Moving On

My years at Peloton and what's next

In 2015 I did a C9 (Champion’s Target Brand) campaign with Robin Arzon and a few other fitness instructors. My first son was around two years old then and I was excited to be the yoga ambassador for the athletic clothing line. I was also teaching yoga and Pilates around New York City and phasing out my time at HSN as the Pilates Power Gym host.

Fast forward a few years later. A friend and I were looking at the Peloton app and I noticed Colleen Saidman Yee had a few yoga classes on it. Lisa, my girlfriend, said that I should reach out to Peloton and see if they are doing more yoga. As we were researching the app, I saw Robin. I reached out to her with a direct message on Instagram and asked if Peloton was hiring more yoga instructors. She said, “No.”

I didn’t think much more of it until a month later when I got a message from Robin saying, “Actually we may be hiring yoga instructors, come in and audition.” So I went down to the studios on Christopher Street with a thirty minute yoga flow audition prepared and did my thing. It took six weeks, more audition tapes, lots of meetings with various people at the company and finally a job offer. I was thrilled! I now had 3 boys; an almost 5-year-old and almost 2-year-old twins. I remember in one interview that I was asked if I had a good nanny because I would definitely need one.

I was the first official full-time yoga hire for Peloton and started in July 2018. Up until this point in my career, I had never been a full time contracted employee with benefits. I taught yoga , Pilates and meditation at various studios and privately. I was very used to making my own schedule. I now had a set schedule, many meetings and an entirely new way of class planning and playlist crreating. It was a steep but fun learning curve. I was thrown into a mix of very talented instructors, and it was extremely rewarding to be pushed outside of my comfort zone to grow in new ways personally and professionally.

I worked on casting more yoga instructors and in December 2018 we officially launched Peloton yoga with myself and Aditi Shah and Anna Greenberg. I loved everything about my “work” at Peloton. I loved creating classes, connecting with people, being on camera (I was a theater major at NYU), and constantly being pushed to become better at my craft.

I owe it to Peloton for being able to leave my marriage and have the confidence to be on my own. I never would have run a marathon had I not been at Peloton. I would not have met some of my very close friends had I not been at Peloton. I definitely wouldn’t have a wardrobe including leggings and sports bras in every single color. In all seriousness, Peloton really challenged me to grow in so many ways. I’m grateful for every moment there, even the extremely challenging ones. Most importantly, I’m thankful for the connections I’ve made and the people I’ve met along the way.

A dear friend told me, “God sometimes does for us what we won’t do for ourselves.” In a perfect world, I would have stayed at Peloton and kept doing what I was doing. I honestly love to teach more than anything in this world. I love to make a difference in peoples lives. I love to connect with people while connecting with myself. I love to be on the mat. I love to be in a room with lights and cameras, filming live content that is immediate and intimate. Those moments are when I truly feel alive inside. I teach things on the mat that I personally need to learn. I feel things that I often don’t allow myself to feel. I play music that inspires me; and I listen to more music than I ever have before. I am amazed at just how much music can make such a difference in our moods and our lives. Even when I play instrumental or more background music, I feel it supports my movement and my breath. Prior to Peloton, I wasn’t playing music at all in my classes. I think now I’ll find a happy medium between just guided instruction sometimes and other times music that fits the style of the class.

Unfortunately, sometimes things have to shift. Certain circumstances just didn’t make it possible to stay with Peloton. Change is inevitable; and without change, how can we grow? I’m not going to lie, change is also scary: but God (the universe, higher power, whatever it is that’s out there) is nudging me in a new direction. When the signs keep pointing the way, I can’t ignore them. I’m nervous and excited and curious to see what my next adventure holds. I am truly happy to spend some precious time with my boys. I am also ready to connect more with nature and spend some time slowing down. I’ll never stop teaching because that is not only my passion, but also I truly believe my purpose here on earth.

In defiance of my Virgo personality, though, I intend to take the next month to chill out at the beach with my boys. One of my favorite yoga teachers used to say, “You can’t just spend time sharpening the knife, you also have to cut the bread.” Now is the time for me to savor some of the hard work from the past six years and to enjoy some fun filled summer days. We will see if I can do it.

As to exactly what is next, I’ll spend some time in meditation listening to my heart voice. When one door closes, another one opens. I’ll see what the universe opens up for me. I’ll be here sharing my insights here. I’d love to hear from you when things resonate with you. If you have questions, send them my way. Together we can continue to shine from the inside and spread a much needed positive light in this world.