Patience has played a surprising role inAsh Pryors start withPeloton.
I could have really popped the fuck off, Pryor tells SELF.
And instead I was like, Not today, Satan, and kept pushing.
Courtesy of Peloton
Someone needs to see someone like me!
So let me be the first!
We are not going to play small anymore.
While taking a water break, she heard an unfamiliar hum in the hallway.
It just looked so cooland powerful and dynamic, she says.
Back then, doing sports outside of school wasnt really a thing, she says.
And there werent a lot of people of color doing it,andits very expensive.
So Pryor continued to focus on basketball.
Someone came up to me and was like, You look very fit.
Would you ever want to row here as a Division I athlete?
and I was like Absolutely, she says.
Pryor transferred from the branch campus to the main campus of Ohio State University and started her rowing career.
I loved it, she says.
That year, we won aBig Ten championship.
In addition to her rowing, Pryor was also becoming more and more interested in education.
Then came a one-two punch in 2017, just as her career was advancing.
I got to see firsthand what can happen inhealth care for Black women.
When she passed away, I made a promise to myself that I was going to fight like hell.
She also earned her group fitness certification so she could teach fitness classes at a local gym.
Along with the bike offerings, she began to sample their tread and strength classes.
Soon, she developed a connection with the platform.
I just need one shot, Pryor says.
I looked at that picture every day and was like, Im training for this job.
After several interviews and auditions, Pryor got the gig.
Pryor is speaking to a bigger issue in the ever-evolving world of body diversity and acceptance.
Youmight be trying to reclaim that word, but you dont know where someone else is, Pryor says.
Im not a plus-sizeI dont wear plus size clothes.
I feel the most beautiful, strong, and confident Ive felt my entire life.
Now, in her role at Peloton, shes expanding that commitment to accessibility by promoting fitness forallbodies.
Not everybodywantsto have a six-pack, and I think people cant fathom that.
She said The kids were calling me Lizzo, and I didnt understandbut then I googled her.
I recognized what they were trying to say to me.
So now I feel very complimented.
So thank you for coming here because it lets me know that I can accomplish things, Pryor says.
