Our brand-new U.K. Peloton cycling instructors Hannah Frankson and Sam Yo each bring their own style, personality, and energy to the Bike. We sat down with them both to learn where they’re from, why they love fitness, what you would be surprised to know about them and what excites them most about joining you on your fitness journey. Follow along below before clipping in with them for your next class!
Where are you from and where did you grow up?
Hannah: I’m from Essex which is near London!
Sam: I was born in Chelsea but we moved to East London and I mainly grew up in Stratford.
Did you have a favorite memory growing up in London?
Hannah: I really loved riding my bike when I was really small in my favorite park near my home.
Sam: I always loved playing with my mates in the kebab shops where we played arcade games! Me and my friends would travel to different kebab shops depending on the different games we wanted to play.
What was the first entry point for you into fitness?
Sam: My dad was a football coach so I’ve been active since I was 5--that was the start of doing anything from football, martial arts and dance so I was always active from a young age.
Hannah: I loved dancing but I never wanted to do ballet--[Hannah laughs]! Specifically, I was a triple jumper and I was just good at sports throughout my life since starting that sport.
What’s your favorite part of coaching people to the best versions of themselves?
Sam: It’s really just the people--seeing them discover something that they’ve always had and watching how their confidence grows.
Hannah: I’ve trained a lot of women and I love when they start to realize that they’re a lot more powerful than what they thought they were. It’s always a mind thing—I’ve trained women who are very successful outside of the gym and it’s amazing to see them finding the same type of power in their own bodies.
If you were not a fitness instructor, what would you be doing?
Hannah: Sam’s got about ten different answers!
Sam: If I could choose another job, I would be a travel blogger. I would blog about holidays and different places!
Hannah: I would’ve loved to be a DJ. Some DJs these days just look effortlessly cool. I’d love to be the person to get people to party! And since I get to curate music on the Bike, I get to do a little bit of that.
If you could choose an artist to score the soundtrack to your life who would it be?
Sam: Probably Guns & Roses.
Hannah: Lauryn Hill--I think my soundtrack would just be The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
What’s one thing someone would be surprised to know about you?
Sam: I used to be a monk! And I guess that I’m a good cook?
Hannah: That I played volleyball for England at one point.
What’s the first thing that you do in the morning when you wake up?
Hannah: Eat food! I have no incentive to get out of bed if there’s no food [Hannah laughs]. And I like putting my coffee on a percolator to make the house smell amazing and then I usually make porridge.
Sam: I keep a glass of water by my bedside at night and the first thing I do is drink that glass of water. After that I eat breakfast--and I’ve had the same breakfast forever—5 egg whites scrambled, toast with peanut butter and a cup of tea.
What are your favorite films?
Hannah: I don’t watch a ton of films but I love “Up”! Or “Notting Hill”
Sam: Back to the Future and The Matrix!
What’s the last song you listened to?
Hannah: I think a pop song! I forget the title but it was for a fun upcoming playlist I was making.
Sam: If I’m not making playlists or working out I usually listen to classical music.
Who are your heroes?
Hannah: It can change a lot. I look up to a lot of the women I used to train. Over time, they became my heroes in their own individual ways.
Sam: Mine always change as well although I’m obsessed with David Goggins at the moment—I’m so impressed by the physical things he’s accomplished and the mental preparation he does for things.
What’s the most exciting thing for you about joining the Peloton community?
Sam: I’m excited to approach everything with a fresh mindset—I’m excited for the unexpected.
Hannah: I see being a Peloton instructor as a two-way thing—I can’t wait to influence each other’s lives and I love the exchange of energy that will take place.
Ready to clip in with Sam & Hannah?