Mindset Connection
Our mission is to provide a place to explore the journey through change and learn from everyday people doing extraordinary things in the mental health and wellness space. In every episode, we will introduce you to incredible changemakers who are making a difference-one step at a time. Join us and learn about how these amazing people may help you take one small step towards creating a stronger and more resilient version of yourself.
Mindset Connection
Mindset Connection Episode 42: Mariana Fernandez
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Welcome to the Mindset Connection Podcast, and thank you for
showing up each episode to learn about the amazing people we want
you to know more about. We dove into episode 42 by showcasing
another amazing teacher-who also works for Peloton. Mariana
Fernandez was able to talk to us virtually before running back to the
studio to teach more magical classes. Mariana is technically a yoga,
meditation, and tread instructor for the Pelotin company, but she is
also so much more. A Latina girl growing up in a household of
athletes, Mariana credited her parents for fostering her love of
running. By the way-she told us her mom recently ran a marathon at
age 73, so what are we waiting for? Mariana credits so much of her
current work to her extensive background in fine arts and theater.
Because she trained as a working actor for so many years, she is
unrattled by things that would make the rest of us sweat, such as
sudden schedule changes, speaking in public, or being “ON” with
little notice. Mariana’s classes are filled with incredible music-scripted
like a play-and infused with love, positive energy, and “Mariana
Magic.” And NO-the playlists are not generated by AI. Mariana talked
openly about dealing with life struggles and how she has learned to
release and address feelings and not suppress them-something we all
should work on. If you are looking for a place where you feel you
belong, Mariana’s studio is where you need to be. She told us she is a
hugger, and we could feel that hug through the screen loud and clear.
We hope you love this beautiful episode as much as we did.
The Changemaker for Merging Fine Arts, Fitness, and Feelings
Contact Information for Mariana Fernandez
Social Media: @mariana.fernandez.co
_____________________________________________
Contact Information for Hosts, Jennifer Clearwaters and Cynthia
O’Connell:
Jen
www.mindsetnj.com-Website
@mindsetjen-Instagram
@mindsetconnectionpod-TikTok
@jenniferclearwaters-YouTube
@mindsetconnectionpod-YouTube
Cindy
www.mindfulnessconnection.com-Website
@mindfulnssconnection-Instagram
@mindsetconnctionpod-TikTok
@mindsetconnectionpod-YouTube
@theelevationprinciples-YouTube channel for the book, The Elevation
Principles
The Elevation Principles is available on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1665307099?ref=myi_title_dp
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW!
Podcast available on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube
This podcast is produced, recorded, and edited at Black Swallowtail
Studios in Eatontown, NJ.
Welcome to the Mindset Connection podcast, and thank you for joining us for our 42nd episode. Can't believe we've been doing that this long. It's wonderful. So if you are new to us, uh we are your hosts, Jennifer Clearwaters, and Cindy O'Connell. And in every episode, we are showcasing people who are doing amazing work in the space of mental health and wellness. Usually we would say everyday people, but now we're starting to get some people who are not exactly everyday. And today's guest is exactly that. Today we are welcoming Mariana Fernandez, a running coach, yoga, and meditation teacher. We're changing that. You're not an instructor, because a teacher is a level up from Peloton. So I'm gonna get into it right away and just give you a background on Mariana. She is a yoga meditation and technically instructor at Peloton and is known for being the platform's first Spanish bilingual instructor, which is incredible. So originally from Mexico, she moved to California and eventually to New York City, where she built a career in athletics, yoga, and being a teacher and a theater artist. So Mariana holds a BA and an MA in fine arts, which we're definitely going to talk about. And is known for infusing the arts into her work, into her classes. Many of her classes are scripted like acts of a play. Incredible. You can't believe it, but you feel like you're actually going through a show when you take a long class with her. And they are infused with infectious energy and definitely joy, which Mariana calls Mariana magic. And it truly is. If you've ever taken a class, you will really say that she's magic up there, for sure. And you all, if you've also taken a class with her, you will know that she talks about life struggles. She's very open to life struggles. It actually makes you feel like you're sitting and talking with a friend who knows you and gets you, instead of like running up a mountain and running up a hill at a very hard pace like I did this morning. So you are what we need. So thank you for your work and thank you for the impact that you're making. You don't even know. You know, you don't know who's behind the screen taking the classes and really getting what you're putting out there because you are just putting your genuine self out there and you can feel it. So saying that, welcome to our show, Mariana. Thank you for being here.
SPEAKER_03Wow, what an intro. Thank you for having me. I'm just really excited to finally get to have this conversation together. I had the joy of getting to have you done in studio. And I think that there's something just I wish I was there joining you in person, but to be able to see someone face to face and to actually give you a hug and to be able to connect uh in person, which you know, you want to translate the best you can on a virtual platform like Peloton is.
SPEAKER_00And I'll tell you, when we are in the in the studio, you get a chance to take pictures after you know, it's a big fancy thing. They say, like, you know, take your picture, but like be mindful of her time and move on. But you sat and gave genuine hugs to every single person. You she was able to sit there. I think I was the only person in the studio that you didn't know. You know, there she knew everybody. This one just ran a marathon, this one's a triathlon, somebody came in a full costume and was like, I'm showing you this costume. And she knew everybody, so it was so genuine and so real. So it's good to know that what you're seeing on the screen is actually true in person. So thank you for that.
SPEAKER_02So um I love that Jen just said uh, you know, about a genuine hug because you there's such a difference when a person that is really authentic gives you a hug and it's it's just sincere, and they're they're just you just feel that connection. So I can just picture the two of you hugging and and feeling. She hugged everybody. Yes, yes. So love that. I'm a hugger.
SPEAKER_03I grew up with a lot of affection in my family. And as you explain, like I'm come from a Mexican background where the way that we greet each other is always with a kiss on the cheek, a hug. And it's been interesting in the different places that I've lived and the different jobs that I've even had, you know, to present yourself, like I will always genuinely come up. And that's how I introduce I'm Marianne, I'm a hugger. Like, so that disclaimer comes out first, you know. So I think even in city, they're like, do not touch the instructor, do not, and I break down that uh rule, and I'm like, no, I'm gonna come in for the hug. Uh you let me know if you'll have it or not. So I I think that's like a at least for me, just a really authentic way to connect with someone. It's a tactile way.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I completely agree, completely agree. So, anyway, back to why we're here. So tell us your stories because I, you know, listening to your um your bio, you've done a lot of different things. But how did you find your way to running, to yoga, to meditation? Um, and you know, uh I understand you come from a family of athletes too, so I'm sure that that's all woven into this story of yours. So let's hear it.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, again, I'm uh in a Latina background, especially back in the 80s and 90s when I grew up, it was unheard of to really grow up with like health and athleticism as part of your lifestyle. But I I was really fortunate to have parents who inculcated that and who made sure to keep us moving constantly. My mother found running in her mid-40s after she raised four children. She needed something for herself. So I got to watch firsthand just while we were at swim practice. Uh, she would put on her tennis and go for long runs and eventually started racing, podiuming in races. So she was quite good uh to the state. She just ran a marathon on Sunday at 73. She's still marathoning. So see, I really had that as an example of you know how you keep your body moving and with that, not just the physical benefits of like the dopamine, the the runner's high that you get, um, the feel-good, but also how that translated into mental health aspects. Because once I got to college, I went to college at TCU in Fort Worth, Texas, uh, where I pursued theater. So I was in the arts, um, you know, the grind of college and a lot of the pressures. I kept running, so I would still sign up for races. Uh, but that's where I discovered yoga and I felt the that kind of same euphoria and high post-yoga, even though it was really hard. It was, oh my gosh. I I just recently talked about like I couldn't reach past my knees, like I didn't know what I was doing and I didn't know my right from my left, like all the things that people usually are uh in fear of yoga or they think that it's not for them. Like, we will start there. We're all beginners. Um, but there was something about how that made me feel that I started to complement that with my running. And then along with that, I ended up getting my BFA there. Um, and I started to see how they melded into each other. A lot of the breath work that I would do in yoga classes would go into some of the vocal warmups and exercises that we do, the physicality, the movement. So there was just such a cohesiveness in the athletic and artistic world that I had. So eventually I went to Purdue, pursued my MFA there, knew that knowing that I wanted to continue in the arts, which is what brought me to New York. And many years auditioning, doing regional theater, um, but still maintaining running as part of my hobby, my go-to, my escape uh within the grind. And then one of my day jobs was uh I was certified as a yoga teacher in 2009. So I worked at a mom and pop yoga studio here uh as part of one of my day jobs again. So all of that to say, like these worlds kind of all collided when I interviewed for Peloton because there was a performance aspect. They were looking for bilingual teachers. Uh, they wanted to bring Spanish onto the platform. And I remember while I was interviewing, because they were thinking of going to Latin American markets, um, but I was like, well, hopefully we'll get there. But you have to look at your population here within this country. There's so many Spanish speakers, or whether it's first generation, second immigrants, uh, that we all want to see that this table. And I know what it's like to have had it because my parents introduced me, but like, how can we welcome uh with our music, our stories? And so using all of the background that I had, I think this was a perfect job that just brought artistry, it brought athleticism, it brought mental health and physical health uh into this kind of perfect concoction of what I get to do with my job.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so you know, you're bringing it. You're saying, you know, like Peloton's bringing it, but you're bringing it. Like it sounds like they have they were you were selected for that because they knew that you would be a great voice and body and embodied everything that they wanted for one of their teachers to be.
SPEAKER_00So how did Peloton find? Well, jumping around, but how did they find you? Because when we asked, when Alex was here, Alex K, he was like, you know, link LinkedIn, he said Peloton sent a message to my LinkedIn and he goes, and I thought it was a scam, and I didn't even I was almost not gonna answer. And he said his wife was like, Oh, just respond. It's probably nothing, but like how did they find you?
SPEAKER_03I th that's the beauty of this. We all kind of have these very different abs and quirky ways that we arrived onto this platform because I was uh in a cycling class. So on Sundays, I used to teach at the yoga studio on the Upper East Side, and then I would go to a cycling class from a competitor of Peloton, which is okay that did a rock star ride, and it was all rock music, which is like completely my damn. And the teacher had gone uh through surgery, so they would have students hop on the podium, and even though he would cue the class, like different students would be on the bike. And again, like when I listened to that music, I'm just like, Oh my god, I was living my best life. And there was a student in that class who reached out afterwards, and she was like, Hey, are you an instructor? Like the energy that you bring. And so we started chatting, and she's like, Well, I'm a recruiter for this fitness company. Like, do you want to come interview? I was like, Sure. And look at that. The fitness company was Peloton. Isn't it crazy?
SPEAKER_00So, what was it like then? Because you know, some of the things that you're talking about, I had this job, I had this job, I had this job. You were a New York City actor, you know, you were trying to act and go to auditions, which is really hard. Like one of my childhood best friends is an actor, and I used to say to her, like, why do you do this? Like going all to these auditions and being told you're this, you're that, you're not this, you're not this, like you got this, you don't that. But I know it's it for her, it's in her blood and she loves it so much. But for you, what was it like? You know, you didn't I I guess you kind of answered where you're saying you can bring some of your artistry and your creativity into what you're doing now. But this was probably not what you thought you were gonna be doing, right? When you came here to be an actor.
SPEAKER_03No, and it's funny because I I will always say that theater gave me the ultimate toolkit for anything that I've done. Yeah. Whether it was working at a restaurant or it's teaching at a small yoga studio. I worked in the automotive industry for 10 years as part of again another side job. Uh, we call it money making, because we would do the auto shows, and I worked with Toyota again, 10 years narrating on their uh fuel cell technology and hybrid vehicles, and all of that requires presentation and being able to talk to people, all of the things that theater gave me. And even during the interview process with Peloton, it was really funny because my very first interview was November of 2019. And I remember when I would see Stephanie, this recruiter, subsequently, I'd see her in class and she's like, Hey, like, I haven't heard back yet. I don't know. I was like, listen, I'm used to it. Like when you don't hear back, like, no harm, no foul. Like, thank you for the opportunity, but I'm not. And then even when she circled back in May of 2020, and she's like, You have a week to put an inner uh two audition tapes together. It's one class in Spanish, one in English, one meditation, 20 questions that you have to again, all of those things I was used to. It was like, yeah, all right, you have to learn it quickly, you have to be able to present it. Right. And even in my very final interview, like, this is something that I will always be grateful to theater for because I they took me down to Hudson Yards. This was before the studio had opened to anybody outside of instructors. So I I felt like Charlie and the chocolate factory, like seeing this giant picture of Ali Miss Love in the front and I was like, I had to go in. Yeah. And so that's what I thought. So I'm not the same way. Nobody and everybody, you know, because of the pandemic was masked up. And because of that, we were all still like, I had to be, you know, tested to make sure that I did have it. And they were like, we're gonna mic you up in two minutes. The PA mic'd me up. I remember still, like Alexito. Uh, he was the first person I met. They showed me to the brand new studio, went in there, and they're like, Are you ready? And I was like, Yeah. And then I did the first class, and then I had to do another one. They're like, Do you need a break? Do you need like then? I was like, No, no, no. Like, so even that prep, like kind of just like to be ready to go, to be ready to walk in, to be ready to perform, like, all of that came from theaters.
SPEAKER_00Wow, yes, and learning how to be, you know, work under pressure, work on the fly, you know, like you know, you don't get what everybody else is expecting, a break and time to prepare. You just had to go.
SPEAKER_03So even like on the daily, like we have I don't think they do this anymore, but they had a during my onboarding uh like a stress test, is what they called it, where you know the music would kind of go out. And I remember they would have like one of the stage hands walk across, and you're just like, it's going because that'll happen. I mean, you never know what's gonna happen, and the show must go on.
SPEAKER_00Like you have to figure out a way to the show must go on, uh-huh. Yeah, yeah. You are a theater girl for sure.
SPEAKER_02The show must go on. So I have to ask you so you are you do you dance too? I don't.
SPEAKER_03I mean, I love to dance. Yes, yeah.
SPEAKER_02No, I was just curious. Uh, I just happened to have seen West Side Story at the Paper Mill. Did you ever perform at the Paper Mill?
SPEAKER_03No, I didn't, but I've seen a lot of shows there.
SPEAKER_02It was just fabulous. And and you know, as you're talking and moving, I'm thinking, I wonder if she's a dancer. Because I could see you being a dancer. But anyway. Um so uh you you really answered our question about how do you handle the pressure? And for you, it's not the pressure, it's uh I'm sure you get the adrenaline rush when you're gonna teach a class. Would that be correct?
SPEAKER_03Every single one. Like it doesn't get old, even whether it's a a pre we call them coach to camera classes, but that moment before where you see the clock counting down, like there will always be the nerves a little, and I like do my prayer uh right before every single one before that red light goes on. Because once that's on, like so and and I like that. I think that it's always good to be a little bit nervous. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02That's just and and you know, Jen and I do a lot of workshops um in person. And uh, you know, years ago when I first started, I would feel that, you know, you know, like your heartbeat is faster, you get that rush. And I realized, wait, this isn't nerves. This is I'm pumped to do this. So that's as I'm listening to you, I'm thinking this is exactly what she's talking about, too. So, okay, so now you you're working five, six days a week, or what's your schedule like?
SPEAKER_03Our schedule is a little bit all over the place, but it because it's also like multidisciplines now, so I'm was fortunate enough to start with yoga and then we added meditation, and now I'm in the tread studio. So depending on scheduling, like I teach yoga on Monday morning and running on Tuesday night. Um, I go in to record meditations on Wednesdays, so it kind of moves around uh a bit. My long runs are on Thursdays. Um, so and I don't know, with again that theater background, like it's not a nine to five.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_03And part of me is very okay with that because it keeps things interesting. There's no day like the day prior. Yeah, that's true. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Yeah. Wow. This is really like a big eye-opening. Really, is everything that you're doing is it it leads right back to your training in theater. Yeah. So you're not rattled, like, you know, not like everyone else, but other people might have a little bit more a harder time adjusting to something that's not so structured. But for you, it's like, well, that's just how it is. It's like theater life.
SPEAKER_02But obviously, that there, you know, we all talk about self-care and rituals. Like Jen and I are both very ritualistic. Like, you know, we get up at five, we meditate, we do our workout, we whatever it is that we're doing, we have our journaling. So, what are your rituals? What are you what is your self-care?
SPEAKER_03I start with because I'm in a point that I can be, and I say this in front of my teammates sometimes. I'm like, I know where I am in life, and it's not me touting it, but it's because I know that uh I'm a single woman in my 40s. I get eight plus hours of sleep every night. And it is a gift. Uh I know that not everyone has uh or is afforded that luxury, but for me, especially given the the amount of uh physical stress, like I'm biking everywhere in the city. I bike to work. I bike, you know, so I'm not only like moving for my job, but I'm also moving around and running around the city. So the primary one, uh, along with like obviously like hydration and fueling properly, is to get enough sleep because I know how I function or how I don't function. Exactly. When that's missing. And again, I think that I can come from a place that I can actually uh be selfish about that, um, given my current lifestyle. But as well as that, it's to take uh some time in the morning. I really try not to hop on the phone and like rush to emails, social media um to give myself some time. I but it it also sounds like very maybe not yogi, like I love coffee in the morning, like I will half an eight uh because I need to uh meet people though.
SPEAKER_02These yoga teachers here do the same thing we can again.
SPEAKER_03The members make fun of me because I'm not shy about telling, like, if I do have an early morning class, I'll set like 12 alarms because uh get waking up is is not the easiest for me. So uh need to be caffeinated as well. Um, but even throughout the the day, and again, because everything's kind of works in different ways or different hours, I really try to take a moment. Um, also fortunate enough to live close to a park. So, like to step out and whether it's sitting out there or going for a walk, uh, to take time to kind of disconnect from the noise, especially of the city and work and all the things going on. Um, but I really carve out, it's not at the same time every day. Obviously, that would be hard to kind of follow, but a little solo 30 minutes to check in. And that for me is really because again, we're dealing with not just programming work and then showing up and then how what are we presenting and what do we want to do? But I going back to your uh mental health taking care of like I try to be very aware of like what is sitting, like uh a worry uh or like pending, or what's am I really is my family really at the forefront of my heart? Like, do I need to call my mom? Like those things, because I used to be just like suppress, suppress, suppress, suppress. And it's kind of that acknowledgement of like, all right, I know that like I'm a little rattled about like this person that I'm gonna go on a date with, or you know, haven't talked to my sister in a little bit. So just kind of giving myself like, okay, this is what's going on, and then I go back to regularly scheduled for it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, but like you know what? Yeah, you're just gonna be able to do that. I have to ask her about this stuff. Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_02So you just said about suppress. So how did you get out of the suppress? Because I think that's what a lot of people do. They, you know, they're not paying attention to how they feel, so they become very busy, they're running around, so they don't have to go inside and figure out what's up.
SPEAKER_00And that's a hard skill, Mariana. It's not easy to do. So the fact that you're saying, like, I used to be here, but I'm not anymore, coming from, you know, I'm a I am a therapist in private practice, and I work with people all the time and they they're there and they stay there, and some of them stay there their entire life until the you know the mental garbage can is full, and then they can't, then then it's a bigger problem. But like, how did you how did you find that skill from going to suppressing to letting it out or being self-aware?
SPEAKER_03Well, because I think we witness so many people around us do that. I think I watch even like within my own family, like how people compartmentalize, or they don't want to talk about this, or even like saying that I've been in therapy since college. Like, it's not that my father doesn't agree. He's like, I'm glad that you go, but like this is something that he won't do or that he feels like he doesn't need. And maybe I will never convince him, but I instead of like being in denial about it, I'm like, Well, I there was a certain point, especially when I moved to New York and I had a really tough chapter here that I've never Been shy now to say that I've dealt with depression for most of my adult life. That I've been on SSRIs for a while and had to switch them up. And you know, I'm a big feeler. I say that all the time. Uh, I stopped apologizing for it. And even those, like I know, and I'll share with my sister, I'm like, oh, like the dark cloud is here, like being able to tell, like, how do I move through this? Like, I'm not okay. I'm gonna take a few days. I'm going to maybe retreat for a little bit. I call it cocooning. Like sometimes I'm just like, I just need like some time because I'm aware and I could very easily just go, yeah, press it down. Let's keep moving. But I found that to your point, Jennifer, like then it surfaces in a much greater way that could possibly be out of my control or feel like that I need even more help than what I'm already doing. And so I'm just like, well, this is and meditation. I I think it's just that dialogue with yourself that you have to keep having. And sometimes I'll even tell my friends, like, you know what, I'm not doing so great. Like, I'm gonna be okay. Like, I'm gonna work through this, but I'd rather acknowledge and recognize and see what I can do or ask if I need to ask, than to suppress and pretend that everything's fine. Yeah. And I keep learning um, even as I head into my 40s and to see kind of how it arises and when it surfaces.
SPEAKER_02It's so good that you're recognizing that. And and let me tell you, you're gonna keep learning, I hope, even when you're in your 70s. Like, Cindy. Um, so you still want to grow, so you still have to learn and still self-reflect and self-examine. Yeah. So it's a, you know, it went starting in your 40s is great because most people they don't get there till exactly.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, they don't get there till it's too much, and then they're calling me. Yeah. But you know, I wanted to bring it up because, like, again, if you if anyone's ever taken a class with you, like you are like you you do talk about this stuff while you're literally running up a hill on an incline and running really fast. But you know, you're always talking about like you're the person who's recognizing people who maybe don't fit in, or you always say, like, you know, like the island of lost toys or misfit toys, or someone who hasn't been understood, which like I think Cindy and I are like, that's us our whole life. That's always been us. But like, how do you, you know, how do or who do you reach for? Who are who or what are sources of strength for you? Because I know it like the people who are hearing you say that in that moment, you are a source of strength for them because they're finding someone who's who goes, Oh my god, there's someone else out there like me. And you don't know, you could be this these could be people that are taking your classes that are suppressing and they are alone and they're not reaching out for help, but they're hearing you say, I feel like you do, and that gives hope. But like for you, who do you reach for? Who who or what are the source of strength for you?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I think because uh even in like as a kid or as a teenager, just being kind of stuck between two worlds, whether it was like going back to Mexico over the summer holiday to see family and then coming back, and I just trying, I think just trying to fit in always. That's uh and another thing that theater gave me was kind of that acceptance to be like for the first time when I was on either at rehearsal or auditioning or doing uh character development and studies, I I realized like, oh, like there's such a psychological complexity to all this, and that you don't have to apologize or try to fit in. And I mean, even to this day, like I see it whether it's going to a run club or even at work, it's just like how can you identify your individuality? And also when I do come on the tread, like that's my favorite part because even though I have a theater background, like there is no persona who you see on the tread is who you get after class. Um, and what I love about movement is that it does bring some of those walls down and it allows you, and sometimes I may overshare, and sometimes you know, because you're there running and sweating and breathing, you're like, wow, this is like surfacing and coming up. But a place that you feel seen, because we all need different kinds of coaches, and you know, I think about like one of my North Stars and my anchors is my mom, and she's more of a and I need this very much, but she's a little more tough love, uh, which can help guide me out of things, or she'll but at the same time, I also have my sister who has always accepted and seen me for who I am, and uh who will also like bring a sense of softness. So you you find your anchors and you reach out to those people who will give you what you need at the times that you need it, because sometimes I do feel like, come on, Mariana, uh put the pieces back together, like those uh those lost toys. But that's the beauty of it, because once you find your people that understand you and accept you who you are, like that's where the connection happens. That's where there's no facade or pretense. You're just like, oh, like these are my people.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Yeah. So good, so good. And and and it really is that, like, you know, when we go back into the theater, like when you when you have especially like I remember training for a marathon last summer and running having to run, you know, 10, 12, 15 miles. And I put on your classes, the long ones, and I was like, wait a minute, it's like act one, and then you're running act two. Oh, wait, we're having an intermission. And I'm like, it's like it really was like a show. And I and I remember finishing a really long run thinking, like, it's a lot of work, like it was a lot of work for me to run that, but you had to sequence that. So, how do you do it? Like, it's it's it's it's work to put these classes together.
SPEAKER_03That's the beauty of a platform like Peloton, where we have access to music that we get to use and we get to explore and just kind of be creative. And that's one thing that I know that we're moving into this kind of realm or world where AI feels like it's taking over and it's and to be complete. Like, I have never used AI for any of my classes because for me, this is like not just homework, but it keeps my brain functioning, like creating the intervals, doing math uh when I haven't done math in many years. Yeah, knowing what uh song will work with each other if we're transitioning, like there's something that puts my brain to work in a very different way. And I kind of like lock in when I'm programming a class. I'm like, all right, if I have 90 minutes, how can I break this down to make it palatable? How can I break this down so it's not gonna be like you hear 90 minute run, you're like, that's a long time. It's like, how can we break this and create like intermission? And act one will speak to this, and like it's so it's just it really allows me to stay like playful and curious and switch it up a little bit so things don't become stale because that's the one thing. Like, I I mentioned earlier, no day is like the day before, and like no class is like the class before. Like, I really like to keep it fresh enough to where I'm playing with something new that we can bring to the table.
SPEAKER_00That's good. And I'm glad to I'm glad that you really said that you actually are doing the work and you're not just having AI go, 90-minute class, here or come up with a playlist. It's really, really good to say that.
SPEAKER_02So you're spending a lot of time off camera, off yeah, off-camera working on your performance is basically learning the lines. Learning the lines, creating. So obviously, this is fulfilling a creative area for you too. It's not just the physical, it's the mental, it's the spiritual. So it's everything. Wonderful. Wonderful.
SPEAKER_00I know Mariana has to run to go to work, but so um before Cindy gets into some uh our final questions, I just wanted to say in case there's anyone else out there that has never heard of you or never heard of Peloton and now is thinking, oh my gosh, I need to take a class with her, or I really need to do a meditation or a yoga class, how can people find you?
SPEAKER_03On the Peloton platform. And again, if for anybody who I call my my Monday classes my duolingual classes. So even if you're learning Spanish or if you're not, I teach yoga and meditation and running in both languages, but I think there's a beauty in that. And I have this uh great little community now that will meet on Monday mornings to take a Spanish yoga class uh to refine their Spanish. You know, they they keep that uh as part of like their Spanish lesson. So I'm on plat um Peloton and then on Instagram, uh mariana.fernandez.co, um, where I will usually post like running tips, uh, you know, my life here in New York, shows that I see, and then a lot of my family, because that is one thing that that keeps my heart full, that keeps my uh cup full are the little nieces and nephews that I have. I have six of them that are my entire world. So that's what you'll find on my social media. I love it, and I love it.
SPEAKER_00Like, don't be afraid to go to yoga because even if you don't speak Spanish or whatever, because even in the class that I was in, I would say I was hearing you going, okay, to the right. And then you go, you're other right. It doesn't matter. Yeah, yeah. You don't need coordination to go.
SPEAKER_02All right, so here's our final questions that we ask every guest that's on our show. So, how do you view failure? Don't overthink it.
SPEAKER_03Failure is a lesson. That's I failed and I hesitate to call it failure, but I remember anytime that I wouldn't get a role or I wouldn't get the job, or that I even hear that I didn't get, I remember the first round I didn't get to be on the tread. Like it just gave me a lesson of how to come back, pick myself up, and try it again or try something different. Right. Right.
SPEAKER_02That's right. So, what are your three most important strengths? I'm sure you have way more than three, but the three that come to mind.
SPEAKER_03This career path and kind of the what I've done in New York has made my skin thicker and my heart softer. And I think that's a quality that I can because I feel like I'm disciplined and hardworking, but uh there's a warmth that I carry that I haven't lost. Uh, not since I was a little kid, that very much defines who I am. Like when I say I'm a hugger, I think that encompasses just like the way that I will meet you. And yeah.
SPEAKER_02And I I I know that to be true because I can even feel the warmth from you even on the screen. So true. Yeah. So what's going well in your life? I think we know the answer to that, but what do you think is going well in your life?
SPEAKER_03That at 40, I feel the healthiest I've ever been in physical and mental space. I know that in my 20s and 30s, it was a lot about like, where did I fail? Or why didn't I do this? And all of a sudden I start to see that given the dots that have connected, or I don't know, my little sister sent this picture from 11 years ago this morning, and she's like, look at what we were wearing. And it was, I was like, oh my gosh, that was when I was leaving Mexico City. And she's like, This is when I was, and to see kind of how far I've come from that, and to feel like, well, certain things haven't worked out in the way maybe I planned. Uh, like I'm still on this motherhood journey that I'm trying, you know, I I will say that I will keep trying. Um, but it hasn't worked out just yet. I will keep trying, but there's so many other things that have. And so I'm quite proud that at almost 41, like I feel physically strong and mentally stronger than I have been.
SPEAKER_00That's wonderful. That's a beautiful answer. It is. And you're just gonna keep getting better. Yes. Yeah, because yeah, we'll keep going. Exactly. Because I'm in my 50s and Cindy's in her 70s, and we feel the same way. We're like just getting better and better.
SPEAKER_02There's still more to do. Yeah. So, um, what's a takeaway you would want our listeners to know?
SPEAKER_03I mean, I love this podcast. I love what you address here. I love that it can include not just personal histories, but like, how do we continue to take care of ourselves? And so we talked a lot about suppression versus you know, surfacing. And I think if we can keep, and this will be my reminder for myself like, how do we keep checking in? How do we even with those around us? I think a lot about like my family members when I see them kind of put something away versus like providing space and holding space for them to share. So, can we do that to ourselves? Is what you guys reminded me today. And then can we do that to those we love as well? Yeah, that's beautiful.
SPEAKER_00Well said.
SPEAKER_02All right, love that. And we'll just finish up then.
SPEAKER_00Yes, we're so glad you took time. Thank you so much. I know how hard it is to get time to actually come on a show and do this, and also having, you know, people you don't know, which I said to her before, said probably people are reaching out to you all the time to do stuff. So you don't know if we're we've had guests that have come on and said, like, like we could have been crazy people. And they just say, you know, we had a guest that came in and said, Well, you know what? Like this was a dot. And he said, I felt like I needed to connect the dots. So I felt like I needed to be here. We love that. And that's how I felt like when I first started, you know, reached out to you and you said, like, yeah, I'll I'll do it. And and you know, same with Alex and same with what we have Marcel coming in a couple of weeks. Like we asked, and and people will say, Well, how did you get them to come? And I said, Well, we asked them. Like, they're people, they're people, but I, you know, and again, not because you're in the public eye, but because of what you're doing. And that's why we felt like you were such a great match for what we're doing, is because you know, showcasing people that are doing wonderful things for other people. Like Cindy and I always say, the only time we've ever talked about ourselves on a podcast was the last episode because people don't know anything about us because we're always talking about other people. But that really was the reason why we started this was to showcase the work of other people doing really good things in the world. And we really feel like that's what you're doing right now. So thank you for the invitation.
SPEAKER_03And I I really hope the next time we'll be in person. So Cindy, I can hug you in person too, because it sounds virtual one right now.
SPEAKER_00Yes, yes. And she's a yoga and meditation teacher, so yes, it would be great. But um, so yeah, so we will let Mariana go to work and and we will be back with another episode of our show. And Cindy always has our final words of wisdom.
SPEAKER_02So remember to pause, breathe, and then respond instead of react and always do hard things. Yes.
SPEAKER_00Thank you so much. So thank you. Thank you so much.