SHOWING UP WAS THE MAGIC—SOUL WAS ALWAYS OURS TO KEEP
The room was buzzing, the kind of energy you can almost reach out and touch, and in the background, Good Luck by Pia Mia was weaving through the air. It wasn’t just a song; it felt like an anthem, every beat pushing the moment forward. Somehow, it matched the pulse of the morning perfectly—steady, upbeat, a little unpredictable. I glanced at the CEO, took a breath, and decided it was time to ask the question that had been nesting in my mind for so long.
Disclaimer: The following mockup and blog reflects the personal opinions of the author and does not represent an official statement from SoulCycle, CEO Evelyn Webster, or any other executives at SoulCycle or Equinox Fitness. It is not intended as a political statement or commentary on any individuals or entities associated with these organizations.
So, I have to tell you about this dream I had. I was up on that stage, mic in hand, sitting across from the CEO of SoulCycle. And honestly? My heart was doing that thing where it beats a little too loud, because I'd carried this question around for years.
You know the one. The question so many of us whisper to each other in the locker room, in the parking lot, in the group chats.
"Do you miss the old SoulCycle?"
The boutique version. Back when it felt like a secret. When the two founders were in the room and the energy was almost cult-like, in the best way. When walking into that studio felt like joining something you couldn't quite explain to anyone who hadn't been there. The hype. The candles. The way a 45-minute ride could crack you open and put you back together.
So I asked her. And the audience leaned in with me, because half of them had been thinking it too. You could feel it in the room. That collective little ache for something we thought we'd lost.
And she paused. She didn't rush it, which I loved. She let the question just sit there for a second.
Then she said something that honestly rearranged something inside me.
She said, "People tell me all the time they miss the old SoulCycle. And I understand it. I really do. But here's what I've come to believe — it never actually left."
She talked about how the logo changed, the founders moved on, the studios evolved. All the surface stuff. But the thing we fell in love with? The heartbeat of it? That was never about two people or a specific year or a particular playlist.
It was about us.
She looked out at the audience and said the magic was never manufactured. It was made. By the person clipping in next to you. By the instructor who somehow knew exactly what you needed to hear that day. By you, showing up when it would've been easier to stay home.
And that's when it hit me. Sitting there under those lights, I realized I'd been mourning something that was still sitting right in front of me the whole time.
We keep looking backward for that feeling, like it belongs to a version of the past. But it doesn't. The "old SoulCycle" and the SoulCycle of right now are the same at their core. Same soul, honestly. The only thing that ever really changes is how much of ourselves we're willing to bring into the room.
The community was never given to us. We built it. Every single ride.
So maybe the question isn't "do you miss the old SoulCycle." Maybe the real question is, are we still showing up like it matters? Because the moment we do, the magic comes right back. It was always ours to make.
And I left that stage thinking about that word on my shirt. Soul. Turns out it was never just a name. It was the whole point.
-Mitchell Royel