SoulCycle Founders Open Peoplehood ‘Social Relational Health’ Location in New York’s Chelsea
Peoplehood, a guided group conversation practice, has launched its digital platform and opened a flagship in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City.
Founded by SoulCycle cofounders Elizabeth Cutler and Julie Rice, the concept aims to create a space where visitors can share feelings and really listen to others through 60-minute conversational classes called Gathers.
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“We are never taught these skills,” Rice previously said at a WWD Beauty Inc event. “The reality is that without our social and relational health, there is no mental health. Think about if there is a relationship that’s really not going right in your life, it absolutely affects the way that you feel physically and mentally. So I actually do believe the next wave in wellness will be social relational health.”
“In a world that is more digitally connected than ever, there’s a human connection crisis, and studies show healthy relationships are the number one way to improve our overall physical and mental health,” said Cutler. “We’ve done the leg work…off the bike this time. It has been a three-year journey conducting research, sourcing data and learning from experts to build a tool that empowers people to form new habits and build high-quality human connections.”
For now, Peoplehood has two Gathers formats: Peoplehood ($95 for a monthly membership), where guests attend alone and converse with other visitors, and Couplehood ($145 for a monthly membership), where couples attend to engage with their partner. Sessions include music, breath work and prompts to start peer dialogues. Each class is led by a guide, which the Peoplehood team refer to as “super connectors,” as they are “natural storytellers and empaths.”
“When we founded SoulCycle, we realized that riders came for the workout but stayed for the connections they created in the studios. SoulCycle helped people build better relationships with themselves and others,” said Rice. “In 2023, coming out of the global pandemic, people feel lonelier and more isolated than ever. With Peoplehood, we hope relationships become prioritized just as much as daily fitness. Peoplehood is not therapy, but it’s certainly therapeutic and intended to complement people’s portfolio of physical, mental and social health practices.”
While the digital platform hosts Gathers, the Chelsea flagship offers in-person classes, along with a coffee bar, retail store and additional programming.
