Today we’d like to introduce you to Carly Biron.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Carly. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My story starts a while back when I was a college swimmer and unfortunately developed a permanent injury that didn’t allow me to swim anymore. From there, I found indoor cycling was the only form of activity that didn’t cause pain while I was working out. I became addicted, mostly because I could get as good as a workout that swimming was without being in any pain. After going to various classes about three/four times a week for a couple months, I decided this is what I wanted to do. I had just graduated college and that was what I wanted to pursue; teaching indoor cycling. I wanted to be the one to give people the amazing feeling that I got every time I went to class. What I didn’t realize, was that it was not an easy path to becoming an instructor. I auditioned multiple times at multiple places and got tons of rejection before I got a “yes”. I wasn’t going to give up though because this was what I wanted to do, fast forward to this past April 2018, I entered an instructor training program at B/SPOKE studios and couldn’t be happier to be here. This job has been everything and more. It is so rewarding in so many ways and makes me feel so lucky that this is my job that I get to do everyday.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Smooth road is not the term I would use to describe how I got here. I had a lot of rejection at first, mostly because I didn’t have any experience teaching indoor cycling. I was finding hard to even get experience in the first place because I couldn’t break into a studio! Finally, I found a studio that took me in, like the lost puppy I was, and taught there for a year to get some experience under my belt. It was an awesome experience learning the ways of how that studio worked, and then I moved on to B/SPOKE (where I am currently teaching) and I am able to teach as my full time job! My advice for people just beginning their journey would just be, do not give up. Seriously, I know that sounds cliché, but there were so many times where I was ready to never audition again because being told no hurts SO BAD. However, this was something I really wanted and something that was worth fighting for!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about your business – what should we know?
I currently work at B/SPOKE studios, where I teach TRA/N (which is a bootcamp type of class, off the bike) and R/DE (an indoor cycling class). When you take classes there you get a very athletic type of feel to them. Every instructor there will push you to your absolute limits, and knows exactly how to get you there. I’m really proud to work for them because of the community this brand has built. It’s not just about people coming to work out, there is so much more to it. I have met so many amazing individuals while working here, and I’m only three months in, so I can’t even imagine where it will bring me and the people I will meet years down the road.
We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
In my industry, there seems to be a lot of female leadership. The fitness industry can be tough to break into, and to move up in in-general. Obviously, spin, at first when I started taking and teaching it came off to a lot of people as a “girl activity”, but now I think those rumors have passed. I see more and more males attend class every week I’m teaching. The Boston fitness community in general, is super supportive and everyone knows everyone, so I haven’t seen many barriers for females in this industry.
Pricing:
- Single Drop in R/DE Class $28
- Single Drop in TRA/N Class $28
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bikesandbuns.us
- Email: bironcarly@gmail.com
- Instagram: Carlybiron
Image Credit:
Robert Blanchflower, Chris Capozzi, Grace Goodearl
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
