Cover image from SoulCycle
Alex Kanter is a SoulCycle instructor living and working in New York City. I was so fortunate to be able to connect with Alex through Instagram and ask her a few questions about her experience staying healthy in college, her work as a SoulCycle instructor, and how she practices self-care. See our discussion below!
“Having come from a dance background, she lives for the rhythm and thrives in the beat…With a combination of rhythm and resistance, she strives to inspire riders to find connection and strength, while letting go and having fun.” – SoulCycle
Q: Tell us who you are! (where you grew up, where you live now, where you went to college, what you do for a living, why health and fitness matter to you, etc.)
A: My name is Alex Kanter, and I’m from Miami Beach, Florida. I’m currently living in New York City and have been for almost two years now!! I moved to NYC December of 2016 after having graduated from the George Washington University, where I received my bachelor’s degree in English. It was a verrrrry interesting end to my college experience as the summer before I had auditioned (and luckily been accepted) to the SoulCycle Instructor Training Program. I flew to NY the summer of 2015 and went back to school for my senior year as a new instructor teaching a full schedule (~10-12 classes a week!).
It’s a pretty funny story- My Junior year, right before I went abroad, I had taken the LSAT and was preparing to apply to Law School when I decided that I needed to live in the present, go after my goals in the moment, and see where it took me. Luckily, it was totally the right move, and after 3 years of teaching at SOUL I’m still here and still loving it! I was always interested in health and wellness, but never considered it as a career. In some ways, I think that’s one reason it just clicked for me...I found something I really, truly loved and was able to use it to help someone else. That’s why I started, and that’s why I’m still here. I love what I do, and I love the people I get to connect with. The wellness community is pretty special that way- I’m constantly inspired by the people around me, pushing for strength and love and MORE individually, as well as collectively.
Q: What advice would you give women who are looking for a healthy routine in college?
A: The advice I would give to any woman in college interested in making an effort to better her routine: it’s a balance. I know that can be frustrating to hear but it really does apply to EVERYTHING! Whether it be food, exercise, social activities, studies, friends, relationships, it’s all about learning to give ourselves, bodies, minds, and hearts, what we need. Too much of anything isn’t healthy, even the things we identify as healthy. Learning to listen to your body and to yourself is SUCH a practice but that’s why we get better and stronger.
For exercise, try to find something you love that makes you FEEL good and especially in college, remind yourself of your goals. It takes off a lot of the pressure. I never wanted to get up to work out at the gym if I was just telling myself I had to. Looking at it with the perspective of “wow, I GET to do this today” can be such a powerful thing on its own. It’s ok for it to take a little testing and time. Make it a date- take a friend with you, try it together and have fun and laugh if it’s not your thing!! There are so many programs now available to us online, and even though that doesn’t do it for me, there IS something out there for you.
One reason I loved being able to go to SoulCycle while I was in school was because of the people. They became my friends, extended family, and my built-in excuse when I just did NOT want to go out and party (“sorry, I have SOUL in the am!”)- works like a charm.
That’s another thing- college is stressful. I put SO much pressure on myself to do everything...I was President of my sorority, had Greek Presidents council and chapter meetings and parties and events and so many things that I felt so burnt out I didn’t want to do anything at all. And that wasn’t healthy either. What I really needed was less of the stuff that didn’t make me happy and more time to figure out the things that did. It took a while, practice saying no to people, practice pushing myself outside of my comfort zone, but if you work hard to figure out how to do you, the rest falls into place. Surround yourself with like-minded people. Live your life, but just be honest about what feels good and what doesn’t. And it doesn’t happen overnight- you just start with the next right move for you. That to me is how it starts.
We tend to think of ourselves as alone. We have different experiences, but as humans we share the same feelings. When we’re mindful of our own needs we end up attracting those people we get to take along with us. You’re not alone. And you’ve got this.
Q: What would you say is the #1 key to success in your business?
I actually think that success in this business is so relative, and so are the steps to getting there (I’m still getting there!). I know incredible instructors who teach a really amazing, TOUGH, athletic classes, I know some Instructors with incredible style of music and cueing, and a lot of instructors who are just KIND and really care about their people. One really important thing across the board: I firmly believe it is necessary to be confident and be yourself, but to remain caring, humble and patient. As instructors, I believe we should always be wearing a few different hats. What each person coming to class needs is most definitely different day to day… each of us needs something different every day, so what we are capable of giving is different too. I always try to be honest with myself about how I’m feeling, and though I check the details of my personal stuff at the door, when we’re in that room, I will always do my best to use whatever it is to help motivate someone else. Chances are if you’re feeling a certain way on a given day, someone else is feeling that in some capacity too. We’re in it together, and that’s big.
Q: Talk about the biggest failure you've had. What did you learn from it?
My biggest failure...I really believe that when things feel like they are falling apart, we’ve gotta take the time to let the better things fall together, because a lot of the time, they end up leading us exactly where we need to go. I actually left my study abroad semester early...I was dealing with some health issues, major anxiety and was really, really depressed. I was in Paris, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and I couldn’t get out of bed to make it to class. I felt awful...guilty for laying around, ashamed that I wasn’t fully taking advantage of this incredible experience, mad at myself for feeling the way I did. I ended up flying home for spring break, flying back to Paris and then having a meltdown 3 days later...I jumped on a plane back to Miami and just never went back. I Pulled out of school for the semester and didn’t tell anyone I had left...I was so embarrassed. I felt so bad about myself for all of these things that in reality, were serious things that I really needed to deal with. It wasn’t out of nowhere.
After fighting with myself over appearances and the “you’re SUPPOSED to go abroad, have fun, do this, do that” my plan for myself was not what I really needed. I had to have my best friend pack my bags and ship them to the US, and then I laid low and took the necessary measures to take care of myself for the rest of the semester. I was so concerned with how it would look and what people would think, of what they would say...and the truth is, it took that experience to recognize that I needed to be DONE doing things because I told myself it was what I felt I was just supposed to do. I still feel guilty for putting my parents and close friends through that ordeal, and at the time I felt like such a failure.... I dropped out of my semester abroad. Who does that? Apparently, this girl.
I had to let it go- and it was the best thing I did. I desperately needed to slow down and reevaluate all of my choices, and all of my expectations. Turns out, I ended up saying screw “the plan”, I am most definitely not ready for law school straight out of undergrad, and that summer auditioned for SoulCycle. The rest is history.
Q: What are your favorite ways to practice self-care?
My favorite ways of practicing self-care: doing what FEELS good. Do I want to go out with friends tonight? No? Amazing. Bubble bath and face masks it is. No more FOMO. I’m done with it. I allow myself to rest and then when things come up that I want to partake in, I’m even more excited! I have a puppy now and she is amazing- taking care of her feels so good to me. We go on long walks and go to the dog park- I’ve actually met a couple of cool people there which is so funny because I ACTUALLY have made dog mom friends. To me, it’s really just finding what makes you happy and doing more of it. Doing less of the things that don’t serve you. But also, I love bubble baths and face masks ;)
Q: What keeps you going when things get tough in your business?
When things get tough in my business, I have to remind myself that it’s not about me. My job is to show up- I don’t need to be fake, I don’t need to put on a show, I just need to show up. Good days and bad days. I use what I’m feeling, regardless of what it is...it’s the music, the messaging, everything. I hope this doesn’t sound selfish, but I teach the class that I need. I believe that if there is at least one person showing up, that is one person I can connect with. Maybe one person who can take a breath and feel a little better for a moment...there have been so many times when I just haven’t felt like trying to motivate anyone let alone myself, and that’s when I lean into my feelings and use them to work through.
Q: What is your favorite way to de-stress during a busy week?
During a busy week, I really have come to find it is so important for me to GIVE MYSELF A BREAK and acknowledge I’m doing a lot. It sounds so simple, and even kind of uncomfortable patting yourself on the back, trust me. However, I’m realizing more every day it’s about how I frame things in my mind. Even if that’s taking a moment or two to remind myself, I’m doing a lot and I’m doing ok!! It doesn’t have to be perfect. I’m doing the best I can. That includes some of my self-care steps I talked about above. Sometimes I’ll make my favorite pasta or plan a fun date in the middle of the week with my boyfriend (PS we’ll probably end up staying in because we’re both exhausted and that’s ok!!) or see a friend for dinner after one of my classes. But I’m easy on myself, emotionally. I make plans that don’t overwhelm me, and I keep it simple. If I have to cancel or say no, I allow myself. But I also feel like those weeks give me the most momentum and it’s a healthy mix of staying in and going out and doing things with people that don’t drain more energy but help fill me up instead.
Q: What are some of your favorite motivational songs?
Words are everything to me...and I love my soulful songs. There are so many motivating songs, but writing this right now, there are a few that come to mind. I could go on, but come to class for more...I’m always playing different things.
In this context though...
“Wonderful”- Gary Go
“I Lived”- Arty Remix
“Shake It Out”- Florence + the Machine
“The Greatest”- Sia
“This is Me”- Keala Settle
“Rise Up”- Andra Day (Mathsen Remix)
“Warrior”- (Dave Aude remix)
“Pumpin Blood”- NONONO (Chainsmokers remix)
“Walking with Lions”-codeko (Electric zoo remix)
“I’ll Run”- The Cab
“Don’t stop Believing”- Journey (Felix Voya extended mix)
“Anthem Part 2”- Blink 182
“That’s the way it is”- Celine Dion
(Also have to plug my favorite artist who is a current rising rockstar- Maggie Rogers- look her up. Favorites:
“Light On”
“Fallingwater”
“Give a Little”
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Alex's motivational song picks will be featured in LoveYaSelf's December Motivational Playlist so stay tuned!
If you want to read more about Alex, check out this SoulCycle Community Blog: Alex's Stay Balanced Secrets and follow her on social media:
Instagram: @alexkanter
Twitter: @alexandrakanter
XOXO, Sophie
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