Why Holly Woods Had to Die So Lela Love Lee Could Survive

Black heart Burlesque 2018

For many years, I lived two lives.

On stage, I was Holly Woods—a powerhouse performer, aerialist, burlesque dancer, and pole artist. I won contests, lit up stages, and built a reputation as an instructor who could transform ordinary women into graceful, daring performers. Holly Woods was magnetic, disciplined, and fearless in her art. She gave everything she had to her students and to the crowd, and she believed that sharing her talent was enough to carry her.

Holly Woods wasn’t just known locally—she was featured in newspapers for opening studios in Hartford and Springfield and for embarking on an ambitious dinner theater burlesque project with solid business partners. From the outside, it looked like a dream: the studios were thriving, my performances were winning accolades, and my name was gaining recognition.

But behind the spotlight, there was Lela—the artist, the builder, the quiet force behind it all.

Lela was the one designing every website, writing every brochure, laying out business cards, creating publications, and developing entire courses for the studios. While Holly Woods performed, Lela worked in silence, building a brand from scratch and holding it together piece by piece.

It looked like I had it all. But in truth, I was living in a cage.

The Hidden Cost of Holly Woods

The shine of being Holly Woods came with cracks in the foundation. The dinner theater burlesque that should have been a triumph threatened my partnerships at the studio, my connection with my family, and even a budding long-distance relationship that, at the time, felt fragile under the weight of all the chaos.

Meanwhile, my business partnerships were riddled with manipulation, shady deals, and betrayals that left me with almost no control over what I had built. And while I was performing and teaching, my son was often left alone with a man who was not only abusive toward me but inflicted his control and cruelty on my child when I wasn’t there to protect him

That is a mother’s deepest regret.

It took me years to piece it all together—years of my son suffering silently while I tried to hold everything together on the outside. He endured things behind my back that were calculated, intentional, and cruel. My partner used him as leverage, as a tool for control, knowing I’d do anything to protect my child. It wasn’t love, it wasn’t family—it was manipulation at its darkest level.

“The spotlight couldn’t hide the shadows at home.”

The Truth About Him

What I didn’t realize at first—what took me far too long to accept—was that this man was not just manipulative. He was a con man of the deepest kind. A federal-level criminal. Someone who thrived on lies, chaos, and control.

For a time, I allowed myself to believe that maybe, somehow, his “hustler” mentality would connect me back to my own family—people who had a deeper understanding of the streets, of survival, of navigating tough worlds.

I was wrong.

Instead of bringing me closer, his presence pushed me further away from the people who loved me most. They saw through him instantly. They realized quickly how terrifying he could be without even trying—how easily he could twist a situation, pit people against each other, and make us doubt what we were seeing with our own eyes.

His power was never in his strength—it was in his ability to warp reality.

And in the process, he helped kill Holly Woods. Because how could I stand in my truth, how could I teach, perform, inspire, and be free—while cuddling his behavior, covering his tracks, and softening his blow? Every time I stood beside him, it looked like I was taking his side.

“A bully makes you a bully too, even when you’re just trying to survive their wrath.”

Why Holly Woods Had to Die

Holly Woods was brilliant in her way. She was strong, talented, and dedicated.

But Holly Woods didn’t have boundaries. She people-pleased to the point of self-destruction. She thought love had to be earned through sacrifice. She believed that keeping the peace, no matter the cost, was better than confrontation.

And that nearly destroyed me.

Holly Woods kept going even as my personal finances were gutted, even as my business reputation was shredded, even as bills and debts piled up in my name from a car I didn’t drive and accounts I couldn’t access. Holly Woods kept smiling through canceled classes, broken promises, and betrayals that cut me to the bone.

But Holly Woods wasn’t the whole me. She never was.

“Masks can’t heal. Masks can’t grow. Masks can’t protect your children or your heart.”

Rebirth

Walking away wasn’t easy. It meant losing the studios, the business I had poured years of work into, and a reputation I had fought hard to build. It meant facing financial destruction, reputational damage, and the grief of realizing how much had been taken from me and my son.

But it also meant freedom.

Through it all, one thing remained steady: the long-distance relationship that once felt threatened is now the foundation of my present. We’ve been living together for seven years in a committed, loving relationship—a partnership built on respect, truth, and real love.

And that has been my anchor through the last two years of COVID, the collapse of everything I had built, and the long road back to myself.

When Holly Woods died, space was created for Lela Love Lee to live.

Now, I am no longer hiding my artistry behind a stage name. I no longer believe sacrifice is the price of love. I no longer give away my power to people who don’t deserve it.

My boundaries are strong.

My voice is clear.

And my heart is finally free.

Holly Woods was loved, yes. But Lela Robinson—Lela Love Lee—is whole.

And for the first time in my life, that is