The First Song

Start the song — make the first move

Your voice should be purely conversational here. You have to make the first move for them to trust you — but they also need space. Space to let their body and mind settle into the time and the room. You are at the low end of your energy, your vocals, and the speed at which you speak. That is intentional. Pick a song that gives you space and gives them space. You have the entire rest of the playlist for high energy. This song is not that.

Get your form cues out

Get the room into the move and into correct form — mechanism and muscles. This is why we keep the first move familiar and simple. A simple move means less brain power spent on coaching so you can deliver your form cues clearly and completely. It also gives clients the chance to warm up their body and bring their mind into it. The first song is where they stop thinking about their day and start thinking about the room. If everyone looks really good, you might even get a variation in here already — but only if the foundation is solid first.

Assess the room

While you are cueing, you are also actively taking in information. You are not pacing — you are watching. Read each client, build a picture of who is in the room, and start forming a sense of how the rest of class will go based on what you see in this first move. This is why the first move is kept simple — so you can observe and coach at the same time, without splitting your attention.

Deliver your energy

They are in the move and working. You have assessed the room and made your corrections. Their bodies are warm and their minds are here. Now you hit them with just a little heart — about 15 seconds. Not a throwaway one-liner, but not a speech either. Just that moment of realness that makes DRIP the DRIP. It goes beyond energy. It is heart.

Example: "Maybe already take a moment to be proud of yourself for making it here — ready to challenge yourself no matter what is going on outside of here. You are not here by accident, you made room in your schedule to dedicate time and energy to yourself and I am so happy to be kicking ass with you today."

That is the woo woo moment. It lands because everything before it was solid — the form was set, the room was read, and now there is space for it to mean something.