After years of feeling uncomfortable in her own body, Megan Roup started The Sculpt Society, a dance-based cardio workout. With a mission to empower women through movement, the professional dancer turned fitness instructor quickly gained a devoted following. (To give you an idea, The Sculpt Society has 25k Instagram followers and counting).
Roup’s classes are booked out months in advance, her newly launched The Sculpt Society app is on the must-download list, and she has major A-list clients including Elsa Hosk, Martha Hunt, Romee Strijd, Lais Ribeiro, Shanina Shaik, Devon Windsor, and Arielle Charnas of Something Navy to name a few.
Here, Roup tells us all about her pivot from professional dancer to sought-after fitness instructor, including the best piece of advice she’s ever been given, the #1 thing that keeps her motivated and inspired on her hardest days, and what it was like being tapped as the Victoria's Secret trainer to prep the models for the show.
CREATE & CULTIVATE: You started your career as a professional dancer—why did you decide to make the move into the health, wellness, and fitness industry? What was that pivot like personally and emotionally? What advice do you have for others going through a career change like that?
MEGAN ROUP: I started teaching boutique fitness while I was dancing professionally. At the time, I needed a flexible job and I was selfishly looking for something to keep me in shape. Little did I know that once I started teaching I would fall in love with the connections and the positive impact I was having on other women, but also the community. I quickly had clarity and realized I wanted to create The Sculpt Society to empower more women through movement.
The pivot to fitness was extremely organic because I can relate to 99.9% of women. Most of us know what it’s like to feel uncomfortable in our own body and this is something I struggled with in my early 20s. It wasn’t until I found dance-based fitness that I truly was able to make a shift, find that inner strength and confidence and allow myself to have fun. I am able to bring all the aspects that I love about dance in a fitness setting, which has been so rewarding.
I can honestly say I have found what I am meant to be doing. I feel so aligned with my mission to empower other women through movement and to create a positive place for women to connect with their bodies.
My advice for those trying to make a career shift would be to a side hustle. I side hustled for years until I was able to go into fitness full time.
When you hit a bump or hurdle in your career, how do you #FindNewRoads + switch gears to find success?
Growing up, I didn’t have a clear picture of what I wanted to do. But I always stayed open to what my career may look like, followed what brought me joy, and remained tenacious in whatever it is I was doing. I think staying open and knowing you’ll need to pivot in your career is extremely important. If something isn’t working, being open to switching gears and testing things out.
“I am here to show you how movement can bring you joy, to get into your body and feel good, to be confident and to find your strength.”
The Sculpt Society has gained a cult following online and social media has really helped to grow your platform all over the world—you now have over 100k followers. How do you use social media to boost your brand and spread awareness? Do you have any tips for others who want to achieve similar success?
When I launched TSS, I confidently stood behind the programming, but I needed to spread the word to get people through the door. As a millennial, I realized using social media would be imperative. I would reach out, and still do this, to people on Instagram asking people to come to take a class. Cross promoting with other influencers has helped me grow and Instagram remains my first point of contact with most clients. Social media is such an amazing tool for businesses, I have direct contact with my clients, I can get direct feedback and make fast decisions about TSS.
You were hired as Victoria's Secret trainer getting a lot of the girls ready for their last show—how did that opportunity come about? What was the experience like for you? And what impact did that have on your business and it's growth?
This relationship happened organically. I began training several VS angels, including Elsa Hosk who wore the fantasy bra last year, and Victoria’s Secret took notice. Later that year, they asked me to be involved in their Train Like an Angel campaign. It was an absolute dream come true. Train like an angel was a campaign I looked out for every year, so to be featured was so surreal.
Once you launched The Sculpt Society classes, you no longer taught every single one—how did you ensure that each class lived up to your standard? How did the team-building and training process go? How do you scale a business that is aligned with your name?
It is incredibly important that no matter who is teaching TSS it is consistent across the board. Whether I am teaching it or one of my trainers, the class needs to feel like The Sculpt Society. I am very specific about the trainers I hire. All of them have a dance background, there is a long training process, a final audition and I am constantly checking in on classes to make sure classes are consistent. But at the end of the day, you have to release a little bit of control. The Sculpt Society is bigger than me, it is an amazing community, with talented trainers and a kickass program, I am lucky to say that it can scale without me.
How would you describe The Sculpt Society brand/workout? Why do you think your style/method of fitness has resonated so much? What's the secret?
The Sculpt Society is a community empowered by movement. Helping women feel confident in their bodies and throughout their lives. I believe my style resonates so much because it’s the first dance-based fitness class made for non-dancers. Any one off the street can walk into TSS and leave feeling successful. TSS strips away any intimidation you have about dance cardio and you’re left with a welcoming experience, that oozes positivity and leaves you feeling happy. Oh… and it’s also super effective.
What do you wish more people knew about your job?
That it never stops. I think most people think I come in, teach and I am done. There is so much more that goes into creating TSS. From content creating, music, filming, trainer trainings, social media, travel, brand partnerships, etc.
The Sculpt Society empire is growing—what can we expect to see next from you?
I just launched my The Sculpt Society app! This app has been a dream come true, the TSS community can now workout with me around the world. There will be more products and a workout clothing line. I am also doing a nationwide tour around the country and can’t wait to connect with more of my amazing community.
“Growing up, I didn’t have a clear picture of what I wanted to do but I always stayed open to what my career may look like—followed by what brought me joy—and remained tenacious in whatever it is I was doing.”
What is the best advice you have been given? Or a favorite piece of #realtalk?
If you’re in the room, you belong in the room. So much time is wasted playing small and over-analyzing. Yes, work your ass off, but remember when you’re in the room, you belong there. Be proud, take those moments in, be confident.
With success comes opportunity but that also means you have your hands full—what keeps you inspired and motivated to keep going even on your most challenging days?
I have challenging days all the time, and I often feel overwhelmed. But my community keeps me going. When I receive a DM or email about how TSS classes or streaming have changed their lives I am reminded of my purpose. I am here to show you how movement can bring you joy, to get into your body and feel good, to be confident and to find your strength.
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