Meet Journey Kan | Movement Practitioner & Writer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Journey Kan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Journey, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
Although I was not specifically named Journey after the ‘70s rock band, I really am a “small-town girl” from Walnut Grove, California. My younger brother Forest and I grew up with our Chinese school teacher mom named Lili, who immigrated from Taiwan as an adult, and third-generation Chinese American dad named Darwin with both of our paternal grandparents as nearly the only multi-generational Asian family in our town of less than a thousand people.

My goals and dreams have always been heavily shaped by the world around me, what I felt like was expected of me, and how to be a Chinese American woman when the two options felt like Michelle Kwan and Margaret Cho. Beyond a vague memory of telling someone I wanted to be “Asian Oprah” in my youth, I never knew what my calling was but that I was “destined for greatness” as my Myspace bio once read.

After doing all the academic things correctly in high school, I got accepted into UCLA, and with only a short college visit the summer prior, I moved into the dorms in fall of 2009 with absolutely no idea what the future held for me besides coming in as a Mathematics major. What? I liked Calculus and it felt like a responsible decision!

Envisioning a future as a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or even an accountant, I spent my time at UCLA doing exactly what I thought I was supposed to do: take classes and get a job to make my parents proud. But there has always been a creative side to me, from taking iMovie classes as a teen at Sac State during a summer to spending hours working on designing icons for my community of Degrassi fans on Livejournal.

My parents do have some of the key “Tiger mom” troupes, but they have never wanted me to sacrifice my happiness in exchange. I discovered in therapy and with self-reflection that the pressure that I felt was not from them but actually from the lack of Asian representation that I could relate to in my lifetime. I used to believe that the answer to this was to find myself in the characters I would see on television and film that were able to succeed outside of becoming the
doctor, lawyer, engineer, or accountant with stable income.

What I realize now is that in order for me to derive meaning and joy from my life, I need to be the representation that I wish I could have seen as my younger self. Who I am right now is not just a group fitness instructor, a supporter of her Asian American community, or even a beacon of hope for the heavily closeted queer woman who never thought she would be able to find love. As I ~journey~ through life in my 30s, I don’t know what the future holds for me exactly, but I do know that as long as I continue to be of service to others in the most authentic way possible, success will find a way.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
While I have been in the group fitness industry in Los Angeles for a decade, I do not believe in specific attributes about myself that “sets me apart from others.” Fitness, in tandem with the entertainment industry, tends to be a competitive space, where people are often auditioning for similar roles as trainers in what feels like the smallest pool of people with similar certifications.

When we start to compare ourselves with others, zeroing in on what others have and what you lack, we tend to forget the diversity and inclusion of the space that matters. I’ve spent so much time asking myself why others are able to accomplish things that I am not able to, when the true way to grow and find success is through trusting the process. If only we were able to trust that the doors that closed would open to different opportunities that are even better fits for us, we would be more supportive of our colleagues and peers.

There’s no real Glassdoor resource for fitness, or even a textbook to becoming a group fitness instructor/trainer. In the beginning, I remember so vividly feeling defeated, like I had put so much work and thought into the 50-minute classes I was teaching and that I still couldn’t even get people to take my class, while other instructors were sitting there with waitlists and people DMing them to get into class. There was no community for me to commiserate with, to laugh with me at the times where I forgot a leg block but clients were able to remind me, to be frustrated at how we work in health and wellness but don’t get health insurance through work, and more.

The lack of community in a space of individuals who work so hard to hold space for others is something that doesn’t really exist beyond a few memes we all like and send amongst each other in the DMs. I spent the entire last year as a lululemon ambassador for the Beverly Hills location trying to build community amongst fitness instructors, trainers, and wellness practitioners. And the mission isn’t complete now that the ambassadorship is over, I still hope that in the coming years, I will be able to make real change within the fitness industry to champion community over competition.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The trail around Loyola Marymount University is such a lovely gem that is nestled between Playa Vista and their college campus. Great homes to view, lots of dogs to say hello to, and really nice overlooks across the West LA area. Visit Douglas Park in Santa Monica for the ducks and turtles, but definitely avoid the times where kids get out of school or are there during the summer for camp unless you want to have a toddler run into you and almost fall into the ponds. For an intense workout on what vaguely looks like a BDSM machine, join any Lagree Fitness workout on the westside. I currently teach at Megaformer Studio, and the vibe is somewhere between a gay nightclub and a comedy club. I also teach at Silver Springs, a heated studio on Melrose in West Hollywood that feels like a luxurious sweat/spiritual experience across yoga and pilates disciplines. I just discovered 33 Taps Culver City hosts Drag Bingo on Fridays which are free and fun to play. Executive Suite in Long Beach is perfect for a drag show that doesn’t require you to casually hop over a tiny gay man’s vomit on the dancefloor. There are actually seats and you can be home before midnight if necessary. Little Fatty in Mar Vista is a Taiwanese bar/restaurant, and the music there is the most nostalgic 2000s hip-hop and R&B for a date or friend reunion. Thrifting and deal-finding are ingrained in my entrepreneurial yet frugal spirit, so I am partial to finding the best deals at the Inglewood Goodwill on La Tijera, Council Thrift Shop in Mar Vista, and Assistance League in Santa Monica on 15th. I used to live over there! Oh, and if you are in the market to adopt a pet, or just want to be amongst them, we love Annenberg PetSpace in Playa Vista. Head over there to enjoy the ponds and picnic with some goods from Whole Foods down the street and then get your next furry family member for $100 nearby.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
As a person who never thought they would get married in this lifetime, I wake up every morning gagged and gooped at the fact that I found my person, got married in August 2023, and had them take my last name now that the government has gotten involved. L, all pronouns valid, has been the biggest supporter to help me get past those loud, inner voices of self doubt and imposter syndrome.

During the pan-Demi Lovato, I found myself with the profound acceptance that I would need to traverse this lifetime alone and without romantic love. After putting my Hinge on “everybody,” L and I found each other. Together, not only have we accomplished so much according to all the photos we’ve taken together, we have empowered each other in a way I never knew a partnership could. It is truly because of their belief in me that I continue to follow my dreams with only the faith that my career will sort itself out in the same way my love life did.

I hope that everyone finds their person, or people if that type of thing works for you (no judgment obviously), that helps you feel like anything is possible… unless it is flight because I will certainly never jump out of an airplane willingly.

Website: https://journeykan.com

Instagram: @journsla