Samantha Walravens
Austin, Texas – March 15: Co-founders and Chief Creative Officer Julie Rice (left) and Elizabeth Cutler … [+]
Peoplehood, a new business from SoulCycle co-founders Elizabeth Cutler and Julie Rice, is helping people reconnect post-COVID.
Four years after the coronavirus pandemic began, we're still suffering its effects: not just “long corona” or the knee-jerk reaction we have when the person next to us on a plane starts coughing, but a deep-rooted and lingering sense of social discomfort.
In a Forbes health survey, 59% of respondents said they found it harder to form relationships since the start of the pandemic. Americans are meeting less in person as social gatherings outside the home, such as offices, gyms and churches, offer remote or hybrid options. In 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said loneliness is a public health concern and that our country faces a crisis of social disconnection.
In fact, since the pandemic, many of us have lost track of basic interpersonal norms, from watercooler chat to meeting and greeting people to dating. We are in dire need of a social skills reboot.
That's where SoulCycle founders Julie Rice and Elizabeth Cutler come in. Even before COVID-19 hit, the business partners noticed changes in the way people interacted with one another: People were feeling isolated, lonely and burned out.
“When I left SoulCycle in 2016, the world felt different,” Rice recalls. “Everyone seemed super connected through social media but not at all connected in real life. People were talking, posting, tweeting, commenting, but no one was listening.”
With their sights set on their next venture, the duo spent several years studying how communities form, what brings people together, and how social connections affect our happiness and health.
Social connections are key to longevity
Study after study has found that social connections—with family, friends, faith communities, and even gym buddies—are a more significant predictor of long-term health than diet, exercise, or sleep. In a 2023 review article from Rutgers University, researchers estimated that having strong, secure relationships not only increases happiness, but also increases your life expectancy by about 50%.
Despite the evidence, Rice said, there were few programs to help people learn the skills needed to successfully “build” relationships.
In 2023, Rice and Cutler launched Peoplehood, a space where people can come together to hone their interpersonal and communication skills with the goal of building better relationships. They opened a flagship studio in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood.
Rice calls the program “relationship training.”
During the hour-long “Gathers,” participants are guided by trained group facilitators to “actively listen” to others' thoughts on a range of topics, from “What do you love to do?” to “What stories about yourself are not serving you?”
A year after its launch, the program has received mixed reviews: While some participants enjoy the studio's “zen” atmosphere and the opportunity to open up, others find the guided conversations forced and superficial, and some feel that hour-long sessions with complete strangers aren't conducive to building real, lasting friendships.
Be careful with business relationships too
Perhaps more promising is Peoplehood @Work, the corporate version of the program, which aims to improve communication between teams and strengthen workplace culture and relationships.
Clients like Northwell Health, theSkimm', Ever/Body, and Bobbie report improved employee engagement, communication, and team cohesion after participating in the program. Healthcare data company H1 reported a measurable impact on team camaraderie and collaboration after participating in a three-month leadership program. 100% of participants said they understand their team better thanks to the Peoplehood @Work program. 88% of participants believe their teams communicate more effectively across work streams, and 75% of participants trust their team more.
Rice is the first to admit the interpersonal challenges that come with a business partnership: She and Cutler were strangers when they first met in New York City, and despite their shared goal of creating a fitness company that fostered community and connection, the two had very different personalities and didn't always see eye to eye.
“About a year into our relationship, we hit some rough spots,” she recalls. “Elizabeth had a panic attack in the middle of the night and Googled 'life coach NYC.'
The next day, they met with professional coach Meredith Haberfield in the hotel lobby and have been dating her ever since.
“Learning how to build partnerships is a specific skill,” Rice explains, “and it's the type of skill we teach at Peoplehood. Entrepreneurs spend a lot of time learning about EBITDA and business models, but we think that things like partnerships just fall into place naturally.”
Now, Rice says his relationship with Cutler is one of his greatest personal and professional accomplishments.
“As co-founders and business partners, we know how much time, practice and dedication it takes to resolve conflict and, above all, how to really listen deeply and genuinely. listen each other.”
