I want to share an idea that's shaped how I think about our gym.
In the late 1980s, sociologist Ray Oldenburg wrote about "third spaces." Your first space is home, where you are grounded, and your second place is work - which for many is an extension of our first because of how much time we spend there. A third space is somewhere else entirely: a spot you choose to go, where you're known by name, where the conversation is easy, and where you leave feeling a little more like yourself. This could be anywhere - think of the your book club, a corner coffee shop, the local pub, or your local gym.
Research keeps pointing to the same thing. People with a third place tend to feel less lonely, more connected to their community, and more resilient when life gets heavy. And over the last few decades (especially post Covid), a lot of those places have quietly disappeared.
When someone’s third space is damaged or lost, a wall it put up. This often turns into a domino effect and change is noticed in other spaces. At work you maybe start missing deadlines, at home you may start losing patience with your kids. Slowly these changes put up walls around ourselves and that’s when loneliness sets in.
That's a big part of why I love Epic so much. Yes, we're here to get stronger, move better, and push each other. But look around during class:
- Someone notices when you've missed a few days and checks in.
- Your workout crew knows how your kid's soccer game went.
- Nobody cares what your job title is. You're just you, in your sweaty glory.
- We celebrate PRs, races, birthdays, and the tough days you showed up anyway.
That's a third space. And it only works because of you.
So here's my ask: lean into it. Come a few minutes early or stay a few minutes after. Introduce yourself to the new face on the rower next to you. Bring a friend. Show up to our community events, even if you're not sure you know anyone yet. That's exactly how you will.
I am incredibly lucky my third space is also my place of work. I feel a DEEP responsibility to uphold this space as a “leader” of so many other’s third space. To me, a membership isn’t just a monthly transaction. The belief is: community is healthcare, and relational health is the medicine.
Thank you for making Epic a place people want to come back to. I'm so grateful to share it with you.
With so much love,
Dani
