Tunde Oyeneyin inspires countless people who take her cycling class weekly but many may not know the journey that took her to become a successful Peloton instructor. The Nigerian beauty who was raised in Katy, Texas is opening up about her life in her new book Speak: Find Your Voice, Trust Your Gut and Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be. Tunde stopped by Tamron Hall Show where she discussed her motivation for writing the book and the cycling class that changed her life.
“Speak is an acronym. Surrender, power, empathy, authenticity, and knowledge,” she said. “I looked at those words as elements and how they showed up in my life. Every misstep has got me here.” The 36-year-old fitness enthusiast went on to share the many tragedies she faced in her life over a short period of time. Tunde lost many of her family members including her mom, dad, and brother back to back. “I lost my little brother when he was 19-years-old. Three years later I lost my dad and three years later I lost my mother. Within six years I lost half of my immediate family,” she revealed.
But she managed to keep on pushing after she “realized we don’t get to choose what happens to us but we do get to choose how we react.” “Every single day is a new day so I choose to show up new in that day,” she said.
While Tunde has become well-known as a Peloton instructor, her first love was makeup. She worked as a makeup artist for 15 years and one makeup gig actually led her to the career change. “I was actually in New York City. I lived in L.A. at the time and I was in New York City on a makeup gig and I wanted to get a workout in. I went to a cycling class that changed my life,” she said.
“After my very first cycling class, I knew that I’d be cycling for the rest of my life. I knew with certainty that I would be teaching it without even knowing what Peloton was. After my very first class, I knew that I would be able to touch and impact the lives of tens of thousands of millions of people.”
Another thing that many people may not know about the famed instructor is that she also struggled with her weight growing up. During her appearance on Today, Tunde shared that when she was 13 years old she weighed 200 lbs and wore a size 18. Even as a fitness instructor now she still sometimes struggles with snacking and has an open and honest dialogue about it in her classes.
“I want people to know that even though I’m in the fitness world, I’m human too. I struggle just like everyone else. You don’t just lose weight and then just magically stay there. It’s a lifelong, forever journey,” she said.
Famed Peloton Instructor Tunde Oyeneyin’s Incredible Weight Loss Journey
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Featured image by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for Bring Change To Mind