Lewis '09 Finds "Authentic Self" Motivating Others

In just under five years, RJ Lewis ‘09 has become a Master Instructor at SoulCycle, one of the top instructors at the company, and finds his passion in the journeys he takes alongside his clients. Lewis credits his Prep education in instilling in him the meaning of “man for and with others” that helps him find each day in his work. “What I enjoy most about SoulCycle is the chance to live and experience alongside my clients’ lives and experiences just as much as I am responsible for creating them.”

Lewis first found SoulCycle during the week of his graduation from New York University, where he took a class with his mother and fell in love instantly. Since then, SoulCycle has always been a part of his story. “About a year later,” says Lewis, “I hit rock bottom, went to rehab and began my life in recovery from alcohol and substance abuse. Throughout the initial days of my recovery, and even today, classes at SoulCycle helped clear my mind and keep my head on straight.”

Today, Lewis finds the call to be his most authentic self both in his roles as rider and instructor. “As a rider, I love having a space where I know, no matter what, I am going to feel like myself,” he says. “This version of me is completely authentic, one that may not come out as easily in other environments.”

"As an instructor," he continues, "I love being the creator of that space for others. It creates this feedback loop where I’m giving my riders permission to be themselves simply because I have finally given myself permission to do the same. They do the same for me.”

Lewis feels that he is able to live out his true calling through this work as a leader and ambassador for the company, he says, “before working at SoulCycle (and now also Barry’s), I claimed to understand when people talked about ‘finding their calling,’ and I was not going to stop exploring until I found what felt like mine. I had tried the traditional 9-to-5+ professional lifestyle, but I woke up every morning feeling like something was missing. I took the leap, and have found teaching, coaching, motivating, inspiring, whatever you want to call it, is the purpose I was meant to fulfill in my life. I have never taken a single day for granted since then.”

Lewis teaches classes at the SoulCycle locations in Rittenhouse Square and Ardmore 13 times per week, and at Barry’s in Rittenhouse eight times per week. You can find him teaching at the following locations: SoulCycle Rittenhouse Square (113 S 16th Street), SoulCycle Ardmore (2 Coulter Avenue) and Barry’s Philadelphia (1911 Sansom Street).