The hardest part of the job was never what happened on the bike. After nearly a decade at SoulCycle, these are the four lessons that stayed with me - and none of them are about fitness.
1. Your hardest season won't last forever.
I've watched riders survive breakups, layoffs, grief, moves, and major life changes. Life keeps moving, and so do you.
2. You don't have to be "in shape" to belong.
The hardest part is often walking through the door. The studio is enclosed - no windows, nothing to peek through - so people pass by and picture what’s inside, convinced everyone in there must be fit, skinny, perfect. Then they finally come in - and realize the room is full of people at every level, every age, every starting point, all just trying to get through the next song. Nobody earns their place in a community by being perfect. You belong because you showed up. That’s the whole requirement. If you’re waiting to feel ready before you walk in, this is your sign: come as you are. We’ll take it from there.
3. Stop waiting for permission.
Some of the biggest transformations I’ve witnessed started when someone stopped waiting to feel ready, confident, chosen, or validated - and simply took the first step. They signed up for the class before they felt ready. They took the front row before they felt like a front row rider. They applied for the job, lleft the relationship, started the thing, before anyone told them they were allowed. Nobody is coming to tap you on the shoulder. The permission you’re waiting for is yours to give, and the version of you on the other side of that decision is worth meeting.
4. Validation is a moving target.
No promotion, compliment, relationship, leaderboard, or milestone will ever make you feel enough if you don't believe it first. I learned this one the hard way - on a podium, in some packed rooms every week. I didn’t hit perfect numbers, and I was still scanning for the next thing that would finally make me feel like I’d arrived. It never came from out there. The most important approval you'll ever receive is your own. When you believe you’re enough, the praise becomes a bonus instead of a lifeline.
If any of these landed, send this to someone who needs it. And if you want the longer story - the goodbye, the industry, what's next - it's all here. xoxo, Maya
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