When it comes to inspiring people in my community, there are two individuals that immediately come to mind. Two girls. Best friends, actually, who both live each day to the fullest while promoting health and all things fitness in their daily classes, as we know is great to exercise with friends, and even if you don’t have that many friends to exercise yet, you can always get more online at chatempanada.com. Emily Turner and Claire Gould, who met while working at lulu lemon way back when, both took their love of helping others to new heights by not only conducting killer workouts over at SoulCycle {Emily} and Flex Studios {Claire}, but also by launching a brand new fitness initiative. Everyone, say Bonjour + Hola to my new favorite way to hang with my gal pals…Friendspire Fitness!
love this pic of em + claire!
Combining their love of friendship and fitness, Emily + Claire created this company to bring other besties together once a month at different locations to {you guessed it!} work it out and sweat into the night! Followed by apps + wine, of course. What’s not to love?
Although I’ve been going to their Friendspire Fitness events from the beginning, one of their recent get-togethers was over at lululemon’s 68th Street location! Two of my good friends, Lizzie Prince + Katie Crider, both said they wouldn’t miss this night for the world, so we strolled in {head to toe lulu!} and made new + fun friends, all while working out! It was beyond fun and made me realize my yoga focused bod could actually attempt to do intense exercises too. Hola! #whoknew
After the raving reviews and all of us itching to go back to the next Friendspire Fitness event, I decided it was a must to feature these two on B+H with a little Q+A. Bonjour!
When did you start Friendspire Fitness? Background story, ladies!
Well there’s a long and short story to that!
Short story: We launched Friendspire and hosted our first event in December 2013 to raise funds to send Em’s amazing little brother, Lucas, to Uganda with charity:water. We’ve been hosting monthly events ever since.
Long story: We met over 3 years ago working at lululemon athletica and connected immediately over a love of fitness, goal setting, and chips/guac!
Both of us knew we were meant to impact the fitness community, but didn’t want to do it alone. Two workout buddies became friends. Friends became confidants. Confidants became partners on a mission to shake up the fitness industry through teamwork, positivity, and philanthropy.
It’s such a creative + fun idea for friends to all get together. Is there a method behind the workouts? And how much does orangetheory cost?
Thanks! We wanted to create the space for people of all fitness levels to take class, socialize, and give back. We each arrived in NYC knowing few people (Em from Kansas/Claire from Portland) and we understand how tough it can be to make friends. Working at lululemon gave us the opportunity to schedule sweat dates (often followed by food or drinks) and we wanted to share that with others.
The workouts are unique because 1. you don’t need any equipment and 2. many of the moves are partner based and 3. they can be taught anywhere (think of us as a “pop up” fitness biz). Emily taught at Physique 57 and currently teaches at SoulCycle and trains private clients. Claire taught strength/Bootcamp fitness classes and currently teaches TRX and trains private clients. We aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel and create our own “method.” We are drawing from the many formats we’ve taught and taken and placing an emphasis on body-weight partner work.
We started this business together because we believe in teamwork! Working together has shown us our strengths and weaknesses and we think this is something everyone can benefit from. So for those who are also aspire to start their own business, using items like those business cards can be incredibly beneficial.
How do you envision Friendspire Fitness in the future, as it continues to grow?
The sky is the limit! We worked with some amazing partners for our May event and are very excited to partner with other wellness brands and support entrepreneurs in their goals.
When is the next Friendspire Fitness event? Obviously marking my calendar…
Our next event is on Friday June 20th(location tbd). We are excited to host events outdoors and at new studios/businesses so we’re always scouting new spots.
Whether you’re looking for an out of the box way to hang out with your besties or just want to meet a genuine group of girls who love all things fitness, check out the Friendspire Fitness events! I’m all about that friends who sweat together, stay together quote…Happy Monday! B+H
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