Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lee Seidner. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Lee, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

When reflecting on my upbringing, there are so many things that I feel incredible gratitude towards my parents for instilling. The most prominent are instilling a strong, consistent work ethic and seeing everything you begin through to the end. These qualities that they helped engrain in me are really embodied in when I began marching band in high school. Although it may not seem this way now from my job as a SoulCycle instructor, I was in fact, a band geek. In fact, I studied clarinet all the way to receiving a doctorate from the Frost School of Music. However, I had moments that I wavered in this passion.

I loved playing the clarinet from the very first day I started beginning band in elementary school. Playing the clarinet quickly began to become my favorite outlet. However, once you started high school, we were required to be in the marching band – and I was a far stretch from being considered an athlete. I was immediately overwhelmed. Playing some of the most challenging music I had ever had to learn while moving (in what felt like the strangest and specific way I thought possible) AND needing to memorize said hardest music I had ever seen?! I wanted to quit within the first 48 hours. However, as soon as I approached this idea to my parents, their response was shocking. Despite seeing me come home from 12 hour days outside and coming home crying trying to memorize this music, they unwaveringly had a unified response that I had to see it all the way through. They told me that if I didn’t want to do it again next year, they would be totally okay with that but the program had saved a place for me in the formations this year and it wouldn’t be fair to the rest of the members of the band to have to adjust to the hole I would leave in the formations. They also reiterated that nobody knows if something is truly for them until they have tried their very best and that there was no way I had a concept of my very best at a new activity in only two short days.

In following this invaluable advice, I not only finished out that first season of marching band, I remained in marching band all throughout my undergraduate experience, making the best lifelong friends I still have to this day AND was able to receive a teaching assistantship when I went to graduate school to help teach the marching band at the University of Miami. Learning to see something all the way through and having a dedicated work ethic not only brought these incredible experiences to me but have been core values that have helped drive my success as an instructor at SoulCycle.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Lee Seidner, I am a SoulCycle instructor here in Miami that teaches at the studios in Coral Gables, Brickell, and South Beach. I started as a rider at SoulCycle attempting to get into better physical shape but ended up falling in love with the workout in addition to the mental release the space provides. I’m also a classically trained clarinetist with a doctorate from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I believe I was able to build my reputation by remaining extremely consistent and remaining unwaveringly authentic. I have always made sure to show up with the best version of myself that I have access to each day and also make sure that I stay very true to myself. Pretending to be someone you aren’t becomes an act that isn’t always possible and also means you’ll never be the best at what you’re doing – you’ll simply be the second best of whatever or whoever you are imitating. The best part about staying true to you, is that no one can be as good a “you” as you can.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The biggest lesson I had to unlearn was believing you had to have everything “figured out” before even trying to be whatever you wanted to be. For example, I thought I needed to have every piece of teaching at SoulCycle ready in order to teach my first class. However, the reality is that there are a lot of lessons – no matter what the job – that you learn as you go and you need to give yourself grace as you grow and evolve in your role. It is also impossible to truly know everything – because there will always be room to grow. Being passionate and open to being a forever student will always outshine and provide greater success than showing up “knowing” it all.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.leethomasseidner.com
• Instagram: LeeThomas08

Image Credits

Matt Roy