Behind the scenes at Babeland: an interview with Kristie, Sex Educator/Donations Coordinator extraordinaire

It's time for another peek behind the velvet curtain at Babeland! Every month, we take a look at one of our Staff Pick-ers, and show you a little bit about who they are, how they got here, what it's like for them to work here, and more. This month, we've got Kristie on deck! Kristie's one of our hard-working, wonderful, and always-stylish staff at our Seattle store.  She's a perfect example of how people come to work at Babeland from wildly varied backgrounds, but stick around because of the wonderful environment they find here.  Read on to find out more about Kristie's Babeland story...

Abby: Tell us the story of how you started at Babeland.  What brought you here?

Kristie: I've had a pretty eclectic employment history.  I did a lot of retail through school, then worked in theater doing costumes and dressing.  Just before Babeland, I had been working a stuffy corporate job in marketing for a cruise line, and I quit to focus on a handmade undies business I had at the time.  I was actually out celebrating leaving that job and ran into a friend who worked at Babeland, and he told me they were hiring for part time.  Initially, I just thought I would work here for a short while, but I found such an amazing community here, and so much joy from what we do every day, that nearly four years have now flown by.

Abby: So now that you're here, what do you do at Babeland?

Kristie: I'm a sex educator/sales associate, so most of my shifts are spent on the sales floor, helping our awesome customers.  Also, I'm the Donations Coordinator for Seattle, so I put together goodie bags and raffle prizes for lots of great fundraisers.  I'm a giver.  Recently, I filled in for our Marketing/Education Coordinator while she was on maternity leave, so I got to plan workshops and events and tweet a lot.

Abby: Speaking of maternity, what was your own family's reaction when you told them you work at Babeland?

Kristie: My mom was funny.  She was okay with it once I explained the mission and everything.  I've tried to get her to come into the store, but she keeps saying, "Oh, there's nothing in there for me."  I'm like, "I bet there is..." but it doesn't work.

Abby: Tell us about your favorite/most touching/most life-changing moment with a customer or coworker.

Kristie: There are so many!  Recently, there was this couple who came to one of the free Babeland Brunches, and afterwards signed up for five more classes.  They were so cool.  The lady told me that they had both previously been with partners who were pretty sex-negative, and then they found each other and realized they just wanted to learn and try everything they could together.  It was so inspiring to see two people so excited about sex education!

Abby: What's something you've learned about yourself through your work at Babeland?

Kristie: I learned that I really like teaching.  I was a painfully shy child, and even in college, giving presentations to the class freaked me out.  But here, I've found that I really enjoy being in front of a crowd, sharing information and coming up with funny analogies like, "The vagina is a cul-de-sac but the anus is a superhighway, so you need a flared base on your anal toy."

Abby: Very true.  And what's something you've learned about sex through your work at Babeland?

Kristie: I've learned a lot about male-bodied folks.  Being a gold-star lesbian, I didn't have much knowledge previously about cock rings, prostates, and masturbation sleeves.

Abby: Finally, what's your favorite word for your favorite sexy body parts?

Kristie: Lately, I keep using "lady bits."

 by: Finally, what's your favorite word for your favorite sexy body parts?

Kristie: Lately, I keep using "lady bits."