The new Peloton instructor talks about moving to New York City, building strength through Pilates, and why movement should never feel like a punishment.
Greta Dopp doesn’t need to take over a room to make people work harder.
Swagger joined Dope for a Feral Friday Pilates class at New York’s Peloton Studio, where her authentic, personable energy was immediately apparent. She smiles, gestures, encourages, and somehow makes the irritation feel less like punishment and more like proof that you’ve shown up. Dopp, who grew up in Collingwood, Ontario, is Peloton’s first Canadian instructor, a title she still holds over her head.
“I’m the first Canadian instructor,” she says, smiling. “It’s absolutely amazing, and also crazy.” His path to Peloton wasn’t a perfectly packaged fitness-industry origin story. Before packing her bags for New York City, Dope was in British Columbia, working a corporate job, serving part-time, and realized that the life she was building wasn’t quite a fit. “I was working a corporate job. I left that corporate job to pursue yoga teacher training,” she says. “A lot of things happened in between where I eventually made the move to start teaching full-time.”
That leap took her to Vancouver, where she was teaching up to six classes a day and developing the voice that ultimately brought her to Peloton. Her background in yoga, meditation, and yoga teacher training helped shape her Sculpt Pro methodology: a style rooted in mindfulness, but designed for people who want to feel stronger in less time.
“People were interested in Eastern philosophy, but for a Western-style quick workout,” she says. “That’s where I developed my Sculpt Pro method.”
Then the message came: a DM from someone on Peloton’s talent team. “I got a DM and at first I thought the account looked fake,” she says. “Thank God I checked my message requests.” Dope picked up the phone, still unsure whether the opportunity was real or not. “I thought, this is 10 minutes. If this is awkward, I’ll hang up,” she says. It was real. Still, despite moving through the audition process, Dope says she never thought the job was hers.
“Even through the whole audition process, I never had the feeling that I would actually make it,” she says. “I was just so excited to be seen.” That alone meant anything. “If Peloton saw that in me, even if I didn’t get the job, my life was changed,” she says. “It made me realize I needed to believe in myself more.”
In January 2026, Dope moved to New York City. She now lives in Brooklyn and teaches Pilates at Peloton Studio, a change that meant leaving behind the life she built in Vancouver and moving into a much bigger room. “When I was talking to my partner about this, it was like if not now, then when?” She says. “I’m the kind of person who is willing to change their life and change it overnight. I don’t have kids. I don’t have a mortgage. Why not now?”
For Dope, being Canadian in Peloton isn’t just a line in the bio. It’s part of how she teaches. “Canadians are known for a certain warmth and humility,” she says, “and I really try to bring that to the mat.” That warmth shows up quickly. Dope’s Pilates style is strong, but not punishing. She pushes, but doesn’t shy away. She leaves space for people to pause, reflect, laugh or simply reflect on the day they are having. “I really believe that Pilates is a very accessible way to get there,” she says. “When I’m consistent with my Pilates I’ve never felt stronger. And it doesn’t take a lot of time. It just takes consistency.”
“Movement should never feel like punishment,” she says, “and it doesn’t need to.” That mindset also shapes the way he thinks about longevity. “I think strength and mobility is longevity,” she says. “You need to look at health holistically, and that includes mental health and other things.”
Her classes foster that body-mind connection without making it feel too serious. Dope is playful, passionate, and aware that people come to the mat with tighter hips. “Body, mind, and spirit are not separate things,” she says. “When you’re moving your body and focusing on strength and mobility, some areas that feel sticky can also be an emotional thing.”
Even his recovery habits are telling. She loves saunas and cool dips, but her real non-negotiables are cool: low light, sunshine, a relaxing show, morning meditation, and coffee taken slowly, even if it means getting up early in the morning is painful. “I’ll wake up at four so I can have my coffee in peace,” she says, smiling. “I want a slow morning, and I’ll lose sleep over it.”
Her comfort-show rotation includes OfficeWith Dwight Schrute ranking as his favorite character – an apt description for someone who brings warmth, humor and a sense of entertainment to the mat.
This might be the easiest way to understand the appeal of dope. He has the presence you’d expect from a Peloton instructor, but nothing about him looks like he’s overly rehearsed. Her energy is warm, authentic, and inviting, making a difficult class feel like you can actually be with her.
When asked how she hoped people would feel after one of her classes, Dopp smiled. “I hope they feel empowered,” she says. “I want people to feel grounded and connected to their bodies.”
For someone who never thought he’d get the job, Dopp now holds a title that no Canadian coach has held before. But what makes her compelling isn’t just being first — it’s the way she makes that title feel like an invitation. “If it can happen to me,” she says, “anything can happen.”
Take Dope’s classes on Peloton and follow her on Instagram at @gretadopp.
