Who Is Peloton Instructor Kendall Toole?
Kendall Toole's current job title may be a Peloton fitness instructor, but helping her followers get into better physical shape comes second after her main goal. According to her Peloton profile, what Toole really wants to do is motivate the masses to find their own power. "My goal is to help you discover your power. We have a choice when it comes to listening to the voice in our heads: it holds us back or helps us rise up. It just depends on how we train it," she claims.
Originally from Southern California, Toole's background in cheerleading and gymnastics makes her an obvious choice to represent the growing fitness brand Peloton. Though she has a history in athletics, CBSN Los Angeles says she originally studied film and business at the University of Southern California. And per her Peloton profile, Toole's original "dream job" was in tech and not fitness.
Toole's way to cope with stress made a huge life change
According to Toole's Peloton profile, the job with a tech startup was not what she had thought it would be. In order to cope with the stress of the job, she both took up and started teaching boxing classes. And as it happens with many of us, Toole's new hobby set in motion a huge life change. "I thought I had it, and then life had its own way as it usually does," she says to CBSN Los Angeles, in an interview. After observing Toole teaching a boxing class, Peloton reached out directly to the boxing instructor and shortly after, Toole said goodbye to a career path in tech.
Staying fit and motivating others to do the same may be two of Toole's strengths. Though she can also add savvy business woman to her growing resume. According to her Instagram, the energizing blonde has landed a paid partnership with the brand Pure Leaf.
The bubbly Peloton instructor appears to have both a growing business and a strong body. Although Toole's natural strength hasn't kept her from avoiding darker times. During an interview with Today, the fitness instructor shares that mental distress can plague anyone. Including herself.
Toole wants her vulnerability to positively impact others
"It scares me to this day to say how seriously I was considering (ending my life)," she says, referring to the past when she was struggling with both depression and anxiety. Adding, "I was so tired of feeling pain that I just couldn't feel anything anymore. The numbness was suffocating. Feeling numb is dangerous territory."
To help cope with illness, Toole continues to see a therapist and takes an antidepressant. "I hid my whole life. I pretended I was this cool girl with everything under control. That wasn't helping me. That wasn't helping anybody," she says. "When we're vulnerable, we can positively impact people. That's when we can make a difference," she says to Today. Being vulnerable is what gives Toole yet another distinguished highlight on her resume. According to Shape, Toole is also working as a mental health advocate ambassador for the NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness).
Despite an ongoing struggle with anxiety and depression herself, it appears Toole is continuing to accomplish her main goal of helping others find their own power. Both on and off the bike.