( ENSPIRE She Did That ) Dr. Rachel Millner is Redefining Fitness Through Inclusion and Empowerment
ENSPIRE Contributor: Seanna Nona
Since its 2012 launch, Peloton has become a household name, revitalizing at-home workouts with sleek bikes and charismatic instructors that deliver not just sweat, but also a sense of community. Its popularity exploded during the pandemic, making the platform a go-to for those seeking connection and motivation. But beneath the glossy branding lies a glaring gap in representation, one Dr. Rachel Millner is determined to close.
A clinical psychologist, body-positive activist, and devoted Peloton rider, Dr. Rachel is taking a bold stand: fitness is for every body. “Representation matters,” she says.
“It’s one thing to have size diversity in a class. It’s another to have someone in a larger body leading the class.” – Dr. Rachel Millner.
Dr. Rachel is launching a new video series titled “Revolutionize Your Ride: Changing the Face of Fitness,” a project that will center on inclusivity, self-worth, and authenticity in movement. The series combines her therapeutic expertise with her passion for cycling to create a space where riders are empowered to take up space.
Her rides won’t just be about burning calories, they’ll be about burning through shame and outdated beauty standards. “Every single one of us is needed in this world,” Dr. Rachel says. “And we all need to support one another.”
A proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community and single mom by choice to 12-year-old twins, Dr. Rachel brings her full, multifaceted self to everything she does. From running her private therapy practice in Philadelphia to advocating for size-inclusive fitness, she is leading a movement where healing and health go hand in hand.
She is no stranger to the spotlight either, having been featured in The New York Times, Monitor on Psychology, Experience Life, and The Philadelphia Inquirer, as well as podcasts like Food Psych, Body Love Project, and Fat Joy. As a Body Trust specialist and eating disorder expert, her voice carries weight, and it’s reshaping what leadership in wellness looks like.
I was lucky enough to have the chance to ask Dr. Millner some questions and am delighted to share her wisdom:
1. What inspired you to combine your background in psychology with fitness advocacy?
As a psychologist, I specialize in working with people with eating disorders and disordered eating. I am often talking to people who have marginalized identities and specifically people who live in plus size bodies. I know from working with people, how fitness spaces can be so harmful to people with eating disorders, people in larger bodies and just people in general. There is so much toxic messaging and fitness becomes about trying to change oneself or about punishment instead of about connecting with yourself and your body or finding joy in movement. I understand the impact this has on people and how it makes them feel. With that understanding, it made sense to utilize my background in psychology and combine it with fitness advocacy. Not only do I know how people feel when they are excluded from fitness spaces, I know the ways that fitness can impact mental health- both positive and negative and the variety of feelings people can have in their relationship with movement.
2. Why do you think representation in fitness spaces is so critical?
When we only see one body size leading fitness classes or in fitness commercials or advertisements, the message is that this is the only body size that is welcome and if you aren’t in that size body, you should be working to be in that size body. We need to get away from the idea that fitness is about shrinking. Most of us have spent so much time trying to shrink our bodies and it ends up leaving us disliking ourselves and not feeling good enough. When we have body size representation in fitness spaces, it sends the message that your body is fine exactly as it is and there is no need to try and change it. It moves away from the idea that fitness is about some aspirational goal and instead allows fitness to be for all kinds of reasons that have nothing to do with taking up less space.
3. What challenges have you faced in pushing for inclusivity within platforms like Peloton?
Anytime you are pushing for change, you are going to face challenges. And with how much weight stigma there is in the world, anytime you put yourself out there as a visibly fat person, you are going to get criticized and challenged. I think the main challenge is trying to shift how people view fitness and how platforms like Peloton sell fitness. Fitness doesn’t need to be about the most intense workout you can possibly do or going as hard as you can all the time, but that’s what most fitness platforms focus on. Trying to shift that narrative about fitness is challenging and trying to convince platforms like Peloton that people want to see plus size instructors is difficult. I know so many people who would purchase fitness equipment like Peloton if they knew that there would be someone who looks like them leading the class. It’s always interesting to me how there are more plus size people than there are straight size people and we have money to spend and money we would spend on fitness, but we are ignored and excluded. It’s almost like these platforms aren’t interested in our money even though they are companies that depends on consumers in order to stay in business.
4. How does your video series aim to change people’s mindset about exercise and body image?
I think the video series is about having different conversations and offering people different ways to think about movement and body image. I want to leave people questioning the messages that they’ve received about movement and body image and open to the possibility of approaching these things differently. Most people have had one way they have approached fitness and one way that they think about body image and often it’s the way that the dominant culture has taught us to. But we aren’t obligated to follow what the dominant culture teaches us. We get to learn and explore and decide what aligns most with out personal values and the ways we want to relate to fitness and our body. So in some ways, the video series is an invitation to people. It’s an invitation to consider a different approach or a different way of thinking and a different way of relating to movement and body image.
5. What message do you hope your riders take away after joining your community?
I hope that riders know that they are welcome in this community exactly as they are. They don’t need to change or shrink or try and prove themselves in any way. They are welcome no matter how much movement they have or haven’t done or what size their body is or how they feel about their body. There are so few places that people feel welcome and accepted exactly as they are and I hope that riders experience this community as a place where they feel that way.
Follow Dr. Rachel’s journey and be a part of the ride revolution on her socials:
Instagram: plussizepelotonride
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