{
  "id": 2538061,
  "title": "SoulCycle had a cult following. Then, one decision changed everything",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/soulcycle-had-a-cult-following-then-one-decision-changed-everything",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-22T08:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fast Company",
    "slug": "fast-company",
    "url": "https://www.fastcompany.com/91583717/soulcycle-cult-following-1-decision-changed-everything"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "SoulCycle, once a fitness brand with a devoted following, experienced a sudden decline after a strategic decision in 2019. The ride-sharing service had cultivated a unique community, where members would eagerly attend classes, shower, and prepare meals to attend. The brand's identity was built around the idea of personal transformation and self-discovery, as encapsulated in their tagline: \"Take your journey. Change your body. Find your soul.\"\n\nIn 2019, SoulCycle's owner, in a bid to boost their image, hosted a fundraiser for Donald Trump. This move alienated their core audience, which had built their identity around the brand's inclusive message. As a result, weekly attendance dropped by 7.5%, and within a month, the company lost nearly 13% of its U.S. customer base. The fall was not due to a decline in the quality of the workouts or a shift in consumer preferences, but rather a breach of trust between the brand and its customers.\n\nThe Peloton, a competitor, and the rise of Pilates are often cited as contributing factors to the decline. However, these were secondary to the brand's own actions. The sudden loss of loyalty was a result of the brand's actions contradicting the self-image that customers had built around it. This example illustrates the delicate balance that brands must maintain when cultivating a loyal following – a brand's actions must always align with the self-image it has helped its customers create.",
  "summary": "I used to schlep from my office to a 6:30 p.m. Soul Survivor class, shower, and make dinner by 8 p.m. Every week. The waiting lists were insane. The bike you got mattered. Thirty-four dollars for a cycling class and nobody blinked. That wasn’t about fitness. SoulCycle was always about selling a version of yourself back to you, one you could embody if you worked hard enough. The brand said as much…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}