It’s All in the Breath

It’s Friday afternoon, and the Equinox studio is already almost full of members squeezing in a Pilates class before the weekend. Jamison Bryant drops down on a mat next to mine and sighs. “Long day, already. I did calls for an Irish accent, an Atlanta accent, and a Lithuanian accent, and it’s barely noon.” She’s ready for a sweat and solid stretch. “And then maybe a glass of wine at lunch.” We laugh.

We’ve been coming to the same classes for years, and it’s easy to clock Bryant as soon as she walks in — a head of thick black hair with one perfect silver streak. She’s gracious and calm with a face that says, “I’m listening to everything you’re saying.”  Other members naturally gravitate toward her, making small talk before class.

But then, late last year, Bryant disappeared. I missed her presence in my classes, especially the moments of accidental eye contact during tricky poses, where we’d both immediately laugh. When she finally turned up again, it had been six months since she’d stepped foot in Equinox, and she was ready to get back into a routine.

It turns out she’d spent most of that time on a frozen lake outside of Reykjavik, Iceland. With Jodie Foster. This is the life of a professional dialect coach.

Upon her return, Bryant and I sat down for a conversation about her career and how fitness factors into her livelihood.