1. She Loves To Swim
Colby is an accomplished underwater swimmer. "Every time I go for a swim I feel like the earth and my incredible swim colleagues have enabled me to have experienced something pretty amazing," says Dr Jenny Martin, a physician and clinical pharmacologist at the University of Newcastle. "You get a release of hormones that make you feel good, like the molecules that are in morphine drugs, and other feel-good hormones like serotonin, dopamine. After an ocean swim in winter, you sometimes get a temporary natural high when you get out … definitely a euphoric feeling."
2. Paddle Boarding
Colby shares her adventures with paddle boarding on her social media. “I had a breakthrough today with @rinconpaddleboards I have never been able to root myself properly for longer duration. I could get up but it didn’t last long,” she says. “Damiano took the time during our private lesson to break down every detail of what’s happening on the board, in the water and in my body and how to respond for more stability. I have a long way to go and needs to stay lower and work on arm placement but I felt so happy with today’s lesson🎉 I always Learn so much.”
3. She’s a Dancer
Colby is a professional dancer, something she says changed her life from day one. “I discovered Burlesque in Chicago quite some time ago, years and years ago- I was addicted from the first show,” she says. “There’s something very empowering about Burlesque. I started learning right away, I started performing way too soon! There’s some great video footage to prove that. But it’s all been a really fun journey, even watching old videos, it’s cool to see how much more at ease I am with myself and with my audience. But it’s funny, I have maintained the same lumbering stance since I started. There’s nothing delicate about me on stage, I just throw my guts out there and then I walk away and let people sort out what they saw.”
4. Mental Health and Confidence
Colby says giving back to the community is one of the best ways to gain happiness and confidence. “My advice, for what it’s worth… If you’re trying to gain or regain confidence, don’t do it through Burlesque,” she says. “Help in your community, educate yourself, travel, find where your real strength lies.”
5. Embracing Her Unique Looks
Colby is famous for her many tattoos, something she considers a “storyline” for her life. “I don’t think I took collecting tattoos seriously at first,” she says. “I mean my first tattoo was an LBT tribal tramp stamp of a butterfly…Ha! I have definitely acquired some more impressive tattoos since then but I collect them for the story. I’m not afraid of people judging the work I have on my body, it’s a storyline for myself. I love it when my friends work on me, I love to collect the memories, I cannot have an artist work on me that I don’t feel close with. I have to feel a sense of kinship I’ve been very fortunate to find that across-the-board with my tattoo artists.”
