There is something truly magical about teaching in front of a room full of people. Each person brings something different to their mat, but they all have at least one thing in common: they have shown up for themselves. While they may have come to move their bodies, many have found something even more meaningful: a community and a safe space to simply be themselves.
The studio is a room where we turn down the lights, turn up the music, and move together. I get to stand at the front and watch it all happen, and it never gets old.
What started as a lifelong love for movement has turned into one of the most rewarding parts of my life.
Where It All Started
Growing up as a ballerina, I have always found a sense of peace in moving my body alongside others. Performing has always come naturally to me, and in many ways, teaching fitness feels just like being on stage. I stand in front of everyone, the music starts, and something in me just switches on.
Through dance, I feel like I have been attending group fitness classes my entire life. However, my interest in boutique group fitness really began when I found B/SPOKE Studios.
Like many students, my high school experience looked a little different because of COVID. During that time, I found myself turning to B/SPOKE. What started as a high school job quickly became something much more. The studio gave me a feeling similar to the one I had always found in dance: a sense of belonging.
The classes were what initially caught my attention, but the community is what kept me coming back during every college break for over five years.
I had the opportunity to learn from so many different instructors, from cycling to strength to yoga, and eventually watched some of my friends become instructors themselves. Seeing them step into that role was incredibly inspiring.
There is a certain energy that comes from being in a room where the instructor calls out your name, the person next to you lets out a loud “WOO!”, and everyone is cheering each other on. It is a feeling that is difficult to replicate anywhere else.
Somewhere along the way, I started wondering what it would feel like to be on the other side of the room.
Finding My Voice
People had always asked me if I was ever going to teach, but the timing never felt quite right. That was until my sophomore year at Merrimack College.
I had occasionally attended group exercise classes on campus, but I vividly remember taking a yoga class on a snow day. I walked out of that class and immediately thought, I’m going to do that.
At the time, I honestly didn’t know much about fitness certifications or where to start. So, I started by becoming a NASM Certified Personal Trainer.
Fast forward to today, and I am a NASM CPT, a 200-hour Certified Yoga Teacher, and Barre Above certified.
However, getting those certifications was only part of my journey. Actually standing in front of a room and teaching was a completely different experience.
I chose to teach strength first, and I still remember practicing how to talk on the microphone in front of my friends. Was I nervous? Absolutely. But there was also something that felt surprisingly natural about it.
It was that same feeling I had experienced growing up on stage. The music started, I stepped into the role, and another side of me came alive.
It’s About So Much More Than the Workout
Over the past few years, I have had the opportunity to teach more than five different fitness formats. As someone who genuinely loves taking group fitness classes, I have always enjoyed trying a little bit of everything.
What I love most is that each format complements the others, while bringing out a different side of me as an instructor.
Strength is fiery and powerful. Pilates is slow, controlled, and connected to the beat. Teaching yoga flow feels almost like singing a peaceful song, while yoga strength is the perfect combination of it all, and somehow always flies by.
I’ve also had the opportunity to lead larger fitness events with more than 70 participants, an experience that still feels surreal. Whether I’m teaching five people or 70, I love the challenge of creating an experience that makes everyone feel like they’re part of something special.
When people leave my classes, I hope they feel empowered, lighter, stronger, and happier than when they walked in. More than anything, I want them to feel seen and know they belong, regardless of their experience, fitness level, or what kind of day they’re having. Whatever movement looks like for them, I want them to feel comfortable showing up exactly as they are.
Group exercise classes are about so much more than walking out of the studio with tired legs, especially on a college campus, where finding your people isn’t always easy; these classes offer a chance to meet the person on the mat next to you, celebrate small victories, and take time to pour into your own cup. I love knowing that my classes can be a place where people make new friends, challenge themselves, and feel part of something bigger.
After a few years of teaching, it can be easy to wonder whether what you are doing is really making a difference, but then I see familiar faces walking through the door, smiling and excited to be there, and I am reminded exactly why I do it. Knowing that something that has become one of my favorite parts of the week might also be someone else’s is a feeling I will never take for granted.
What Teaching Has Taught Me
While I hope my classes leave people feeling stronger and more confident, I think teaching has done just as much for me as it has for my community. It has taught me how to lead, how to connect with people, and most importantly, how to find confidence in my own voice.
There is a certain vulnerability that comes with standing in front of a room full of people. You are responsible for guiding the experience, creating the energy, and making everyone feel comfortable. At first, that can feel like a lot of pressure, but over time, I have learned to lean into it.
I have also learned that being a good instructor does not mean being a perfect one.
I cannot even begin to count the number of times I have made a mistake on the microphone. Sometimes I say the wrong thing, lose my train of thought, or accidentally let my inner dialogue become outer dialogue and share a little too much.
But I have learned to laugh at those moments.
Teaching has helped me let go of the idea that everything needs to be perfect. I’ve learned that being a great instructor isn’t about saying every cue correctly or delivering a flawless workout. It’s about being genuine, bringing your own energy into the room, and making people feel good about themselves.
One of the most rewarding parts of my journey has been coming full circle, from looking up to the instructors who inspired me to now mentoring new instructors at Merrimack. Helping them find their confidence, discovering their own teaching style, and experiencing the same joy that made me fall in love with teaching has been incredibly special.
Somewhere in the process of helping others find their strength and confidence, I have found more of my own.
Finding What Moves You
If there is one thing teaching fitness has shown me, it is that you do not have to have everything figured out before pursuing something you love.
You do not have to know exactly where it will lead, and you definitely don’t have to be perfect at it from the beginning.
But if there is even a small part of you that wants to try something new, whether that has to do with fitness or something completely different, I encourage you to go for it.
Sometimes, all it takes is stepping outside of your comfort zone, trusting yourself, and seeing where your passion takes you.
For me, that just happened to be the front of a fitness studio.