In this week’s episode, the We Know WeHo takes us back to the not so distant past of the glorious days when West Hollywood’s was the OG fitness mecca anchored by a grungy gym hub called Todd Tramp’s that was located on the corner of La Cienega and Melrose Avenue.  These are the days long before reality television, when Bob Harper was sweating away teaching insane choreography in his step classes and where the craze of indoor cycling was arguably birthed with the likes of Debbie Rocker, Andrew Lawent and Gunner Peterson sweating away on in a packed room in the dark riding to the rhythm and tapping it back - “spinning” on an indoor stationary bike.

This week’s guest, Janet Fitzgerald, was in the thick of the first wave of notable instructors who were teaching these sold-out jammed packed indoor cycling classes.  Janet was the owner of the beautiful zen Body and Soul Workout that sat above the Ramada Hotel for ten years where locals would sweat next to celebrities whilst Janet lead them on a spiritual soulful musical journey as they peered down on Santa Monica Blvd through the serene Japanese grass that lined the windows of this sweat sanctuary.

In 2010, Janet left Los Angeles for another “soul” located on the East Coast - SoulCycle.   Janet shares with Tracy an insider view of her story, but more importantly how her personal journey correlates to her role as the Senior Training Officer of the company where she has trained over 400 instructors as the big yellow wheel emerged and created the second big wave of indoor cycling that swept across the country with over 99 studios.

The fitness business has been one of the hardest hit during the pandemic, and it seems we still have a long wait for packed indoor group classes to resume (at least here in California) as outdoor classes are being held in pop-up locations.  Janet gets real with Tracy about the impact on her and her fellow instructors and employees, and shares her optimism about the company’s future with a newly appointed CEO.  Janet relocated to Los Angeles for the winter months where she continues to teach inspiration, hope, and healing one pedal stroke at a time.

Check out Janet’s SoulyCycle classes at the Century City Mall and Santa Monica Promenade outdoor locations.  You might also want to give a listen to her podcast “Witch and Famous” that is the inspiration behind a spiritual transformation media project in the works.

SHOW NOTES & LINKS:

• Janet Fitzgerald SoulCycle Classes
• Janet Fitzgerald Instagram @spinpimp
• Witch & Famous podcast
• Regarding Her 10 Day Food Event
• All Day Baby in Silver Lake
• Lady and the Larder Cheese Shop
• Jitlada Thai
• Socalo
• Molly Baz Meatloaf sandwich at Belcampo Meats