SoulCycle interviews its very first intern, MAYA ELIAS.  Maya tells SC about the internship, why she started spinning and her father's mid-spin yelling.  

SC:  So how did this internship come about?  

ME:  I typically spend my summers outside of the city, but now that I have to start thinking about college I was looking to do something that would help me to stand out and be different. Of course, I turned to the place I spend most of my time anyway - SoulCycle. One day after class, I asked Laurie Cole if she thought an internship might be a possibility.  She thought it was a great idea, so I decided to speak to Julie. Julie welcomed me to the SoulCycle staff and now here I am. 

SC:  What have you been working on so far?  

ME:  I'm extremely interested in music, which is obviously a huge part of SoulCycle, so I've been helping to organize the music library. I'm categorizing and purchasing music as a resource for the instructors and for everyone to enjoy in class. I've  also been helping out with social networking.

SC:  When did you start coming to SoulCycle? 

ME:  I started spinning when I was in 6th grade (I was 12!) after a
close family friend introduced my dad to SoulCycle. My dad had to try really hard to convince me to take that first spin class. He told me that while it was exercise, it was really about having fun and the power of music.  In all honesty, I think I took my first class purely because I needed my dad to stop annoying me.  Of course my dad was right, like he often is, that spin was so much more than exercise. As time progressed, I continued to take class more often and now I basically live here. 

SC:   And now your whole family spins?

ME:  We all go!  After my dad started the trend in my family, my mom and I got hooked. My dad is a great spinner but my mom will blow you away. She is such a beautiful spinner and sometimes I can't even keep up with her! I have two younger sisters, Anisse (13) and Sachi (11), who always saw my parents and I so exhilarated and refreshed after spin, so I actually think they got a little jealous. After a while, Anisse started to spin and while the whole family was spinning, Sachi was at home wishing she could grow just a few more inches to be tall enough to fit on the bike. Now, after all that wishing and waiting, Sachi spins too, and sometimes the whole family spins together.

SC:  Anyone who's taken a class with your dad (Scott Elias) has heard his mid-spin battle cries.  How do you and your sisters feel about his yelling?  

ME:  We love it!  My whole family has really great energy and excitement about SoulCycle, but my dad is just a little more upfront about it. My dad is absolutely hysterical, and he is constantly joking inside the studio.  Sometimes people think he's hurt, but he just loves to be happy and make people laugh.

SC:  Are there any perks to interning?  

ME:  It's fun to be behind the scenes working with music, interacting with instructors and generally seeing how the company works.  But the free class don't hurt either.