If you’ve ever taken a Peloton class, you may be familiar with Robin Arzón’s powerful mantra: ‘Movement is medicine.’
She’s my favorite instructor because of her humor, attitude, and ability to push me until the very end of the ride. It’s almost as if she knows when you’re about to slow down or give up that she comes through with a motivating one-liner like, “Give me that speed back! What's 10 more seconds to a queen?”
Despite her cheery demeanor, Arzón has been through moments of hardship, terror, and pain. When she was an undergrad at New York University, she was held at gunpoint at a wine bar in Manhattan. “I just remember distinctly thinking, ‘This is not my story,” she says. “It was one of the first moments I understood my life as the story I was putting out into the world.”
But what’s astonishing about Arzón is that she hasn’t made that tragic incident a focal point of her personal narrative. “Every day, we have an opportunity to wake up and decide whether we’re going to be a victim or a victor — and I had to make the choice to be victorious,” she says in her MasterClass.
She had gone to Villanova for law school but felt the weight of the trauma heavy on her body. Could the mental be manifesting itself in the physical? It was then that she realized movement could serve as her medicine.
For the first time in her life, Arzón decided she would lace up her sneakers and go on a run. She had never been an athlete and would do anything to avoid the running portion of gym class when she was in school. Going on a run was out of character, but it was what her body craved.
“The pursuit of movement unlocks endorphins, but the pursuit of movement also enables us to have a relationship with discomfort, and it becomes less scary,” she says. “When you are willing to get uncomfortable physically, you become tenacious mentally.”
Running became an obsession, and it unlocked Arzón’s confidence, power, and vitality. She signed up for her first 10K and became addicted to the feeling she would get after a workout. Since then, she’s run 27 marathons and several ultra-marathons.
Arzón left her career as a corporate litigator at a law firm in New York City to focus on pairing her love for exercise with her passion for creativity.
She landed at fitness company Peloton in 2014, becoming a star instructor and the vice president of fitness programming.
Here’s what we can learn from Arzón about turning trauma into fuel for greatness.
READ.
On becoming a superstar athlete: Arzón holds many identities — a New York Times bestselling author, a Type-1 diabetic, and a corporate litigator-turned-fitness superstar whose transformation into an athlete began with a near-death experience. Her backstory may be even more inspiring than her classes. Here’s how Arzón became Peloton’s cycling star.
On teaching bravery: As a new parent, Arzón is defining motherhood on her own terms. She says she refuses to choose between her career and family by showing her daughter that it’s possible to do both. "When I hear people say, 'Stay in your lane,' I think about how my family had to cross lanes, highways, and so many perceived boundaries to arrive where they are today as very successful people," says Arzón. "I want to widen the aperture of what my daughter's lane could be so that she doesn't have to choose any one identity and can be all things.”
On time management: In this “work diary,” Arzón details her week day-by-day, hour-by-hour. Here’s a taste of what her workouts feel like: “Lungs are burning so badly from my workout, it feels like I ingested fire.” This is an interesting look at how the fitness superstar makes time for her personal and professional engagements.
On becoming a runner: If any part of you is interested in becoming a runner, this book is for you. Arzón shares essential training tips for every level, including meditation and visualization techniques that address a runner’s body and mind.
LISTEN.
On overcoming trauma: In this episode, Arzón recounts the moment when she was held hostage at gunpoint. “I just remember that I needed to humanize the situation,” she says, remembering that she began asking him about his family and telling him the people in the bar had families too. “I became this pseudo-negotiator at 20 having no idea what I was doing, but he needed to know that these people are humans too.” Here’s how she overcame the trauma of this chapter of her life.
On changing careers: Arzón says she was an “unknown” in the marketplace, and one of the hardest — and most rewarding — things she did was say “no” to opportunities that she didn’t think were up to her standards. “That balancing act for about 18 months before I found Peloton was really challenging because every time you say ‘no’ and you have a rent check due, you feel like you might be at the end of the line,” she says. Here’s how she made it work in the early days.
On gaining confidence: The way that Arzón has navigated her career boils down to one question: “Why not me?” Little by little, she began to chip away at her limiting beliefs and paralyzing fears. “You have to invite discomfort in as if it was a friend,” she says.
On becoming the CEO of your life: There’s one piece of advice that Arzón shares that applies to full-time workers, freelancers, entrepreneurs, business owners, and stay-at-home parents: “Know your worth and then add tax.” Thinking about how you spend your time and money is more important than the number on your bank statement.
WATCH.
On being a strong mother: In this short docu-series, Arzón shares precious moments with her husband and future child, and explains how her training as an athlete has prepared her for this next chapter.
POLINA’S TAKEAWAYS.
Listen to your hobbies: How can you discover your passion? By examining your hobbies. As Naval Ravikant once said, what do you do that feels like play to you but feels like work to everyone else? Listen to that thing. “Oftentimes, our hobbies are little whispers of passion saying, ‘Let me out,’” Arzón says.
Follow your envy: When you feel a flash of jealousy, Arzón says, pay attention. She says it is a good signal for what you want in your own life. "Use [jealousy] as information to adapt and re-create,” she says. Follow the direction of your emotions with a curiosity to better understand what you want out of life.
Set a goal — and then tell people about it: Once you set a goal for yourself, Arzón says one of the most important next steps is to tell loved ones about it. This serves two purposes: One, they can help take on some responsibilities while you put in the work to achieve it, and two, they’ll hold you accountable. “Tell folks about your goal and let them support you,” she says.
Create a “mental movie reel:” How can you boost your confidence before a big event? Write down 5 to 7 triumphant moments where you made your pain become power. The reason you should record these moments is that you can easily recall them in moments when you’re triggered or in pain. Arzón began playing this “mental movie reel” before races. “I recommend closing your eyes and visualizing yourself experiencing that thing and feeling the emotions of the confidence, the joy, the fear,” she says. (Olympian Kara Lynn-Joyce also used a form of creative visualization before races.)
Learn when to say ‘no:’ Arzón says the word “no” is a superpower. When you’re not confident, you may have a tendency to say “yes” to too many things that aren’t necessarily worth your time or effort. Here’s the framework she uses when evaluating potential opportunities: “If it does not raise my vibration, my spirit, my energy or raise my bank account balance, then the answer is no.”
Study your superheroes: We often talk about finding a mentor, but Arzón recommends finding a superhero instead. She defines a superhero as someone who inspires you to do more. Here’s the beauty of it: You can learn from people you’ve never met. She says there are three ways you can deepen your relationship to your superheroes: 1) identify why you’re drawn to them; 2) consume their work; 3) put them on your vision board.
Conduct an internal audit: The most successful people know that it’s never too late for re-invention. Arzón recommends conducting “a spiritual, financial, and physical audit” of your current state. Take a clean sheet of paper and dedicate a page to each aspect of your life. For the financial portion, take stock of your monthly revenue, expenses, savings, and investments. Ask yourself: “Can I lower my costs and increase my earnings?” This allows you to come up with practical steps you can take for the rest of the month. For the physical and spiritual audit, take a note of the number of times you exercise, how much you sleep, and what gives you energy throughout the day. By conducting regular personal audits, you can begin to structure and optimize your life in a way that makes you happy, wealthy, and energized. Remember, you can’t move what you don’t measure.
QUOTES TO REMEMBER.
“Pain is power. Period.”
“Know your worth and then add tax.”
“Focus is the antidote to fear, and action is the antidote to anxiety.”
“If they took up space in your head without paying rent, you need to evict them.”
“You have made it through 100% of your bad days.”
“Take your life and make it the best story in the world.”
“You are both a work in progress and a masterpiece.”
“Sweat is magic. Swagger is the glisten.”
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What a fascinating person. Your Peloton pusher. The Polina's Takeaways are THE BEST part. Criteria for saying 'no' is extra crispy and instantly useful: Vibes, spirit, energy, bank balance. In that order, works for me.
Really enjoyed this profile as I could relate to every bit of it. Thank you for putting it together!