From Rock Bottom to Founding a Movement
Written by Movemeant’s Founder, Jenny Gaither
When I was 23, I found myself in an unfamiliar place. After graduating from the University of Illinois with a BFA in Dance, I moved to New York City to pursue a career as a professional dancer.
I didn’t have a job lined up and felt overwhelmed and lost in the hustle and bustle of one of the most competitive cities in the world. But just months after settling into Brooklyn, I landed a role as a Founding SoulCycle instructor when the boutique fitness industry was taking off - and this changed everything.
As an instructor at SoulCycle, I soon realized that my job wasn’t just about teaching fitness; it was so much more than that.
It was about creating community and inspiring people to reach their fullest potential by connecting them to their power within. This is what Movemeant Foundation’s programs are all about: giving girls a way to build a healthy mind-body connection and tap into the power of self belief.
This realization sparked something inside me; something that brought me back to life after suffering from a long battle with my body image and multiple eating disorders.
Have you ever felt like you were at a crossroads in your life, with two paths diverging and each one having different consequences?
At 23 years old, I found myself in this exact situation. I had spent years trying to be someone and something I wasn’t. But all of a sudden, people loved me for me. And no matter how hard I tried to hide myself, teaching on a podium in front of 65 riders, 2-3 times a day, 6 days a week made it impossible to “blend in”.
I was exposed. And to my literal disbelief my riders still loved me. The way they saw me (worthy, capable, lovable, talented) challenged the way I saw myself. But I still had a long way to go. While at the studio my heart and soul was on fire, at home I fell back into old habits.
I knew my self-sabotaging behaviors would eventually destroy the new and empowering path I was on if I didn’t make long-lasting internal changes. My internal pain and exhaustion from self-punishing and my fast-moving career were at odds—forcing me to make a choice. It was then that I realized that if I wanted to live a more fulfilling life, I had to stop hating myself.
Making someone’s day through an endorphin-fueled dance party on a bike helped me. Supporting and uplifting those around me helped me slowly like myself again.
Every time I showed up for someone in class or on social media, something amazing happened—my own sense of worthiness began to increase as well.
Through acts of service—literally taking action to help another—something internally shifted.
As my feelings of worthiness increased, so did my confidence. Suddenly being visible wasn’t as scary anymore. Well, not as scary.
When it came to my journey in self-love, impossible became doable. The physical impacts from movement (which filled my body with energy, strength, trust) coupled with the love and support received from those around me (which filled my mind with positivity and belonging), blossomed a new version of me.
A very joyful and brave Jenny.
I was initially hesitant to share what was going on behind the scenes - my battle with my body image, eating disorders, and insecurities - on social media and with my riders because it felt too vulnerable and scary.
But soon enough, with my newfound confidence and bravery I felt unstoppable.
It felt more important to share my truth in hopes it might help someone else rather than hiding out of fear of being judged. As soon as I started sharing, my community started responding with similar stories of their own struggles. This opened up a safe space for us all to learn and grow together, which further encouraged more people to join in the conversation.
Very organically my community started growing on social media and I felt mentally, emotionally, and physically stronger than ever. Which is when I decided to publicly announce my personal challenge of shedding my shirt to shed the shame around my belly (body) during a SoulCycle class.
For context, prior to this shed the shirt challenge I wore hoodies with my hair down during class. So wearing just a sports bra was a BIG deal, OK.
Despite my rollercoaster of nerves and emotions, about six months later on July 29th, 2011… I. Did. It.
I shed my shirt to shed the shame and insecurities around my body. After class, I was overwhelmed with gratitude and pride. But what happened next was far greater than anything I could have imagined.
Weeks prior to this pivotal day, a facebook event was created to rally national participation in my shed the shirt challenge. The facebook event encouraged people to take my challenge and make it their own by working out in a sports bra in their hometown on July 29th, 2011.
Turns out, hundreds of people across the country participated in my challenge and sent photos of themselves and their friends shedding their insecurities and body shame. People sent messages of love and encouragement to one another, creating an incredible swell of support for everyone involved.
It became clear that body image issues and insecurities were common. After more research, it appeared to be an epidemic and support was needed.
It was easy to see how many things needed to change. It was now 2012, a movement had started and I needed to keep it going. My personal fight became bigger than me and there was no turning back now. Taking action was the only way forward.
Without prior experience in nonprofits or entrepreneurship, I decided to file for a 501c3 tax-exempt charity to begin real, systemic social change in hopes to help girls build confidence, self-belief, and inner-trust in their formative years to embody confidence and strength in every avenue of their life as adults.
My dream led us here. Eleven years later. We’ve impacted and supported hundreds of thousands of girls and women around the world (and counting) … And to think it all started because of one silly sports bra.
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