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- [00:00]
Ariana Grande
Hi, I'm Ariana Grande.
- [00:02]
Cynthia Erivo
Hi, I'm Cynthia Erivo and you're listening to the Broadway Podcast Network. Visit VPN FM to discover more. In case you haven't heard, it's officially in Abercrombie Summer. The A and F Vacation Shop has everything on your packing mood board. I desperately need their new one piece, the A and F Marina.
- [00:23]
Louise
It's strapless, so flattering and paired with.
- [00:26]
Cynthia Erivo
Denim shorts will be my go to beach outfit this summer. Finally, your suitcase isn't complete without finding that dress.
- [00:32]
Louise
You know, the one for the photo shoot.
- [00:34]
Cynthia Erivo
Abercrombie's boho dresses have that perfect beachy, romantic look. Make it an Abercrombie summer shot. Their newest arrivals in store, online and in the app.
- [00:44]
Miles
This episode is brought to you by Amazon Prime. From streaming to shopping, prime helps you get more out of your passions. So whether you're a fan of true crime or prefer a nail biting novel from time to time, with services like Prime Video, Amazon Music, and fast free delivery, prime makes it easy to get.
- [01:02]
Cynthia Erivo
More out of whatever you're into or getting into. Visit Amazon.comprime to learn more.
- [01:12]
Ruth Zuckerman
For the first few months, Ruth was literally the only instructor. There was nobody else teaching there after that. Like the core six, like the original six instructors, the ones who are still there today, they all came from West Hollywood. You had Lori Cole, who was an actress, big diva energy. Then you had sue, who was a fitness instructor, but she was also a full time United Airlines flight attendant, I'm not kidding. And she would fly cross country, working the flight and then she would get to New York and teach a spin class and then fly back and work that flight and fly back to Los Angeles and teach that class. And then you had Stacey Griffith, who was like the big one who, you know, she's open about this. She overcame drug addiction, meth, cocaine. Then all of a sudden she's like Ellen DeGeneres on a spin bike. And she became like this huge sensation and these housewives throwing their panties at her. This one housewife left her husband for her. It was all over Page Six.
- [02:14]
Miles
This is the cult of body and Soul. Episode two, A Star Is Born. We were previously introduced to Aaron and glynis in episode one, Made in LA. They were among the original riders at SoulCycle's first studio on 72nd Street, Manhattan's Upper West Side.
- [02:41]
Janet Fitzgerald
So at the time I lived on 86th street and I would walk to 72nd and that trip down Columbus Avenue, like no matter if it was hot or cold, like would be so exciting. Be like, I got to get there. I got to get, you know, I get. I got to move my bike. I got to get to my bike. And you'd, you know, and as time went on, you'd start to walk and you'd start to see people. You'd be like, hey, you're going to the 8:30. And it, all of a sudden this community started to form, right? Even on the street, all of a sudden it would be like these people walking together, right? You turn that corner off Columbus on 72nd and it would start to be this. You'd see the crowd outside, you'd be like, oh, this one's here, that one's here. You know, the cab started to pull up, the drivers started to pull up, people started getting out of their cars. And there you walked into this sort of like, weird office building.
- [03:28]
Ariana Grande
It was May 2006. I feel like maybe they had been open a month, a couple weeks. You know, it was right next to Juice Generation, but it was unmarked. You went through these, like, glass doors, and right ahead of you was this, like, stainless steel elevator. And you were like, what? Where am I?
- [03:46]
Miles
This is one of SoulCycle's very first employees. Louise was working as a waitress at Alice's Teacup, a restaurant located just one block over from the studio. Louise had a 10 year career at SoulCycle. She assisted Julie Rice and Elizabeth Cutler, the founders. In the very beginning, she worked the front desk and eventually became an instructor.
- [04:09]
Ariana Grande
Because now it feels like you're in somebody's space. But if you take a hard left, there was a door, and then it was kind of dimly lit, and you go down this really long, narrow hallway and there's this magical, amazing place. And there was a desk. And I said, you know, hi, I'm looking to help you if you're looking for help. And Julie and Elizabeth were both there, and unbeknownst to me at the time, what this was or what anything meant, they were like, yeah, when can you start? And I was like, I have to actually go back and finish my shift. But they were like, just come back.
- [04:43]
Miles
I asked her to characterize the three founders.
- [04:47]
Ariana Grande
So Julie, in my experience of her, was very, like, straightforward, sometimes kind of curt, sometimes, sometimes, like, loving and nurturing, but in a strict bad cop kind of way if need be. And Elizabeth was very crunchy granola, very like, oh, my gosh, you're here. Let's hug. And I was like, wait, what do you need me to do? I'm trying to be helpful. No, let's just talk for a Second, how are you? And it was just like such Ying and Yang. And I guess that's why they work so well together. I felt like Julie, I could never be fast enough. And for Elizabeth, I needed her to be faster.
- [05:23]
Miles
And what was Ruth like?
- [05:25]
Ariana Grande
She was an instructor. She was, like, on a pedestal. And it was weird.
- [05:31]
Miles
In the very beginning, you would actually sign up for class using mind body online. MindBody Online is a generic site where you can sign up for all sorts of classes. Yoga, pilates, gyms. And SoulCycle was just lumped in with the hundreds across New York City. The SoulCycle website was extremely primitive, with barely the logo and the address. Again, this is spring of 2006. Lululemon wasn't open yet, and we're still a year away from the very first iPhone release in June of 2007. And an app for signups, well, that wouldn't be built until 2015.
- [06:10]
Louise
For me, personally, my biggest lesson at SoulCycle is that's where I learned how to run a business. I worked in so many different departments. I ran a studio. I started from the bottom, started from the bottom. Now I'm here. I worked at front desk. I was a manager. I worked in the corporate office. I worked in multiple different roles in the corporate office. I was there for almost eight years. And when I left there, like, I literally knew how to run a business. It did feel like a lot of times we were, like, playing business in the beginning. I feel like I got an mba.
- [06:41]
Miles
This is Miles. He and Louise work together at Alice's Teacup, cobbling together restaurant jobs to support themselves in New York City.
- [06:50]
Ariana Grande
They were like, go outside with these flyers, hand out these free passes, get butts in the door. Like. So I would go to this balloon shop in the 80s on Amsterdam, and I would get balloons and sort of Dick Van Dyke, Mary Poppins, Burt style, with, like, one man band. Like, tie balloons to, like, my ankles and wrists and walk around, like, street corners and hand them out to people and say, like, come for a free class at SoulCycle. And they'd be like, what is that? So then I would have to explain, but I got to take free classes and I was excited. Or I'd walk in Central park and try to, like, stop runners or other people on bikes and be like, come inside. And they were like, I don't want to do that. I want to ride outside. But you do it enough and people come in and then it's magic. And so then they come back.
- [07:35]
Louise
I was kind of transitioning out of my acting career. I was A part of the Broadway community. And when I wasn't doing shows, I was managing a restaurant on the Upper west side called Alice's Teacup. And as most soul people know, the original soul cycle was on 72nd street between Amsterdam and Columbus, and Alice's teacup was on 73rd street between Amsterdam and Columbus.
- [07:57]
Miles
Some of the original instructors were regulars at Alice's Teacup because of the proximity, so they would encourage the staff to come on over and ride. After all, they were neighboring businesses.
- [08:09]
Louise
I think they had, like, a little plaque on the wall that said, like, soul Cycle, but it looked like you were walking into, like, a dentist's office. It was like a regular. Like, you know, when you're in New York City, when you go into a building, you walk down 50ft, and then you make a sharp left, and then you make another sharp right. I'm like, where the fuck is this place? Then all of a sudden, you go through a door and you're in this, like, makeshift cycling studio. And I was like, where? And how is this happening? And then so you walk in and there's a desk and there's, like, a little space, and then there's, like, these glass doors. And then behind the glass doors is the class.
- [08:41]
Miles
The lobby was so tiny that people were shoulder to shoulder going in and out of class. There was one bathroom, a few lockers, and no shower. They decorated the entry with grapefruit scented candles, which would become the brand's signature scent. They sold one piece of merch, a T shirt with a yellow wheel that said SoulCycle.
- [09:03]
Louise
So, like, it was loud when the class was going on. Like, you can't talk or do anything because you can't hear anything. There was no, like, soundproofing. It clearly is not a space made for working out and especially loud workouts like SoulCycle.
- [09:16]
Miles
Miles would go on to not only work for SoulCycle HQ, but witness the company's expansion firsthand as he managed studio openings across the country.
- [09:35]
Cynthia Erivo
SoulCycle has opened in New York City the very first studio fitness of its kind. And Julie's here trying to, like, sell to these women who are going, like, I can get all of this at a gym. Why am I coming to this back alley, stinky, small, little studio?
- [09:57]
Miles
Master instructor Janet Fitzgerald.
- [10:00]
Cynthia Erivo
So these women did not have an easy, you know, time of it, trying to sell people on it. And she began to email me and try to recruit me, and her and Elizabeth would fly into Los Angeles and take class, and we'd go to Earth Cafe down the street and have breakfast, and they would try to talk me into coming, and every time I'd say no.
- [10:21]
Miles
It would take two years cutting Ruth Zuckerman and a bit of success to seduce Janet. The first few months were slow. Some classes had just a few people. The sound system broke nearly every day, and they received regular noise complaints, so they sometimes had to lower the music to just a whisper. But that core group of instructors, including Lori Cole and Stacy Griffith, were stars with a dedicated following. Suddenly, some press. The daily Candy email newsletter reviewed a soul cycle class, which we talked about in episode one. This drew a ton of BlackBerry Addicted plugged in 30 somethings to keep the momentum. Julie and Elizabeth realized their next move would be to open a summer outpost in the Hamptons. Ruth was definitely hesitant about expanding so soon, but Julie and Elizabeth knew better. So after the first year in Manhattan, they opened the now iconic Bridgehampton Studio, located in an old barn Foreign. The significance of the Bridgehampton Studio, AKA the barn, cannot be overstated. The Hamptons is where the 1% of New Yorkers socialize, beach, shop, and live between Memorial Day and Labor Day each summer. With real estate in the Hamptons, they were no longer just a local Upper west side neighborhood cycling studio. Now they could showcase the workout and the star instructors to Tribeca, the Upper east side Westchester, and even the international crowd that the Hamptons drew. Kelly Ripa became their first celebrity superfan, regularly talking about SoulCycle on television every morning, she described her first ride with the publication Style of Sport. Here she's gushing about her favorite instructor, Stacey Griffith. My girlfriend took me to a charity spin.
- [12:24]
Ariana Grande
They had just opened the barn and halfway through the class, Stacy came over.
- [12:28]
Miles
To me and she said, she said.
- [12:31]
Ariana Grande
You can sit down.
- [12:32]
Miles
Because I couldn't conceptualize what was happening.
- [12:35]
Ariana Grande
I had taken spin classes before. Never really liked them, never really thought anything about them. They seemed kind of disorganized.
- [12:41]
Miles
And this was organized and I was trying to keep up, but I really didn't know what I was doing.
- [12:46]
Ariana Grande
My legs were flying all over the place.
- [12:48]
Cynthia Erivo
And she was like, sit down.
- [12:49]
Miles
Turn on the resistance. And she really paid attention to my first ride. And I thought, oh, this is for me.
- [12:56]
Ariana Grande
Because this is a. It's a group atmosphere. But you get one on one attention because Stacy really does look at you.
- [13:04]
Cynthia Erivo
She looks at everybody and makes adjustments.
- [13:06]
Ariana Grande
If they're not doing something right, she will adjust them.
- [13:10]
Miles
One could argue that this first summer in the Hamptons is the moment SoulCycle evolved into a lifestyle brand. Suddenly, all of these people were exposed to this secret club on 72nd Street. Once labor Day hit and it was back to school, 72nd street was bursting at the seams. Sold out classes, wait lists, Escalades wrapped around the block. The demand was there for not only additional Studios, but instructors.
- [13:42]
Ariana Grande
72Nd street was lined with like black SUVs of these ladies getting out to check into their class and then get back in. It was like wild. You walked around the corner and it was like just lines of these cars. And classes were full. And now there was a wait list, and now there was a fight over who was on Bike 6. And it was less about the fitness of it and more about the overall experience of it. And yeah, I feel like it seemingly happened overnight that the phones would be going off the hook. I'm running late, I'm stuck in traffic across the park. Don't give my bike away.
- [14:16]
Janet Fitzgerald
But in the beginning, that wasn't the way it was. It was the Real Housewives of Soul cycle, you know, and they fed into that. I remember going to a class at like 11:30 in the morning one day when I was off from work and I'm like, my God, it's packed. You know, there's a lot of women, they drop their kids off and then they'd go to spin.
- [14:32]
Ariana Grande
And a lot of times I feel like the time of day mattered more than who was teaching. Like, they had to take the 8:30 because they needed to get to work. Then it morphed into, no, I have to be with the person who's going to heal my spirit. It was less about the fitness of it and more about the overall experience of it.
- [14:53]
Miles
This was also when Julie and Elizabeth realized that they were stronger and more strategic without Ruth's involvement. On the business side, they knew they couldn't lose her following. So they made her an offer she couldn't refuse. Believe it or not, Ruth stayed on as an instructor for two more years before she left to co found SoulCycle's main competitor, Flywheel.
- [15:16]
Ariana Grande
I was never, ever directed by Ruth to do anything. Like to me, she was a silent partner and co founder and instructor. And Julian Elizabeth did like phones, press checking in, customer service, back end financial type stuff.
- [15:37]
Miles
But did you understand that she was an owner?
- [15:39]
Ariana Grande
Yeah, maybe. No.
- [15:42]
Ruth Zuckerman
What was she to do? Go back to reebok and make $40 a class when every single person who is taking her classes there are now.
- [15:48]
Miles
At SoulCycle, Ruth Zuckerman is certainly a success. She went on to co found the second biggest cycling studio in New York City with Flywheel. But no one was going to dethrone Soulcycle cutting Ruth as a business partner allowed Julian Elizabeth to focus on two emerging priorities. One, finding the best instructors to meet demand. And two, finally seduce Janet Fitzgerald into joining them.
- [16:25]
Cynthia Erivo
When I got here, Julian Elizabeth signed me up to take Ruth's class. I had no idea at the time that they were on the rocks or anything was going south. I just knew that the girls were in business together.
- [16:39]
Miles
Remember, Janet was Julie's muse back in LA at Body and Soul.
- [16:44]
Cynthia Erivo
Julie had told me that Ruth's idea of staffing was that they should just really comb the United States to find the biggest and the best instructors and bring them to New York City because she didn't really feel. This is hearsay. But according to Julie, Ruth didn't feel like she could train someone just to be a great instructor, that you need to go out and find the greatest. That's part of it. We had a very different concept in how to create an instructor, and I benefited from that. So when she went to Flywheel and I said, I can train anyone, matter of fact, I'd rather train some creative little magical unicorn at the front desk than I would ever take some sloppy leftovers in the fitness industry that they. They taught everything. You know what I mean? I don't want that person because they don't know how to break it down and be raw and real and present, because they're still teaching from whatever method they've been teaching all these years. And it's dry and boring. And so it takes a long time for me to undo an old dog and very little time for me to create a new hot puppy.
- [17:59]
Miles
Janet's concept of who would make great Soul Cycle instructors was exactly in line with Julie and Elizabeth's thinking. After all, they always said, we're not in the fitness business. We're in the hospitality and talent business.
- [18:13]
Cynthia Erivo
Finally, Julie said, I'm gonna bring you to New York. I'm gonna put you up for a couple weeks, you and your girlfriend. I'll fly you out here, I'll pay you whatever you need to make, and let's just try that. And then I'll make you a final offer. If you don't take it, I'll leave you alone. And I was like, honey, we're going for Christmas to New York City. Cause I had no intention, by the way. Julie was an agent. She doesn't take no for an answer, and she gets everything she wants, period. That's all.
- [18:40]
Miles
And so Janet goes to New York to teach for a couple of weeks and absolutely hates it.
- [18:47]
Cynthia Erivo
Tracy, my girlfriend, and I came to New York. We were greeted in the street. And she gave me keys to an apartment and a bottle of Stag's Leap red wine. And I was like, this is great. This, this is a good start. And I don't recall now where that apartment was, but I do know it was a walk up. Very disturbing for this Los Angeles person. I don't know if it was a three or four flight walk up. Okay. I'm not even used to walking. We don't walk in Los Angeles. You get in your car, you circle 20 times before you decide to leave because there's not a closer parking place and there's no laundry. So I'm like lugging my sweaty shit down the street to the local laundromat. My feet hurt. It's raining, I'm freezing. I'm also fat. I'm just telling you the truth.
- [19:45]
Miles
Studios were now open on the Upper west side, Tribeca and the Upper east side. They had Janet running ragged teaching at all three studios upwards of 12 times a week. And she was not falling in love with New York City. She was done and pleaded with Julie to just set her free back to la.
- [20:05]
Cynthia Erivo
She goes, okay, how about we do this? How about I just. I pay you what I agreed to pay you, I'll back you off to about six a week. And I know that you train people. Would you mind working with some instructors? So I met with a small group of instructors, which is where I met Claire Veronica Walsh, this new budding instructor that they were trying to promote. And she was. She was full of fire. I mean, like, it was wild just to be in the same room with her.
- [20:34]
Miles
Claire Veronica Walsh was part of a test group of potential new instructors. She really had no idea how to teach a class, let alone curate a musical experience for riders. But she was an ingenue, I think.
- [20:47]
Ariana Grande
Claire was about 16 when she first started writing. And she fell in love, big time, hard. And said to Julian Elizabeth, I need to teach. And they were like, you are a kid. No way. And she would take her little laptop and sit outside the door and, like, take notes on the playlists of Ruth, Stacy, Laurie. She would just sit there and write down the songs of the playlists in the order, listen to them, and she would then, you know, come back with her mom to ride and then chat up everybody and everyone. And then Julie finally said, okay, work the desk. Like, I can't fight you forever. You're going to be here all the time anyway. You might as well be useful one day.
- [21:32]
Miles
An instructor had to cancel last Minute. So Claire jumped at the chance to substitute the class. Soon, Janet was mentoring her.
- [21:40]
Cynthia Erivo
I think she was about 18, and she wasn't getting good feedback. And I was like, okay, let me see what you got here. What's this playlist? And she goes, well, I have like 20 songs. And I'm like, why would you have 20 songs? She goes, well, I have 10, but I have a backup in case something doesn't work. I'm like, first of all, don't ever do that. Okay? I need you to sit at home, light a candle, pray, meditate, put this set list together and that is what you'll be using. And if it's not working, then you're doing something right. Okay, so let me see this again. Looked at the playlist. I go, take that out. Move this here, move this here, move that here. Go teach that. She calls me and says, someone just gave me like the lottery numbers. What the heck did you do? And I'm like, I got you, girl.
- [22:38]
Miles
The lottery numbers are basically the keys to unlocking a successful playlist. It's all based on curating a 45 minute ride based on the beats per minute of each song. This was one foundation of an extensive training program that was developed over time. We're going to explore the training program in detail next episode. Janet also found a soulmate in Claire. Maybe she was a reflection of her younger self.
- [23:05]
Cynthia Erivo
Claire and I fall in love with each other. Meaning like sisterly love, not actually like girlfriend love, but just like she feels like my mini me. Like I've never met a small me before. It was wild. So she says, I've always wanted to move to Los Angeles. She goes, can I come? And I said, yeah, you just come to Los Angeles with me. I'll get you a job. So I have a couple meetings with Stacy Griffith, Julie Elizabeth, whatever, and they're trying to talk me into staying. And I'm like, listen, I got all kinds of things I want to do. One is I'm going to get a warehouse in Culver City and I'm going to get a church choir on Sundays and I want to produce Moulin Rouge on a bike. And I'm going to have aerial artists coming from the ceiling. And I'm going to. I'm painting this picture and they're looking at me like I'm insane. And Julie goes, I'll let you do it here.
- [23:54]
Miles
They would eventually allow Janet to produce Moulin Rouge, but under very unexpected circumstances. Still, Janet wasn't convinced. But as she said earlier, Julie Rice doesn't Take no for an answer.
- [24:07]
Cynthia Erivo
I'm so proud of you girls. You're amazing. Let me know if you need anything. I'm going back to Los Angeles. And she says, well, what can I do for you to make you stay?
- [24:18]
Miles
Janet realized the only thing that could make her stay in New York was to continue mentoring young instructors like Claire Veronica Walsh and a salary of $200,000, more than any instructor would ever dream of making in la. Why did Julie throw that money at her? Because she wanted to be able to take her favorite instructor anytime she wanted.
- [24:40]
Cynthia Erivo
And would you believe she said yes and she made that happen. I think she just threw me that money because she wanted to take my class. And like, it was part of the deal. And I said, because I need to be able to work with people like Claire. I need the next level of this. I need to be able to train people to do what I do and to help people be able to deliver this. Kick off summer with Memorial Day savings at Lowe's right now. Get five Scott's Naturescapes. One and a half cubic foot mulch bags for just $10 plus get up to 40% off. Select major appliances and save an extra $50 on every $500 you spend on select major appliances. $396 or more. Lowes we help you save. Valid through 528 Mold Shopper. Excludes Alaska and Hawaii. Selection varies by location while supplies last. See lowe's.com for more details.
- [25:36]
Louise
Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile with a message for everyone paying big wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop with Mint. You can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying. No judgments. But that's weird. Okay, one judgment anyway. Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment.
- [25:58]
Cynthia Erivo
Of $45 for 3 month plan equivalent to $15 per month required intro rate first 3 months only, then full price.
- [26:03]
Ariana Grande
Plan options available, taxes and fees extra.
- [26:04]
Cynthia Erivo
See full terms@mintmobile.com.
- [26:10]
Miles
With this promise began a very rough version of the instructor training program which Janet was essentially making up as she went along.
- [26:18]
Cynthia Erivo
So we have auditions and Julie and I are in the room with the clipboards, right? And Julie doesn't ask me anything about curriculum, what we plan on doing, you know, anything. And I just start hanging out with these kids. We go out to dinner, we go to yoga. They come to my house, we sit on the floor for hours at a time talking about how to spiritually prepare to put these mini pieces of artwork Together, these little experiences, it's like making a short film.
- [26:57]
Miles
Janet taught them how to make the class more of a conversation, using rhythm writing and yoga style guidance throughout the the entire ride. She also showed them how to cue transitions without excessive counting, like a stereotypical.
- [27:11]
Cynthia Erivo
Instructor at the time. They never even asked me when they would be done. I swear to you, I think we're sitting on the floor talking for about six months.
- [27:18]
Miles
Finally, Janet brought the idea of a community ride to Julie. A community ride would serve two purposes. One, to see if these kids can actually teach a class, and second, to offer a free class to anyone who signs up. Therefore, Janet can critique the class, and it's a nice give back to the community. Lord knows how, but Janet starts turning out legit superstars. No one at any gym in Manhattan is delivering what SoulCycle is. Word of mouth began to surge.
- [27:50]
Cynthia Erivo
Like, I'll never forget this one time, Danny Coppel, who was basically a magician on a bike. I mean, you've never seen anything like this guy teach. It was dinner and a show. It was like lights and water. And, like, you know, you'd look up. At one point, you didn't even see Danny get off the bike, and all of a sudden, he's crawling like a cat along the handlebars of the second row. You know what I mean? He was just like, it was unbelievable. Julie used to say, I don't take his class because I'll be up for, like, several weeks trying to figure out how he did it.
- [28:29]
Miles
Now, there's a lot of different layers of what happened at Soul Cycle. In the early days, instructors would get on the bike and stay there. The music was pretty much rock and roll. That would appeal to the Upper west side crowd or top 40. As they hired younger, more theatrically inclined performers, they started to improvise. They got on and off the bike. They had more eclectic taste in music. Now there's choreography, lights. A certain alchemy began to happen in the room. It became performance art. The poster child of Soul Cycle as performance art was the quiet, wickedly smart Danny Copeland.
- [29:11]
Cynthia Erivo
And Danny, through the whole training, never said a word to me. Just sat there with this little feathered hair, Never really said a word. His music choices were very odd, you know, like Bjork and, like, things like that. And I'm like, okay, Danny, we're gonna need some music that someone knows at some point. So I'm standing there watching Danny teach his first community ride, and I'm like, oh, boy, how's this gonna go down right? All of the Sudden, right around the third song, he gets off his bike and it's they Don't Really Care About Us by Michael Jackson. And he starts to stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp. People are screaming now. He does a high kick and a Michael Jackson spin, and the whole room blows up. And I text Julie. A star is born.
- [30:05]
Miles
Danny Culpel was a star, but the women on the Upper east side in Tribeca just didn't get it.
- [30:11]
Cynthia Erivo
He got the worst feedback from every studio. The worst feedback. He's homoerotic. Don't relate to his music. It's too much for us. We don't like it. We don't relate to it. We don't like the look of it. Like, everything you can imagine. She pulls me into the office. What are you gonna do with this? And I'm like, no, no, you have to trust me. This is a star. Julie. You have to trust me. I swear to you, do not get rid of this kid. And that, by the way, this is back in the day that I'm their only mother. There is no training department. It's just me. It's just me. So I've got everybody on my cell phone, and they're texting me constantly. Can I jog to this? Should I climb to this? What can I open to this? You know, like, I'm their mother. And so I get called in the office, and she goes, I'm going to send this young man to Scarsdale. And I go, oh, Julie, don't do it. Please. Please don't do it. Don't. Don't do it. You know, that's like death.
- [31:02]
Miles
Scarsdale is a wealthy suburb about an hour north of Manhattan, which also happens to be Julie Rice's hometown. So she certainly knew what would appeal to that crowd.
- [31:13]
Cynthia Erivo
So I said, please don't do it. She goes, I'm sending him to Scarsdale, and we'll see what happens. Well, I'll tell you what happened. Those women in Scarsdale had never seen anything quite like that. And he blew up to be a giant star. People are laying down the big bucks to get into this class. And he is a superstar in Scarsdale. Now, here's where Julie is fucking brilliant. And the heart of the company was programming. Because she was an agent. She knew what color the hair should be, how to change the outfit, what they should wear, where they taught, what time they taught, who was taking that class. And she was a pro at. It was like. It was brilliant watching her.
- [32:00]
Miles
As soon as Union Square opened on 18th Street, Julie plucked Danny out of Westchester and into downtown York, New York City, where he belongs.
- [32:10]
Cynthia Erivo
She plucks Danny out of Scarsdale and puts him in the opening of Union Square. And I mean to tell you, within three months of that studio opening, people were in the hallway trying to touch him, like they were reaching for the Beatles. And he's, like, running from back there into the studio. I mean, like, it's insanity. And he blows up, up into this. Just, like, this giant thing that none of us really even understood. Danny had his boyfriend at the time riding the boyfriend bike front row. And Danny, I'm telling you, as a magician, you never saw him do anything with his hands. Lights would go on and off, but you never saw him flick the switch, you know? And oftentimes he was so strong, these giant thighs, like, dancer thighs, that he couldn't even use his arms. He would just be, like, arms out to the side, like, flying to the side. And he's, like, running out of the saddle in the air with the lights changing at the same time. Choreography. One leg out, floating around, like, you know, whatever. So he flips the switch. Somehow, none of us saw it. Somehow has his water bottle. Remember, we used to have the smart water with the lids. So he has the smart water in between his thighs, which we never saw. And he comes up for the run, squeezes his inner thighs down together, and it shoots all over the boyfriend's face. Just, like, comes all over his face. The room is screaming. Losing their minds. I mean, was crazy. It was crazy.
- [33:41]
Miles
Danny and Claire Veronica Walsh were the epitome of the exciting young creativity that Janet was fostering at Seoul.
- [33:48]
Cynthia Erivo
So you've got all these divas that started the industry, and then you've got these new budding divas, right? We're giving them the keys to the kingdom because we've taught them this method. And now Soul cycle is blowing up, and you can't get into these classes, and people are losing their minds. So instructors are getting off the bike, taking off their shirts, shooting everybody with water. Every class is, like, going to some wild concert. The stronger the writers got, the stronger we all got. It was like, feeding each other. And a lot of the instructors partied hard. I mean, partied hard. So the young ones would stay out all night doing God knows what, a lot of drugs, and then coming in, popping an Adderall, just trying to, like, keep it together. And then, like, getting on the bike, spinning a million miles an hour. And, like, it was a little bit out of control. And, you know, like, part of it was. Was the charm to be honest with you, to see Claire walking in smelling like cigarettes with her pantyhose, you know, big gash hole in the side, and she's got a fur coat on and, like, God knows where she's been all night. And she just, like, walks in and like, throws her fur coat down and just, like, fucking nails class like, she's a superstar.
- [35:14]
Miles
On December 27, 2011, the New York Post headlined, quote, tragic death of spin queen SoulCycle staffers and clients were grieving yesterday over the loss of Claire Veronica Walsh, 22. Walsh, who had a legion of dedicated followers, was slated to teach a class over the weekend, but didn't show. The cause of her untimely death is unknown.
- [35:40]
Cynthia Erivo
It was the most devastating thing that's ever happened to me in my life. I went to Utah for Christmas by myself to hike and go to a spa. And Julie texted me and said, claire just taught the best class of her life.
- [35:57]
Louise
So Claire passed away on Christmas Day 2011. So I had just started at the company. I just met her. I remember being in the studio with her one night when I was, like, closing it down and just, like, learning about her and talk to her. She was so chill, so, so sweet, young, kind of, like, had, like, a tortured vibe.
- [36:14]
Cynthia Erivo
And before that class, Claire had texted me and said, hey, do you think I can open with Lana Del Rey Born to Die, or is that too much of a downer? I'm probably going to start to cry. So this was the Friday before Christmas, and I said, you can play whatever you want. Claire, go ahead and open with Born to Die. And that was her last class.
- [36:40]
Louise
I think she had, like, pink hair. And I do remember riding the train with her downtown and just after a very busy day, being like, this place is fucking insane. And she was like, it is fucking insane, but isn't it fun? And I was like, it is fun. And I was, like, really kind of looking forward to, like, getting to know her. And this was, like, right before Christmas, and then she died on Christmas Day. So I remember having to do, like, a lot of the tasks and, like, help run the studio during that time because everybody was super close in the beginning because it was such a small company.
- [37:09]
Cynthia Erivo
The next day, I get a text from Julie, and Julie says, hey, have you heard from Claire? And I said, no. And she goes, she didn't show up for her class. And I said, oh, shit, I'm sorry. She probably partied too hard. I said, let me handle this. So I call her and I say, hey, listen, I know you've Been messing up. And I don't want you to worry about it. Nobody's gonna fire you. We just wanna make sure you're okay. Okay? I'll take care of you. I'm gonna protect you. I just need to know you're okay. No answer back. Eventually they ask me, where's her apartment? Where is she staying? So they found out where her apartment was. And Danny Copel and Lori Cole went with the police and they found her dead in her apartment.
- [37:58]
Ariana Grande
Total utter shock. She was burning the candle at both ends. She had this unrealistic image of perfection in her head that, you know, probably most women battle with. And she was just so fucking beautiful. I don't think maybe she was consuming enough calories for the amount of classes she was teaching. Like, at the time, I think she was teaching upwards of 14 classes a week. And even someone who's like an Olympic athlete has doctors around them and coaches. And this is like a kid, essentially. Work hard, play hard. I don't want to insinuate that there was anything nefarious happening, but there are rumors about that.
- [38:48]
Cynthia Erivo
When I found out about it, her sister called me. That's how I found out about it. And I had a nervous breakdown in Utah and barely got home. I really had felt like I. Part of me died. She was like. It was like me. She was like. I don't know how to describe it. It wasn't even. It was beyond sister. It was beyond lover. It was. We were each other's everything. After a lot of healing because none of us even thought we would even be able to teach again. I mean, devastated.
- [39:20]
Janet Fitzgerald
The details were so upsetting. And it. That I'll never forget it. I was in Florida and Jackie texted me and she said, I'm so pissed off. It was Christmas Day. And she was like, I'm sitting here and Claire didn't show up for class. And I was like, that's not like Claire. My husband said that something's wrong. And then my phone rang in the middle of the night, like, and somebody called me to tell me what had happened. And, you know, it's a mystery just to many of, like, really what happened. I don't know if the story ever was put out there in a way that, you know, the full truth came out or really what happened.
- [40:06]
Miles
Six months later, it was once again summer in the Hamptons. Julie made good on her promise to allow Janet to combine spinning with performance art. All set to Moulin Rouge. This would be a fundraiser to honor Claire's memory.
- [40:20]
Cynthia Erivo
I said, it's time to do Moulin Rouge. And we'll do it as a charity event, and we'll raise money for the lower east side girls club because her mom wanted that, and she wanted to help girls with eating disorders because Claire suffered with bulimia and. And body image, you know? So I had all the instructors come to my house, and we all watched Moulin rouge together, which was one of mine and Claire's favorite movies.
- [40:49]
Miles
The event combined burlesque, live musicians, singers, dancers, all within the middle of a spin class set to moulin rouge.
- [40:58]
Cynthia Erivo
It was so beautiful. All of us rehearsing together and, like, dancing, singing together, and people riding bikes, and it was wild. And we raised a lot of money, and it kind of all helped us heal a little piece of that grieving that we had for Claire.
- [41:14]
Miles
Even Chelsea Clinton was at this event and raved about it to the press.
- [41:18]
Ariana Grande
Like, we were very close. And, you know, you spend holidays with these people. You know, you teach turkey burns on Thanksgiving day instead of traveling home to your family, and then you eat together because you're not at home. And you do that for however many thanksgivings and Christmases and birthdays. You super close to these people. And, you know, when we're out eating, playing, you don't think people are gonna not be here anymore. And it's just kind of earth shattering when they're not.
- [41:52]
Miles
By 2011, SoulCycle had expanded to the upper east side, Tribeca, Union Square, and the Hamptons. It was time for an upper west side studio with actual soundproofing. The community celebrated this milestone with a wreck the studio party, where they could gather for one last ride and pay homage.
- [42:12]
Louise
So I was invited to the breakdown of 72nd Street. They had their last ride. There was drinks. Everybody's, like, writing on the walls and, like, marker and all the, like, original crazies. Not crazies. And I say that in love. Like all the upper west side, like, crazies who are obsessed with soulcycle. From the beginning, they were all there, and it was kind of like a goodbye party to the studio. I do think they were breaking the wall down, but I can't remember because it was literally so overwhelming.
- [42:36]
Cynthia Erivo
So we got all dolled up, and we all had our soul cycle gear on. It was just a vibe. It was like the end of an era, and there's this crazy new chapter, and everyone was there taking photos.
- [42:46]
Miles
They were opening just five blocks north. But for many, the end of the 72nd street hole in the wall was profound. SoulCycle no longer belonged to just them.
- [42:56]
Louise
After the 72nd street, like tear down, like an ending party. I officially started at the 77th street studio, which was the official, like, Big Girl SoulCycle. Box within a box, like Mantra wall, all that stuff. It was what you see SoulCycle as today. And they were all. They were all masters at branding.
- [43:16]
Janet Fitzgerald
When they closed down 72nd street, it was so sad to me on so many levels. And again, you know, they were opening 77th street the next morning and we were all going the next morning. It signified the end of an era, you know, even though the one bathroom that again never worked, and the smell of the rubber and the cobwebs, it was dusty. It was pretty gross. There was something so brilliant about it. And it's where it all started again. I look back on those original T shirts and I'm like, my God, it started from this one. Silly camouflage yellow T shirts, the only product they had. A whole group of us went out for dinner that night. We all signed the walls. I can see Claire, she was promoted that night. I remember Janet promoted her.
- [44:03]
Cynthia Erivo
It was sad.
- [44:04]
Janet Fitzgerald
It was really sad. And then the next morning, we went to 77th Street.
- [44:15]
Miles
I took my first Soul Cycle class in 2011. A good friend of mine lived next door to the Upper east side studio and I happened to be working in the neighborhood I actually spun many times before and hated it at my local gym in Queensland. My friend was over it after a few months, but I kept going. I don't even know what the pull was. I certainly hadn't met any new friends, and I definitely didn't have a spiritual bond to an instructor. I do remember being impressed with myself when I could finally clip in without asking for help. And I also remember being able to sustain a run out of the saddle. I guess I was getting good. I used to look at the SoulCycle website and stare at the schedule to kill time. A few weeks prior, I noticed a new instructor photo. Her name is Stevie. The energy coming through this black and white photo was instinctively different. She looked different and she felt different to me, especially from the vanilla instructors I had been taking on the Upper east side. I told my girlfriend I needed to go into the city to take this 5pm class. The class was in NoHo, a new studio in the up and coming neighborhood right next to the East Village. I remember walking into the NoHo studio for the first time and I remember getting a glimpse of Stevie before class. She had long dreadlocked hair and tattooed arm sleeves and wore knee socks over her leggings. The beats were heavy, dirty, dark, and you could Stomp on the music, Stevie would have a greater impact on my life more than any other instructor.
- [46:07]
Cynthia Erivo
Uh huh. We've been waiting, we've been watching for you to fall from grace?
- [46:18]
Miles
Sitting idly by its shadows? Holding out for your mistake?
- [46:27]
Cynthia Erivo
We've been patient, so understanding? And just a matter of time? Through the daylight comes the darkness? And you'll venture over the line? Well, now you made it? I come inside?
- [46:53]
Miles
Oh, now you're one of us?
- [46:58]
Cynthia Erivo
You're one of us? You're one of us? Oh, now, now you're one of us? You're one of us? You're one of us? One, one, one of us.
- [47:24]
Miles
Cult of Body and Soul is created, executive produced and narrated by Jess Rothschild, sound design by Caitlin White, Theme song and original music composed by Elizabeth Ziff, One of Us by the band Betty. For even more culty soul content, definitely follow me on Instagram at jessxnyc.
- [48:23]
Ruth Zuckerman
Hello and welcome to the Cheese Wheel Podcast. Your new favorite podcast about hyper fixations gambled on a wheel. In this podcast, we are covering anything that we want to talk about, but the problem is we don't know what we're covering every week, and it's something new every time. And I am joined by two of my co hosts. Andrew DeWolf.
- [48:42]
Cynthia Erivo
Hello. Hello. I'm happy to be here.
- [48:44]
Ruth Zuckerman
And Liz Esten.
- [48:46]
Miles
Hello.
- [48:46]
Janet Fitzgerald
Also very happy to be here.
- [48:47]
Ruth Zuckerman
And this show is weekly and every time someone else brings something to the table that's a little bent. We're gonna be covering anything and everything, including chaperones, new album, Spy Kids, and the film version of Waitress. We're gonna have a new episode every Friday and you're gonna see the vast arrays of interests we might have. Andrew, what might be one of your choices?
- [49:10]
Cynthia Erivo
Oh, I mean, I could pick something like, I don't know, famously bad movie Miami Connection, and we could have a good time watching something that I love.
- [49:19]
Janet Fitzgerald
That'S kind of terrible. Or I could pick something incredibly good.
- [49:23]
Cynthia Erivo
Like Jacob's Ladder, which is my favorite movie of all time.
- [49:27]
Ruth Zuckerman
Incredible. And Liz, what about you?
- [49:30]
Ariana Grande
I don't know.
- [49:30]
Janet Fitzgerald
I'd go something like A Walk the.
- [49:32]
Ariana Grande
Dewey Cox Story so I can talk.
- [49:34]
Janet Fitzgerald
About my favorite comedy since Jess didn't let me do it on the old podcast.
- [49:38]
Ruth Zuckerman
Well, funny you bring that up. In case you're wondering what happened to Musicals with Cheese, we ended that show. But the show's still here and living on in season one. So if you want to go back and listen to our backlog, that's still here. But right now we're just the cheese wheel. Please keep on listening. We got a lot of fun stuff to come, and we hope that you like what we're doing.