Conversations with Jules Peckinpah

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jules Peckinpah

Hi Jules, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I first discovered indoor cycling by chance. I was in my early 20s and the manager of a boutique on Larchmont Street in Los Angeles. A brand new cycling studio was opening on the block and offering free classes to local businesses. I was a fashion school graduate and party girl who’s physical fitness routine consisted of chasing cabs down Santa Monica Boulevard while smoking a Marlboro Light.

I tried everything to get out of going to my first class! My coworkers and I got ready in the break room together and I threw on a pair of old leggings and a cut off concert tee. I didn’t even own a proper sports bra at the time. I’ll never forget the pit in my stomach and dry mouth I felt while the studio staff set me up on my bike for the first time. I was quite literally the WORST first-time rider, I laugh every time I think about it. During the class, I was sweating like I’d never sweat before, my legs felt like noodles, and when I unclipped after class for the stretch, I nearly pulled the entire bike on top of me. Despite it all, something about the loud music, dark room, and movement spoke to me. LOUDLY! I had struggled so much in those 45 minutes, yet couldn’t wait to go back and do it all over again.

I was completely hooked after 3 classes. My weekly routine quickly went from after work happy hours and Netflix binges, to clocking out and running to my favorite 6:30 pm class to get high on endorphins and grabbing a to-go order from Cafe Gratitude after . I couldn’t believe how physically and mentally healthy indoor cycling made me feel. It was a place for me to process and release, to rage, to cry, to laugh, and most importantly, to feel joy. My complicated relationship with my body image was also shifting. I was proud of my new found strength and endurance.

After a year of taking classes, I’d decided to take a leap of faith and start teaching. I wanted to make other people feel as empowered and healthy as my favorite instructors had done for me. I bought a used stationary off of Craigslist that sounded like lawn mower when I rode it. I’d make playlists and pretend I was teaching to a packed class, when in reality it was my 2 black cats watching me from the couch. My mother-in-law gifted me with an instructor certification course the following Christmas and shortly after, I applied at the Koreatown YMCA! My first class as a certified instructor happened about 10 minutes after my interview, total baptism by fire!

My YMCA classes built over the next year and I had cultivated a little community of riders who would show up to class every Monday night religiously. Sometimes they’d wait in the hallway over an hour early to make sure they got a bike. I was having the most fun and felt my most authentic teaching those classes. All I could think about was indoor cycling and how to become a better instructor. I knew THIS was what I wanted to do all the time. So I started to spread my wings and began auditioning at boutique fitness studios all over Los Angeles. My first boutique cycling gig truly shaped who I am today, because after months and months of training, I was told no. That “no” only lit my fire to succeed more. I landed at a few different studios from Downtown LA to the Valley and built little communities in those studios as well.

My days were LONG, teaching 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. classes in the morning, working an 8 hour shift at the boutique on my feet, and sometimes teaching a second class after that! I knew in my heart I was ready to commit to fitness as my full time career as it was already my full time passion. I had so many people tell me I wouldn’t make any money as a full-time fitness instructor, that I wouldn’t be able to survive. Or they’d sugar coat it with something sexist like, “that’s a great job for when you have children because it can just be for fun!”. I never felt defeated by it. I had this gut feeling my dream career was out there and waiting for me.

One day, I got an email from one of my mentors who was working for a new cycling franchise called CycleBar, opening in spring of 2017 in Culver City. I was very happy teaching at my current studios, but my gut spoke to me again and told me to follow through with an audition.

CycleBar had the core values I identified with most as an instructor: inclusivity, empowerment, and community… And so I left my studios with lots of hugs and happy tears to join team CycleBar. I was teaching 8 to 9 classes a week and even brought some of my K-Town YMCA crew with me! A few months into working there, a position opened to join the CycleBar Master Instructor team. Master Instructors travel across the country to onboard and train new talent for all of CycleBar’s franchises. THIS was it! The dream career I knew I wanted but didn’t know what it exactly looked like.

I applied and got it. I cried happy tears for days! For the next 3 years I traveled all over the US training hundreds of instructors for the brand. Everything came to a screeching halt when Covid shut the world down. My beloved training trips turned into Zoom calls, my classes moved from our beautiful cycling theater to a parking lot, and at the same time I became pregnant with my son… and then had to navigate an unexpected divorce. Through it all, CycleBar was my constant. As the world navigated life “after Covid”, my bills began to rise and I was trying to survive new single motherhood. My mind was filled with uncertainty that my dream career was fading away and I had heavily considered quitting the industry altogether.

Faith and hope can be powerful, even if all you have is a thimble-full. I held onto that little thimble with all my might. In December of 2023 I was asked to join the CycleBar corporate team as a full time employee managing all of CycleBar training. When I look back on my path, I can reflect that every risk, failure, and plot twist landed me here. Being present with that, and finding peace in “I don’t know the exact plan but I know who I am and what I stand for” has helped me truly surrender to what the universe can do if you let it. I plan to teach for as long as my body will let me and I will continue to uplift and inspire my fellow instructors in every way I know how. Evolution is power and I can’t wait to see what’s next on this journey!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Covid nearly took me out of the career. Our once 500+ member studio went down to less than 200 members and we had to teach masked classes in the parking lot for over a year. My training trips were all canceled and we went completely virtual.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am the Manager of Training and Experience for CycleBar. I am also a Senior Master Instructor with over 10 years of experience in the indoor cycling industry. My classes at CycleBar Culver City are known to be uplifting, challenging, and joyful. I am a HUGE music nerd and love to make unique playlists with a range of genres, energies, and sounds. Music is the true fuel in an indoor cycling class and I take that part very seriously.

I train other instructors on how to teach great classes and builds communities as well as manage a team of Master Instructors who help train as well.

Whether I am training instructors or coaching my riders, my goal is to make them feel powerful, capeable, and hopeful. No one should ever leave a training or class feeling defeated.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
You don’t have to have every single part of your plan set to start moving towards your goals. Stay resilient, and remember the no’s are often “not yets” or new routes to something greater.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cyclebar.com/location/culver-city
• Instagram: @julianneforlong
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianne-peckinpah-02b2a9282/

Image Credits
Roxy Rodriguez