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What Peloton VP and instructor Robin Arzón does in a workday

Breastfeeding, hair and makeup, and an Aretha Franklin-themed class

Perspective by
October 12, 2021 at 10:01 a.m. EDT
(Courtesy of Robin Arzon)

Welcome to The Work Day, a series that charts a single day in various women’s working lives — from gallery owners to stay-at-home parents to chief executives. In this installment, we hear from Peloton vice president and instructor Robin Arzón, who recorded a workday in August.

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Name: Robin Arzón

Age: 39

Location: NYC

Job title: Head instructor and vice president of fitness programming at Peloton

Previous jobs: Corporate litigator (2005-2012)

What led me to my current role: After being held at gunpoint in a wine bar during my senior year at New York University, I turned to movement and more specifically, running, as a way to heal from the trauma of that experience. I started running more and more and eventually leveled up to marathons and ultramarathons.

There were certain aspects that I loved about being a lawyer, but every single day, I would count down the minutes until I could leave the office and go for a run or to a training session. In 2012, I quit my job as a corporate litigator to pursue athletics full time. I discovered that my mission in life is to redefine, reform and rethink possibility through movement.

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In the beginning, I freelanced as a “blogger,” interviewing athletes and folks in the sports community, and that eventually led to a job running point on social media campaigns for a well-known athletic brand. I was also building my own personal brand, ROBINNYC, and teaching cycling classes at a local fitness studio on the side. During that time, I read a press article about Peloton in 2014 and decided to reach out to our chief executive and co-founder John Foley, because I knew his company would be the future of fitness. I auditioned and signed a contract within days, and was one of the first instructors to join the team.

In my current role as head instructor and vice president of fitness programming, I have the honor of leading our incredible team of instructors — or superheroes, as I like to call them — across all fitness modalities. It’s been an incredible ride, and we’re just getting started!

My workday

3:06 a.m.: My nightly alarm goes off to pump. My daughter, Athena, sleeps through the night now, but I wake up to pump to maintain my supply. Breastfeeding is a full-time job.

6:30 a.m.: Athena is my alarm clock. Feed baby girl and snooze for another 20 minutes.

7:15 a.m.: My husband, Drew, takes Athena. I do a 30-minute tempo run with Peloton instructor Becs Gentry on the tread. Most of my runs are on the tread now for efficiency.

8 a.m.: Glam with my stylist of over five years, Tiffanie Garrett. I see her so often that Athena knew her voice from the womb. I put on Aretha Franklin music for my ride later.

8:37 a.m.: I put the finishing touches on my Aretha Franklin playlist. Review Aretha bio. Check social. Promo ride.

9:10 a.m.: Pump and answer emails while finishing hair and makeup.

10 a.m.: Shoot with Hyperice, one of my brand partners. Capture Part 2 of a shoot for athlete promo. We shot Part 1 a few weeks ago for my brand ambassador campaign.

11 a.m.: Arrive at the studio for the Aretha Franklin Peloton ride. Get dressed. Kiki with fellow instructors, Tunde and Selena, in the green room. Breathing exercises. Music. Headphones. Drink smoothie. Focus.

1:11 p.m.: Finish teaching two Aretha Franklin-themed classes. I take a car service home while checking social and promoting the ride and pumping. Emails and call with attorney and agent, who are negotiating a business contract. Review pitches.

1:45 p.m.: Lunch was a salad from Sweetgreen today. Lots of plant-based protein in there to keep me fueled for the rest of the day.

2 p.m.: Zoom meeting with my producers about Latinx Heritage Month content strategy for Peloton. Another meeting with my team about upcoming classes across bike, tread, strength and social for the same. We also discuss new postnatal recordings.

3:35 p.m.: Feed and play with Athena.

4 p.m.: Acupuncture.

5 p.m.: Hang time with family. Make dinner while Athena “feeds” herself bananas.

6:30 p.m.: Athena goes to bed. Dinner with Drew. We have leftover vegan sushi from Planta and homemade chickpea vegan “tuna” salad.

7 p.m.: Watch “The Bachelorette” while playlisting an upcoming strength class.

8:30 p.m.: Time for bed.