With International Women’s Day coming in hot, this week YEG Cycle featuring some of the powerful ladies inside our studio walls. You’ve seen them behind the front desk, on the podium, and at the door for a post-class fist bump.
We sat down with three of our incredible motivators, for an exclusive interview on what they’re thoughts are on empowerment and what it means to them to be a woman today.
Chelsey McAleer
What does the word power mean to you?
I think power is simply emPOWERing others; No matter who it is. Whether it's giving someone the power or strength they need to power through that final track in a spin class, or showing compassion and empathy to others in times of need.
Do you consider yourself to be a powerful woman?
Hell yeah. All women are powerful, whether they recognize it within themselves or not. I think it's so important to surround yourself with a group of bad-ass women. This world is full of so much negativity and it's so sad to see women tearing each other down with judgement and harsh words. We should all just be there for each other, empower each other, support and love one another. That’s what being a woman is all about. How great does it feel when you have strong women in your corner cheering you on? Whether you know them or not. Being a powerful woman isn’t just being confident and harnessing positivity within yourself but projecting that on to those around you. So yeah I’m powerful, but its because I have a kick-ass community of women in my corner.
Who are some powerful women that you admire and are inspired by the most?
There are so many women I have encountered in my life that I’ve admired and adored.
Women in the studio, motivators, crew and Bikergang. I have met so many powerful women within the YEG Cycle community and I’m so grateful to have this platform where I get to learn from them and grow with them. We celebrate our bodies and our strength as and we empower each other and push each other and it’s the most beautiful girl gang I have ever been apart of.
My patients and their unyielding strength. Cancer is relentless but these women are resilient. Those who have lost their loved ones, their husbands, their children, their parents and best friends. The incredible women who survived against all the odds, and the women who lost their battles after the most courageous fights. These women are strength and they are bravery and they are so damn powerful. They have taught me so many life lessons that I will forever carry with me.
But above all my mother. She is the definition of a powerful woman. Strong and compassionate. Beautiful and intelligent. The biggest heart with the sweetest soul. She has shown me what it means to be brave, how to love and be loved. She encouraged me and pushed me my entire life and never let me give up. She has empowered me all my life to be unapologetically myself. She is the reason I am the powerful woman I am today and I could never thank her enough.
What has been your proudest accomplishment?
Becoming a motivator. If you would have asked me a year ago if I would be up there on that podium I would have laughed at you. I was Bikergang for a year and I never thought I would have that courage or strength to do what we do on that bike. But I had all of these women up there on that podium empowering ME. Katarina, Jasmyn, Yasmeen. These strong, inspiring women who were motivating at the studio and I was in awe of them. They instilled so much confidence in me without even knowing it. Fast forward one year and after all the doubt, sweat, laughter and tears, here I am. Now I get the opportunity to do what those women did for me for others and that’s the most powerful feeling.
Ashley Eduveje
What does the word power mean to you?
Power, to me, means strength. Power means being strong emotionally, physically and mentally. I think that everyone is capable of not only being powerful but also using their own power in a positive way.
Do you consider yourself to be a powerful woman?
I definitely do not consider myself to ALWAYS be a powerful woman. I do think I have my moments where I feel, without a doubt, powerful. I think it is so important to know that you can be both powerful AND vulnerable. You can be soft AND strong. You can be timid AND courageous. Anytime that I am doubting my own fierceness, I find my power by leaning on and looking to the powerful, bad-ass women that surround me in my life.
Who are some powerful women that you admire and are inspired by the most?
I am so lucky to be surrounded by powerful women in all circles of my life. I don’t have one powerful woman that I admire the MOST, but I do admire any woman who can empower the women and girls around them.
As an elementary school teacher, I see how easily girls can tear each other down and build each other up on a daily basis. I most admire all the women who can see each other’s strengths and support each other when they need it.
I am lucky enough to have had incredible, fierce, passionate and empathetic women in my life to not only admire, but also to lean on and look up to. Every single one of them has had some part in shaping the woman that I am right now.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
Becoming a Teacher. How lucky am I that I get to learn with young people every single day? I feel so lucky and so proud of the growth that I get to witness day to day and year to year. It’s pretty cool to know that I can somehow make a difference young person’s life no matter how big or small.
Katarina Dreisbach
What does the word power mean to you?
The idea of power, to me, is directly aligned with authority. Power manifests when a person has the potential to take charge of their environment - whether that be the people around them or something much more intimate, like control over their own thoughts or energy.
Having power is a big responsibility. In our world, we see countless instances of power being abused or used viciously, because people don’t always recognize the responsibility that comes with power. BUT when power is used right, it can be earth-shattering.
I think that power (when it is used right) should be synonymous with advocacy - audaciously standing up for what you believe in, courage - doing what is right, not what is easy, and care - gently using your energy to nurture your surroundings.
I consider any woman that stands in that space to be a force.
Do you consider yourself to be a powerful woman?
I think that every person - man or woman, has some innate power or authority, even if it is over nobody but themselves. However, in my mind, having power and being powerful are two different things. To be powerful, you have to be intentional with this authority and you have to choose to exercise your power.
Soooo … HELL YES, I think I’m a powerful woman.
When it comes to the authority that I have over myself — I will always go after what I want, I find immense satisfaction in asking the big questions, and I am never afraid to challenge myself & the people around me. When it comes to how my authority interacts with other people, I always strive to empower. To answer this question in a full circle, my pursuit has always been to use my own power to help other people recognize theirs.
Who are some powerful women that you admire and are inspired by the most?
I have admiration for every single woman that I know, whether it is her vigor, her compassion, her devotion, her tenacity, or her grit — there is something inspirational about every single woman. But a few groups of empowered females that specifically inspire me include ...
Single mothers. My mom is my hero. I was raised by a woman who did it all for herself. And to me, she will always be the strongest person that I know. My mom was never given the option to come undone and her strength has been and still is POWERFUL.
Female philosophers, scientists, thinkers, and scholars. There is something about the dichotomy between a relentless woman and a male-dominated industry that I consider to be SO badass.
Caretakers of any kind. Any woman that uses her sacred energy to provide for another person is incredibly inspirational to me.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
In my spin classes, I always talk about being aware of how capable you are and owning the strength that you already have. I am the proudest when I see these words resonate with someone, especially myself.
I find deep satisfaction in being able to empower others and I find deep pride in owning these words myself. Trust me — it’s always easier said than done.