Soul Stories: Lamar

Soul Stories is a series where we shine a light on the incredible individuals who make up our community. Each story will feature a different rider or instructor, sharing their unique stories, passions, breakthroughs and milestones. From inspiring journeys to everyday achievements, we aim to celebrate the diverse perspectives that enrich our community. 

Join us as we dive into their experiences and discover what makes our community so great.

Meet Lamar: From battling depression after a basketball injury to becoming a SoulCycle instructor, Lamar's journey is one of resilience and reinvention. Fitness became his path to healing and purpose, and now he channels that energy into every class he leads. With a focus on authenticity, community, and personal growth, Lamar creates powerful experiences that inspire transformation—proving that with passion, music, and the right mindset, movement can be a journey for the mind, body, and soul.

“The same fight you bring into the room, you should bring out into the world: we need that."

PRONOUNS: He/Him

AGE: Late 30’s 

HOW MANY YEARS HAVE YOU BEEN TEACHING: 3 years 

LOCATION: NYC 

Was there a shift or moment in your life that made you realize you wanted to be a SoulCycle Instructor?

There was not one particular moment, I think it was years of individual moments. One moment in particular was my senior year of college where I got a knee injury playing college basketball. Immediately after that, I went into a deep depression. I couldn’t play ball anymore, which was my first love. So, instead, when I graduated I worked in corporate America – in sales. I did that for a paycheck, did it for a title. I did it for the wrong reasons and I stuck it out for 10 years. 

I learned a lot throughout my sales career, but I stayed in that depression. One of the things that kept me grounded was trying to get back into athletics. A big part of that was walking into these four walls, clipping in, and releasing the emotions I had brought in from outside of this room. 

I realized that this is where I belong. To motivate, to encourage, to push people to be the best version of themselves. It’s way more than physical.

What is your SoulCycle love language?

Just positivity! The biggest thing about this space and why I love it so much is the community. Without the community, there’s no SoulCycle, there’s no Instructors, there’s no Lamar. I pride myself on being a community builder and having people tap into that. 

There’s been so many relationships built here at SoulCycle, in or outside of the studios themselves, that are so infectious. That feeling is contagious, especially when you’re inside the room, the lights go out and the music starts. 

If you had to only play one artist for a whole class, who would it be?

One is crazy! My SoulCycle bio says Jay Z, but I love Afrobeats. I can’t pick one. But, if I do, I guess I have to stick with Jay Z: with Brooklyn! 

What do you hope riders take away from your class beyond the physical workout?

That they can conquer anything and everything that they want to. In here, there’s no blood, but there’s sweat and tears. If you can push through those runs, those climbs, and even that soulful moment, you conquer those 45 minutes, and you can conquer anything outside as well. The same fight you bring into the room, you should bring out into the world: we need that. 

What keeps you inspired to keep showing up, even on the hard days.

Community. So often, riders say how much we (instructors) inspire them. They need to know how much they inspire us. We wake up just like you do. We’re humans just like you are, and there are days we don’t want to show up, days we don’t want to motivate. But, because of the community continuing to show up and give everything.That inspires me. 

We love connecting to our community. If you’d like to be featured in our Soul Stories Series send us your story here. 

Let’s keep riding together. We’ll see you on a bike soon.