Hilken Mancini of Punk Rock Aerobics: “TAKE UP SPACE and MOVE! Just start doing anything, it’s better than doing nothing; Even if it is just a walk around the block or dancing to your favorite song”
TAKE UP SPACE and MOVE! Just start doing anything- it’s better than doing nothing. Even if it is just a walk around the block or dancing to your favorite song- remember that it’s OK to make mistakes, to have fun and laugh at yourself- not to be great at whatever it is you try, and not perfect! The figures are still shocking in terms of people who don’t exercise or realize its importance. Exercise truly saves your life- so just start!
As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Hilken Mancini.
Hilken Mancini is a household name in the Boston punk scene who fronted a band that was signed to Atlantic Records and wrote “one of top 50 songs of the 1990’s,” according to Rolling Stone.
After years in the music industry, she co-created Punk Rock Aerobics, as “the anti-exercise fitness revolution,” and held classes exclusively in rock clubs. Punk Rock Aerobics is the original DIY exercise program that provides an alternative for those disenchanted with rigid body-image based gym culture. Her punk-inspired fitness program provides a great workout while staying true to its DIY and punk roots! Hilken has created an inclusive community for those who stand out from the traditional gym atmosphere and want a unique workout with punk camaraderie!
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
In the nineties, I fronted a band called Fuzzy that was signed to Atlantic Records and that Rolling Stone Magazine named as writing “one of top 50 songs of the 1990s”. I released two albums and toured extensively. After years in the music industry, I co-created Punk Rock Aerobics in 2001- the anti-exercise fitness craze and held classes in rock clubs only. Punk Rock Aerobics (PRA) is a DIY exercise program, providing an alternative for those disenchanted with rigid body-image-based gym culture, employing “rock star” DJs to play punk anthems. In 2004, Da Capo Press published our exercise book, Punk Rock Aerobics, and we ran exercise classes in rock clubs in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, and London. Around the same time the Rock-n-Roll camp for Girls started, a similar mission, and I volunteered to run self-empowerment assemblies and Punk Rock Aerobics at their sessions in Portland, Oregon. By 2010 I co-founded my own non-profit Girls Rock Camp in Boston. In 2005 I also opened a vintage clothing boutique in Jamaica Plain, MA.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?
In the ’90s, my band Fuzzy played a show at a small local club in Boston on a weeknight with not many people there. When I stepped off the stage, a man appeared with a business card in his hand and said he worked in A&R for Atlantic Records and wanted to sign my band. It was a magical moment, and it completely changed my life. The next thing I knew, I was touring, recording a three-record deal, had a manager, a publicist, and an entertainment lawyer. What I learned from that was no matter where you are or how small a group you are presenting to, you have to always give it your all and be your best. You never know who is there watching or listening. You must always be consistent and devote all you can towards your end goal: always believe in yourself and work hard to be your best self, and eventually, you will be seen and heard.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I love this question because when I used to talk to our volunteers at rock camp, I would always quote this statistic which is: researchers say people who go on to be successful and who have the most resiliency in their lives have one thing in common, and it’s one positive, caring adult role model that was not in their family. I have been lucky and have had quite a few mentors in my life and have always thought it was important to make friends with people older and wiser than me. One person specifically took me under his wing and showed me how to run my vintage clothing business. He owned the shop previously, and he very much believed in me, which helped me more than I would have ever thought.
Another person gave me the courage to keep going because I knew that I could rely on them if things fell apart. Since I don’t come from much, and my family has modest resources, it made all the difference in the world knowing this person had my back. Having a mentor and being a mentor is huge and sharing information is the best thing you can do because, ultimately, we should all strive to help make other people’s lives better. I think people who hoard information think they hold power, which is disappointing, because you should share the wealth to help others around you.
Ok perfect. Now let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?
Well, my vintage store offers a recycle and reuse policy, which is an environmentally sensible option!
The Punk Rock Aerobics class was created as a “safe space” for people to exercise before the term safe space existed. The end goal always had more to do with attitude than muscle mass as we told participants to “Flex Yer Head” and “take control of your body and take control of your mind!” It empowered people (I call them punxxx) to leave with a positive attitude about themselves and accept their bodies as they are. The class has no mirrors, no obnoxious gym music, and happens in rock clubs and DIY spaces only. We use bricks for weights, special guest DJ’s spin killer punk anthems, and whether you’ve had prior fitness experience or not, you leave the class empowered to take on any challenge you may face.
The non-profit I co-founded ten years ago is simply as the mission statement says: to empower girls, transgender youth, and gender non-conforming youth to believe in themselves by providing a supportive community that fosters self-expression, confidence, and collaboration through musical education and performance.
Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.
It’s a great coincidence you are asking me this because I am currently working a retreat this summer where I will be teaching these five modules:
1. TAKE UP SPACE and MOVE! Just start doing anything- it’s better than doing nothing. Even if it is just a walk around the block or dancing to your favorite song- remember that it’s ok to make mistakes, to have fun and laugh at yourself- not to be great at whatever it is you try, and not perfect! The figures are still shocking in terms of people who don’t exercise or realize its importance. Exercise truly saves your life- so just start!
2. LET IT GO: Meditation is a great way to learn how to do this. In life, you have to give up all controls and accept that none of us ever know what will happen in our lives. Learning to rest in that uncertainty and accepting that will subside some of the stress you feel about whatever is going on for you. This is not an easy thing to do, but meditation helps with this.
3. SAY NO to the status quo. Nobody ever tells you that you aren’t supposed to be doing anything. Pursue what interests you and let the great narrative of your life emerge. Become accomplished at something you love and don’t make money the end goal. Find your own way. I love this quote in the bible from the gospel of Thomas: “If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.” That means that whatever is inside you is what makes you truly special- so listen to that voice. Do what you want to do and think for yourself. Real punks think for themselves, and I always hung out with them or artists and people considered “freaks” or “weirdos,” because they don’t care about what anyone thinks of them and are pioneers and trailblazers for the rest of us. The true aristocrats of the world!
4. DIY- Do it yourself — No one but you can learn from your mistakes and do what needs to get done to make you become truly accomplished. Your boss or clients will expect you to do good work, but you should expect yourself to do great work. You are the only one who will care enough to make that happen, and that person won’t disappoint you. You can’t rely on anyone but yourself, and the hardest part is just tolerating the gap between the glorious image you had of your end goal and the sad thing you’ve just made. Remember that everything great you see started as someone else’s bad first draft, so forgive yourself. Just remember that anything you do should be better than anything you did before.
5.BE BRAVE: “PUSH YOUR CHOSEN VOCATION FORWARD WITH INNOVATION AND BRAVERY.” This is a quote from Mike Watt of the band The Minutemen, and I love it. It means everything. If you get scared, don’t ever give up, and work hard to be consistent always. Consistency in behavior is the most important thing as an artist, an entrepreneur, or a leader.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
Well, it sounds completely crazy and would cost a billion dollars to do. It’s not very realistic, but- since COVID happened and everyone realized how you can work from home, and you don’t need to “be anywhere” (unless you are an essential worker and have an in-person job) but, those that are more privileged and can work from home — you ask them to move. You move communities- like whole groups of people from blue states and cities like San Francisco, Boston, NYC -people from the cities of the blue states -and you build small villages and make communities happen smack in the middle of really Republican and red states. You make the coffee shops, the clubs, and restaurants, and DIY spaces and get people residency in these states so that they can vote, and you flip those states so the electoral college can no longer exist as it is. It’s a completely crazy idea but think of the change it could bring. It’s an idea that would let people live more equally here in the US. When you have kids starving here, families that can’t pay their bills or their rent, mothers who die from poor healthcare in childbirth, it is insane. You know there is something deeply wrong in this country when some people are remodeling their kitchen for what could pay to feed an entire family for a year.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
The five things I posted above that I teach in my retreat are the same five things I wish someone told me before I started, except for the MOVE part — I was already doing that as a young ballet dancer.
Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
Right now, I am slowly cutting more and more meat out of my diet. I am trying not to eat pork and beef, and instead eating farm raised poultry (and fish). Hopefully, that will lead to more vegetarian ways because I think that makes me feel the worst- cruelty to animals. Also, it’s a plus that replacing meat with vegetarian sources of protein reduces carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions.
What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?
You can follow me on Instagram and Facebook, and you can find Punk Rock Aerobics on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
Hilken Mancini of Punk Rock Aerobics: “TAKE UP SPACE and MOVE! was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.