Season One Finale: Listener Q&A on Burlesque, Animal Welfare & More

Don't Miss the Next Catbaret! 🐱🎭

There’s always a new Catbaret show coming up—whether in person in NYC or virtually! Grab your tickets at CatbaretShow.com for a night of cat-themed comedy, music, and burlesque!

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Hello, hello, kitty cats! It’s the season one finale of Tails and Tassels! 🎉 Thank you for joining me on this journey since our debut in October. In this episode, I’m answering listener questions about how I got into burlesque and animal welfare, sharing exciting updates about upcoming Catbaret and Reali-tease shows, reflecting on what I’ve learned about podcasting, and giving a sneak peek at what’s to come in season two!

 Links & Resources:

 🎙️ Meet Gemma: Intro Episode: Listen Here
🐾 Deep dive into the Catbaret: Listen Here
✨ Want to take a burlesque class? New York School of Burlesque.                               📚 Recommended Reading: The Burlesque Handbook by the head of the New York School of Burlesque - Get it here

NYC Cat-Centric Resources:

🐾 Support the Cat Museum of NYC
🚶‍♀️ Explore Cats About Town Walking Tours
🧘‍♀️ Try Meow Parlour Yoga
🎙️ Listen to the 6 Degrees of Cats Podcast
😻 Check out Catsbury Park Cat Convention

Stay Connected:

🐾 Follow Tails and Tassels on Instagram: @tailsandtasselspod
🎭 Check out Catbaret: @catbaretshow
🌐 Visit Catbaret’s website: catbaretshow.com

Got a question or a story about your cat? 🐱 I’d love to hear from you! Message me on Instagram or email tailsandtasselspod@gmail.com.

Thank You!
I’m so grateful for all of you kitty cats who’ve been part of this wild ride! I can’t wait to return with more stories, interviews, and feline fun in season two. Stay tuned! 😻

Transcript

Gemma Smith (00:00.76)
Hello, hello, kitty cats, and welcome back to another episode of Tails and Tassels, the season finale of season one. This is the show where you learn about the lives of burlesque and nightlife performers, their craft, their cats, and how the two worlds collide. I'm your host, Gemma Smith. By day, I work in animal welfare, and it's kitten season, so things are about to get busy. And by night, I host the Catbaret 

Gemma Smith (00:29.546)
a cat-themed variety show here in New York City. And today is the season finale of season one. We've made it to 22 episodes. If you'd listened from the beginning when we debuted in October, thank you so much for being here. Thank you for listening. This has been a passion of mine, a labor of love, and so I'm grateful for all of you kitty cats listening and that the podcast has grown. 

Gemma Smith (00:57.994)
from guest performer interviews, burlesque performers, actors, singers, magicians, our expert guest, feline behaviorists, content creators, photographers. It's been a really exciting season and I have learned so much about podcasting. This has been a totally new venture for me. So on my own, I learned how to distribute to all of the directories. I've learned about SEO. 

Gemma Smith (01:27.294)
metadata, a recording. use Riverside, and I'm repping if you're watching the video version of Riverside Tee to record the podcast. And then I edit it on my own, usually in Riverside and then through Audacity. And I've been marketing the podcast and there's so much to learn about podcasting and so much to do. And because my life is about to get pretty busy with my day job, 

Gemma Smith (01:56.022)
I've decided to end season one here and now on Thursday, March 27th, 2025, with some listener questions answering your questions. And I did get questions, which I'm excited about. We're kind of going to wrap things up. And then I'm going to take some time to reflect. 

Gemma Smith (02:24.686)
and make a plan for season two. And I'm gonna also take some time to learn more about podcasting, about how I can make podcasting my main focus one day perhaps and really grow our community of listeners and cat lovers in conjunction with the Catbaret of course. Our next show's coming up, Kitty Cats on April 24th here in New York City at Caveat on the Lower East Side and also virtually. Did you know you can get a ticket for 10 bucks? 

Gemma Smith (02:54.454)
and you can watch the entire show from the comfort of your home with your own kitty cats. And it's good for, I believe, seven days after the show. That's just a great way to show support, to see some of these performers in action. We're gonna have, of course, as always, stand-up comedy. We've got a couple singers, music acts. We've got burlesque and drag. It's gonna be a really fun show. 

Gemma Smith (03:21.792)
I'll have cat ears for everyone. We'll have merch. We'll have a raffle, an audience contest with prizes. I'm very excited about the show. So check out the show notes. Stay tuned to our Instagram at Tails and Tassels Pod. And I share everything about the Catbaret as well. All right. So today's episode is answering some of those listener questions. So let me pull up my little spreadsheet. 

Gemma Smith (04:09.358)
And if you are watching on the video, I just want to shout out my new sweater, which very much matches, it's got big tigers on it. The colors match my leopard print background, so I'm really into it. Okay. Question number one. How did you get into burlesque? Well, I think I do answer this more in-depth 

Gemma Smith (04:38.446)
in one of my previous episodes, maybe my intro episode, but I would love to share that I started producing the Catbaret at a comedy club in Astoria in 2018. And I think actually before I met Allan I went on a date with a guy to the slipper room, and we saw burlesque. It was a sexy second date. And that was maybe an introduction to  burlesque for me. 

Gemma Smith (05:23.05)
Once I started producing Catbaret did have some burlesque performers in the show. I thought that would be a fun part of variety. I've always loved a variety shows. And through casting burlesque performers and seeing them perform, and then I think I went to a student showcase at DROM, I got the burlesque bug. It just bit me and I said, I want to do that. So I took a flirting with burlesque class. 

Gemma Smith (05:47.726)
at New York School of Burlesque here in New York City in maybe 2019, I want to say. And from there, I took the ACT development class. Jezebel Express was my teacher. I loved it. I loved the accountability of every class. You have homework and an assignment, and you're showing the other students what you've come up with. And it really held you to a timeline of like six weeks to create an ACT. And then there was a showcase. And at that showcase, 

Gemma Smith (06:16.498)
I had the most fun I've ever had on stage. And I had never ever performed burlesque before. And I just loved it. And I take it, I take it pretty seriously. I really care about doing a good job creating an act. I'm very thoughtful with it. And so I was very studious at the New York School of Burlesque. And I took that quite seriously. And since then, 

Gemma Smith (06:43.27)
I still produce Reali-tease burlesque We're actually gonna have a show this summer in caveat based on, so this is so different you all than cats, but it's reality TV inspired burlesque and it's gonna be a summer love edition. So you might see acts inspired by love is blind or love island. know someone wants to do, Valentina wants to do a, 

Gemma Smith (07:08.398)
Teresa from Real Housewives of New Jersey act, like at her wedding with that big hair. If you're a Bravo fan, I'm a huge Bravo fan. And so I'm really excited. That show is just in the very beginning stages. I literally booked the venue today. And so I have to email performers. It's in July. We have time. My toxic trait is planning in advance. So I'm really excited about that as well. And I kind of... 

Gemma Smith (07:37.964)
I kind of rambled, but that's how I got into burlesque. And I do look forward to producing an all-Burlesque show this year too.  

Gemma Smith (08:03.016)
Okay, next question. How did you get into animal welfare? Well, I moved to New York in 2012. Yes, I just celebrated my 13-year New York-aversary. I moved in March 2012. I had a bunch of job interviews lined up for like administration-type roles. I don't know if I've shared this on the pod, but before I moved to New York City, I was actually a high school and middle school theater teacher for three years. 

Gemma Smith (08:29.486)
 I always wanted to move to New York City to be an actor, moved here in 2012, had a lot of job interviews for day jobs that used my administrative and customer service type skills. So receptionist, client services type roles. And one of them... 

Gemma Smith (08:57.57)
was at Murray Hill Pet Hospital in Midtown Manhattan. And it's such a cute neighborhood vet clinic. The awning, the brick stairs, I think it's a very cute neighborhood vibe. And so at the time I wasn't a big animal person, which always surprises people. We did have pets growing up, but I just found a different connection to my own cats that changed me in a way that was different from my relationship with animals as a child. 

Gemma Smith (09:27.136)
So when I started working there, I was really gravitated towards the Pet Hospital as a receptionist for the great Midtown location in proximity to auditions because there were a lot of in-person auditions those days. And that was my main goal. And also, I like helping people. I like the neighborhood feeling and vibe. There was just a feeling in my gut that was like, really like the energy here. 

Gemma Smith (09:52.846)
Within a year of working there, I adopted my little lion-o as a kitten and I was just obsessed. Oh gosh, I just fell in love with him so, so much. then within a year of that, I rescued his little sister Luna from behind my apartment in Astoria. And you know, my love for animals and animal welfare really grew from there. And I worked there, gosh, from 2012 to 2016. Because in 2016, 

Gemma Smith (10:22.542)
I went through a divorce. I had all these little different survival jobs. I was also a theater teaching artist. I also was an administrative assistant at a toy company on the Upper West Side. I had so many different jobs in addition to the pet hospital. What else did I do? I did catering. I did a lot of background and stand-in work. I was the stand-in on Orange is the New Black. 

Gemma Smith (10:47.054)
Yeah, those were my main survival jobs. Being a theater teaching artist, I really loved, too. I love working with children. I worked at a Montessori preschool in Harlem for a few years. also, at school in the Bronx, a Catholic school, I did like an after school theater program, but they were all very flexible jobs. And then I got divorced in 2016, and I really needed... 

Gemma Smith (11:10.414)
full-time job. And then I was like obsessed with kittens at the time because we would sometimes get kittens at the pet hospital to board with us while they were waiting for foster through Mayor's Alliance, a nonprofit. And so I was just so obsessed with kittens. So when the job at the ASPCA kitten nursery came up as administrative medical assistant or something like that, it was like a medical coordinator like scheduling surgeries, I jumped at that role. 

Gemma Smith (11:38.912)
And within a year of working at the ASPCA, I got a promotion to administrative manager. And yeah, that's where I got my start in animal welfare, working at the receptionist at a veterinary clinic. And I have really fond memories of that time, of the staff, of our regular clients and their pets. And yeah, that's how I got into animal welfare. Okay, next question. Most of these are from, like these are all from just 

Gemma Smith (12:07.944)
handful of people, okay. But the next question is how did your cats find each other? 

Gemma Smith (12:12.548)
Well, I think I mentioned that I adopted Lion-o through Mayor's Alliance of New York. 

Gemma Smith (12:20.366)
How did your cats find each other? Well, I think I already answered this. We adopted Lion-o from the pet hospital where I worked. then within a year, I did see a litter of kittens behind my apartment in Astoria. I was living in Astoria, Queens at the time. And my neighbors and I, we all banded together to trap this family. 

Gemma Smith (12:48.746)
and spay and neuter them because we kind of figured out who the mama cat was, who the dad cat and the kittens, they were older kittens, like three or four months of age. And so we were able to trap, neuter and release the family except for Luna. She was the runt of the litter. So I was able to lure her into a carrier with some tuna and I brought her to work the next day to. 

Gemma Smith (13:13.154)
test her for FVLV, FIV to find out her sex. I didn't know it was a little girl cat, a boy cat, to get her vaccinated. And I fostered her and adopted her through Mayor's Alliance because this organization worked with the vet clinic where I worked. And so I was able to work with them to adopt Luna. And the other kittens did go on to be cared for by my neighbors. They were under-socialized and I can't recall 

Gemma Smith (13:42.218)
if she created like an outdoor home and outdoor shelter for those cats, but all of the cat family was cared for. But Luna is a special one who I adopted and she and Lion-o were outside hanging out. They're actually both, they like to both sleep on the bed during this time of the day and separate corners. That's where they are right now. I love them and I wish I could be like, here's Luna, let's look at her on the video of the podcast. 

Gemma Smith (14:06.712)
but I really respect their boundaries and they don't want to be picked up and like they don't, you know, it's only on their terms that they want to come to me and give me affection and I just accept it. They are my, you know, I worship them. So I take their cue. Next question is about my love life, about my husband, Allan Rubinstein How did you and Allan find each other? Well, the good old fashioned way, Tinder. 

Gemma Smith (14:36.18)
Yes, in 2018, we started dating. We both swiped, is it, we swiped right, right? That's the good way. Yeah, we swiped right. We had our first date at the coffee shop in Union Square, iconic spot that's no longer there. That was my first time at the coffee shop and it was right before it closed. So it's kind of sad we can never go back to the place we had our first date, but at least I went there once. 

Gemma Smith (15:02.03)
And I really liked Allan immediately. He's a very genuine person. And he was a cat dad already. He had a cat named Mary, and he loves animals and loves cats. We were very like aligned with the cats, and I'm very grateful for that. That was something I was looking for. But yeah, we found each other through Tinder. I think it was just the right timing for both of us. I had been dating a bunch and really unhappy with some of the dates I had or the... 

Gemma Smith (15:31.71)
know, situationships or dating. just, you know, people were either playing games or hard to read or not honest. And I liked that there was no game playing. We immediately said we wanted to see each other again. And it felt very natural. And yeah, that's that's how we found each other. And maybe one day he'll be on the pod. He's worried he won't. 

Gemma Smith (15:55.662)
He's nervous about it because he's more introverted. Clearly, I'm pretty extroverted and I think he's a little nervous about being a guest and talking about his art, but he's a very talented jazz musician. He plays guitar and upright bass and he loves cats and he's a cat dad. So there we go, a nightlife performer talking about their craft and their cats. Send him a message. He'd be perfect for season two. Next question. I love this one. 

Gemma Smith (16:25.464)
How do you make friends with other cat lovers? Me specifically, or I could in generally give some advice. Okay, I love. 

Gemma Smith (16:35.592)
Okay, I love this next one. How do you make friends with other cat lovers? It can be hard to make friends of any pet persuasion, but how do you meet cat lovers like your guests? And this is from it's anonymously, a real purr-son. So cute. Thank you for this question. I really like it because I'm 39. I know I talk about turning 40 on here. 

Gemma Smith (17:00.118)
And I found in my 30s, it's been harder to make new friends. It really has been. In my 20s, we're always hanging out with people, always meeting people, meeting new friends. And as I've gotten older, people are moving into different stages of life. And then on top of that, meeting other friends who have similar interests as you. Well, I would say it's really grown since producing the cat , because I'm putting myself out there as someone who loves cats. 

Gemma Smith (17:26.792)
And over time, I've met more more fellow creatives, or performers who love cats because they've come to the show, or I've put out a casting or specifically researched and sought out other performers who have cat themed acts. And through that, I've started to create a network of friends who are fellow cat loving creatives. 

So that's been really cool. And also, for example, collaborating with other cat loving people in New York through cat themed events. I worked with 

Gemma Smith (19:23.084)
Cat Museum of New York City to MC their fundraising events. And I've met fellow cat lovers working on that. Also being on Amanda B's podcast, Six Degrees of Cats. She came to Catbaret , we connected, she was in my last show and we've become friends. And going to cat themed events, I would say there's a lot in the city. Maybe I should lead it with that. 

Gemma Smith (19:51.936)
I rambled a bit, but maybe I should lead it with, check out cat-themed events in New York City. If not the Catbaret there's Cats About Town walking tours, there's cat cafes, there's three in New York City. I think there's about to be a fourth in Queens opening up. There is yoga at Meow Parlor, Cats About Town walking tour. Japan Society just had a Cat Day event. 

Gemma Smith (20:20.344)
There's also Catsbury Park in New Jersey. They have events. So stay tuned to those types of things because I think that's a really great way to meet like-minded friends. 

Gemma Smith (20:35.406)
What inspired me to create the Catbaret ? Okay, go back and listen to the episode. I forget the number, but it's how cats, community and creativity combine at the cat . It's an 11 minute episode all about cat  and what inspired me. But basically having a day job and wanting to bring some creativity back into my life and thinking about what perspective, what I could share that's unique and different. 

Gemma Smith (21:02.222)
And then what inspired me to make the podcast? Well, some of you know, and I'm putting this out there in the universe, right? It's my podcast. Something I'd really love to do one day is be an on-camera host for a non-scripted show about cat lovers. I would love to connect cat lovers, especially creative cat lovers, with different experts to solve pet problems in their life. And I created a sizzle reel for a reality show. 

Gemma Smith (21:30.614)
in the fall of 2023. And I pitched it. I had industry meetings with pros. I was proud of myself, to be quite honest, because I'm a newbie in that field for sure. And it wasn't really a fit for the landscape for TV currently. And I said, hey, well, what can I do with my own resources that's sustainable? And I thought, it's a podcast. And I love the podcast. I think I never wanted to do a podcast. 

Gemma Smith (21:58.882)
before because I thought everyone has a podcast and a lot of people do. But it is something that I can do and sustain. And I've met so many interesting people. Well, not just on the podcast, most of my guests this season, I have known in some capacity, some performed at the Catbaret but some were new to me. And it was really cool, like for an hour. 

Gemma Smith (22:25.774)
45 minutes, whatever, chatting with someone and asking about their life and learning about them. This is a really cool way to also make cat loving friends and get to know people. I am an extrovert, but sometimes I have social anxiety. I don't know if I've said that here before. I just get awkward sometimes. But with the podcast, there's a structure for me to get to know you, for me to ask you questions. And I like the idea that I'm promoting someone else's work and amplifying their voice. 

Gemma Smith (22:54.582)
and learning about them, it's inspiring to me. So thank you for all of these questions. 

Gemma Smith (23:13.336)
So thank you so much for all of these questions. This was really fun. I'm going to be wrapping it up now and I'm not sure what else to say. I'm nervous I'm not going to say the right thing as we're ending season one. This part is non-scripted. I'm finding I'm having more fun not scripting out my solo episodes. But what I can tell you is what I'll be doing during this time off is well, thinking about all you listeners and how I can come back for season two. 

. You you can follow me personally at Gemma Smith NYC on TikTok and Instagram if you want to see what's up with me, as well as at Tails and Tassels Pod. I'll continue to post never seen before clips on the Instagram. yeah, and then in July we'll have Reali-tease burlesque if you like reality TV or just want to see some more burlesque. You must like burlesque if you're here. 

Gemma Smith (24:33.408)
And I'm hoping to have season two coming back late summer, early fall. If there's anyone you'd like to hear from, if there's a guest you think I should reach out to, hey, if you're a burlesque performer who loves cats or a nightlife performer, let me know. I'm looking forward to reaching out to some folks outside my direct network. actually have a little... 

Gemma Smith (24:55.558)
spreadsheet with ideas for season two, which I'm really excited about. Sometimes I get a little nervous. I like interviewing folks I already know because I feel safe, but in order to grow, you have to reach out to these thought leaders in your industry. And so that's something I am, I'm working towards and I'm excited about for season two. 

Gemma Smith (25:19.766)
And lastly, I just want to give a big heartfelt thanks to all of you kitty cats for listening. I am so grateful that you have me in your QF podcast. And I'd love to ask you to please share an episode with a friend. If there's someone in your life who loves cats and creativity, whether they're a performer themselves or not, I would love for you to share this podcast with them. 

Gemma Smith (25:45.428)
every listen, like, subscribe, it really helps independent podcast growth. It's a whole lot of work to keep this going. So I'm hoping for season two, I might be able to start a monthly Patreon or something like that to help fund the podcast while I also can add more to our community. So that's something I'm thinking about as well. 

Gemma Smith (26:34.808)
So that's a wrap of this episode of Tails and Tassels. I'm your host Gemma Smith and I hope to see you at the Catbaret Take care and until next time kitty cats, meow.