Industry Education Episodes

"If you do it because you see value or you do it because it's intrinsic . . . it's sustainable. If you do it because you feel guilty, obligated, for the reward or the money, or you're coerced, it ends as soon as that reinforcer goes away," states Matt Richter, 25+ year management consultant, industry expert, keynote speaker and author of The Leadership Story. Why do some go to the gym and others don't? What are some steps the HALO sector can consider applying to the latest in research in motivat...

"I want to be the first globally recognized, fully franchisable corporation owned by a woman of color," states Hodges (an incredible entrepreneurial powerhouse!) when asked about future plans. As a seasoned fitness entrepreneur and global learning manager, she created her first class in her grandmother's backyard in June 2016. Classes are a mix of HITT, traditional aerobics, and ZUMBA to trap music with a focus on women of color. It quickly skyrocketed and she began teaching at Facebook, Tumblr ...

"If you govern your decisions by what's in the best interest of your members, while it may more difficult in the near term, I fundamentally believe it'll benefit you in the longer term," states CEO Bill Davis. With 38 years in business, ABC Financial supports nearly 40% of all fitness clubs in the USA. Now owned by private equity firm Thoma Bravo, Bill discusses the role of ABC in the HALO sector, what owners should consider in the current COVID-19 climate, hints at big changes coming to ABC in ...

A classically trained research scientist with a Doctorate in Motor Learning, Dr. Paul Juris is a seminal figure in the HALO sector. He was a Professor of Human Movement Studies at Columbia University and later went on to construct the (then new) Equinox Fitness Training Institute to a level never seen before. "We wanted to bring as much scientific rigor into the program as possible. . .I introduced movement science to that program, which at the time really didn't exist in the fitness industry,"...

"Our whole goal is to help build community within buildings, to help people get to know each other better, and to make the city feel a little smaller, and a little less lonely," states Ryan Freed. With hOM currently in over 100 buildings in NYC and Toronto, this life long entrepreneur started in the HALO sector by offering meditation classes in a residential building. He then pivoted into a much larger variety of classes for commercial office spaces and residential multi-family landlords. This w...

"I always joke that every start up needs a crazy Israeli," laughs Kenny about his Co-Founder, Nadav. Currently approaching its sixth month, these two former attorneys discuss everything nearly any entrepreneur can relate to! From having to share a small studio apartment, to the need to to pivot due to manufacturing & hardware issues, to waking up at 4:30am, to ClassPass, to dealing with operations in a brick & mortar studio, and much more. This is a must listen for anyone who has ever considered...

"The next thing I know, we have a pretty full gym, but I also didn't know what the heck I was doing," laughs Jared Stein. Currently at 5 CrossFit gyms plus a 30,000 sq ft big box space (all branded WILLYB) Jared shares his experiences from starting in the trenches, searching for space, opening the first two stores, how they expanded, what was involved with their first acquisition, and much more. A must listen for anyone thinking about opening their own facility one day!

"A lot of these technologies and apps have yet to find a mainstream value proposition. I'd look at retention and engagement much more than purchase and initial transaction," states 25+ year consumer services veteran Gunjan Bhow. With the technology now available, opportunities are massive and Walgreen's is going far beyond just retail and pharmacy, as they are currently examining digital health and other connected services. Listen now to this wide ranging discussion on the (hopeful!) future coll...

"If I owned a fitness facility and needed trainers, sales or membership staff, what better person would you want than a college (or former college) athlete?" states CEO & Founder, Ryan Drummond. One year later, progress has been phenomenal! With Crunch currently on a pilot program, The Athlete Book has Amazon, Tesla, Yelp, JP Morgan, Mass Mutual, and others on the platform. Hiring for fitness facilities has always been a pain point, and TAB solves it through virtual hiring events, highly detaile...

25 years after working incredibly hard to attempt to dance professionally in NYC, Ruth stepped into her first indoor cycling class at the Reebok Sports Club on the Upper West Side in NYC. Not long after that, an entire movement (and arguably a new sector of the fitness industry) was born. Industry icon Ruth Zuckerman discusses everything from the instructor training, the initial hurdles of expansion, maintaining authenticity, the history of the early days of Soul Cycle and Flywheel, and provides...

Dr. Paulvin's practice is very highly regarded in NYC and on the leading edge of advances in science, tech, and personalized precision medicine. In this wide ranging conversation, he discusses his years of building out his practice geared toward the HALO sector. Topics touched on range from the increase in the recovery space, peptides, "peptide packs," Theragun, Hyperice, lymphatic massage, Copper compression, NuCalm, Neufit, PMF, neuromodulation and more! Listen now to learn more about this bur...

"Once you learn how to build something and understand the fundamentals of keeping something going--and training people to do that--you can apply that model to many different settings," states Marc Cohen, long-time industry veteran. From serving as the VP of Training for David Barton (which he helped take nationally) to the Director of BFX Studios, Mark has worked with facilities of all sizes. This broad discussion touches on everything from advertising, to the positives (and negatives) of techno...

"When you start with dance, people aren't victims anymore. . .their full potential is reached," states Vandana Hart, creator of the highly regarded Netflix show, We Speak Dance. As a lifelong dancer trained with Alvin Ailey, Vandana's desire to effect greater change moved her into working with the UN on various humanitarian efforts all over the world, during which, her self-financed "Anthony Bordain" style show was born. Among many other things, future plans include launching a We Speak Dance Me...

"We didn't spend any money on marketing or advertising in the beginning, it was all word of mouth initially," says Sarah Levy, CEO & Founder of Y7 Studio. With 14 locations and a strong financial & advisory partner in KarpReilly, Y7 is thriving. Yet? Interestingly, it's also "very polarizing" states, Director of Marketing Lauren Roxborough . . . and that's the way they want it! Y7 is not focused around a single teacher and studios have no mirrors, and are candle lit with fantastic music. Listen ...

"Some of the best sports-ish businesses are putting data over existing sports. . .just look at Top Golf for example," states Founder Alex Patterson. Alex began in corporate law, but quickly moved to the (then newly founded) Tough Mudder. After 5 years working with them in various positions, he struck out to form, from the ground up, a different type of escape room. He took the physical element present in TM and moved it into the digital game/escape room space. The result is a fantastic, highly s...

"A leader's job is to put a really buttoned up, solid, strategic plan in place to execute on [the company] vision, and after that. . .it's ALL about people," states Brian Anderson--a highly seasoned C-Level executive in the HALO sector. With 15+ years in early stage/consumer focused brands, the first company he helped take from $1m - $45m in 5 years, the second from $35m - $100m in 5 years and the third from start up to ~$20m in 4 years. Listen now to hear his thoughts on brand building, company...

In his wide-ranging career beginning at in film & TV at the WWE, to starting a rehab staffing business, to becoming the Red Cord North America distributor, and presently an owner of 2 Gracie Barra jiu-jitsu dojos in NJ, Mike has seen a great deal. Listen now to this wide- ranging discussion on everything from the challenges of entering the US market, getting CEC's, long sales cycles, the place in the industry for dance & martial arts, and more!

"I think people don't realize what feeling good feels like because they're fed so much crap and not moving enough," states Joe Hawley, former 8 year veteran of the NFL. After retiring in 2017, he bought a van, rescued a dog, and hit the road! Along the way he started Live Simpl, (livesimpl.com) sold nearly 70% of his belongings, changed his diet, his thoughts around money, nutrition, exercise, and a ton more. Joe is clearly having a blast and his message is a must hear for everyone. "Live with l...

"Action prevents anxiety. If I have this gut instinct and I feel like the risk is worth taking, I'll go all in," states Remorca. Dennis began his career at Equinox, then moved over to Definitions. He eventually started his own business on 75th and Park with $19K of financing. 3 locations later (with more in development) Dennis chats about the challenges and questions all entrepreneurs face at one point or another. For anyone who has thought about going out on their own (or for those who've recen...

"People are recognizing the more they do things like massage, the more they can prevent injury, the more stress and tension they can reduce. . . and as the health care plans and employers start to subsidize, people will buy it more," states Samer Hamadeh, CEO. As a highly successful entrepreneur, ZEEL's massage on demand service has already has done over 1 million massages, 3/4 of which are medically related, pain management issues. ZEEL's growth has been tremendous. Venus Williams recently join...

"Fitness was a minor part of NYC landscape. It was always looked at little bit negatively. Fast forward to today and now it's one of the bright lights in our industry. It's an incredibly growing field!" states 30+ year real estate veteran, Jeff Roseman. In this wide ranging discussion, Jeff chats about landlords changing attitudes around the HALO sector, leases, why "branding opportunities" in real estate is nonsense, good guy clauses, factors to consider when evaluating a location, and--in a fu...

"I think people are looking for the quick fix, but there is no quick fix. It's lifestyle changes. It's changing your diet, eating habits, recovery, exercise routines, changing your mindset. . and it takes time, but what I love about Wim's method is that it doesn't take long to feel the difference," states Avi Greenberg, one of only three Wim Hof Instructors in NY. Listen now to this wide ranging discussion around the increasing popularity of breath work, its positive affects on the body, how it'...

"People don't know the power of nutrition. They're given lies. . . It should be reading, writing, arithmetic, and nutrition taught in grade schools. It is one of the most critical factors that control our life, our longevity, our happiness and our health and the ignorance and confusion in the American population is barbaric and needs to be changed," states Dr. Joel Fuhrman. Dr. Furhman is a former athlete, a board-certified family physician, six-time New York Times best-selling author and intern...

"Muay Thai should be popularized and become more commercial and available to a larger scale of people," states Tyler Scott, a 12 year veteran of Muay Thai and creator of the patented Bishop heavy bag. Along with his wife, they began Hit House in 2017 after being inspired by the type of community they saw at a SoulCycle. Listen now to this wide ranging discussion on everything from the pros and cons of ClassPass, working with your significant other, hologram and VR technology, and more!