'm doing." (30:41, Lola Divina)

  • Lola finishes the call with Jake, who eventually tells her, "You did a good job tonight, kid. I'm going to call you again soon." (34:13, Jake via Lola)
• Aftermath:
  • In 17 minutes, Lola earns $200, feels "trembling," but realizes she doesn’t feel ashamed:

    "I felt like Dorothy stepping out of the ruins of her Kansas farmhouse into a technicolor dream world... I could not wait to find out what it was going to teach me." (34:40, Lola Divina)

  • Jake becomes her best client for over 15 years, a relationship that begins with this rocky introduction.

[35:14] Host Reflection & Wrap Up

• Dixie shares that Lola Divina will soon release a book, "Thriving in Sex Work," about survival and success in the industry.
• Reiterates a central message:

  "I believe it's your choice. It's your body. You can do what the fuck you want with it. I think these stories are incredibly brave and I'm so grateful these people got on our stage and shared them with you." (35:36, Dixie)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Segment | |-----------|---------|---------------| | 03:07 | Alice Paige | "I had no desire to have sex with people for money or even not for money." | | 04:05 | Alice Paige | "Aren't co-ops for fresh vegetables, not whips? And would there be communal chores?" | | 09:01 | Alice Paige | "I can't take this anymore. You can't talk to me like this. I won't stand for this type of behavior." | | 09:22 | Headmistress (via Alice) | "We've been looking for someone just like you. We need someone to fill the bubbly blonde niche. Our clients are sick of the overly tattooed Suicide Girls." | | 11:26 | Alice Paige | "Nasally voice, Childbearing hips. No tattoos. Jewish mother. Dominatrix. Oy vey. It's the perfect niche." | | 15:54 | Dixie | "He wanted the woman he had hired to drug him and tie him to a bed. And when he woke up, he wanted us to tell him that she had given him a drug and that he was in the process of turning into a girl." | | 17:16 | Dixie | "I'm a failure at being a dominatrix. I'm not really good at that kind of work. But one thing I'm good at is collecting stories and coaching stories." | | 20:46–21:23 | Lola Divina | "...on this Saturday night in 1991, I'm having one of those moments... It has the potential to change your life forever." | | 30:41 | Lola Divina | "This is actually dangerous, what I'm doing." | | 34:13 | Jake (via Lola) | "You did a good job tonight, kid. I'm going to call you again soon." | | 34:40 | Lola Divina | "I felt like Dorothy stepping out of the ruins of her Kansas farmhouse into a technicolor dream world... I could not wait to find out what it was going to teach me." | | 35:36 | Dixie | "I believe it's your choice. It's your body. You can do what the fuck you want with it." |

Important Segments by Timestamp

• [01:31] – [02:45]: Introduction and theme framing by Dixie.
• [02:45] – [14:09]: Alice Paige’s dominatrix journey (decision, interview, comic reflections).
• [14:09] – [19:08]: Dixie shares her own dominatrix audition experience.
• [20:46] – [35:14]: Lola Divina’s first experience as a sex worker; vivid, vulnerable storytelling.
• [35:14] – End: Dixie’s commentary, announcements, and episode wrap.

Tone & Style

• The episode is frank, witty, and deeply humanizing. Both stories blend humor with vulnerability, subverting stereotypes about sex workers while embracing sex-positivity and the complexity of the profession.
• Dixie’s hosting is warm, confessional, and encouraging, reinforcing a message of autonomy and non-judgment.

Summary for New Listeners

"Turning Pro" provides an intimate, unfiltered look at real people’s forays into professional kink and sex work. Whether it’s the nervous but hopeful Alice Paige channeling a “Jewish mother dominatrix” or Lola Divina navigating her first call with quirky clients—all under Dixie’s supportive, often hilarious guidance—the episode mixes levity, realness, and empowerment. The stories demystify sex work, frame it as a legitimate job full of personal transformation, and celebrate those who find their purpose in unexpected places.

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to turn a fantasy into a career—or what really happens when things don’t go as planned—this episode serves up all the awkwardness, triumph, and humanity behind the scenes.