Today we’d like to introduce you to Sydney Samborski.
Hi Sydney, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Life for me hasn’t always been smiles, cheering people on, and being bubbly and outgoing. Ever since I was young, I struggled immensely with anxiety and depression. It wasn’t just situational mental health flare ups, it was constant. I struggled to get out of bed every. I struggled to find any greater purpose, or even the will to just get up and carry out my day. My mental health hit an all time low when I attempted to take my own life between my freshman and sophomore year of high school. Paired with my own mental health struggles, I was severely bullied throughout high school. In an attempt to end my own life, I ended up in a mental health hospital and I had a decision to make: carry on with life as I had been, dreading the next day, or recreating myself and creating a life that sparked joy. With that decision, I had to ask myself, what does spark joy for me? The answer wasn’t clear at the time, but now I can tell you that what lights me up is connecting with people and clearing a path for them to become mentally and physically strong and badass! Something that I wish I was when I was going through my darkest days. I decided to pursue becoming a therapist because to me, that was the most obvious way to connect with people and help them with their struggles.
Along the way, I discovered I could help others in a way much different than just therapy. I discovered yoga. The practice of yoga can be full of mental, emotional, and spiritual discoveries about oneself and that is exactly what it was for me. All of this was great, right? But how can I, not even 20 at the time, carry this beautiful art while speaking to people’s souls? I never thought of myself as a teacher, or really even a leader. Well, it turns out..when you do the work you can actually speak a lot to what others might be going through, and delivering it in an open and translatable way applicable to so many. My yoga sculpt teacher training and my 200-hour vinyasa yoga teacher training were the tip of the iceberg of self discovery and of my own healing journey. Once I went through my training, I knew I needed to teach. It started at a little yoga studio in my hometown of Duluth, MN that only had a little bluetooth speaker for music, and has become my full time career with one of the biggest fitness companies in the world and full classes of more than 50 people. Sweat, upbeat music, and encouraging cues aside, it really is the connection element that fills my cup. To hear that I helped someone who was going through something that I didn’t even know about brings tears to my eyes every time. They say when you love what you do, you never work a day in your life. I can attest that this is (mostly) true!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Absolutely not! But what doesn’t challenge you, doesn’t change you. From body image struggles, to navigating a very jaded fitness industry, things are not easy. There is a very specific ‘look’ people expect women in the fitness industry to uphold. People think that because you are in the fitness industry, they can comment on your physique or changes in your body which is absolutely not true. It is also one of the biggest things that I strive to help change within this industry especially instructors is coaching in an inclusive way that makes every BODY. There is so much verbiage from different gyms or fitness boutiques that is about how many calories you can burn and how good you can look in a bikini. These places fail to consider that maybe we want to work out because it makes us feel good and not because we want to look a certain way that society thinks we should, especially as women.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I manage the group fitness program at Target Center Life Time. My specialty and the class that makes my inner (and former) cheerleader come out in is spin! I am most known for my themed rides every Saturday that have grown from 4-5 people, to over 50 people. I want to create unique experiences that people can’t experience anywhere else. I am a versatile coach and athlete as my background started with yoga and has expanded to more of the group fitness side of things. Not only am I 200 hour certified, but I am also a personal trainer, have my Stages spin certification. This gives me a large bank of knowledge to draw from, but I am also hungry to continue to expand my knowledge, certifications, and expertise.
I’m most proud of bringing my group fitness program at Target Center back. COVID has hit the fitness industry incredibly hard and things are just starting to become normal again. Everything we have from classes to coaches, we really had to build from the ground up. I am also really proud of the incredible team that I have and the way we have created such an inclusive and fun space.
Something that sets me apart from others is the way I can connect with people. On a large scale during class, I deliver things in a way people at every fitness level can conquer, and I connect with my class as a whole. I also connect with people individually and meet them where they are at. I make a promise to all of my students that all you need to do is show up. Once you show up, we’ll tackle the work together. I understand humans beyond just the interactions we all have, I mean I did go to college to become a therapist! I use connection and community to welcome people into our space in a way no other fitness boutique does.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I am absolutely a risk taker. They say, high risk, high reward! COVID put many fitness professionals into a place where we had to take risks. Almost every fitness company that I know of had to massively lay off thousands of people. Part of those layoff s though definitely weeded out those who were super passionate about the industry or those who decided to move on to something different. I took the risk to work for myself and do all of my own fitness programming and virtual classes. This allowed me to meet so many people across the country and seriously expanded my web and my reach within the fitness industry. It taught me more about management, business and being an entrepreneur. I have had to take many smaller risks along the way including quitting fitness jobs that n o longer served me, and sticking up for myself when needed.
Pricing:
- Membership/month $119
- Signature membership/month $169
Contact Info:
- Email: ssamborski@lt.life
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSj1C-1x6T-0aInnHXYrvxQ
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sydneysamborski/?hl=en
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/1256577887?si=a7f3df6baf6b41c9
