HOUSEWORK Founder Sydney Miller Dishes on 'Exciting' New Sculpt Format and Seeing Her Brand 'Enhance' People's Lives

After teaching at SoulCycle for many years, Sydney Miller decided to embark on her own journey and open HOUSEWORK, which was founded in 2017 "as a side hustle."

"I had gotten certified in Pilates and wanted to create that same music-driven, sweaty, addictive, community feel but on a mat in a way that felt good as a way to cross-train," the businesswoman exclusively tells OK!, adding that she slowly but surely gained more of a clientele through pop-ups and retreats.

"Once COVID hit and people got more into working out at home with minimal equipment, HOUSEWORK took off, and I was getting hundreds of people in Zoom classes. I decided to make my first real investment in the brand and launch the HOUSEWORK app in 2020 so people could work out with me anywhere, anytime," she continues.

Since HOUSEWORK was just a digital platform for many years, Miller, who has an affinity for New York City and spent "most" of her adult life here before moving to Miami, knew building a studio in the Big Apple was the right move.

"I would go up to NYC many times a year to teach pop-up classes, and the energy always hit the hardest here because I had an extremely loyal community here. In 2023, I felt the shift of people going back to in-person workouts, and I craved more of the in-person connection. I started to think about opening brick and mortar and debated for a while between Miami and NYC, but in 2024, I made the call to launch in NYC because I found the perfect location and everything fell into place," she shares.

The studio, which opened in March, is constantly packed due to Miller's upbeat and fun classes.

"It's been incredible! HOUSEWORK at its core is about community and connection, and being in the room with everyone under the pink lights with the music bumping, I feel my best, every single time," she says. "It means having a group of people that exists without you. I've always taken the most pride in the relationships formed in my classes, not necessarily between me and my clients, which of course, is so special, but in the relationships between clients with other clients. This year has proved it even more so as I've seen the community expand to other instructors and even further outside of myself. At the end of the day, HOUSEWORK is about feeling good and connecting to yourself, the music, and the people around you — and that community feeling is what people can't necessarily get everywhere."

Now, HOUSEWORK is changing things up, offering a new type of class for the first time. There are different formats on the HOUSEWORK App, but now that she has a studio in New York City with more times and more instructors, she's in a "place to deliver more options — and Sculpt was the exact first place I wanted to start."

"Sculpt is taking everything people know and love about HOUSEWORK, but without the high-impact cardio and dance. It's still true to HOUSEWORK and structured into choreographed sections, but the choreography is more repetitive, intuitive and easy to follow," she says of the concept.

"I'm excited to give our clients optionality for days where they just aren't in the mood to jump around and dance and are craving more of a burnout, sculpt workout. I am also excited that this format will be an amazing gateway for first-timers who might not be into the whole dance thing. I hear time and time again that people are scared to try HOUSEWORK because 'they aren't a dancer,' and while I hope they eventually will build the confidence to try that format, I think Sculpt will be an awesome place to start and get into HOUSEWORK without feeling out of their comfort zone. Lastly, I am excited to see our instructors shine and showcase their playlists and unique combos. Sculpt is the first time our trainers will be creating their own classes under our Sculpt format, as opposed to teaching the choreography that I've developed. I think it's going to be amazing for them and our clients as well to have this variety!"

Miller's life has certainly changed over the past few years — but she wouldn't have it any other way. "The best part about creating this brand is watching how it enhances people's lives — physically, mentally, socially. It's amazing to be part of someone's glow up and then get to see it!" she notes. "The hardest part about being a business owner — where do I begin? I think there is so much that goes behind the scenes that no one talks about, which can be really isolating."

Still, she is "honored" to "inspire others" in the industry and "show them that you can really do anything if you set your mind to it and put the years in!"

"I hope to have multiple locations in NYC and Miami so I can live my dream life and split my time between my two favorite cities! I have always bounced between NYC and Miami, which is where I am from, and I want to continue to spread HOUSEWORK and good energy to as many people as I can. I also hope to be able to hire more instructors and staff and continue to offer people jobs that they love," she concludes.

For more information, visit joinhousework.com.

All HOUSEWORK classes are livestreamed on the app, so you can take HOUSEWORK from anywhere! Through the on-demand platform, the HOUSEWORK app gives you access to over 300+ videos on demand — full-body Pilates + cardio workouts, ranging from quick 10-minute express workouts to 50-minute full outs + guided recovery, with new on-demand classes each week. There's also a new client 2-for-1 and a new client 2-week unlimited special — more info here.