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- [00:00]
Ariana Grande
Hi, I'm Ariana Grande. Hi, I'm Cynthia Erivo and you're listening to the Broadway Podcast Network. Visit BPM FM to discover more. 5am I'm up with a crisp Celsius energy drink running 12 miles today. Grab a green juice, quick change and head to work. Meetings, workshops. One more Celsius. No slowing down. Working late, but obviously still meeting the girls for a little dancing. Celsius Live Fit. Go grab a cold refreshing Celsius at your local retailer or locate now@celsius.com this episode is brought to you by State Farm. Knowing you could be saving money for the things you really want is a great feeling. Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with a personal price plan. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer. Availability, amount of discounts, and savings and eligibility vary by state. Gosh, that's really tough. There must be something. I. Gosh, Jess, I can't think of a thing. People are going to Pilates or going to Barry's, but none of that stuff has the same impact. It was lightning in a bottle. I mean, they just had us at a time where we were not so.
- [01:24]
Cynthia Erivo
Deep in our phones.
- [01:26]
Ariana Grande
I think that had a lot to do with it. And you described it perfectly. It was club culture meets fitness meets guru meets self help. There was nothing like it. And I think we really wanted connection. And the irony, of course, is that we're all desperate for that connection, right? That's why we're all on Instagram and TikTok. We are so thirsty for it. We are searching for it. I don't think Peloton is anything like SoulCycle. Never was, never will be.
- [02:31]
Cynthia Erivo
This is Cult of Body and Soul, episode five, Sex with an Ex. In this episode, we'll explore how a 2019 political fundraiser cost SoulCycle its reputation and goodwill from the public. Plus, has anything come close to capturing the zeitgeist the way Soul did?
- [02:55]
Ariana Grande
The Stephen Frost scandal basically hoodwinked us.
- [02:59]
Cynthia Erivo
Instructor Stevie Santangelo.
- [03:01]
Ariana Grande
We didn't know. We had no idea. It affected a lot of riders. They were very upset with us. So much so some people threw bricks, some people called and threatened. Most people in some of our areas pulled their memberships. We're not riding anymore and they still haven't come back. And a lot of instructors as well. You know, I don't want to be attached to that.
- [03:25]
Cynthia Erivo
In August 2019, the New York Times reported billionaire owner of SoulCycle and Equinox to throw a Trump fundraiser this weekend. That billionaire owner is Steven Ross. Steven Ross is the 85 year old chairman of Related Companies, the global real estate firm that owns SoulCycle and Equinox and nearly every apartment building in New York and Los Angeles. The news brought on a tidal wave of backlash with celebrities leading the charge for a boycott on SoulCycle and Equinox. For many consumers, it's a moral dilemma of choosing between the products we love and the politics we hate. For founders, it's an uncomfortable reminder. Head into fundraising, acquisitions and anything that will compromise the integrity of what you're building with a very sharp critical eye.
- [04:18]
Ariana Grande
Stephen Ross doing the event for Trump was a really shitty idea and I don't think that people really understood what kind of impact that was going to have on a community of a tremendous rainbow colored gorgeousness of riders, teachers and employees. It was a very bad move, as there have been many very bad moves. But that was a whopper.
- [04:49]
Cynthia Erivo
Hallie Becker and director of instructor training Janet Fitzgerald.
- [04:54]
Ariana Grande
You completely ignored who worked for that company. It was hurtful and shocking and I think it took the breath out of us cause we didn't. None of us knew what that really meant. How did corporate handle it? In a letter addressing the issue from our CEO was shot down so fast, so hard by writers and by instructors because it was once again tone deaf.
- [05:22]
Cynthia Erivo
In an email to all SoulCycle customers, new CEO Melanie Whelan wrote, we believe in diversity, inclusion and equality. Steven Ross is a passive investor and is not involved in the management of SoulCycle. SoulCycle in no way endorses the political fundraising event being held later this week. There was outrage on Twitter regarding the phrase passive investor. As Steven Ross is a stakeholder in Equinox Fitness, which is a majority shareholder in SoulCycle. One commenter wrote, he's only passive in that he's not teaching spin classes.
- [05:59]
Ariana Grande
That letter that Melanie Whalen wrote saying that Soul Cycle is one brand and one entity and we have nothing to do with related was absolutely insulting. We were piggybacked on the very thing that our brand was founded, especially a lot of the gay community just like came at us hard, you know. So yeah, I was shocked and hurt and I thought, oh my God, you know, like, are we gonna recover from this?
- [06:27]
Cynthia Erivo
Co founder Elizabeth Cutler describes selling to Equinox as, quote, ripping your heart out and leaving it on 8th Avenue for people to trample over. Simply put, when you sell a company, it is no longer yours.
- [06:46]
Ariana Grande
How related does their business and how Soulcycle does their business. They're not compatible internally. There were so many things that were crashing and crumbling because they manage in a particular way and we manage in another way. There also was a huge spotlight on us because all of the riders knew what the brand really was and they were pissed. There was another all hands meeting. There were so many all hands meetings, like back to back to back every night, every night to figure out how to, how this thing is going to get mopped up. I don't think we should have been part of that conversation. We were the ones getting. I couldn't even wear a SoulCycle sweatshirt on the subway, you know, oh, yeah, you're that brand that, you know, you know, you're lining X, Y and Z's pockets. And you always talk about being diverse and inclusion, doing pride rides and whatever. So we got the front end of that as well. So him being involved was scary because it's a lot of like minded people and there are powerhouse people who come to SoulCycle, but it's powerhouse people who believe in something and believe in good. I, for lack of a better term, lost my shit.
- [07:57]
Cynthia Erivo
John Stein is the top rider at Seoul with over 6,000 rides. While he never worked for the company, he's in the inner circle among instructors and even the founders.
- [08:08]
Ariana Grande
And I lost my shit because everything that SoulCycle had always talked about, LGBTQ, a place of inclusiveness, it seemed like a huge slap in the face. And I called for a boycott of SoulCycle up until either he divested or something would happen. Right. I got a lot of flack from.
- [08:29]
Cynthia Erivo
A lot of people at SoulCycle for that.
- [08:31]
Ariana Grande
Definitely instructors that I won't name because I am still friends with them. But I actually realized that I myself had made a mistake doing that. What I realized was all I was doing was hurting my friends. Like my buddy who's teaching five classes a week doesn't want to hear me call for a boycott. A SoulCycle for nothing that he has to do with and that's going to impact his paycheck. People went from being called riders to units. When I heard that, part of me was like, oh, I think I should be looking for another place.
- [09:05]
Cynthia Erivo
Related is not just the parent company of Equinox and SoulCycle. It also owns Pure Yoga, where Hallie Becker was also teaching.
- [09:14]
Ariana Grande
Teach your class, own the room. Don't make more of it. Listen, when you are a grown up, you make grown up decisions. This happened. I'm not riding a SoulCycle anymore. This happened. I don't like what happened, but I love riding its SoulCycle. So I'm going to class. You know, for me, I went in and I did my job. I didn't bring it up a lot, but we were really told just to business as usual, really. What choice did we have?
- [09:46]
Cynthia Erivo
Perhaps Vanity Fair summed it up best. Equinox Trump and the embarrassment of being a consumer in 2019. Maybe you don't have an Equinox membership to cancel, but corporate ethics eventually come for us all.
- [10:01]
Ariana Grande
I always said I don't work for SoulCycle and I don't want you to work for SoulCycle. I need you to work for your soul. I need you to show up for your soul. Because there's going to be a million times that a million companies disappoint you and maybe don't give you what you want. And you can't ever allow that to affect your art. Period. End of story. So don't let that in. You know, I had a real abrupt sort of exit out of the brand because Stevie and I had a falling out.
- [10:34]
Cynthia Erivo
We followed Sumi's entry to Seoul back in episode three, Noon on Monday.
- [10:39]
Ariana Grande
And it happened so suddenly and I was so hurt that I just. I frankly was embarrassed and I didn't know how to go back to the studio. Like that was how I felt about it. So I guess when I heard about the scandal, I was like, okay, well that's one more reason for me to be glad that it's behind me. You know, like this is really what it was. It was really a corporation. This is a business. This was not a place that I was supposed to have this spiritual awakening. You know, it sounds a little bit.
- [11:12]
Cynthia Erivo
Bitter, but I think that is initially how I felt.
- [11:15]
Ariana Grande
And so one of the things that I did say in my apology was I think that writers and instructors should get together and host a number of different charity rides. And that ended up happening. Every instructor was allowed to host one charity ride for an organization or something that they, they believed in. People in Jeep Wranglers drive past each other and they wave at each other or motorcyclists and they'll wave at each other out of respect. That is what it was like to walk down the streets of New York in a SoulCycle outfit. I would say in its peak you could be in a sold out class and almost Everybody had something.
- [11:53]
Cynthia Erivo
SoulCycle on the revenue from SoulCycle apparel was allegedly high enough to be considered a business unto itself.
- [12:01]
Ariana Grande
Whether it was a bra or a headband or a pair of socks, there was something that they were wearing pretty unanimously. That retail space, it was essentially, it might as well have been like the Saks Fifth Avenue of fitness back then. I worked there. I was a college student. There was no need for me to own jeans. I had a little skull and crossbones on every single piece of clothing. My mom is still begging me to give some of it away or get rid of it. And I hoard it because I'm like, this was hot stuff. You can't get these anymore. The Lululemons, the Nikes, the co branded. It was a status symbol and there would even be drops that you couldn't get. They would sell out the day they came out and not even be available online. And I think after the scandal when kind of things started getting weird, it's just not the same now it's just workout gear. I don't really me personally, I don't see the branded stuff anymore. Foreign.
- [13:00]
Cynthia Erivo
2019 SoulCycle had been working on their at home bike for nearly a year. See, peloton was around, but nothing compared to the popularity boom in the pandemic. So it was finally time to announce the at home experience with your favorite sole instructors teaching both live and recorded classes right in your living room. The timing of the announcement, the exact day the Steven Ross Trump scandal broke.
- [13:27]
Ariana Grande
Then when you take a look under the hood and you realize the timing of the Steven Ross scandal is that it occurs just at the same time that SoulCycle's about to announce their at home bike, there was probably a reason for this leak or this story to appear at this time. Yeah, you had companies fearful that Soul was going to make some inroads into the at home video fitness service.
- [13:55]
Cynthia Erivo
Between Flywheel and other competitors, SoulCycle had made a lot of enemies.
- [14:00]
Ariana Grande
And so what better way to do that than to kind of like pull the rug out from underneath you?
- [14:05]
Cynthia Erivo
After the Equinox acquisition, they really began to manipulate instructor pay rates, driving many to quit. In speaking with instructors, it also became clear how wildly different the pay structures were.
- [14:19]
Ariana Grande
I was paid per class and then I had a monthly allowance for clothing. There could be one rider or sold out. Now you better be filling your classes or else you're not going to be working there anymore. But yes, it was a flat fee. I didn't get more if the class was sold out. Now that changed. The first few years, I got $200 per class. And then you start to feel that corporate trickle down, okay, now your base pay is 125, but if you sell out your class, this is what you'll make. And then by the end, before I left I was making $75 a class. So I went from the start, $200 a class irregardless to $75 a class.
- [15:09]
Cynthia Erivo
And I went through the teacher training program not once, but twice. And Once was in 2010 when I became an instructor, and the other time was when I was being systematically terminated. Louise started as Julie and Elizabeth's assistant one month after SoulCycle opened and later became an instructor. I think they're going to have a different narrative on it than I do, but I think I was grandfathered in. I made too much money for the amount of classes I was teaching. And I had like 401k matching and health insurance. And they wanted to pay a dumb, dumb 21 year old to teach the same amount of classes, but then not have them be eligible for health insurance or 401k matching. And they needed to get rid of me.
- [15:55]
Ariana Grande
For the most part it was like 50 bucks a class, which is wild when you think about a room of 60 bikes who paid over $30 each. That class is a couple thousand dollars for the company and the instructor is getting like a bike and a half of that compared to some people making like over 800 per class as a like sold out master instructor.
- [16:18]
Cynthia Erivo
So they told me that my classes were not on brand and that I had to do the teacher training again. So I did, because I loved was like my family and my identity. And I had been there for so long and I had been teaching for six years at that point and thought, they're just gonna make me jump through the hoops again. But I didn't know if I was part of the first wave of instructors who had trained long ago, who needed to retrain because Seoul was XYZ and expanding and changing and whatever. And so it was a rider of mine in my 5:30 rooster class that was like, hey. And pulled me aside and was like, I'm an attorney, here's what's happening here. They're gonna fire you. And I was like, come again? What? And he was like, yeah, call me when you're fired and tell me where else you're teaching. Cause I wanna take your class. But they were gonna have me either fail teacher training or like slowly offer me less and less and less and less classes until I couldn't make it work for me and my schedule. And so then I would quit. But the way it like eventually went down is in 2016, I was asked to repeat the teacher training program after I had been teaching on the schedule for six years. And in February of 2017, I taught my morning classes. And then I got a phone call that said, no need to teach your afternoon class. It's being covered and you're no longer on the schedule. It was devastating. I mean, don't they have no fault hiring and firing in New York? That's my opinion of it. I think they could pay a younger person less money to do my job.
- [18:09]
Ariana Grande
Ageism was a factor, I believe. For me, I believe that they wanted younger people. The backstories are important to being authentic in your teaching skills. And these kids don't have them. How could they? They haven't lived long enough. I don't. I might want to look like the 25 year old on the podium. I don't want to be them. So we agreed that we were done and there was no big colossal explosion of bullshit. It was just a mutually agreed upon and it was time. And I still feel so welcome.
- [18:49]
Cynthia Erivo
Not everyone was meant to be a star at SoulCycle. There are some instructors who never quite captured an audience, yet experienced phenomenal success after they left. Isaac Boots taught for several years before he began streaming. His signature class torched on Instagram. The New York Times called him the breakout star of virtual fitness. Isaac became the single most successful former soul instructor. Others were recruited by Peloton, where they now have a national stage. As part of this project, I spoke to several employees of other fitness studios. A good friend was a manager at Barry's Boot Camp for five years. And we uncovered a strong parallel between both companies. Just like Soul, Barry's Bootcamp is also teaming with musical theater majors.
- [19:44]
Ariana Grande
You harness a sense of community at birth, right? You're in a community at school. You then go to high school, you go to college, you get a job. But you're always surrounded by this learned community. That's your stability. You have that every single day and you never think that you're gonna lose that. And then you graduate college, you get a job, and you're immediately in that environment. So you don't even think about this time period. But as an actor, you're constantly thrown into these really, really emotionally intimate casts. And it's such a beautiful, close connection that you have with your. This like, newfound family. And then all of a sudden the show ends and you're left alone. And then you're thrown back into New York and you kind of have to, like, fend for yourself and start from scratch again. You have friendships, but they're not as close as those other ones. And all of a sudden the family kind of fades away in the past and you have to force yourself to make a new one. It's just a bizarre kind of rollercoaster. And I really had trouble with that stability. I really wanted to see if there was stability outside of that and I wanted to get a real person job and see if I could find that sense of community and support outside of these shows that would constantly just leave me abandoned. And I wanted to find the cultiest place on earth and that was Barry's and I fit the mold to a T. And I went running and climbing and I stayed there for five years. And it was during a time when they were transitioning behind the scenes in the infrastructure of the company. So I got to see so much change that they kind of went through. But all along I felt so included. Whether I was working behind the desk or managing. It really felt like a global family. I would travel the world on my own and I was kind of exploring some independent travel. I was terrified to go to some of these places by myself, but I always booked my Airbnb next to a Barry studio because I felt like it was a safe spot to land. They didn't know who I was in Berlin, but I became friends with them. They gave me recommendations and it was kind of just. I felt like I had family everywhere and it was exactly what I wanted to find.
- [22:03]
Cynthia Erivo
Maybe what it all adds up to is this. People can feel lonely even if you have great friends and family. These rooms offer what is called a third space. A place outside of work, home and alcohol driven venues. For 45 minutes you can go inside a dark room with a bunch of other people and connect in a positive way. And you don't have to say a word.
- [22:29]
Ariana Grande
It's all part of the package. You open the door and you should be smacked in the face with that positive energy and you just get to shut off. You could be having a horrible day, but you really have to get lost in those dark lights and trust the voice that you hear. You guys are all from different walks of life in the studio generally. I mean, the people who are taking the classes, maybe everyone behind the desk is a theater major, but everyone in the studio is just truly someone from all different walks of life, all different ages, pregnant. You know, I mean, I have seen it all and everyone is still achieving the same goal in that studio. They are trying. I mean, you don't just randomly walk into a class like that. That is a choice you've made. The choice to better yourself and that common ground. That's price.
- [23:20]
Cynthia Erivo
Before we break, I am excited to announce we are doing a live show to celebrate Cult of Body and Soul. I will be interviewing Janet Fitzgerald and Hallie Becker together on stage. Plus a live concert by the band Betty, whose music is featured at the end of every episode of the series. It's happening on Wednesday, July 9th at 7pM @ Joe's Pub here in New York City. Tickets are on sale now. You can find the ticket link in the show notes and I will see you there.
- [23:56]
Ariana Grande
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. It's strapless, so flattering and paired with denim shorts will be my go to beach outfit this summer. Finally, your suitcase isn't complete without finding that dress. You know, the one for the photo shoot. 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 with a Venmo debit card. You can Venmo more than just your friends. You can use your balance in so many ways. You can Venmo everything. Need gas? You can Venmo this. How about snacks? You can Venmo that. Your favorite band's merch? You can Venmo this or their next show. You can Venmo that. Visit Venmo me Debit to learn more. You can Venmo this or you can Venmo that. You can Venmo this. So you can Venmo that. You can Venmo. The Venmo MasterCard is issued by the Bancorp bank and a pursuant to license by MasterCard International Incorporated. Card may be used everywhere. MasterCard is accepted. Venmo purchase restrictions apply to me as one of the first 25 hires at SoulCycle. I truly felt like I was in an elite club. Like I felt like a fucking rock star. I really did. I felt chosen, I felt popular and it was magic. Julian Elizabeth would rent out the Converse store and not only would we have an amazing party with food and drink and a DJ would we each, every single fucking employee got custom made Converse sneakers that you designed yourself.
- [25:38]
Cynthia Erivo
And that was our present instructors, Hallie Becker and Stevie Santangelo.
- [25:43]
Ariana Grande
The Soul Cycle Christmas parties were the holiday parties where we couldn't wait. We were doggone tired at the end of teaching, but we turned it around, put on something cute and we ran to the Converse store which they rented out. I mean it was so fun and we couldn't wait to go. And through the years, as Related became more of a presence on how SoulCycle worked, the parties started to go to January. And then the final straw was they did a holiday party for corporate only. For corporate only. That says everything. The relationship is over, and we are now being used as kind of like broodmares. The only fitness moment that has come close to the frenzy is the class. Taryn Toomey's that has come close. Acid rock with jumping jacks, with scream therapy, that has come very close. They want to move, they want to scream, they want to sweat. They want to feel seen. And that's what Soul Cycle started. And very few will ever replace it. And there will never be anything like the early days of Soul Cycle. No way. The thing I'm really obsessed with right now is pickleball. It's this. It's the only thing besides Soul Cycle that I've seen incept the way Soul Cycle is. It's like it's based on community. It's like adult recess. Like, people go there and they lose their fucking minds because you get to act like a child and you get to play a sport together with people from all different walks of life. Anything that you can be a part of in a community and share with other people is that's where the magic is. And I haven't seen many businesses, like, after SoulCycle. I consulted a lot because I didn't want, like, I was kind of, like, a little not great when I left there. Like, I didn't leave in a good note.
- [27:37]
Cynthia Erivo
Nearly everyone I interviewed was definitely in a place of fuck SoulCycle. When I first reached out, they had felt abandoned and without closure for years. I've been told that sharing these stories from the early days has been extremely healing for them.
- [27:53]
Ariana Grande
But I realized the reason why is because I gave everything. Because as a performer, I gave everything as a performer. That's what you do when you're a performer. And then I went to a business job, and I didn't realize you can't give everything to a business the same way, but when it encourages you to be a community. And like, we were. Like I said, we were in war together. A lot of us, like, we. That 10 minutes before the class starts is the most chaotic time ever. It's like up to 60 people or maybe even more bigger studios like Bridgehampton. 80 people are coming in, and they're usually coming at the same time. And you got to get them shoes and you got to get them water. You got to get them on a bike. This all happened in that 10 minute frame. And then there's that four minutes where you had to, like, rearrange bikes because people want to move or people didn't show up. And you can't give away that. And you can't. It's like mass chaos. And we would finish a check in and everybody would just be sweating and just be like, we did it. It's just like this elation of, like, excitement. And that is not easy to create. It's just all of these vibes. There's just so much to say about the vibes and the energy and the people. We were always great people. There are so many people that I still talk to that I work together with because we went to war. That won't happen again. Okay? That's just the truth. That's a pocket of time that's not happening again. People even say that. Employees say that to me now. They'll go like, you know, we're gonna try to get. We gotta try. I'm like, don't try to do anything. Just move forward. That pocket of time was that pocket of time. We're not getting that back. That's never happening again. We were all part of a very, very special. I'll never forget the first time I saw someone in a T shirt walking down the street. Was like, whoa, that brand. The brand. I was like, oh, my God, we're a brand. And we were family. And we had experienced death and life and babies and hard times and good times and difficult conversations. And I also like when people say, oh, how'd you meet so and so. And I say, oh, I don't want to say it because if I say.
- [29:55]
Cynthia Erivo
Soul cycle, it sounds so unimportant.
- [29:58]
Ariana Grande
And I'm like, no, you have no idea. Like, this is not just somebody I met at a spin class.
- [30:03]
Cynthia Erivo
I can't explain it, but this person.
- [30:05]
Ariana Grande
Is part of my life. But it's the truth. And I speak it all the time because I'm like, you have no idea how this has, like, changed my life.
- [30:13]
Cynthia Erivo
Glynis is an original 72nd street rider.
- [30:16]
Ariana Grande
I mean, I have videos on my phone that people used to take in the classes. And I'm like, oh, my God. I might. I start to cry. That feeling of teacher doesn't even have to talk. But you look around and everybody is in sync.
- [30:29]
Cynthia Erivo
Everyone's tapping back at the same time. Everybody knows what the signals are, and there is something to that and sounds so obnoxious. But I think it's what makes a great class and the spirit that people can exude and feel comfortable like screaming and yelling. And it does help when everyone knows each other for sure, you know, it does.
- [30:50]
Ariana Grande
It helps when there is a community.
- [30:51]
Cynthia Erivo
And the teacher can sort of pull together this group. I'm often asked why I stopped going to SoulCycle. I stopped going in 2018 because for me, I was there for the show, the performance art. I was there to be intellectually and physically stimulated. So once my favorite artists, AKA instructors, began to leave, what was I doing there? It's not like I had a burning desire to be on a spin bike. It legitimately blew my mind when my favorite people started to leave. Like, how could you be seemingly born to do this one thing and then leave? Like, what were you gonna do? Of course, I now realize that these people are artists and have full lives and goals that exceed beyond just teaching group fitness. Three years after Stevie resigned, John Stein was celebrating his 6,000th ride. The class was full of all of John's instructor friends, past and present, including Stevie.
- [31:57]
Ariana Grande
John Stein called and invited me to ride one of his big celebration rides. And I said, of all motherfucking people, I cannot say no to John Stein and the magic that we have shared and created. And it was such a bittersweet, wonderful, beautiful celebration of what this man is able to magnetize. And then afterwards, I called my good friend Nick Ponce, and I said, I feel like I just slept with my ex because I had not ridden a Soul cycle class since I resigned, and I wanted to keep that break clean because I really did grieve it. I missed it. There was so much about it. And there is nothing like that class elsewhere. Nothing. I've taken classes in all different countries. There have been a lot of people duplicating it. There have been great instructors trying to act like us, celebrate the heyday, the beautiful insanity and physicality that it was, and understand that we were lucky to have that. But to insist that it continues is not effective. It's not effective. I speak with people all the time from Monday night, and we have long, wonderful conversations. So what was created there was 100% real. And every now and then, people do say, wow, I wish we could go do that again. I wish we could go do that again. That thinking is harmful because it takes a little bit of energy away from me looking for something else. The universe doesn't just give you one great thing. It gives you lots of great things. But you have to turn in the other direction to see it coming.
- [33:34]
Cynthia Erivo
Like, the entire Fitness Industry, SoulCycle Studios were closed at the height of The Pandemic employees were furloughed as peloton became an at home fitness phenomenon, all while poaching several sole instructors for SoulCycle. They did the best they could. Classes were held outside on rooftops. They dealt with public noise complaints. These companies did everything they could to stay in business and retain as many employees as possible. Equinox finally quit demanding unnecessary and unwieldy expansion. Several New York and LA studios closed permanently, but the majority are still open today. While many employees left and never returned, former instructor Chris Hale had an epiphany. Nearly 10 years after he first left the company. Chris had left Manhattan, bought a house with his husband in Jersey and was feeling stuck with his career. One night he had a fever dream. What if he went back to SoulCycle?
- [34:38]
Ariana Grande
And so I emailed and I was just like, hey, I'm a former instructor and I'm interested in potentially coming back literally the next day, like actually that day, like four hours later. Cause this was like 5am I get an email back that was like, oh my God, so good to hear from you. So we get on a call and he was like, you know, we have a training group starting like this week. And I was like, oh, oh my God. Like this. I didn't expect it to happen so quickly. I thought like, you know, I'll like put a feeler out, we're gonna see what happens. I almost really didn't have time to think about whether or not I wanted to do it or not because the opportunity was just. And I was like, it's here, take it. Yeah. So I went back through training, which I don't know what I was expecting. Like, was I expecting to have to go back through training? Like, I don't even know, like, I don't know what I thought was going to happen when I reached out. It was such an amazing thing to be able to go back and revisit that. I, like don't feel bad about it at all. Like, I feel like I actually got to come back and have this really amazing experience. I got a redo. Like, how often do you get the opportunity to like revisit something and really like get to make it better than it was the first time.
- [35:59]
Cynthia Erivo
John Stein still rides several times a week with instructors whose classes do remain sought after today.
- [36:06]
Ariana Grande
So noon on Monday for me is still a stressful time because the instructors that I'm still going to at least like good bikes or decent bikes. Those are going to be taken immediately at noon on Monday. But there is a very, very, very big difference between noon on Monday, 2013, 2014, 2015 to noon on Monday. Now, if you look at almost any class other than a single select group of instructors, you pretty much have your pick of a bike at noon on Monday, right? Most classes in the prime times, back in 2014, 15, 16, every class was sold out. 5, 30, 6, 37, 30. Sold out, sold out, sold out. Now, people walk in like, and. And when I say walk in, I don't mean like, walk in to make it a salad. I mean like, walk in to make it 50% filled. But I don't necessarily think that is. That's not meant to be a direct hit on SoulCycle. I still think if not for Covid, I would love. And maybe you have it. I would love to see the data of how many people actually never went back after the Stephen Ross scandal. I don't believe it. I don't. And if it was, it would. Was so minuscule that it really didn't do much. I just felt really honored to be in the game. I loved and still love teaching, helping, leading retreats, because, you know, I need to be forgiven. I need help. I need growth, you know. And it was a magical time in New York City to be part of SoulCycle and to be at the forefront of the yoga community. I felt really honored. To be truthful.
- [38:05]
Cynthia Erivo
When I started this project, I knew that I would have to return to Seoul. So in October 2024, I went back for the first time in nearly five years. The observations were interesting. No one was wearing any SoulCycle gear, and the whole scene was definitely less intense. I took three classes from some of my old favorites, and I was pretty much done. Like, I had checked the box for this project, but then I got a voice message from Janet. This was a plot twist I did not see coming. She said, hey, Jess, I told you months ago to be my guest anytime, but I haven't seen you in place class. What's the block? Chills down my spine. She saw right through me and was right. I explained that I know how she runs her room and how there's this expectation to perform, and I just didn't know if I had it in me. She immediately responded with a message saying, essentially, know.
- [39:09]
Ariana Grande
Listen, I used to be a total asshole on the bike. Like, just mean as a snake. Horrible, horrible. Said some things that, like, I'll never be able to take back. And then as we evolve, you realize that you're teaching from a wounded place, you know, and so now I get to teach and uplift and, like, be kind and like, see people in a different way. Let me just. Let's just say this Soul Cycle doesn't have and never has had a clock on the wall. And that is because I used to, if I caught anyone looking at it, would take it off the wall and put it on their handlebars and say, there, now you don't have to twist your neck during the ride. Really mean things. Because we were control freaks, and a lot of us had been through. Well, I had been through a tremendous amount of life, and we had been lucky to survive. And as Claire would put it, we had this deep desire for everyone to do it as we produced it. I mean, the thing is, is that you're always teaching from where you are. And so right now, I feel softer and I feel more confident from the inside, and I feel like inspiring from love and positivity instead of running the class like it's an army. So I'm more interested in inspiring it rather than demanding. It.
- [40:47]
Cynthia Erivo
Is the gag that Janet Fitzgerald got me back. So I've been going weekly for months now, and I see how she is still fostering community among her riders and dropping wisdom not found in any other fitness class. I began going to her Sunday morning Tribeca class, which is still appointment Soul Cycle, as church. Just last week, I ran into two of the anonymous studio managers you've heard in this series in her class. Years after they left that job, somehow they found their way back to Janet as well. How odd. Or maybe not. Why do you stay?
- [41:31]
Ariana Grande
Right, because if I won the lottery, I would still teach at Soul Cycle. And if someone offered me more money to teach somewhere else, I would still teach at Soul Cycle. So it's interesting because I believe more in the community and the feeling and that gets transmuted and pushed out into the world than I do about the money or the building or even the brand. People ask me all the time. Just yesterday, someone was like, when are you going to retire? Well, first of all, I'm never retiring. I don't believe in retirement. And second of all, okay, but then let's go create this in France. And I was like, do you know how long it takes to create a vortex? You don't just, like, pop up somewhere and get the feeling that you could feel in my Sunday 9:30. Tribeca, you're not going to get that. So it's why I stay. It's why I came in the first place. It's why I'm going to stay. I'm addicted, unnaturally addicted to the feeling that we all get. And the vibes it creates. And so for now, SoulCycle is there and I pray to God it's always there.
- [42:41]
Cynthia Erivo
I'll continue loving you.
- [42:47]
Ariana Grande
He dab in.
- [42:49]
Cynthia Erivo
My hand and my dress so wet.
- [42:51]
Ariana Grande
And a thousand regrets but only one wish is real Nothing but the best for you baby Nothing but the best.
- [43:01]
Cynthia Erivo
Oh I Nothing but the best for you baby in your life.
- [43:09]
Ariana Grande
Nothing but the best for you baby Nothing but.
- [43:12]
Cynthia Erivo
The best oh I Nothing but the.
- [43:16]
Ariana Grande
Best you baby in your life.
- [43:53]
Cynthia Erivo
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 Zip Wishing well by the band Betty.
- [44:34]
Ariana Grande
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