Soho Strength Lab (SSL). What a great gym, great space, with great owners, coworkers and best of all, great clients. The roster of coaches is made up of amazing individuals who are well practiced and studied in whatever their given field. Whether it was physical therapy, olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, kettlebells, or more often than not, each coach had a mix of it all. An environment like that can only help lead to your own individual growth. You want diversity? This place has it. From clients to coaches it strikes off every box imaginable. A true representation of America being a melting pot. I was exposed to lifestyles I never gave thought to, careers I didn’t know existed, and a plethora of people chasing after their dreams, doing exciting things almost weekly. My time there was truly inspiring.
A goal of mine when I moved to New York was to find a place where I wouldn’t be the smartest person in the room (not hard to do.) I wanted to be able to learn from my coworkers daily. Continuing education is such an important part of the fitness industry, being able to learn from people around you is crucial if you want to continue to grow and be better. Also, I did not want to be the strongest person in the room. They say if you are often the strongest or smartest in the room, you are in the wrong room. While I was at SSL I was never the strongest or smartest in the room. Every coach had their strengths and they were constantly on display. I mean strong, strong people who all moved extremely well and were super technical with both their movement and that of their clients. It’s wild the collection of great coaches who teach under their roof. At SSL you were able to bounce ideas off one another, really talk shop and get down into the philosophicals of fitness and health. No one was afraid to challenge you if they thought you were doing something dumb so you always needed to have a why behind the what. Besides clients and coworkers that I could learn from daily, I was able to have access to everyone’s library. Often I would find myself knee deep in some random book that I would not have known about if it wasn’t for my coworkers really having an insatiable appetite to learn and apply their knowledge. Seeing how much my coworkers were doing and the quality that they accomplished it with really inspired me to do more with my time. It was my time in New York that gave me the cajones to take a leap and to start something of my own.
I find it important to give praise where praise is due. Soho Strength Lab deserves all of the praise in the world.