Escape 9 to 5
#29 – The PE Guy: How a SoulCycle Instructor Created a Viral Character
About this episode
Before The PE Guy, Johnny Hilbrant taught at SoulCycle. The turn towards comedy began with an awkward wedding conversation about money, status and private-equity culture. An observation he couldn’t shake became Absolutely Printing and a character that resonated online.
Lydia and Johnny talk about trusting those unusual observations enough to try something with them. His story makes room for experimenting before abandoning existing work, rather than treating a dramatic career leap as the only way to begin.
The PE Guy pokes at the ways people signal status. But finding an audience also brings a new question: how do you navigate a public identity without letting a successful persona become the whole person?
The conversation becomes deeply personal when Johnny talks about losing his twin sister. He reflects on the part humour has played in his experience of grief and healing, without presenting it as a cure or a way around difficult feelings.
What connects the comedy and the more vulnerable parts of the conversation is staying human. Creative momentum matters, but so does protecting the person behind the character and leaving room for emotions that don’t fit the performance.
Key takeaways
- Notice the odd conversations and details that stay with you; they may be the starting point for creative work.
- Test an idea alongside existing work before deciding whether a bigger career change makes sense.
- Separate the status people signal from the identity you want to build.
- Give creative instincts something concrete to work with by trying an idea, not just assessing it.
- Humour and difficult emotions can coexist; laughter does not mean grief has disappeared.
- Keep space for the person behind a public character, even when that character succeeds.
Guest
Johnny Hilbrant
Creator of The PE Guy