Kirsten Potenza

Kirsten Potenza co-created POUND, a music-led group-fitness format in which participants use lightly weighted sticks called Ripstix to turn drumming gestures, conditioning patterns, and shared rhythm into choreographed movement. Growing up in a small town in upstate New York, Potenza competed as a Division I athlete, an experience that later shaped her approach to movement. After college, she found herself missing the team purpose and camaraderie of sport, and became dissatisfied with fitness framed primarily around appearance. That longing led her to envision a workout that would feel communal, expressive, and performance-like—one that connected participants directly to music.

Potenza developed POUND collaboratively with Cristina Peerenboom. By September 2011, the two were demonstrating the "rockout workout" together on *Extra*, using drumsticks and a mat. The form combined simulated drumming with cardio, conditioning, and strength work, building sequences where movement followed the music and collective rhythm supplied momentum and release. Early coverage in *Glamour* and *Washingtonian* documented the format's spread from Los Angeles to other U.S. cities, and by 2014 *SELF* reported classes across the United States, Australia, Canada, and Mexico.

As POUND expanded, Potenza's public leadership extended beyond class choreography. In 2019, she began *The Big Green Couch* podcast under the POUND brand, hosting conversations about wellness, leadership, and community. POUND's training platform has documented her continuing to lead branded workouts, while official retrospectives mark her ongoing role as founder and CEO. Her emphasis on changing minds before bodies—on making fitness feel like participation in something larger than individual transformation—has remained consistent throughout the organization's growth.