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 43: Marcel Dinkins
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Welcome to the Mindset Connection Podcast! In episode 43, we
jumped right in with an incredible conversation with Marcel Dinkins.
Marcel is a former Division I Athlete, Army Reserve Engineer Officer,
dog mom, fitness trainer, speaker, podcast host-and also works for
Peloton. Marcel was able to take time from teaching running, walking,
and outdoor classes to drive to the studio with her dog, and make a
day out of being on our show. We were so grateful. Marcel talked to
us about the power of letting things go, not taking life so seriously,
and accepting yourself for whatever season you are in. She was also
extremely clear that she sets and adheres to boundaries. Don’t ask
her to be somewhere that she doesn’t want to be, because she WILL
leave! While Marcel is in the public eye now, she takes it all in stride,
and is always grounded by close friends and family-who could care
less that she is on billboards across NYC! She shared with us the
struggles and hardships she went through to get to where she is now,
and credits her college running coach for giving her a healthy dose of
reality and discipline that still stays with her today. Marcel has been
working diligently for years, but this episode shows that this woman
is just getting started. Marcel is a role model for people of all ages,
and we hope you will feel great love and energy from her just like we
did.
The Changemaker for Discipline and Boundary Setting-Marcel Dinkins
Contact Information for Marcel Dinkins
Social Media: @officialmarcelfit
LinkedIn: Marcel Dinkins
_____________________________________________
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 43rd episode. And we can't believe we've been doing this this many times. But we're back again with another wonderful guest doing amazing things in the field of mental health and wellness. If you are new to us, we are your hosts, Jennifer Clearwaters, and Cindy O'Connell. And today we are very happy that we are welcoming Marcel Dinkins to our podcast from Peloton Studios. And this is a reschedule. We were supposed to do this later on, but it didn't work out. We had some car trouble, but here we are. So I'm going to just jump in and tell you a little bit about Marcel in case you don't know who she is. Marcel is a former D1 athlete, which we're going to talk about, an Army Reserve engineer officer, a podcast host, a motivational speaker, and a treadmill, an outdoor running and walking coach for Peloton Studios. So after the loss of her brother, which she's going to share with us, Marcel found solace in the gym and embarked on a mission to empower others through fitness. Marcel brings infectious energy to her classes, authenticity, incredible music, lots of fun and games, especially if you are running long distances. You will be having questions in your head going like, ha, I didn't think about that. And before you know it, it's over. So we are so glad that you're here with us today. Thank you for being here, Marcel. Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.
SPEAKER_03Absolutely. So uh, you know, Jen and Marcel and I have been sitting here chatting, and I feel like I've known Marcel for uh, you know, at least a couple of years. Yeah. You know, so uh warm personality and just authenticity. So genuine. Yeah, absolutely. So, anyway, so tell us your story. You're a competitive athlete. It's something that people dream about, but very few achieve it. And D1 athletes, they say just 1% of college athletes actually make it. So that's you know a rare accomplishment. And congratulations to you.
SPEAKER_01Thank you so much. I wasn't supposed to be a D1 athlete, you know. I I I always loved sports. I grew up as a very shy kid, um, very um outgoing within my family, but to the external world, extremely shy, like painfully shy. And so when I was in the sixth grade, I had this teacher who just saw me and was like, You're tall, come play basketball. That was exactly what she said to me. She was like, You're tall, come and play basketball. And I was so nervous. I went home shaking, like taking the paper home to my dad. Um, and my mom signed it and was like, let the girl play basketball. And so I started playing basketball and it just opened me up. And I got into other sports and I made friends. I was like so painfully shy. I had like maybe two friends to speak of. Um, but after that, I made friends. Um, and so when I went to college, I was for the first time free to kind of like do my own thing. And my parents were super strict Southern church going. I was on the front row of the church every single Sunday and Wednesday and Thursday. My mom felt like going on Thursday. And so my freshman year, I I scored a 0.127 GPA because I went to no classes and I just went out and I was just trying to have fun and party and explore and do all these things. And so that was like a gut check because I was a first generation college student and I had this great opportunity and I was about to blow it. I looked at people around me, and one of my friends at the time, she was doing army ROTC and so I thought, you know what? Well, since I have lost whatever money I did have for school, maybe I can join the army and like be able to pay for school myself and kind of salvage the situation. And so I did. I joined um the National Guard and went through basic training and then joined the ROTC program. And once I was in that environment, I excelled. I was like the student uh platoon guard, I was like the cap the top female, the top uh student in all these spaces. And what I realized was that I might, you know, own at that point, I was like, I just lack discipline. Like I just really have to get after it. Like I need environments like this, I need teams, I need structure. Um, that was what kept me um in line in in high school. And and so I decided once I got back, I was just gonna walk into the cross-country team. Um so I walked into the cross-country team, and after a couple years, I ended up earning a scholarship and also ran track and field, ended up beating one of the girls that like came to the school on scholarship. And so it was that moment of understanding that I have to get my act together or else I'm gonna miss out on this huge opportunity. And so I did and ended up graduating with with honors and and being an athlete and and all these great things. Lettering. Yeah, lettering love my sports. Like they were, they were like, they were so impressed, but also super unimpressed. Like they were like, You should have done it in the first place. You've had this potential the whole time. So impressed, but also like you know, get it together.
SPEAKER_03So clearly, you are a person that knows, oh, I have to pivot. Yeah, I can't do this, so I have to try this. Yeah. So uh, you know, one of the questions we always ask at the end is how do you view failure? I think you just explained it. Yeah, right. So articulately.
SPEAKER_01So it's necessary. I like I started saying this in some in my classes because one of the things I think sometimes people don't realize is that there's an immense amount of pressure being live on camera every time you speak. Um every time you speak, um, you're doing these classes, you're working out. Sometimes, like you're hideous. It's so vulnerable. Um, so I started saying this in my class like everyone deserves the opportunity to suck at something. Like, you deserve the opportunity to not know what you're doing, to do it poorly, and to learn a lesson from it and to get to the other side of that that problem. Like, if we didn't have that, then you know, we would all be paralyzed from the fear of of of trying. So, in my opinion, I believe that it's a necessary ingredient to ingredient to whatever I'm gonna do next.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and and I think that people need to hear that. That are take, you know, they're looking at you as she's the epitome of health and fitness and look at her. And we're talking about failure, yeah.
SPEAKER_04And you know that it's okay to so there is that that's wonderful, you know, impression when probably people see you and know that, you know, oh, she's an athlete. That it wasn't that it was all very easy, it was just kind of handed to you, had this athletic talent, and now here you are on stage. But it's really interesting that you had enough perspective as a young person in their what 19, 18, 19, 20 years old to actually say, I need this. Like I need the discipline, I need the structure, I need a community. And and then to, you know, people can say that, but you could have easily said, Well, I will just drop out of college and maybe go get a job and find it there. And then you said, Well, I'm gonna go to basic training.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and I'll be honestly, I felt like, well, for me, it was going back was not an option. I was the first, you know. So for me, that was yeah, that was, and I, you know, I'd always been a good student, like always, like that was so that's why wasn't shocked. That was the easy part, right? That was the easy part. So here I am, and I'm like, and it's just it wasn't a for me not um being good enough to do it, it was just me not trying. So for me, that was yeah, that was a huge difference. And I would decided, like, let well, let me actually give it a college try, right? Let me give it a try. And and then I realized, like, ah, you know, I was doing so many things. Like, I I was doing like I had like 27 credit hours, I was working a job, I was an athlete, I was an R O T C in the leadership, like was in clubs, and I realized, no, you're you're more than capable. Yeah, it's good though for you to say, like, I can do it.
SPEAKER_04I can do it because like I think people when they try something and it doesn't go their way, they become paralyzed with that fear that, like, oh, I guess I do suck at this, and I really can't.
SPEAKER_03And that goes back to that whole internal uh feeling that I am good enough. Yes. So always going back to that. I don't want to miss this because this is the perfect opportunity to talk about your cross-country coach. Yeah. So just tell us, tell us what she said. Listen to it.
SPEAKER_01Uh, it's on the podcast. Yes. Um, so yeah. So in my classes, I say we take the hill. Um, and one of the reasons why I started saying that is that I had this amazing coach. Her name is Coach Cassandra Gidson. She coached um college cross-country up until like a couple years ago. Every team that she's ever coached has been always been exceptional. And so I went to try out and I walked into the team and I had this like um tryout on the trail. I ran with her a couple miles. It was horrible. Like it was honestly, I'm a runner at this point in my life. I know how bad it was. And to be, you know, um trying to qualify for division one, it was really bad. But she was like, you know what? This girl can work with you. We can work with you. You have like you have heart, like you're slow, but maybe, you know, who knows? Um, anyway, she used to take us out on this like horse trail out in Alabama. Um, and we ran Mississippi. And so you take us all the way all the way out to Alabama, and it was like the only place where we had proper hills to run on. And at this particular workout, I think I've been on the team for maybe like two or three months at this point in time. And so, you know, you get a little complacent. Um, and so we're running up this trail, we're running the hills, and I just remember being like, This again. Like, oh my god, like I don't know. It's like just really like moaning and griping about it. And she like came over to me and and she's the kindest person you will ever meet. And with a straight face, she just looked at me and said, Well quit.
SPEAKER_04You're like, excuse me.
SPEAKER_00And it was just like this moment of like, well quit. You don't have to have to be here. You don't have to do this.
SPEAKER_01And it was this moment of reckoning. I had to reckon with myself. Like that that whole like mantra was it's not a mantra, but it's that saying it's like it's not your um your aptitude, it's your attitude. Um, or your attitude determines your aptitude. And so it was that moment of just like I remember just thinking, I'm not gonna close your mouth. Like, yeah, I'm not gonna quit. Like, I'll show like I have this chip on my shoulder of like I'll show you in general anyway. I still do. But um, I was like, I'm not gonna quit. And then I did that workout, but I remember that day deciding this is gonna become my favorite workout. Like, I anytime we do hills, I'm gonna kill this. I'm gonna crush this. Like, this is gonna be the thing that I do the best. Wow. Um, and so I got to interview her like a few years ago. I it was so emotional for me. Oh, that's wonderful that you got to talk to her.
SPEAKER_04Does she remember saying that to you? She no, of course not.
SPEAKER_01No, of course not. But she said it so many times. She said, she's like, maybe I was in the mood that day. And she has a very deep voice, and she just smiled and laughed. And I'm like, well, that changed my life.
SPEAKER_04So But that's what it is, these pivotal moments from people. And you can think about those influential people in your life that that we always talk about sometimes you don't know the impact that you make on someone. She just said that and moved on, and that changed your life.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, she decided to check me. And she was just a person that never checked us. Like she was really kind. She would, you know, she had this book. It was called Um Don't Sweat the Small Stuff at All It's All Small Stuff. She would read that, a page of that every single day. She was mindful coaching before mindful coaching was a thing. Love it. So she would sit there, she would read this book to us before practice and like set our intention for practice. She would take us to yoga classes. We were doing ice baths and massages. We were doing all of these things before this was ever a real thing. And so for her to like check me and give me this, this also like the sweet and sour, and she never gave us a sour, it was really um beneficial for me. So I I knew that it was I felt like if it had come from anyone else, it wouldn't have landed the way it landed. But because she always led with like the carrot when she gave me the stick, it m it mattered. So love it. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Well, and it did, it changed your life. Yeah, it changed my life. Yeah, and she does make people run a lot of hills. I do. I do.
SPEAKER_01I did a hike last night, it was amazing.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. I was gonna ask you about um ROTC and how it's affected your life, but you you kind of answered that already, and like how the discipline and the structure just really gave you.
SPEAKER_01All of these things kind of add to the way that I view the world now, and what you were saying, it's all these people that kind of say the thing that you need to hear and when you need to hear it. When I joined um the ROTC program, I knew that I was gonna be going to basic training like after that first semester. And I joined just to kind of get my bearings and have an understanding of what I was gonna be getting into, and I was and way over my head. We had this, like we have what they're called FTX, like field events, field training exercises. And so you go, you sleep outside, um, yeah, you you have like you have your rug sack, you have all your stuff packed, and you and it's cold, it's it's cold. We're in Mississippi, but it was cold um in the winter time and stuff. And I was just so unprepared. I'm from Memphis, I was from City, like I've really had never done any of these things before. And I was so overwhelmed. And that was a moment where I definitely thought, like, I can't do this, like I'm gonna quit, like I can't do this. I looking at everyone else around me, they're sleeping like they're fine. And I'm sitting over here in my little tent area and I'm crying, like I'm bawling, I'm miserable. And um the sergeant, I'll never forget this, his name is Sergeant Harrington. I ended up giving him my first salute when I became an officer. He came over to me and he was just like and he took out the like pocket warmers. I had never seen a pocket warmer in my life. And he took out a pocket warm and he gave me the pocket warm it. He was just like, they got the tricks too. You have to learn, yeah, you know, you just have to learn the tricks. And he gave me the pocket warms and he was like, Go to bed. And I just didn't even know that, like, oh, like again, like again, here it is again. Like, I just have to learn. Like, I just have to, there's nothing that's out of your reach if you're willing to like put in the effort and the attention to do it, change your mindset, and change your mindset, yeah. So do a little research, yeah. Yeah, and I was like, I had no idea. I just thought that they were tougher. Yeah, I just thought they were tougher than me. And he was just like, There's tricks to this too. And he gave me the pocket warmers and like told me to go to bed. And I woke up the next day. I was just like, okay, like now I'm like I have to warm. And so then I started asking him more questions, you know, and it was like, hey, how do okay, how do I pack this? And then he started teaching me how to pack my stuff. And and next thing you know, like it was my job to then check everyone's pack to make sure that their packs were looking right. Right. So it was just, you know, you go from and that was in the span of almost like a six-month period, you know. So you're just like, I don't know. I have no idea. Oh, oh, really? Wow. Oh, I can learn this. Great. Oh, now I can go teach this to someone else.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Well, you're also willing to learn. Like you open your mind a little bit and like you put your ego away and said, Okay, I'm I'm I'm not going with the beginner's mindset. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01I would say like that's probably like my favorite quality about myself. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03I love it. And I think the military does my son's in the military. I think that the military does that. They they want to make everybody on a level, everybody's on the same plane. Yes. So, you know, and really we all are on the same plane, aren't we?
SPEAKER_01Yes. We all like, yeah, we all we have the same hours. We have the yeah, yeah. We we have it, we just choose to use it differently.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, exactly. So, how did you find Peloton or did Peloton find you?
SPEAKER_01Well, I did find Peloton, but Peloton ultimately found me. So everyone has had a different experience. Yeah, so we love hearing it. I love hearing it. Like, I remember back when Peloton first like started, I do remember submitting like a headshot or something like that, but I didn't really know about fitness. This was when I was still like, you know, going on acting gigs and all this stuff. So I didn't really know anything. So that came and went real like a long, long time before. Um, so then once I was Peloton became on my radar, I was a personal trainer. I had my own thing outside. I was training all my clients, and then I was um leading some classes, my own um signature classes out of Athletia flagship store in Flatiron. Um, and then I decided like I I was leaving um the gym that I was at full time, and I just wanted to go out and into the world on my own. I felt like what I was doing at that time, being a personal trainer, I was I remember it so vividly. I was standing in place, I had all my clients, and that particular day I got there, it was like five o'clock in the morning, it was pitch black dark. The sun came out, it snowed. Um, it rained, it rained, um, and the snow was gone. The sun came out and then it was dark, and I was still standing in the same place. And I was like, I have to go. Um, I have to go. Like, I like to to influence people with my person, you know, like I just I want to be able to like spread joy and like give somebody something. And so I decided, like, okay, I have to go. And so I decided, like, hey, looking out into the world, what is it that I want? My initial goal when I moved to New York was like, I was acting, I was modeling, but I didn't see the value in that for me and that way. I'm like, I want to do something that impacts someone. I really do still like fitness. Like, how can I combine these things? And I started looking out in the world and was trying to see what looked like that. And I felt like Peloton looked like that. And so I went on this journey of figuring out how to get to Peloton. So I, yeah, how do I, yeah, how do I get them to see? Yes. And so I started looking up some of the um instructors had been um at Flywheel. So I became a Flywheel instructor. Um, I knew I needed like on camera practice. So I was already doing acting and stuff like that. So I took some more acting classes and then I started doing this. Um, there was this company called Daily Burn, and I started doing background work for them on camera to kind of get an understanding of how I look on camera, how I move on camera. And I would get up and sometimes it'd be like five or six o'clock in the morning, and you're not paid, but you go and you do the background work and all this stuff. But you already have the discipline. But you have it, yeah. You have the you, but but also I'm like, I'm getting exposure. I'm to have something that someone else doesn't have. And I need to learn. Yeah, and I get to learn. And then I was like, you know what? I really need like in in New York City, being able to have this opportunity to be a founder or founding instructor somewhere. So I started out at this rowing studio and I became a founding instructor at this rowing studio. I was like, these things make noise in the city. So I'm like, let me just do all these things and hopefully, like in the next couple years, somewhere, maybe something will come of this. That's that was my idea. That was my thought. I put it on my vision board and I was like, that's it. Like, I'm just gonna work toward it.
SPEAKER_04I didn't think you were really like that. That's most people want it now. Yeah, you know what I mean? Like, yeah, I'm gonna take one class and then they're gonna hire me and put me out on screen and if they don't, oh my god. But you were like, okay, you were willing to plant the screen. Yeah, I just thought I'm gonna have that patience in that great.
SPEAKER_01Well, I wasn't patience. It was literally me like going, like I would in my mind, I was like, but you weren't gonna have to come up tomorrow.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, yeah. You knew what you were missing. Yeah, exactly. How do I get from here to here? Yeah, yeah. Instead of like I'm entitled to be there. Yeah, like you earned your way in. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So yeah, that was it. I was just like, I'm just gonna, I'm gonna be in these places. And like if I'm in these places, perhaps there's a chance that they would, you know, they'll spot me. Yeah. Um, and and so that's what I did. So I I I did that. And then like COVID happened. And when COVID happened, like I really thought, oh, it's gonna be a few more years. That's what I really closed down. It's like everything is closed down. So I was just thinking at this point in time, how do I keep myself afloat? How do I like maybe learn something, invest in myself? So I I think I during COVID with no like no new clients. I I I spent about 5k on like a business coach and she taught me SEO. What is SEO? Yeah, search engine optimization. And so I didn't know that Instagram used SEO. Like I like I knew that it did it for blogs and all this stuff, but I didn't know that Instagram used SEO. So I started like fixing my um Instagram so that it was so that it was easily searchable. So if you looked up a trainer in New York, like I was one of the top people that came up. I started putting out more content on a regular basis. Um, and then I did all I streamed all of my workouts live on Instagram. And so people were telling me, like, that's really stupid. Like, you need to put it behind a paywall. Um, and I'm like, there's not enough people paying. Nobody's paying with COVID. Like it's free. And I'm like, what I want is to just be able to reach as many people as well. Yes, exposure. Yeah. So some days, like honestly, I would be so embarrassed because everyone at that point made me feel embarrassed because there was like, oh, it's only one person there now, and it's it's embarrassing. And I'm like, I wasn't embarrassed about it until you said something. Um, but that's what everyone was doing. Yeah, but it's nobody around.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01But I felt that. Like, I but I'm gonna be honest, like I felt all of that. And I some days I would cry, like, oh my God, like, oh, people were looking at me. Like, oh, no one's on your live, whatever. But anyway, I kept doing it. And what ended up happening was a Peloton scout slid in my DMs and was like, Hey, have you ever heard of Peloton?
SPEAKER_04And I was like, Well, here we go.
SPEAKER_01You know. Um, and I thought it was false, actually. Um, Alex said this. Yeah, I thought it's so weird. Like, the way they do it is so random. It's so random. And they're and they're just like, Have you heard of it? I'm like, Of course I've heard of this. Why don't you like reach out to me on LinkedIn? You have a LinkedIn. Where have you been? Anyway, yeah. So um, so I looked up the the talent, um, the talent scout on LinkedIn. He was a real person, he worked for Peloton. And so then um, at that point in time, we were just coming, getting ready to come out of COVID. And so I had just auditioned for some another on-camera brand, and I got the training gig. And so I was really about to take that gig. But and they reached out to me the week that I got that gig. And then I was like, Well, I've never seen a Peloton instructor that was present on another streaming platform. Right. So I was like, if I do this, maybe I probably I'm not gonna do this. But I'm like, I I have this job. Like, I have this job. I don't know if and then I just said, Well, if you can get that one, you can get another one, you can get another one, right? So I was just like, and this is what you want. Good for you.
SPEAKER_04If this is what you want, just yeah, it was a tough one. Yeah, it was really COVID and everything. You might have been thinking, like, yeah, I might not get it. I might, yeah.
SPEAKER_01So I just said, you know what? If I can get this one, you knew it was right, I can get I can get this one, right? And so I thought about it for like a week. I and I just told them, I'm like, I'm sorry, like I'm gonna, I'm I've decided to do something else. And so, yeah, and then it took about three months to get an answer from Peloton. You were like, oh no. Um, it took about three months, but then I did you have to go there and audition?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so we within the three months.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so we did um, we sent in um videos and then I I reshot that video like I mean, I think I reshot it like maybe five times. So, and it was really funny when I shot the running one, I did the whole audition and the camera wasn't recording. And I booked this I had to you had to book split spaces in order to do these auditions because it was COVID. So I had booked someone's like boutique studio to do it, and I had to be out before their clients came. Um, and so I did the whole recording myself. It's just me and my like tripod, and I realized it's not recording. So I have 15 minutes to do this audition and like and so I'm just literally in my audition tape, and I was like, I just pressed start. And I think that I think that that was helpful though, because I pressed start and I was just like, Well, I thought I was recording, but I wasn't. So here we go again. And I just left it in there and I was just like, whatever, it is what it is now. It was those moments that really, really for me allow my personality to kind of shine because it's like I really do feel like you're just you're gonna mess up all the time, babe. Like, run with it.
SPEAKER_04And so it's a good thing because people can see that you're genuine, you're not like fake for a camera, you know, you like you're you make mistakes too.
SPEAKER_01It's like I make mistakes all the time, and it's I feel like it's it's okay. Like, because if you don't let them go, like you're paralyzed. Like, how can you go live again if you like you know, if you're stuck in it? Yeah, and you're dwelling on it on that moment. So it makes sense.
SPEAKER_03So what do you love about your job? Although you can kind of tell what you love about it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I mean, honestly, I've I have always been a person that was like, I wanna, if I could work out and get if I could get paid to work out. So I do really get paid to work out, which is which is really awesome. But more than that, I think I I love the fact that like I get to infect and influence people uh on living a like a a good life for themselves and and and also to find the joy in it because it is difficult sometimes. And I just remember when I used to work out with my mom. And so it's so funny as an adult. I just realized this like the other day, actually. I just remember when I started working out in college and I would go home and I used to try to like tell my mom how fun this is, like, I can make this fun for you. Um, and like I that was my whole goal. It's like I just want to make this fun for her, and like if I could do this, and that's what I kind of took into fitness. And I was in a walking class the other day, and I realized my mom had fun working out all the time, and it just didn't look like what I thought it was. So we would go to the park when I was a kid, and I always thought they would go walking and talking because they had to take because we were on, we were at the park.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, right?
SPEAKER_01We were at the park playing, so obviously they're just gonna go walk and talk. Yeah, not realizing that they were going for their walk and their talk and they were doing their thing, and we got to play because they were out there for their walk. You know, yeah. I just realized this as an adult a couple of weeks ago. Okay, like as an adult weeks ago, it clicked to me. I was teaching a walk and it clicked to me. I was in this walk, like, oh Ma. Oh, mom, like you had a routine this entire time that you had fun doing. And I'm like, wow, like here I am trying to like get you to discover something, and you've discovered this the entire time. And now I'm trying to like impact in like that um with other people that it can be so fun that and and and your body and your health is like the one thing that you can really control, like to a certain degree. So just find the joy in it. Someone told me the other day, I'm like, I'm have the my new program, the progressive method out, and um, it's a 60-minute progression run. And she said, I was laughing. And I'm thinking to myself, like, I love that. Like, but you're laughing during the progressive run. Like, I'm doing what I want to do, like, and that's awesome.
SPEAKER_04And it is true because like I still remember there was one time like Marcel will put out like these questions, especially in like a really long run to train for a marathon, so it's like an hour and a half, two hours, and she's like, So would you rather like wear a itchy wolf sweater every day or run in the size sneaker that's too small? Yeah, and like I remember running, going, which would be worse? You don't know.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and it's good, it's in the function, yeah, and it's just like you just get to enjoy it was just fun, yeah.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, it was to enjoy movement. So how do you deal with all the pressure being in the spotlight, though? That's another thing. You are live on camera in front of all these people all the time.
SPEAKER_01It depends. Like some days are easier than other days, but I really do live and breathe. Sometimes it's not gonna be great. I attach to that and I reel that in every single time. I'm like, I spiral. I'm just like, you're not gonna be perfect. And you and I'll and I also keep old photos of Beyoncé from the very beginning.
SPEAKER_04Okay, because she looked very different, right?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, no, and and not just Beyonce, but other people as well, where it's just like you you don't show up like this Beyonce like on day 20 or even day 300. Like it takes years in order to to master what it is that you're doing. So don't expect masterpiece work when you've only been at this for a couple years. So I I really do keep I keep people's photos on my phone and I just kind of remind myself like it's not always gonna be perfect. And I think that that does really ground me to a huge degree. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04And it makes sense. It that's a really good way to look at things because it is a it is a high pressure job. And even though like you are out there like entertaining and training, it's still a lot.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's it's a lot. The being on the camera is like not as as tough as like I am surrounded by like super achievers. And so I think sometimes that probably is like for an achiever herself, that probably is more pressure than all the other instructors. You're just like, we're all super achieving. So many wonderful things right. And you feel like this need or this necessity to do something similar or do something right away. And I always say in God's timing, you know, remind myself, like, you're like, are you doing this to do this, or are you doing this because you really have something to say? So I think at the beginning I really felt the need and the necessity to just do. And now I have settled in myself as an adult and I'm just like, you know, as an I feel like I'm an adult instructor now. Because you know, you come in as like you're a little naive, you feel like you have to like just try to join the rat race right away. And it's just like, no, as an adult, I'm like, no, do I have something meaningful to add to this conversation at this point in time? If I don't, like life isn't gonna pass me by, like you're you're gonna be fine.
SPEAKER_03You've kind of found yourself because all of us are different, yeah, and everybody has a unique gift that they can give. So you kind of found your way. So, what's a takeaway you'd want uh our audience to know?
SPEAKER_01Or I I go back to the very beginning that um it's okay to to suck at something, get out there and and and do it fast, do it wrong, so that you can learn how to do it right. Um and also the moment we're in right now, I like I I've been talking about this like because I was talking about um New York City right now, and I'm I was talking about the World Cup, and like there are just so many examples right now in the world where you see people be triumphant because they just continue to try. Um, so be bold enough to just go out there and try. You see um Um Cap Verde, like this guy is a he he's a 40-year-old um goalie, he's a bus driver in the daytime electrician in in the night, and then he and he's he's at the World Cup. You know, the kids are saying now it's like if he wanted to, you would. And I said this in class the other day, I was like, well, also if you wanted to, you would. Like there is really no excuse anymore. Like I was at Cannes and the the the lingo was like it's a creator's economy. You get to go out there and create whatever it is you want in the world. Like you get to create it, and you can say, Oh, this person has this or this person has that or whatever, but it's they're creating and they have the audacity to believe that they can create whatever it is that they want to see in the world, and you have to have thick enough skin um to just kind of feel all of the discomfort of it. But if you want it, just go out there and make it happen. It doesn't, there's no expiration date on it, there's no age limit on it. You just gotta go out there and just create it for yourself. It's a true beautiful rate. Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_04Because people do think they're limited by yeah, I'm too old or I don't have this and I'm enough money. I don't yeah, like whatever it is.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. Yeah, look, look at you. You decided I need to at the worst possible time, I need to spend five thousand dollars on a business.
SPEAKER_01I was I mean, like I did not know where it was coming from. And I just was like, you know what? I need this. I think I need this. I think like I have this downtime, I think that this and it did. And I was like, I think that this is going to be helpful for me. And if the only thing that it delivered was being able to make me more findable, like the ROI on that was so extreme that it it was so worth it. So you just have to be willing to, you know, I think a lot is just how we're conditioned now. That if it's not something that we're working on for work, or if it's not something we're working on for family, we don't have this space where we uh feel like we're allowed to spend the time on it and we feel like it's a waste of time, or you know, and we should be doing something else. And it's like you the thing that you should be doing most is the thing that like sets your heart on fire and that like makes you feel good. Yeah. Like that's what you should be doing the most of. And if even if you can't do it all the time, like make sure you carve out five or ten or fifteen or twenty minutes. Like you deserve that because this is the only time that you get. And I'm telling you right now, the summer of 2026 is so electric. There's so many people doing so the next and five, like, don't let it go. Like, don't let it go to waste. Like, jump on that. Yeah, jump on it and be like, I'm gonna, I'm gonna steal some of this energy for me. I'm gonna rub it all over myself and like go do the thing that I want to do. I love that. I love it. Yeah, I love it.
SPEAKER_04So, so where do you get your strength from? Like, what are your who or what are your sources of strength?
SPEAKER_01My best friend is like, I don't even know what to call her. Um, she is like beyond a sister, she's beyond like a mother. Um like just having people that really know you, can hold you accountable, that can check you, but then also like love on you when you are like a meanie to yourself. Um, she is she is like a godsend. I don't like I met her doing cross country um at college. At college, yeah. I didn't like her at all when I first met her, but I like I she is like she is um such a great person to me. But then also I will say this, and I'm so happy to say this, and I want to look in whatever camera, which camera do I look in? Straight ahead, straight ahead. Me, I love myself. Like I am my best friend love myself. Like I like I wasn't that person for the longest time in my life, but I will cut you off in a heartbeat. I will say no in a heartbeat. I won't go, I won't attend. If I feel like it does not sit well with me, or if I'm not gonna be treated my absolute best in the space, I will leave. And I'm our boundary girl. It took so long. It took so long to do. It was always trying to contort myself to be loved and to be liked, or to, you know, it's a you know, it's a it's a woman thing. Um, I'm I'm super tall. I've, you know, like I'm really athletic. Like I've always tried to like, I'm gonna be small or I'm gonna be kind or uh people are gonna automatically think that I'm intimidating. So I'm gonna speak with my voice a bit higher, or all of these stupid, idiotic things. I'm gonna pretend like I'm from Chicago, like I've done all of these dumb things. Why? I don't know, but like because I just wanted to. Well, because you didn't believe it yourself at that time. Yeah, and now I am to a place in my life where I'm just like, dude, like it's fine. Like you're good, like you're good. And I say this to myself often, and I always say, I say these things in class, you're always doing better than you think. Like it's difficult, but you're worth it. I I say these things because these are things that I've had to learn to say to myself.
SPEAKER_03So I'm gonna just I have to ask you this. How did this happen? Right? How did you get it?
SPEAKER_04Because like everyone here is going how'd she get? How did she do that?
SPEAKER_01Honestly, like I when I lost my mom, I always wanted to please my mother. You know, like we when they say who you who do who did you date? Did you date your no? I dated my mom over and over again. Like every guy that I ever dated was my mom. I wanted to win her love um in a way that I just couldn't even, I couldn't describe it. I just so happened to have like some anxiety an anxiety attack the year before she passed away. And it was it was prompted by like this person that kind of came and went by, but but it it happened. And so I had this opportunity to hash out my relationship with my mother in therapy the year before she passed away. And I did not know that that was what was happening, but I was able to just like hash out all these things, um, and then she passed away. And I in the room at that moment I raised up my hands, and I don't care if you're religious or not religious, I'm I'm I I will call myself spiritual, but I rose up my hands in that moment and I said, God, I need you to take this because I I I will break it. And I just let it go? I just let it go. Yeah, I really did, and in that moment, I I asked myself, I was finally able to ask myself, what do I want? Like I didn't have the pressure of what my mom want, what do my mom want? Or how can I have this relationship? How can I make this relationship work? But I what I will say is that I went to therapy, I hashed out that relationship, and then I also just started to say, ask myself genuinely, what do I want? And when I asked myself that, and then I started actually acting on that, I stopped like letting people tell me, you know, and I told them no. And guess what? I survived. Yeah, and they did too. And they did too. And I stopped putting my like I stopped being a martyr for certain things. And and then I say this in class as well. It's like, stop taking everyone's burdens because you never allow them a chance to grow when you take things away from them. So I would feel this obligation to kind of jump in and like take everything away from someone and like never allowing them to like actually gain any muscle of like perseverance on their on their own. And so when I lost her, it it made me really for the first time ask, um, what do I want? And I think that because I surrendered to I'm not gonna get this right again, this isn't gonna be perfect. But like I'm willing to try to start like loving myself. And then I just started trying. And now, yeah. And once you did that, look at all what's come in. Yeah, space for the good.
SPEAKER_03And sometimes we do, we have to release. Yeah. Release what doesn't serve you. Yeah, release what doesn't serve you, and take on, and now you're so much more. You've made space for more than that. So as soon as you walked in the room, I was like, wow, wow, yeah. Yeah, yeah. I mean, you probably felt it too. Like the energy. Yeah. We ask these questions, uh, final questions. Uh-huh. What do you think are your three most important strengths? Just spout them out. Don't even think about them.
SPEAKER_01Because we know you have more, we have an ability to learn, ability to be kind, but also an ability to be strict when I need to be.
SPEAKER_03Okay. I love that. So is there something? These are some questions you all see when you when you read our book. So is there something in your life you want to change? Just yes or no.
SPEAKER_00Um yes.
SPEAKER_03Okay. So what's holding you back?
SPEAKER_00Um action.
SPEAKER_03Okay. So what's one small step that you can take? That what's the action that you can take to move forward? To move you forward a little bit.
SPEAKER_01Um just committing to it, I guess. Like the just just saying like I'm I'm fully in it. I think being half in and half out is not a thing for me. So just having that opportunity in the space to feel like, okay, I'm gonna give it everything I got. And once I commit, it's gonna be done. But okay. So it's happening right now.
SPEAKER_03You're gonna say I commit. Yeah, you're gonna get back to us and be like, okay, say the words.
SPEAKER_04Say the words, say the words, all right. So important, it's so important. And um, we didn't even get a chance uh to talk about your podcast, but are you still making episodes?
SPEAKER_01Um we are we are still making episodes, but we're just trying to redo how everything looks. And so once we rebrand fully, then we're gonna be back out with with new episodes.
SPEAKER_04But yeah, okay. Good great, good luck with that. Yes, so we are heading up to our very last minute. And so if um if people have not heard of you or have not heard of Peloton, sometimes you'd be surprised.
SPEAKER_01People have people find you. You can find me on Instagram at official Marcel Fit. You can also find me on LinkedIn for all the everybody that's on LinkedIn at Marcel Dinkins, and then you also find me on Peloton at www.onepeloton.com, and you can jump in and take some of my classes. If you are in New York City, you can come take some of the classes at Peloton Studios. We are in the Hudson Yards location.
SPEAKER_04So wonderful. And it is a beautiful place to take this class. It's really fun. So thank you so much for being on our show. We will be back again with another episode. I know wonderful words of wisdom today. And Cindy always has our final words of wisdom. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03So remember to pause, breathe, and then respond instead of reacting. If everybody did that, life would be a whole lot of time. So much better. And remember to do hard things. Yes. Thank you so much. Thank you. Wonderful. Thank you. Thank you.