MEET THE TEAM: Juri Pedeni

What’s your day job?
I work in a pretty niche sector. I'm a Rewards Manager for a small Kiwi-owned company. We manage Loyalty programmes for other businesses including banks and big retailers companies. My main task is to manage the rewards offering compound by Gift Cards and Merchandise. 
What got you into teaching/inspires you with fitness
Since I was a teenager, I’ve been going to the gym to lift weights, but very inconsistently; nothing really hooked me into going every week. When I found out that there was a way to combine listening to great songs/music and training at the same time, I immediately wanted to be part of this amazing world. I studied Piano, Viola, Singing and a bit of dancing so music has always been a big part of my life.

What do you teach and why?
I started my Group Fitness journey as a BODYPUMP instructor and later, I discovered my love for cycling and especially THE TRIP. I currently teach THE TRIP and RPM which are both amazing programmes: THE TRIP because of the visual component and RPM because of the emotional connection to the music. If you attend one of my classes, you'll often hear me singing 😊

Why LM?
Les Mills combines all my great passions - moving, music and technology with the best workout programmes in the world. Every quarter when a new release comes out, it's always an exciting moment for me to listen to the new songs and present the new workouts to my members. 

What motivational quote do you live by?
“The universe is a pretty big place. If it's just us, seems like an awful waste of space.” ― Carl Sagan
This quote reminds me daily how small we are and how privileged it is for us to live on this small blue dot so we should all make the most of it. 

Any other fun facts?
I love dancing, it's one of my favourite hobbies. I used to be part of a small group of dancers performing “Para Para” (you should google it for fun) which is a type of dance born in Japan and based on Eurobeat music. I now like to shake my butt when I go to a dance class every week here in Auckland, which brings together hip-hop and a sexy vibe.