Meet Zoe Perlmutter Williams

Today we’d like to introduce you to Zoe Perlmutter Williams.

Zoe, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Born and raised in Golden, CO, I graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2014 and moved to NYC one week later to pursue a career in PR. During the time I lived in the city, a had the chance to work for an amazing consumer PR firm, a political fundraising and consulting company, the SoulCycle Union Square front desk, and YELP! While I was lucky enough to dip my toe into a few different industries, there was one clear passion of mine that was truly cultivated through my years walking up and down the streets of Greenwich Village: eating and drinking. After two and a half years in Manhattan, I moved back to Denver and began working for the Mile High outpost of an incredible restaurant and hospitality PR firm based in the Big Apple. There, I was able to experience delicious meals nightly, wining and dining journalists in order to ensure the placement of one of our restaurant clients in an upcoming story or latest issue. I was able to experience the behind-the-scenes of the bustling restaurant industry and interact with some of Colorado and the U.S.’s most renowned chefs. And I was able to learn first-hand from one of the best hospitality publicists in the business. But, after two years of living and breathing food and wine, a dream that had always been tucked into the back of my mind presented itself. I auditioned to be a SoulCycle Instructor, and I got it! With only a few days to decide if I was going to quit my fruitful PR job to move to LA and train to ride a bike that goes nowhere for a living, I took a giant leap of faith and moved to California to follow what may have seemed to others like a totally outrageous dream. I have been a fulltime SoulCycle Instructor ever since! I taught in LA and then San Francisco, before moving home for the last time to open up SoulCycle Denver.

Every day, I have the opportunity to change peoples’ lives. To give riders an escape from the troubles of their work day or an outlet to move through a million emotions they might be feeling all at once. Being able to sweat, connect, and move with people to the beat of the music every single day is the most rewarding feeling in the world. But guess what? I’m still ZO hungry! That’s where my blog comes in. I’m Zo Hungry is a platform where my love for restaurants, bars, food, fitness, and a million other passions of mine, all culminate in a little piece of the world that is unequivocally me. Sure, I’m a fitness instructor, but I’m OBSESSED with Italian sandwiches. Sure, I have to teach two classes on Sunday mornings, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy a glass of rose on my favorite Cherry Creek patio on a Saturday night. ImZoHungry.com is where I make recommendations for the best takeout for quarantine date night or list my favorite spots to grab a brunch cocktail after Sunday morning Soul. It’s a place where I can finally keep my love for sharing food, drinks, and fitness with people, all in one beautiful and delicious place.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road, but I am so lucky to have the most amazing family, friends, and husband who have constantly cheered me on and encouraged me to go after my goals and dreams no matter where they took me and no matter how long it took me to get there. With the support and extra motivation from my loved ones, I have done my best to believe in myself and to also understand that every struggle we go through truly prepares us for what’s next and shapes us into who we are. At my first job, I was an account coordinator on the beauty team at a consumer PR firm in Manhattan. I remember hiding in the makeup closet and crying for almost 15 minutes one day because it was so hard, fast-paced, and cutthroat! The other girls would make fun of me because I was “always happy” and “smiled too much.” I look back now and ask myself, “how is sharing joy with people something to be ashamed of?!” Smiling and letting my happiness show to others has become my biggest asset in my career as a fitness instructor and as a food and lifestyle blogger, I think I can set the example that to be serious and focused on your goals doesn’t mean you have to be angry and abrasive all of the time.

Life is short, we’ve got to smile and celebrate the small wins! When I realized that I wanted to follow my passion for food, I didn’t get my dream hospitality PR job the first time I went after it. Or the second. Or the third. I had to be persistent. When I initially contacted the company, I emailed the President and CEO my cover letter, unsure if he would even read the first sentence. He emailed me back within the hour that I should come in to do an informational interview for an internship. Following the interview, I soon heard back that there was no need for another intern at that time. I stayed in touch with them for two years emailing the company every few months to see if there were any positions open. When I moved back to Denver in 2016, there were! I began as an intern and worked my way up to Senior Account Executive. Finally, when I was accepted into the SoulCycle Instructor training program, I had to make some big scary decisions that did not go without tears. I had to quit my PR job that I had worked tirelessly to get and even more tirelessly to succeed at for so long. I also had to make the decision to move to LA, after living with my (then) boyfriend for two years. I had a pretty good feeling we were right on the cusp of getting engaged and couldn’t believe I was just going to uproot my life and move to another state for an undetermined amount of time until SoulCycle Denver opened. He believed in me and encouraged me to follow my heart and move to LA to pursue my dream of being a SoulCycle Instructor no matter how long I would have to be away from home and away from him. Guess what? He’s my husband now! And my most loyal SoulCycle rider. 🙂

ImZoHungry.com – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I’m Zo Hungry (imzohungry.com) is my Food and Lifestyle Blog, primarily focusing on restaurant recommendations around the Mile High City. I was born and raised in Colorado and know Denver like the back of my hand, but I’ve also had the opportunity to live in some of the world’s greatest culinary havens like New York City, LA, and San Francisco. Having spent time at countless restaurants and bars in each of those bustling cities, I’m here to tell you that Denver’s food scene is a force to be reckoned with! Recommending restaurants for any type of occasion to my friends and family has always been one of my very favorite hobbies. After what seems like a lifetime of chiming in to colleagues’ conversations with my go-to spot for a post-workout happy hour, or advising the woman at the nail salon next to me on the best patio lively enough for her 40th birthday dinner, I finally decided to turn this knack for knowing the best place to nosh into a website!

At imzohungry.com readers can find guides for everything from “The Best Date Night Spots in Denver” to “Where to Order the Most Beautiful Charcuterie Board for Delivery.” I aim to appeal to hungry native Coloradans and flavor-seeking new Denverites alike! With my background in fitness and full time job as a SoulCycle instructor, I also feature fitness tips and videos of my “ZOGA Sculpt” classes, effortless and easy recipes, travel guides, and more (#themoreyouzo.) I believe what sets me apart, is truly the fact that I am your everyday 20-something woman trying to live a full and fun life in the Mile High City. I am a SoulCycle Instructor, but I also believe that Sweet Cow’s Cookies and Cream Ice Cream can cure any bad day. I’m extremely active and love to work out, but I also am outdoorsy in that I like drinking wine on patios. I am a constant work in progress, as I believe we all are, and I just want to share my love for eating, drinking, moving, and connecting with people, with anyone else who is in search of the same! I’m most proud of finally saying “yes I can” to myself, and launching imzohungry.com after talking about it and brainstorming ideas and dreaming of writing my own blog for as long as I can remember. My dad has always told me to just “take a deep breath, smile, and go for it,” and I try to live by the motto “if you don’t try, you’ll never know.” I believe if I just put these two mantras together, I can accomplish anything. Take a deep breath, smile, go for it, and find out where it takes you.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I have been incredibly blessed and very lucky in my life and I will be the first one to tell you that. I am so thankful for every single person who as lifted me up and acted as a mentor, a cheerleader, a confidant, and a friend in not just my successes but also my defeats. I have been fortunate to connect and form relationships with some amazing people who have helped to put me in touch with inspiring business owners and entrepreneurs who have enabled me understand what I want to do with my life and how to go after what I want. With all of this in mind, I also truly believe that I’ve worked extremely hard for each job and position that has written the chapters of my story. Each experience and every struggle, each promotion and every rejection, has prepared me for where I am today and provided me with the knowledge, perseverance, and gratitude with which I approach every single thing I do.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.imzohungry.com/
• Email: zoe@imzohungry.com
• Instagram: @imzohungry

Image Credit:
The photos of me should be credited to Jordan Quinn Photography. The food photos were all taken by me.

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