You’ve been teaching for more than 10 years now and your class rocks. It’s motivation and gangster at the same time. Tell me what makes your class unique?

It’s all about the music! I like to teach a class that has a bit of a bad-ass feel to it and this is done with intent primarily through music selection. I offer a wide range from dub step, to hip hop and electro. Before becoming an instructor, I was a dedicated rider. I had fallen in love with the teaching style of a specific instructor who had me coming back for more. It was that individual that motivated me to become an instructor and deliver a powerful class with a certain style. A style that is about fighting through life’s challenges, a ride that delivers the ability to let-go, and a style that allows me to connect with riders in a unique way.

Your following can’t get enough of you. You need to be duplicated! When did you realize you had such a devoted crew of riders?

I love my crew and I am so honored to have such an amazing group of dedicated riders. I’ll never forget the time when Vanessa wrote a blog post and dropped my name in her personal journey of overcoming through her experience at Velocity. It might seem strange, but I was smitten. Its moments like that remind me that teaching is so much more than getting a paycheck. I love when riders use the room as their personal time to reset and if I can help them get there, it makes it that much more rewarding.

You often talk about how much you’ve learned from your riders. You’ve taught many people and they’ve taught you a lot as well, no?

For me, instructing is so much more than an indoor cycling experience. Each ride, each run, is another reminder to push forward in life. When I see my riders pushing through each song, giving it their all, coming in when days they may not feel like it, I learn from them. I get motivated through my riders as they do from me. It’s a two-way street.

It’s amazing the power that can happen within the studio’s four walls. It’s a space where ‘breakthroughs’ can happen. What do you make of this?

Life for me wasn’t always easy. I had a tough childhood dealing with some hard issues at a young age. I used sports/ fitness as my outlet to escape from some of the more challenging moments that I had to deal with, and I truly believe that this is the reason why I am still standing today. I love when riders use the room as their personal space to reset and if I can help them get there, it makes it that much more rewarding because trust me when I say, “I get it”.

The Velocity community is unlike any other. What makes our community so strong? 

Originally from Toronto, Canada I have been living in Zurich for only a year and in that time, Velocity quickly became my community. I’ve met some great people who I now call friends. I’ve seen our riders do the exact same, and it’s always refreshing to see our riders connect before and after the class to simply catch up.

What have you learned about yourself through your Velocity journey?

I think back to how much fun I had during and leading up to the Halloween theme ride. I bought this massive afro and dressed up like a 70s diva. As we go through the everyday routines, it’s easy to forget how to be silly and not take yourself so seriously.  Through Velocity and its riders, I have allowed myself to be more playful and enjoy these moments of simply letting go, and it’s amazing to see how my personal life is reaping the rewards.