You might have taken her spin class, or you might follow her on Instagram because she’s just all-around #goalz and has the cutest pup — but now you’ll really get to know her. Introducing our Hoboken Girl of the Week, Kaley Skoglund, Soul Cycle instructor and Hoboken resident. Read on to learn more about Kaley beyond the bike and what makes her so awesome {plus an inspiring story about her dog, Molly, who has Intervertebral Disk Disease and is the cutest thing since ever}:
On What Inspires Her
I think there are a number of different answers for this — one that corresponds with each aspect of my life but in terms of work and my life at Soul[Cycle] it is genuinely the riders…if you’re not in it for the riders and aren’t living for their experience this job isn’t going to have the longevity or the level of fulfillment that it’s meant to have. The appeal of the actual workout only goes so far, what makes Soul special and as wildly popular as it comes down to all the stuff that kind of has nothing to do with a bike —the feelings of achievement, the moments of courage, and the power of comradery.
Goals + Passions
The goal is always to just keep evolving into a better version of myself. I’m getting married in August, so I think goal number one would be to step into being a wife, upholding the expectations that Kyle and I have for our marriage. This past year was probably one of the most intense (from a life perspective) that I’ve ever experienced-we as a family faced a lot of loss but also a lot of strength — my goal is to continue to be as connected and graceful in processing, sharing and using that as a lesson. Lastly, we have a newly handicapped puppy who we work with a lot in terms of keeping her strength and rehabbing her in any way possible so a goal for me is to keep our Molly as active and positive as possible {keep reading to learn more about Molly}.
Highlight of Her Career {So Far}
I don’t know that I have a highlight of my career just yet. I think if you asked me that two years ago, I would have just said diving into fitness full time and figuring out how to do what I am passionate about as a career. I think I am onto the next phase which is wanting to be really skilled at what I do but also impactful with the fact that I get to get up in front of 100+ people every day and be with them during all sorts of different events both in their life and in our world. The most rewarding part is hands down the stories we get to hear about people turning to Soul in really celebratory moments of their life but also showing up for class on the heels of things that are really hard. We see proposals and do birthday rides and bride rides and celebrate babies being born and graduations and job promotions but we also ride through divorce and death and sickness — it’s a very human experience and is something that has really changed the DNA of who I am and has made me much more empathetic and aware.
A Typical Day in the Life
My schedule is a bit different every day, but for the most part, I am up by 4:30AM four days a week and 6AM on Sundays. I teach what we call the “roosters”, which is the first class of the day at the studio (which for Hoboken is 5:45am), then I am either running to teach again between 8:30 and 10:30 or I am going to take a class for myself. I usually get back home around lunchtime to eat, walk our dog, answer emails, do laundry-whatever life tasks people normally do after work or on the weekends. I then usually give myself an hour or two for a nap or stretching or some kind of recovery, then I am making playlists for my night time classes and usually when everyone is about to leave work for the day, I am heading back out to the studio to catch our nighttime riders. I usually teach 15 classes between Monday and Sunday.
READ: Hoboken Girl of the Week: Dusty Weideman {Of Massage by Dusty}
On Her Days Off
I do not workout! No, but really, I try and use my rest day to do that — rest my body. And then I like to do the norm: shop, work on my knowledge of wine (aka be a professional taste tester), eat pizza, eat tacos, get massages, hang with our dog, Molly. I love houseplants and am a bit of a hoarder in that department so if I can take my time off and end up at the farmers market in Union Square picking up some new plants I am very happy.
Advice to Someone Trying to Pursue the Same Career Path
Go for it! It 1 million percent is going to take planning, time to ramp up, and you have to make sure that you are completely committed to it — but once you find a company that you align with, go for it!
Remember that once you are in fitness, you are your brand and what you are promoting just as much as the promotion of the company you work for — so get ready to genuinely take on the challenge of walking your talk.
h3>And now, about Kaley’s Pup, Molly
Molly had/has IVDD which is intervertebral disk disease; unfortunately for her, it came on very rapidly and without any warning. We woke up on a Saturday morning, she was a bit hesitant and started to show signs of pain in her legs/back. By the time we fed her breakfast she was having trouble standing, so we went to the vet, they told us the range of things that it could be and over the next few hours we realized that she seemed to be towards the worst end of the spectrum and that the medicines that we had her on were not cutting it. We ended up taking her to Oradell Animal hospital that night. She had an MRI, they saw that she had herniated disks in her back that had caused damage to her spinal cord and that she needed to have surgery as soon as possible if there was any chance that she would be able to walk again.
She is 3 and has always been in good health so, despite the surgeon’s warnings to us about the complications that can happen during and post surgery as well as the difficulties of having a paralyzed dog, we moved forward with the surgery without a second thought.
She did have a lot of damage to her spinal cord and the vets and therapists are not optimistic that she will walk again, but thanks to her wheelchair and an insane amount of determination, we are happy to say that she has not slowed down at all. If you see her walking or at the studio with me you’ll notice just how happy, spunky and FAST she really is. We are eternally grateful to Eddie’s Wheels who made Molly’s cart and really gave her her mobility back.
See More: Hoboken Girl of the Week: Jeannine Morris of Joyfully Me
She is doing wonderfully, and is not only racing everywhere in her wheels but is also pulling her self along sans wheels whenever we find a patch of grass that she can play fetch in.
She now volunteers at Harborage Nursing Home at the Palisades Medical center where she visits with the patients her get quite a kick out of the fact that Molly has wheels just like they do! She is an insanely special dog who instantly makes people smile when they see her hauling by on her wheels or doing her best to keep up with the other dogs in the park.
I think we all can take a page from Molly’s book and remember as my dad always says — there are no problems just challenges to overcome.
Hoboken + Jersey City Favorites
What is your favorite restaurant in Hoboken?
Loaded question — I love Anthony David’s…but also Otto Strada…this is hard.
What is your favorite boutique?
I don’t know if it’s technically a boutique but I think that Athleta has some of the best athleisure clothes you can buy from a price and quality standpoint.
What do you love most about the area?
The fact when Molly (our dog) and I head out, we can end up sitting on the water sharing a croissant, looking at the city and waving to people we know because they are neighbors or they take class or they are just impressed by Molly’s wheels. I love the ease of the city, the friendliness of it, the beauty of the buildings and the waterfront, the walkability and the fact that it’s small enough that we feel like we are part of something.
How long have you lived in Hoboken?
5 going on 6 years! From just a few weeks after I graduated college until now.
What is your favorite outdoor place to spend time?
Oh you know I can’t pass up Pizza Vita and some sangria at Pier 13.
What is your favorite place to work out in Hudson County?
Soul, of course. But I am also really into SLT, it’s such a smart work out and they just opened in Hoboken as well!
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