505. Kirsten Ferguson, Peloton Tread Instructor

Ali on the Run Show

Ali Feller

Run, Health & Fitness, Women, Inspiration, Runner, Entrepreneur, Sports, Fitness, Health, Running

4.9 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 7 April 2022

⏱️ 78 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

“There was a moment where I looked at myself in the mirror and said, ‘Whoa, this is what you’re meant to do. This is it.’”

Kirsten Ferguson is living her dream. She once wrote "Become a Peloton instructor" on a Post-It note, and today she's doing exactly that. (And she still has the manifestation-filled Post-It.) The Peloton Tread instructor is a single mom of two, and the road to this dream life hasn't been an easy one. Kirsten grew up with aspirations of working in the fashion industry. But when she enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Technology, she quickly realized that she wanted to do something completely different. She ended up getting a job working in sponsorships with the NFL, where she worked for seven years before leaving and having children. Along the way, Kirsten suffered two miscarriages. That's when she found fitness. Kirsten leaned into cycling classes during her darkest, most isolating, and most challenging days. On their third try, Kirsten got — and stayed — pregnant. In this conversation, she's honest about what new motherhood was like for her, and about what happened when she had just become a fitness instructor and was going through a separation when the pandemic hit. She talks about how she got the Peloton job and about how she became a runner, about creating the "Ratchet Mom Club," about being at the Super Bowl for Beyoncé's epic halftime show, and about why she welcomes fear into her life.

SPONSORS:

Shokz — Use code OTR15 for 15% off wireless headphones.

The 2022 Bayshore Marathon — Sign up for this year’s marathon and 10K, taking place May 28th in Traverse City, MI.

What you’ll get on this episode:

How Kirsten’s latest Peloton class came together (5:45)
Why Kirsten takes her own classes (7:50)
What Young Kirsten was like (10:40)
On going to the Fashion Institute of Technology — and then having a change of heart and working for the NFL (13:00)
Kirsten’s road to motherhood (22:50)
How Kirsten found fitness (29:30)
What new motherhood was like for Kirsten (35:30)
How Kirsten found her purpose (40:45)
How Kirsten overcame her fear of public speaking (49:15)
On getting the Peloton job, and what happened next (50:50)
What does a Peloton producer do? (58:30)
All about the Ratchet Mom Club (1:01:40)
On learning to call herself a runner (1:05:00)

For more, check out:

Fear is my Homeboy by Judi Holler

Follow Kirsten:

Instagram @iamkirstenferguson

Follow Ali:

SUPPORT the Ali on the Run Show! If you’re enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Spread the run love. And if you liked this episode, share it with your friends!

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Welcome to the Alley on the Run Show.
0:06.6	I'm your host Alley Feller, and every week I talk with people who are doing exciting
0:11.1	things on the run and beyond.
0:13.8	We all share that love for running, and that's what brings us all together.
0:17.0	But of course, there is so much more to life than what happens on the run itself, and
0:22.1	this show is about those in-betweens.
0:23.8	We're talking about the moments and decisions that have shaped who we are today, and the
0:28.2	wise.
0:29.2	So why do we do what we do?
0:30.8	And how does getting sweaty factor in?
0:33.5	Today is a Peloton day on the Alley on the Run Show.
0:37.5	My guest is Peloton Tread and Strength Instructor Kiersten Ferguson.
0:43.0	Kiersten is a single mom of two who found fitness during a really hard time in life.
0:48.8	She had just left her seven-year career working for the NFL, and she and her husband at the
0:53.4	time wanted to have children.
0:55.4	She got pregnant twice, and she miscarried twice.
0:59.6	In this conversation, Kiersten talks about some of her darkest, most isolating, most challenging
1:05.9	days, and she's really honest about what it took to get through them.
1:10.4	On their third try, Kiersten got and stayed pregnant, and today she is mom to two beautiful
1:17.2	girls who are just six months apart.
1:20.6	Kiersten talks candidly about new motherhood, about what life looked like when she had just
1:25.2	become a fitness instructor and was going through a divorce when the pandemic hit.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Ali Feller, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Ali Feller and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.