Mike Hansen got into this industry in the 90s and discovered that his passion was fitness. He changed his mindset to an entrepreneur mindset and wanted to make fitness more fun for people. He wanted to tie gaming with fitness, and through that saw that there was a big gap within the fitness industry digitally.  How do you define a smart gym? What would things look like back in 2010-2011 compared to now?  Hansen says that he believed you could connect better with people, and knew who he was.  Ultimately it was aimed at understanding the consumers and sending them the right message.  Ultimately it was a timing factor when it came to fitness apps, as back in the early days people saw them as information apps, and not aimed at assisting the user.  In the world of Smart Champs, who do you think is doing really well?  Hansen says he has not seen one fully executed, he sees a lot of vendors that potentially solve part of that niche.  He believes it is yet to be fully brought together.  There are a lot of opportunities when it comes to being able to make gym-related concepts Smart, but it is just not there yet in the industry.  Explain how the Hub would work, explain the concept.  There is a multitude of places where someone could work out, the application will potentially control where you exercise.  The Hub will provide assistance and Hansen will provide the value within the application.  Looking at what we have seen over the past 90 days, how much did you expect to see, and how much has been a surprise for you?  Hansen's business has had to adapt in order to adopt the shifts that are driven by the consumer.  There was an indication that there would be a shift to a smarter change to society all around. 74% of clubs now have a digital or some sort of streaming to offer, whereas before it was as low as 5%.  Hansen found the pace of the VR and its move into the market to be the biggest surprise for him.  So you are a managing partner in Endorvins, what is Endorvins all about? What brought this about?  Endorvins is a full-service fitness streaming agency - it is the first fully dedicated and integrated agency that is determined to take businesses online within fitness and streaming.  This was brought on when Hansen was working on a project last year and he identified a big gap within service.  What do the actual processes look like for making a company digital?  Determine your content strategy in order to determine the tools you require.  Once it has gotten to that point, an individual will be taken to their procurement process.  After which the individual can be introduced to the market.  Once all of that is established, Endorvins will handle everything from content uploading to doing title management and publishing.  Endorvins also extends into licensing and is truly end to end.  Do you think as you move forward, who do you think your main clients will be coming from?  Hansen says their target market is to connect fitness creators to consumers, their primary markets for opportunity is in fitness boutiques.  Endorvins cross over any market that serves content.  Hansen believes that there will be a change in the market to offering a more digitized manner of content and distribution.  Can you expand on what your thoughts are on the decentralization of fitness and what that is looking like from a historical perspective? As a gym owner, the walls need to be broken down and change from being a location provider to a service model.  In order to support your member as a service company, you have to be able to have the ability to communicate with your customer - this may mean streaming, and you will need to embrace technology in order to achieve this.  What do you think the gym model is going to look like a year from now, from health clubs down to boutiques, who do you think is going to thrive?  Hansen believes that those who will thrive are those who are going to embrace a hybrid model, and believes it will be able to serve a customer as a consumer service will today.  Your business model will need to be changed to a 24-hour service, and convenience is important and you need to embrace that.  What are some things that did not go right? What was a challenge for you as you were navigating these waters? Hansen says that placing cameras in fitness rooms was bad timing in 2014/2015.  He believes that the only way to get better in the timing factor is to root himself into the job side of the equation - he now does consumer interviews.  What was the intention of placing cameras in the fitness room?  Hansen had the idea that he wanted to create a broadcasting network specifically designed for gyms to reach their markers.  He wanted to build a content catalog and give that content catalog to broadcasters to be placed on TV.  How are you seeing the gaming industry and the fitness industry merging? Where are they overlapping now?  Hansens says that they looked at the VR and the AR, and has toyed with the idea that whether or not people will exercise if it is a video game.  Gaming can be an entertainment factor and can be a distraction to the exercise.  On the other side, gaming is more for a younger generation, so you would have to embrace social media more targeted towards the younger generation.  You mentioned your vision for a record label model. Can you expand on that?  Hansen believes that the digital market opportunity is not structured right, and this means that most people create content, and have more conversation around brand and distribution.  They want to structure relationships between music and the instructor.  Hansen believes that they can bring a fitness label into the fitness industry, and that is the vision for their future.  You mentioned that there was some machine learning that you’re working on, some AI, can you expand on that?  Hansen says that they identified a big data gap related to streaming, so they went ahead and focused on pulling all that data into one single platform.  The platform will allow users to read dashboards specifically for fitness streaming, which is easy to use.  Endorvins will be the only company that will offer a specifically fitness-focused streaming data layer.  Let’s say I’m Bobby, a mid-level accountant at a firm, now working remotely from home looking for ways to now engage in my health and fitness and improve my health and fitness. How does this technology or concept help me improve myself?  This is more on the b2b side of the equation. Hansen changed the example to a real-time example of clubs that know what percentage of their members are using their streaming solution.  This will allow you to establish which of your users are within the proximity to come to your facility, if they are close enough, give it to them for free.  Market segmentation will improve your business and retention and will improve your capture rates.  You need to have a profile for your clients because people's lives change daily.  What is it you need right now? What are some of the challenges that you are facing? What is it that the industry can help you with?  Hansen says he needs more hours in his day, but from an industry perspective, he needs people to embrace this online digital transformation.  Do not neglect the fact that if it did not work for you, that it does not work.  You need to be open to change.  Resources: Email: [email protected]  Phone number: 833 227 4469

Sumit Seth comes from a very humble background and worked in the hospital healthcare space, and did work for Henry Ford's Hospitals, UnitedHealth Group, and did his Masters degree in hospital healthcare administration. A few years later he realized fitness is true healthcare. A trainer Seth had - Jake Freeman - changed his life, and made him want to change and impact the lives of others, and feels blessed through this. So, he started working towards establishing Naamly.  Do you see the fitness industry coming more aligned with - and even becoming - the health and wellness industry? How do you see what is currently happening with Covid-19 and the pandemic and this huge rush towards health? How do you see the industry rising up?  Seth believes that Covid-19 has accelerated a lot of things, and acts as a catalyst for what is almost an eventuality.  There are some trends in play when it comes to an ageing population and the rise of obesity and chronic disease, which are things we already knew about and were already becoming mainstream healthcare.  There is a “health is wealth” mentality, and people have realized that as you live longer, the quality of life matters and the quality of life can only be reached when you have mental and physical health. Covid-19 is helping individuals realize the importance of health. Seth speculates that there will be a rise in people going to the gyms and a move within the digital space of fitness and health.  Seth believes there will be a merge between fitness and health.  How did your company start? How did you come up with the concept?  Seth had a background both in healthcare and running a staffing firm, however, it was all about the people for him, the people make the biggest difference.  They wanted to create something where they could recognise and celebrate people, initially causing them to target both yoga fitness and massage, but soon decided on the fitness space.  Seth and his partner Jake decided to contribute here, and they started to focus on the trainer, which morphed into focusing on the gym owner - because it is also about celebrating entrepreneurs.  They decided to dedicate their foreseeable future to focus on celebrating entrepreneurs and helping them succeed, which in turn creates healthier communities.  What are the benefits of Naamly? You serve gym owners, right?  Naamly serves gym owners and helps train gyms in engaging their members, empowering their staff, and whatever success means to them - whether it is leading a fulfilling life, or making more money - that is our model.  What does the service entail? How does it work?  Naamly focuses on three broad value propositions; engage members, staff empowerment, and centralized communication tools.  Engaging members lead to better connectivity, which in turn leads to members trusting you and returning.  Staff empowerment leads to staff wanting to take action and puts their hearts in the right place.  Centralized communication tools help the gym owner in building connections and deeper relationships with their members. Naamly brings email, phone and text under one shared inbox, so trainers or staff members can see what goes on.  How many people is Naamly serving? What is the trajectory of the business looking like?  Naamly is going very well, despite all the self-limiting beliefs Seth had in the past that he had to work through.  Seth says that Naamly has made its fair share of mistakes, but they learned from them, and have been very fortunate in getting things right.   Naamly serves thousands of members now, and consider themselves very fortunate to be seen as a worthwhile partner.  What has been one of the biggest personal challenges you have had working in Naamly?  Seth says one of the biggest challenges for him was work/life balance, as an entrepreneur, you work very hard for something and you see it manifest, you want to continue tending to it.  The last company Seth worked at, the factor that drove him away was when his child did not understand why he was there and not working, this caused him to leave that job in search of balance.  Seth admits that the lines of balance are blurred when one works from home, and you are enjoying your work more. What are some of the biggest takeaways for you from working with Ken?  Ken taught Seth to take time for himself, and in doing so the world won’t crash and burn, and work will still be there when he gets back.  Ken also taught Seth how to go outside of his comfort zone and embrace new and fresh ideas, which led Seth to a lot of personal growth.  If you get started at 4 a.m, what time does your day finish?  Seth finishes his day at around 10-11 p.m at night.  What is the biggest challenge you are facing within your business right now? Externally the biggest problem Seth faces is about wanting to help more gym owners and make an impact on their life.  Naamely is also facing scalability challenges and morphing their own processes because they are getting new personas in and they all have nuanced needs.  Basically their core problems are how to scale internally, and how to continue spreading the word.  Resources:  Sumit Seth: [email protected]  Website: Naamly.com 

In today’s interview, I have Jen Zygmunt as my guest and we are looking into the world of virtual fitness.  Jen is the SVP of sales and marketing at Wellbeats, which is the world's leading virtual fitness provider, where she is responsible for creating and driving demand.  Along with her thriving career, she is also a wife and mother who enjoys the outdoors and staying active.  What’s your story? How did you get to where you are with Wellbeats (01:13) Jen says she used to be in the consumer goods industry, and she landed in fitness coincidently. However, her mom was a PE teacher growing up, so she has a background in physical fitness.  She has always been passionate about sports, but career-wise, she started in IP sales and ended up in the sales and marketing side of consumer goods.  At the time she was traveling every week, and when she was pregnant with her second child, she thought it was a good opportunity to change her career path.  She dug into her network and started looking for something different. At the same time Jason Von Bank, CEO of Wellbeats, was looking for someone with a sales and marketing background to manage those areas of the company. She met with Jason and she has been with Wellbeats for four and a half years.   Give us some insights into the depth and breadth of the content you guys are producing (04:31) Jen says they have traditional fitness classes like yoga and cycling - anything you can find in the group fitness area.  They also have nutrition classes, which include nutrition education and cooking recipes. Additionally, they offer mindfulness and meditation classes.  They tried to cater to different groups and environments; they have office breaks where you can do a quick workout in the office, and they also offer classes geared around specific sports like golf.  She says they try to accommodate everyone regardless of age, ability, interest or environment.  How do you help companies and corporations become active in the program? (06:36) Jen says technology is very beneficial in this area; it helps you reach customers in different ways with different messages.  It also allows them to recommend specific content to their customer, based on their interests and behaviors within the application. This keeps the customer engaged and ensures that they come back.  Customers return to Wellbeats because the company offers them something they are interested in.  If a customer signs up for a challenge, they will remind them to come back and complete their challenge. She says this drives engagement.  Some people are hard to get motivated and get going, and in most cases, these people must get activated. How do you approach this challenge? (07:27) Jen says Wellbeats provide a lot of tools to help employers motivate their employees.  They have monthly promotional campaigns where they focus on education like how to get started.  They offer education on anything from getting started to breathing exercises and adds that these are important because you shouldn’t just jump into a hiit class if you haven’t been working out.  She says nutrition is another gateway into physical activity, along with mindfulness classes. You can even listen to a podcast based on managing stress and anxiety. What does virtual training look like? (12:00) Jen says that all of their products are on demand right now, so they offer pre-recorded classes within their app.  They try to push people into their fitness assessments or their challenges so that they can fulfill the customers’ needs, whether it’s helping them lose weight, train for a 5k or help them with a work from home challenge.  They’re focused on helping the customer find a solution through a provided schedule.  Wellbeats do live recording on Facebook and social media, even some live events, but these are more event-based and not an everyday occurrence.  Resources Connect with Jen on LinkedIn Visit the Wellbeats Website

Dr. James Hardt moved around a lot in his earlier childhood due to his father being a teacher. This shaped his thinking about the nature of reality and the importance of transcending culture. He accelerated in Mathematics, Science and English in High School, which earned him a Scholarship and went to Carnegie Institute of Technology, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in Physics, and then a Masters Degree and PhD in Psychology along with a postdoc in psychophysiology at the Langley Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute in San Francisco.  What is Psychophysiology?  Dr. Hardt explains this term as psyche meaning “mind” and physiology meaning “body”. This involves interactions between mind and body. Dr. Hardt is a brain scientist and international businessman, and enables people to work with their physiology, the electroencephalogram, learning to control their emotions and their thinking or experiences, all of which are dependent on underlying brainwaves. Brainwaves rule your life - your emotions, feelings, perceptions. Anything that people do to have an effect or experience, they only have an effect if it changes the brainwaves.  What is BioCybernaut? What is the service provided by you? What are the qualities of what you do?  BioCybernaut is to inner space what an astronaut is to outer space. Deconstructing the word, “bio” means body, “cyber” is the calculating technology.  Cipher - long ago - was used to mean doing arithmetic, and calculations.  Naut is a Greek suffix used to describe someone going on an adventure. We now have Cosmonauts and Astronauts and Biosevennauts who explore inner space.  If brain exploration was looked at from a perspective of travel across the United States - New York meaning you know everything, and California is you know nothing - how far do you think we have gotten?  Making the assumption that the trip started in San Francisco, at least halfway across the Bay Bridge, and we are heading to Oakland.  People seem extremely full of angst and depression when everything seems relatively peaceful if you look at the history of mankind, why are we such an unsettled creature?  We are very aware. A cow may not be anxious or worried when being led to the slaughterhouse because they may not be a very aware creature. Whereas humans have the ability to be aware of past, present and future.  Ramadas said “If you want to live high, you have to live outside of time” and Zen Master Suzuki Roshi said, “time is the basis of fear”.  You may be fine in the present, but you may not be in the future.  Dr. Hardt believes perfectionism is a curable disease. An obsession with perfection creates anxiety and impairs your abilities. Letting go of perfectionism you will be closer to perfectionism.  Early psychological research was able to show that anxiety could impair all forms of performance, mental or physical.  Alphas brain waves are like silver bullets against anxiety. This was a basis for a paper Dr. Hardt published in 1978, where he was able to show that if you took high anxiety people and taught them to increase their alpha, both types of anxiety would drop.  There are 6 and 12-month check-ups with previous patients that used this method and proved that they were actually better off further down the line than the day after training.  Why is there shame around anxiety?  If it is believed that something relating to your mental state that you believe is not optimal or as good as those around you, there will be shame.  Dr. Hardt can help relieve this.  If you look at types of drugs that reduce anxiety, are they messing with alpha brain waves, or how are they working? Is this the science-related between he pharma and what you do or is there a connection?  Humans are Bio Electro Magneto Chemical Organisms - our awareness is dependent on proper functioning of biochemistry, the electrical and the magnetic activity which is produced by biological chemical activity.  Drugs allow you to intervene with biochemistry.  When you are working towards doing something, there are activities in your brain when you are doing brainwave feedback where you are doing your processes through consciousness, which alter underlying biochemistry.  A study done by Jean Penniston discovered the alterations brain wave training has on the blood, which reduced beta-endorphins, which is a stress indicator in the brain.  Brain wave training reduces a bad marker of brain biochemistry, which allows you to intervene in the system any place you like.  How long have you been studying this? You don’t count your birthdays anymore, is that right?  Dr. Hardt had started studying this subject even before he was 26.  When anyone comes over for training, Dr. Hardt will have a cake and put a candle in the middle of it to celebrate the fact that this is their first year of their life.  What is your origin story?  Dr. Hardt was a senior in physics at Carnegie Institute of Technology when he came across a sign that said Dr. Joe Kumea will be talking on brain waves. He decided to go.  Dr. Kumea discovered that humans could control their own brain waves in April 1962, he reported this result to the Western Psychological Association meeting in San Francisco.  Dr. Hardt spent his time reading anything he could find on brain waves.  Dr. Hardt rode his motorcycle across the trans-Canadian highway down where he found the Coast Highway and showed up at Dr. Kumeas lab where he volunteered.  Dr. Hardt went to Joanne Gardner after his initial 3-day test and asked her if he could go into the closet with the equipment to play around. She agreed and continued with her work, evidently forgetting him in the closet. Through the 11th course of their 12th course Chinese lunch Joanne was having with her coworkers, she remembered Dr. Hardt was locked in the basement.  Paul Gorman explained to Dr. Hardt that what he experienced in the chamber was meditation, Dr. Hardt then knew after that summer that his life was going to be about this.  How does plant medicine compare and contrast? Is there a bridge that needs to be closed?  If plants change your brain waves, you’ll have experiences.  A friend of Dr. Hardt went to Peru to record the brain waves during Iowa Ceremonies, and it was reported that the increased alpha brain waves were similar to what Dr. Hardt's training started on, but it lacked the negative effect.  There was a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association where medical students who had access to a brainwave computer wanted to see the effects that smoking marijuana would have on their brain. It was established that it increased the power of alphas and had a slight slowing in frequency.  Marijuana destroys short term memory, whereas Dr. Hardt's training does not.  A Biofeedback researcher named Barbara Brown gave College students LSD - before it became illegal - she discovered that it higher the alpha brain waves in some students, and lowered the alpha brain waves in others. The dividing line was whether or not they were visualizers.  What was one of the biggest personal challenges you had as you developed Biocybernaut and what led you down this path?  Dr. Hardt registered during his senior year, he set up an exchange program between the site department at Duquesne University, where they had some professors who were Jesuit Priests from France, who were teaching phenomenology.  Many professors did not want Dr. Hardt to work within this area. He registered as a grad student and became friends with Timothy Leary. Leary and his wife did a lot of LSD, and he’s a social psychological phenomenon. No matter what Leary did he was studying the structure of his consciousness and noting the ways his body influenced his mind.  Dr. Hardt was doing meditation in the Yogananda tradition along with his work in science.  Dr. Hardt learned that brain waves affect the different response the alpha brain waves have in superconscious states, such as Zen and Yoga.  Dr. Hardt tells Dr. Terrence Barret this, and a few hours gets denied the use of the electrophysiological equipment on the grounds that anyone who is interested in consciousness could not be serious about pursuing a PhD in psychology.  The acting Dean showed interest in the study of consciousness, and this allowed Dr. Hardt to continue his studies.  Can you give us insights into what type of people go through your program? What are the benefits? Give us some stories?  Tony Robbins, his wife and her personal assistant have gone through this. Robbins speaks highly of the Biocybernaut program.  Dr. Hardt has trained royalty, European Royalty and Middle Eastern Royalty who bring a lot of people to partake in the training as well.  Dr. Hardt has trained over 200 Canadian Aboriginal people.  Dr. Hardt has also trained professional athletes.  Dr. Hardt trained the Co-Founder of Canada's second-largest oil and gas company.  Dr. Hardt had trained famous chiefs and Shaman and medicine men and women from who attended 12 years a month's schools that existed up until 1989. One individual trained was Chief Willie Little Child - who was on the Truth and Reconciliation commission - he was the first Aboriginal ever to be elected to the Canadian National Parliament. The work Dr. Hardt did in Canada, gave him an invitation to be adopted into the Cree Indian Nation, and was invited to speak at the United Nations Geneva.  Is there anything that you or your business need right now that people can help out with?  Biocybernaut has a program, a dream system which will allow training to be cut down from seven to five days.  Dr. Hardt requires some help with sharing and spreading his business.  Dr. Hardt built the world's first micro computerized brain wave feedback and analyzing system.  Biocybernaut is a very strong decision making tool.  Resources: Doug: [email protected]  James: [email protected]  Website: www.biocybernaut.com

In this episode, I am interviewing Eric Chessen about fitness in the autism population.  Eric is the founder of Autism Fitness, which is a fitness framework dedicated to providing fun and meaningful fitness outcomes to individuals across the spectrum.  How has your life, and business changed over the last three months? (01:14) Eric says he has lived in New York his whole life. He and his wife decided that it was time for a big change, so they relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina. They relocated on the first of March, and three weeks later everything changed. They had three autism fitness certification level one courses coming up, which were two-day events. While hoping for the best, they soon realized that they weren’t going to be able to do the seminars.  Eric and his business manager put their heads together and agreed on two main concerns; one was purely from a business perspective, they knew that they had to keep their revenue stream going. Their second concern is that the valuable information they provide can’t be found anywhere else.  His goal is to provide the best possible fitness programming principles, concepts, and strategies to the autism community. They realized how important their information is to people and the community, so they completely restructure their level one certification.  They now offer a four-week online course on Zoom. They have certified professionals attending the Zoom calls. Doing the course online has been proven to be more advantageous because they have more time to spend on concepts and asking questions. They were forced into this situation, but it resulted in the production of something that is even better than the original version.  Do you agree that people will make the best out of our current situation and that it may even become a more permanent arrangement? (05:50) Eric agrees that someone who has been successful in a space away from home, also knows what it takes to be successful, even without that space.  He looks at the psychology of choice; it has been proven that people are not only fatigued when having too many choices, but they are also never satisfied.  People get confused when they have too many choices. Ultimately they end up being unhappy with their choice because there were too many options.  When you start putting in constraints, it improves focus and eliminates “noise”. When there isn’t a lot of choices, you pick one and go with it.  For the entrepreneurial-minded, it means making things happen even when you don’t have a lot of options. You don’t have a perfect course of action, but it eliminates a lot of variables.  Describe the type of people that enroll in your program, what is the ideal? (08:34) He says the high caliber of people that enroll in the program continues to astound him.  Autism fitness certification is not something you get into by accident. There’s almost a barrier to entry, and they see a cross-section of the fitness and the wellness community. The people that enroll consist of fitness trainers, PE coaches, physical and occupational therapists, speech pathologists, and parents.  Eric says the parents in the program are some of the most remarkable people because they do this to empower themselves, as well as to make it possible for other parents and families.  The trainers consist of those who are really interested in working with this niche population, but they need more guidance. There are also trainers who have been approached by parents or schools to develop fitness programs.  What will I gain by doing your certification? (15:51) The fitness professionals that take the course are already familiar with the principles of movement, biomechanics, and exercise selection.  The difference between general programming, and programming with the autism population, is that there are adaptive and cognitive variables with the autism population. There are also physical challenges involved because most of the autistic individuals that they work with tend to have gross motor deficits.   He says the adaptive and cognitive areas are where they really make a difference for fitness coaches because they’re looking at adaptive functioning as motivation. In other words, they assess the athlete’s level of motivation to participate, and what steps to take if the athlete isn’t motivated.  The entire course is set up on a contingency basis, meaning that they observe, and then react based on what they see. They provide positive behavior support to a population that generally doesn’t want to engage in vigorous physical activity.  What they are trying to deliver through the course, is having methods that work, and can be implemented immediately. What personal challenges have you encountered on your journey? (24:18) Eric says his biggest challenge is listening to people’s advice.  Another challenge was transitioning into the online world. He never wanted to do anything online but believes that a lot of fitness professionals feel the same way.  It comes back to the psychology of choice; if he wanted a viable and continuous business he had to do it online.  He started embracing it when the certified professionals, whose opinions he values very much, came back after the first few sessions and said that it was even better than the first course.  He just had to listen to what people had to say, and believe them when they said that the product he is producing now is better than the previous one.  Resources Connect with Jen on LinkedIn Visit the AutismFitness Website

Hewitt Tomlin is one of the Partners of TeamBuildr, a company that specializes in simplifying the program building and training regimes for coaches. He started his business in college with his roommates, and it was not an overnight success. They came across a problem that strength coaches had, and this was the fact that they were using Excel to train hundreds of athletes across the country, which was time-consuming for coaches. They eventually built a platform which made this process easier through their platform.  Tell us about your product and what makes TeamBuildr unique?  In the beginning, Tomlin thought that the key to his business would be to build an app that focuses on building good experiences for athletes electronically.  Soon they came to the realization that it is better to target their app to coaches who actually sit down and write these training programs, trying to ensure that coaches could save a couple of hours on writing training programs.  Tomlin placed an emphasis on building a platform that would make manual technical processes easier.  TeamBuildr will strive to always be a platform that is up to date and continuously improving their features.  What are your thoughts on the current status of things? How did the pandemic affect your business?  The current pandemic has accelerated business in a few sectors and remote training tools such as ours, it is beneficial for tools that facilitate some sort of remote transaction.  This means that your competition will increase.  You are solving a piece of the equation by being a remote tool, but there are several aspects that are involved. Tomlin likes to use the example that the highest quality platform may not always be the best selling, it is all in how it is marketed.  If your marketing is not formatted for today's situation, you cannot acquire customers remotely.  Tomlins business is not just about talking about their platform, but it's about helping coaches holistically with their pain points.  What are some features that you find more relevant now than maybe six months ago that you are focusing on?  A social media platform is important.  We have been working on a Team Feed which allows you to share your videos and images. This is important for coaches, they want to be notified of uploads. How do you see yourself fitting into the market? What makes TeamBuildr different?  TeamBuildr has decided to stay true toward what they call the Strength and Conditioning professional.  This means that the programs that you are writing and the feedback that is given has to do with strength training.  They cater towards the market interested in the principle of progressive overload.  How big are the Strength and Conditioning professional market? How does TeamBuildr estimate?  The market can very easily be estimated as it relates to Team Space, which includes high schools, colleges, professional teams, recreational teams, and so on - which is a market that is growing very nicely.  Strength and Conditioning have been growing in High Schools spaces due to the job stability it provides. CrossFit also affected the way Strength and Conditioning were seen, and it popularized it more.  This has been a big part of TeamBuildrs business, and it is getting bigger.  What has been one of your biggest challenges as an entrepreneur?  When it came to building their business, Tomlin said they were unaware that they were building a software as a service.  A lot of the advice given to Tomlin was not as relevant as it would have been if a business was being built 20 years ago, which meant that they had to seek direction on their own.  Tomlin and his partner discovered that they could be self-sufficient and could make progress for their business, and Tomlin did not understand the concept of taking money to see if it would win or lose within a couple of years.  Have you taken on investors? Are you still bootstrapping?  Tomlin says they never took on any investors, and never took out a loan.  They resorted to selling subscriptions and sold about 10 the first year. Tomlin and his partner were working full-time jobs and would reinvest into the business until the company snowballed.  They have been bootstrap the whole time.  What year did you officially found the company?  Tomlin says they made their first sale in 2012, with a division 3 school in Lynchburg, Virginia.  Tomlin spent his time cold calling coaches and using staff directories to try and get clients.  What are some gems you got from the cold calling experience?  Tomlin explains that when he was cold calling, he knew that this industry required time and trust was a big deal.  The Strength and Conditioning community is very tightly knit and he knew it would take time for it to snowball.  Cold calling is worth it for anyone evaluating when they start on a sales development enterprise.  What is your goal with this company? Do you have an exit strategy? What would you consider to be a success?  Tomlin says that they are pretty transparent about how they look at long term goals for a company.  He enjoys what he does and loves his customers, and says that he would not do anything that puts his business at risk.  They want to build a company that is attractive to people who are interested in buying the Country Club, so to speak.  If customers want to be involved, they would have to invest into the company, and they will inform them of future developments and growth.  They are taking the course that is a balanced approach, which is reinvesting in the company while making it a balanced approach.  Explain your thoughts on the decentralization of the fitness industry, where do they come from?  Tomlin explains that when he talks about decentralization, what he envisions is these really high-quality trainers who go out and learn how to market and acquire customers.  He supports small businesses and thinks a coach building up a business and 50 clients giving them very personal high touch training programs in nutrition advice, life and stress management coaching is a good model.  Tomlin thinks the only thing holding people back from doing this is the marketing and the concept of acquiring customers effectively.  When we look at the current state of your business at Team Builder, what is the biggest need that you guys have right now? What is your biggest challenge?  Similar to other Tech companies, finding good engineers and developers are important, TeamBuildr is considered a product-first company.  TeamBuildr is all about bringing a good product that is sustainable and scalable, and that requires talented and committed people.  TeamBuildr exists to ensure that employees are taken care of as well as customers, and then the economics are to be worried about.  Is your whole team located in DC? Do you have a remote team? How big is your team? TeamBuildr has 7 employees that are in office, but they are currently working remotely due to the epidemic.  The reason behind this was the desire to found a culture for the company, this means they want to bring in people face to face and have decided to be an in-person company.  What are some new products that Team Builder is putting out there?  TeamBuildrs first and foremost product is built for a coach to write their own training programs.  TeamBuildr  also offers resources in the form of templates and training templates.  The company got started on writing new templates for competitive athletes, speed, power and agility which would allow coaches to quickly be able to incorporate these into their training.  TeamBuildr built three to four at home templates that coaches could have access to and use within training their team, that it was of high quality and trustworthy.  Resources:  Facebook: Hewitt Tomlin LinkedIn: Hewitt Tomlin Website: TeamBuildr

Adam Zeitsiff is the CEO of Gold’s Gym. Zeitsiff has faced many challenges during the COVID, which shaped his belief that he may not solve the virus, but he can help to solve the problems within the fitness industry and ensure that it remains alive and thriving.  What kind of challenges have you faced? Give me an example of a challenge you faced over the last 60-90 days that came up where you had to overcome in a creative way? Zeitsiff says that during the shutdown, they faced the problem of supporting their team members, supporting their members and giving through unique content that members could consume from home.  Focusing on restructuring that they were going through, in order to ensure their business would be here 55 years from now.  They had to get really creative in focusing on their future and not getting distracted and keep the focus on bettering the business.  A schedule was built of things that Gold’s Gym had to accomplish, and pulling that through the entire shutdown in order to create a brand that will be here for a long time. Gold Gym tried their best focusing on the positives and hyped up their creativity with how they delivered their services.  What is the difference between just closing down and restructuring? What are the guidelines you have to work with? What does that mean for the company? The differences are that people fall for it due to the fact that they believe they have to protect themselves because they feel as if they can no longer be a concern within the company.  You may have a business that can - and will - survive, it is just important to restructure, remove liabilities and clean up your balance sheet.  The pandemic was difficult on the Fitness industry - and the food industry - we had no way to do any sort of deliveries or get any revenue in.  Gold Gym had to solve these liabilities and had to clean up their balance sheets with some of the clubs they operated.  Gold Gym restructured, removed their liabilities, and cleaned up their balance sheets in order to pull through the pandemic and be in a good position to expand internationally.   Beyond the hybrid model, what are you seeing now? Maybe from a technological perspective, or an entirely new model, what do you think is going to come out of it?  Zeitsiff says since the last time they spoke, they are even stronger than they were. Gold Gym has taken tremendous strides and has quite a few things to announce.  Hybridization is key to creating amazing experiences in the gym. If you are incapable of getting digital solutions that allow individuals to work out when not in a gym, it coincides with the brand's persona.  Zeitsiff believes digitizing gyms will be taken to the next level.  There will be people who will personalize the experience more than others, and engage members.  How do you increase experience? I guess that is Gold’s Amp. Is that the project or the answer you guys are working on to this digital fitness solution?  Gold’s Amp has been Gold Gyms foundation to digital fitness since their launch in 2017.  There are a lot of plans in order to develop features, functionality, content, programming and experience.  Who are the people that may never come back to a gym? How is Gold’s Gym trying to get in touch with these people and communicate with them?  Those who do not return may not have been so committed, to begin with, or who are not comfortable being in public spaced.  Gold’s Gym is reaching out to people, and informing them that they are taking necessary precautions to keep things clean.  One can only control what they can control. You can only give them proof that their health is taken into consideration, and that gyms are a safe space to be in.  If you were going to talk to an independent health club owner or someone who owns a couple of facilities, are there any blind spots or anything that you think a lot of those leaders within the health club industry are missing?  It is important to note that gyms are on the hot seat right now, the industry is under the microscope. It is important to show members you are constantly cleaning.  The fitness industry should not be afraid to sell and think about what to sell, and how to sell. It is important to realize people are cautious.  What other leaders in the industry as far as technology are you keeping an eye on? Any companies or names that you would like to highlight? Taking a look at the big guys, and how they innovate and react quickly is the forefront of our businesses.  First and foremost, the big guys need help to innovate and lead. They need their creations integrated within businesses.  Any type of technology that helps with engagement within the fitness industry is vital and is more important now than ever.  What are some of the bigger news outlets that you are on? Zeitsiff was on CNN, NBC Nightly News, and he enjoys the chances to represent Gold’s Gym.  With that level of exposure, how has your life changed over the last 90 days? Zeitsiffs wife keeps him humble, and it has helped him realize that they have a platform and allows him to help the industry.  Zeitsiff has been blessed to be running these brands, and this industry is very much needed in these difficult times. Exercise is medicine.    So Adam, anything else you’d like the fitness industry to hear?  Zeitsiff says that it is important for the fitness industry to continue with what they are doing, and keep helping people with their daily lives.  Resources Connect with Adam on LnikedIn Visit Gold’s Gym Website

In this episode, I had an interview with Max Coleman about his journey to healing, and how it resulted in him becoming the successful CEO of DaoCloud - a wellness practitioner network and marketplace.  We spoke about challenges, health issues, the problems practitioners are currently facing regarding insurance and so much more.  Tell us about your story; your background (4:42) Max is the CEO of Daocloud, which is a wellness practitioner network and marketplace. Daocloud was inspired by his own journey to healing and was founded with his colleague who he met in college. As a kid, he was put on a bunch of ADD drugs like Ritalin and Adderall, which did a good job of getting him to concentrate but had a very negative effect on him physically and mentally. To such effect that he was battling chronic back pain at the age of 16. Max started doing extensive research on health and holistic therapies. It took about 6 years to heal his back pain, but he learned a lot about his own health in this journey and realized that at least half the country has a chronic disease. The way he sums it up, most chronic diseases are caused by blocks of energy and emotions in the body, and Daocloud focuses on those aspects to get to the root of the problem. Daocloud recognizes 51 therapies.  After 5 years, the company has a network of 7000 practitioners in 50 states and 180 cities. The company offers a quiz and uses the answers to recommend which practitioner you need. Their mission is to make wellness primary care.  Are there windows into insurance money for these practitioners, or is that still a far thought? (14:42) Medicare and Medicaid recently started covering acupuncture, and chiropractors are also making way. But most insurance companies don’t cover these therapies. Max believes that there is not enough research to prove the efficacy of these treatments, as studies aren’t being funded to scientifically prove that they work. In the future, they will fund studies to prove efficacy so that insurance companies will get on board. Insurance companies make money from monthly instalments, and the people staying alive to pay them. So if they can prove that these therapies provide wellness and a longer lifespan, insurance companies will get on board.  Over the past 5 years, what are some of the challenges you faced as the founder and leader? (16:39) First is that initially, Eric, Max’s co-founder, used to be the CEO. he left about 2 years ago, and that’s when Max became CEO, and just took the company by its reins.  The biggest challenge he describes is loneliness. He feels like he’s in a dark tunnel where he can’t look back, he just has to keep going.  There is a lot of pressure in keeping 7000 practitioners, 1012 investors and his own team of 15 people happy.  In addition, all the stress and anxiety is not healthy, but he believes he was cut out for this because his own struggles with health are what enable him to lead the company. Who do you look up to? (19:26) Max says the first person that comes to mind is Elon Musk. Although he is probably not taking great care of his health, Max idolizes Elon for all that he is doing for the environment.  He looks up to entrepreneurs like Reid Hoffman, who he feels is very underrated.  Jason Calacanis is another idol for him - he believes that he is a great investor, and has a knack for finding founders of value.  Another thing he pointed out about Jason Calacanis, is that he has no problem giving out money for the right reasons, and thinks that founders need more people like him to support them.  Walk me through founder market fit? (22:18) Max describes founder market fit as a way of determining whether a founder would be a good fit to solve the market problem. He uses Jason as an example, saying that he is not too concerned with the business, but rather with the founder; their background, education, personality and so forth. Founders rarely fail because they run out of money; they fail because they give up. That is one of the crucial components to look at when deciding whether or not the founder is a good fit - you need to know that they won’t give up. Resources Connect with Max on LinkedIn Visit the Daocloud Website

In today’s episode, I have Justin Devonshire as a guest. We will be discussing the intricate topic of entrepreneurship, and what it means to be a leader from an investor’s point of view.  Justin shares his story of the hardships he has had to endure to get to where he is now.  Justin is the founder of Fitness Business Blueprint, as well as an investor and mentor.  Tell us about your backstory? (01:13) Justin tells me that when he was working at a gym as a college student, his intention was not to be a business owner; he was satisfied just working with fitness clients.  However, he was putting in a lot of extra hours, until the owner eventually gave him the keys and told him he can do as he pleases. Even though he was putting in all this time, he wasn’t receiving any revenue or even acknowledgement for his efforts. Family friends of theirs had an apartment in Cyprus and offered to let him stay there while trying to start his own fitness business. This was about 10 years ago.  He thought it would be easy to start up, but it wasn’t until he nearly got evicted after losing all his savings that he realized he needed to go back home and learn more about marketing and running a business.  Being a great coach won’t necessarily make you a good owner of a coaching business.  What drove you to Cyprus, was it a lifestyle choice, or did you see it as a business opportunity? (05:31) He says growing up in the UK, he always wanted to live in a warmer place like the Mediterranean.  Then the opportunity arose to move to Cyprus. He saw it as both a good change of scenery as well as a business opportunity.  It was primarily a lifestyle choice. He explains that his father worked very hard to retire on an island in Greece, and gave him some solid advice on life.  His father said that after working hard his whole life to make his dream a reality, he was bored because his best years were behind him.  Justin says his goal is to create a career in a place where he can see himself retire, rather than waiting for retirement before moving to the place of his dreams.  What are some of the biggest changes you made to make this thing a success? (10:16) Justin says when he was trying to start his own business, the mistake he made was in not taking factors like finances and systems into consideration. He was just trying to replace a job and pay his salary, he wasn’t thinking of growth.  He has since learned to position himself as unique, and to know the value of what he has to offer.  Instead of trying to tell people his worth, he started showing them by allowing people to come in and try his programs for free, or at a very low cost. Thus allowing the product to sell itself. He learned a lot about his target market and marketing itself. Becoming aware of aspects like organic marketing and the use of social media.  He started placing more focus on social media like Facebook and Youtube and adds that these were nearly the only two platforms so it was very easy and very cheap to make videos that ranked for keyword search terms, as no one else was really doing it. Talk to us about your company, who is your team? (27:36) Justin says he works with different business partners, clients, and long term friends. These are typically entrepreneurs with great entrepreneurial potential. In team building, they distinguish between integrators and visionaries. Visionaries being the impulsive people with the ideas, and integrators being the individuals who can put a structure in place.  He has a consulting team, which acts as the operational team. They are there to assist him, as he can’t run all the operations himself.  He also has an operational manager, an executive assistant, and a few implementers. This team is in charge of implementing systems, tracking finances and working on the long term strategy. In addition, they have individual teams and coaches, an online business, and a partner in India that handles online fitness throughout Dubai, India and the Middle East.  What’s your criteria for investing; not just monetary, but your expertise as well? (30:16) Justin says in the past he made the mistake of investing in a person because they had a great business idea, but they are not the right person for the business.  When this happened, he tried to overcompensate with his own knowledge, but these businesses never work out, because there’s no heart in it.  The entrepreneur has to be the ultimate leader with a vision for their business, and doing what it takes to make it a success.  If he comes across someone with a terrible idea, but they have what it takes to be a leader, he is willing to invest in them. What he looks for is a person who can be a leader, and who wants to invest their all into a business.   Resources Connect with Justin on LinkedIn Visit JustinDevonshire Website

In today’s episode, I have Andrew Swansburg as my guest. We will be looking at emerging markets, customer-centric and the challenges a young entrepreneur faced when starting a business.  Andrew is the founder and CEO of BrandBot, an all in one customer communication hub that is aimed at helping you reach customers the right way.  Who do you serve, primarily? (03:37) Andrew says their main focus is boutique studios.  They see a lot of emerging trends right now, like HIIT, boxing, and rowing.  Yoga is still their top market and brings in a lot of business.  However, he adds that a lot of their growth is coming from newer trends. Let’s try and define customer-centric? (05:32) Andrew believes how you got to where you are is an important factor. When talking about a studio’s product, to him that means the classes they’re offering. When they started, that product was most likely enough. However, with the fast opening of more studios and fitness modalities, they are starting to see that just the product is not enough anymore.  BrandBot is shifting into an era where businesses need to determine who they want their customers to be and focus solely on that. Brands are using specific personalities, something no one else is offering, to grow their businesses, rather than relying on their product alone.  Do you step in once people know who their customer is, or do you help them figure that out? (08:00) Andrew says they are there from day one, and they can be used differently as a business grows and changes.  Initially, their business is used for the transactional aspects like following up on Facebook leads and communicating with customers via email.  They feel it’s a shame that businesses continue using them for the transactional parts only. Their more experienced customers use them to present their brand along the journey. BrandBot helps the customer position themselves as a business, helping their customers establish what their goals are and how to accomplish them.   Around 18 months they start seeing a transition as people start figuring how to communicate with clients, and how to reuse that tested and approved method.  How have you seen growth within your company? (14:57) Andrew says they’ve seen a lot of change in the past three months.  For the first year and a half, they were focused mainly on creating an exciting product that would attract sales.  BrandBot has been doing a lot of digital marketing events, which is big for them at the moment.  A group of people in the same place always adds value, and it should be something business owners invest in. They have also started hiring outbound reps, adding to the sales function or a strict sales process.  How is your role changing? What challenges have you faced? (21:41) Andrew says his first challenge was being a college drop out in his 20’s, and the pressure that came from having to make a success out of his idea.  He approached a corporate culture specialist, and this guy walked him through evaluating his thinking as an entrepreneur; determining when to act on your thinking, and when to just let thoughts simmer.  That foundation helped him transition from just focusing on the product, to managing a team and his customers. He realized he had to scale himself because he could not fulfil all the roles anymore.  The whole transition, and trusting other people to handle business was very difficult for him.  He believes that trusting his team, and knowing when to rely on his thoughts has been a growing process for him.  Resources Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn Visit BrandBot Website

Today, I have guest Mel Tempest talking to me about the fitness industry; how she saw an opportunity 17 years ago and grabbed it with both hands. We discuss the ever-changing market of fitness, some of the struggles it faces and what the future holds for gym owners.  Mel started a health club in 2003 and is constantly on the hunt for new ideas and opportunities to make her club a safe, comfortable environment for everyone. While being an event speaker and podcaster.  Tell us about your journey in the crazy world of fitness (01:14) Mel explains she opened up the club in 2003 after a mentor told her that she would never aspire to be anything more than a circuit instructor. She was in her mid 30’s and wanted to be more than a real estate agent. She wanted to be a gym instructor. She had no real experience, but along with her husband decided to open a gym anyway.  Their first club was in a 450 square meter church hall. It was having numerous people come up to her and telling her that they were looking for a non-intimidating environment, that made Mel realize she needed to change her business model.  She’s been changing her business model for the past 17 years to meet the demographic in her community. 17 years later, and Mel reports that they are still going strong in an 1800 square meter facility of their own. And their goal remains the same; to create a safe, comfortable environment for members.  You said you shifted the way you did business to fit your demographic. Expand on that? (04:15) Mel says the first thing she banned in her clubs were crop-tops. Trainers were to wear regular shirts at all times. She tried to create a less intimidating environment by using her own staff as an advertisement for her business, rather than the image set by the media. She feels the graphics in the media were intimidating.  For a larger person, walking into a club where everyone is wearing crop tops and tank tops would be uncomfortable. Her aim was and has been for 17 years, to make the club a safe place for everyone.  For some members, coming to the club is the best part of their day. So she pays attention to the small things like greeting people and knowing their names. What expectations did you have for your podcast? (10:08) Mel says she wanted to interview people that she felt would help the industry, and she thought it was a simpler way of getting the knowledge to other club owners.  Too much focus is placed on high and mid-level achievers, so entry-level businesses are left behind; that became her target market.  These could include new businesses or business owners that have been in the industry for 10 to 15 years but are frightened of developing technology. Her goal was to assist those who are too afraid to ask for help. Their next step was getting the right speakers for the show. They have been very fortunate so far, and they are currently standing strong at 860 000 hits. She knows they are sharing the right information, as people approach her on a regular basis to tell her how much her knowledge has helped them. How do you look for collaborations in this industry? (20:03) Mel states that her main focus is to look for people that can offer something that she can’t, and if she can’t do something, she will get someone who can. She uses her female leaders as an example, saying that some of them excel in speaking about mindfulness and self-care. This, however, is not her strong suit.  Those in the health and wellness industry have a responsibility in creating positive mental health.  If you do not treat your peers with respect, it will have a negative mental impact on them. We don’t want anyone in the industry thinking that they are not valued as a speaker or coach. Everyone in the industry must be held accountable for the impact they have on their peers and teams. Everyone has to treat each other as part of a team, rather than the competition.  What are some of the biggest opportunities in the fitness industry? (23:25) Mel makes a great point in arguing that those who do not grow with technology will get left behind. There are new products coming out on a regular basis, products that are meant to make life easier - like running your front desk.  People over the age of 45 are frequently overlooked, but this age group has money to spend. They want one on one sessions and help with nutrition.  Every club has four business models under their roof; group fitness programming, technology, the gym with the actual equipment, and the practice. Don’t promote your business as a whole, promote it as individual business models.  The fitness industry is ever-changing. Attend events, listen to podcasts, do some research on how to improve so you can extend your stay in the industry.  Resources Connect with Mel on LinkedIn Visit Mel Tempest Website

In today’s episode, I have Kate Jaramillo and Ken Andrukow as guests. We will touch topics such as changes that are taking place in the world and the fitness industry, and what people need to be doing in these trying times.  Kate is a wellness mentor and ketogenic lifestyle expert. Her goal is to help women thrive and become the best version of themselves.  Ken is the owner and founder of Reebok CrossFit in Ramsay, Canada. Ken is aimed at helping members become open-minded and willing to take action. Let’s get right into it, what do you guys see out there? (01:32) Ken says he believes that times like these are when greatness rises. He says the health industry will make a dramatic change in regards to vaccines and the trials that accompany these vaccines.  He thinks that the time spent on trials for vaccines and cures will be shortened because people don’t want to be in this position again.  Kate adds that she thinks this is an exciting time; she says business owners will realize how much money they can save on rent and hiring offices. People will see what a big percentage of their work can be done from home.  She adds that all these open spaces that were used for offices and businesses can be converted to apartments, churches or grocery stores.  Also, general expenses will be much less. People are spending less money on things like gas and dry cleaning when they work from home.  One of the important questions business owners should ask themselves right now, is do I want my business to survive this? (07:00) Kate says she was inspired by advice saying that this is the pause we need.  A lot of business owners are unhappy with where they are with their business; four or five years down the line they don’t remember why they started the business in the first place.  Ken says that if you’ve wanted to stop what you’re doing because you don’t love it anymore, now is the time to do it. He adds that if a business has been shut down for three months, it will be even harder than before to get it back on track. No one will blame you for shutting down.  If you’re in an industry that’s ripe for disruption, now is the time for innovation (09:28) Ken says there hasn’t been much change in the fitness industry in 30 years in terms of what people want and need from the industry.  Technology has played its part in the last 5 years, but mostly in data recording.  Regarding the interaction between fitness professionals and clients, there’s a major innovation on its way.  If you’re in the industry, you have to think about your clients; what they wanted before the coronavirus struck, and what their needs will be after it's over.  What are you guys seeing in the wellness industry? (17:29) Kate says that people are in a panic, and giving things away for free. They have also noticed a rise in fake work-from-home business opportunities. These ads are posted on Facebook, and people are even getting personal messages about these insincere opportunities.  A lot of people are also stepping up as leaders and offering their clients support.  It’s important to check in with your clients, even if it's just for support. She sent out an email to numerous clients, just asking if they need anything, and what can she do to assist.  They put together a resource guide with fitness and nutritional information so that clients can keep up their routine. They aren’t doing it as a lead magnet, but rather to make sure clients feel calm, loved and supported in these times.  Looking at it from a societal standpoint, what is the one change you’d like to see in societies and communities after this pandemic (19:30) Kate says she wants people to make more time for each other. She wants people to go the extra mile for one another; not to take a hug or a handshake for granted.  Ken says he doesn’t want people going back to normal when all this is over; he wants us to learn from it.  He hopes that we become closer, as a society and a world.  Resources Connect with Ken on LinkedIn Connect with Kate on LinkedIn

Today, I have Steven Webster as a guest, and together we will dig into the future of technologically advanced training and coaching.  Steven is the CEO of Asensei, a mobile app that allows athletes to get guidance and coaching from professional individuals.  Give us some insight into your story; the story of Asensei and the development thereof (01:17) Steven says Asensai was brought together from three of his passions; sports, technology and being an entrepreneur. He was fortunate to have been working with big companies like Adobe, Microsoft and many more.  Growing up, he played every sport imaginable. He was already a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu when he went to university and before long, he became the coach for the Edinburgh University karate club - leading them to 10 national championships.  One problem he always wanted to solve was how to coach effectively using digital technology.  He saw the pieces fall into place. He felt that there had to be a way to make human movement; to create something that a machine can understand and teach.  Finally, he put together a team to solve that problem. Give us insight into Asensei; what are the qualities, what pieces are involved? (24:21) It's essentially a mobile app that allows you to pair with your apparel over Bluetooth. He says the app lets you subscribe to coaching plans and programs, allowing you to be guided and coached in your choice of sport with the help of the apparel sensors. Asensei has manufactured its own brand of compression gear, allowing a new brand to pilot the technology.  The goal for Asensei is to market; they want technical apparel companies to approach them with questions as to how they can implement sensors in their clothing.  Over the past five years, what are some of the biggest challenges you faced in building Asensei? (25:45) He believes the biggest challenge most companies face is timing.  You have to ensure that you don’t raise too much money too fast, as the market won't be ready.  With a complex product like Asensei, you can’t just drop your whole idea into the market, you have to present it piece by piece so that people understand what they’re getting into.  In addition, he says that you have to get investors on board. Although investors pride themselves on being risk-takers, initially it’s difficult to get people to imagine the future you have in mind.  What mouth-watering markets are you looking into right now? (31:25) Steven thinks the market they can have an impact on first is sports coaching.  Too much focus is placed on rehabilitation, rather than pre-habilitation. How do people know if they are in the shape they’re supposed to be in for the sport they want to practice? He refers to the industrial athlete; people whose job is to perform tasks that require skill and coordination. The idea that their movement can be continuously monitored and coached into the correct movement is a huge market opportunity.  Correct movement is vital, just like vital signs are critical to our health and well-being.  What do you think is the biggest need within your business right now? (35:19) Steven believes all entrepreneurs are frustrated with the pace of progress. So the ultimate goal is getting to the future faster.  He wants people to be compelled to use the app; even if you’re not a professional athlete of any kind, this app can help you train with professionals.  He uses rowing as an example and adds that you don’t even need the compression apparel, they will use data from the rowing machine and they’ll assist you with the right posture, technique and movements. Once you do get the apparel, you can get even more advanced coaching.  Fitness shouldn’t become something you have to be able to afford. He wants people to use the app so that everyone can get the most out of their training by using their ordinary equipment while implementing the sensors to monitor movement.  Resources Connect with Steven on LinkedIn Visit Asensei Website

In today’s episode, I am interviewing Kresten Jensen to discuss the topic of technology in fitness. How Motosumo has grown from three friends to a full-blown company.  Todays’s episode features a special deal. If you are a fitness professional or gym owner looking for ways to improve client experience, visit futureoffitness.co/deal. There you will find a discount code and a place to sign up.  Kresten is the founder and CEO of Motosumo; a fitness app that allows people to participate in group training and to connect with one another.  Tell us your story, how did you get into this? (03:25) Kresten says he has always been keen on sports and fitness. The whole idea started when two of his friends came over for pizza and they started building on this idea. They were looking at similar concepts and felt that they could produce something more interesting.  They thought if people were bringing their phones on a bike ride or a run, they could actually tell people how to move and provide insight into their power and efficiency.  They approached their first investors, and as soon as they got the go-ahead, they jumped right into it.  Creating an app to generate an income is tricky, because people look for free apps, and there are numerous fitness apps out there.  Where is the company now, as far as health clubs and gyms go? (07:37) Kresten says the company now has more than a thousand gyms on the platform, which was a big milestone for them.  They reached the thousand mark by the new year 2019. He’s always a bit cautious to give exact revenue but to provide a range; it’s around $2000 per gym annually for the full service. He adds that at this point in time, they are still using more money than they are actually accumulating. But he is confident that this will change very soon. Gamification, social networks, and events are powerful qualities. Did you implement these qualities intentionally? (09:43) He says initially, the social part wasn’t part of their vision. It was meant to be used as a tracking tool for the individual.  However, some more visionary team members convinced them of the benefits of connecting people. They were sceptical at first, but in no time they started seeing the positive effect of social connection. When he started thinking about gamification, his initial thought was to do something where people could compete. However, an advisor told them that the majority of people are collaborators and not competitors. People want to be part of a team.  Although these qualities were initially not implemented on purpose, they definitely are now.  You started out as a group of friends with an idea, and now you are running a whole company. What was adaption like? (17:32) He says one of the biggest factors for him was the fact that you can’t be involved in everything, and you definitely can’t be an expert at everything.  When you’re only three to eight people, you know what everyone else is doing. But as the numbers grow, it’s hard to keep track of everyone, so management systems and communication procedures must be put in place.  The most challenging mental shift for him was that he had to let go of things he knows nothing about, and things that shouldn’t bother him in the first place.  He jokingly says that he believes he has been quite a nuisance for some of the company members because he wants to be a part of everything and be involved everywhere.  How do fitness professionals take advantage of technology like yours? (20:05) He says regardless of what your profession is, you can find the app useful, and it’s really easy to use. It takes 5 minutes to install the app and you can get started right away. Once you’ve got the app, you just activate your gym on your phone. Since we are already using our smartphones for everything else, this is the sort of technology where you shouldn’t be afraid to get started. They have a ten-minute explainer video, and if it takes you more than ten minutes to understand how Motosumo works, it’s becoming too complicated.   If you really want to take advantage of this, it’s more than just downloading the app; you have to immerse yourself and see what the app can do for you. This will allow you to add value to your group fitness Resources Connect with Kresten on LinkedIn Visit Motosumo Website

In this episode, I have Mark Fisher as a guest. Contrary to what we normally do in discussing the future of fitness, this episode will discuss the importance of routines and structures that allow you to get the most out of your day and life.  Mark is the “Ninja master” and co-CEO of Mark Fisher Fitness, a gym he describes as offering serious fitness for ridiculous humans! They help people who normally hate the gym, find a fitness place they actually love.  How are you personally dealing with the lockdown? (02:41) Mark says he is actually doing pretty good, and the lockdown has made him realize how easy it is for him to do his own thing. He loves people, but he’s quite self-directed and can thrive on his own all day long. The opportunity to work on products alone, with the occasional meeting, is something that appeals to him.  However, he is also worried about what the next 12 months will hold, in terms of social restrictions set by the government, or even by social culture. It won’t be like flipping a switch and going back to normal. New York is a real estate game, and the main consideration is can you make enough money in that real estate market to cover fixed costs and make a meaningful profit.  Pay attention to events in the macroeconomic environment, because the downwind thereof will hit everyone. He thinks NY will deal with more psychological and emotional obstacles than a lot of other places but stresses the fact that in the long run, we will all be fine.  What are you doing during this time, perhaps reading more? (06:35) Mark says he likes working on products. One of the things he teaches is time management, so he likes creating a structure; being diligent and conscientious and just getting things done.  Most of his days are spent around a routine; getting up around 06:30, spending 20 minutes meditating, and 30 to 45 minutes reading while drinking his green formula and his morning coffee.  He completes his more intense tasks like writing an email, landing pages, marketing content, or working on presentations early in the morning. He does these in 30-minute blocks, and on a good day, he completes up to 5 30 minute blocks.  After checking emails and social media, he does a quick workout, followed by a late lunch and another meditation session, and then starts the second part of his day where he mostly does meetings.  The final part of his day starts around 17:30 to 18:30, where he spends 60 to 90 minutes crossing off the easier tasks like paperwork and clearing his inbox. Around 18:00 to 20:00 he has completed his cycle and spends the evening with his wife and their dog. Explain your statement that you have to create a challenging game that will allow you to move forward with momentum? (17:24) Mark says this is broadly about how the day gets scheduled. He likes to say that to-do lists that don’t exist in time are a recipe for being miserable, sad, and crazy.  You have to capture the inputs, either using a notebook, Google docs, or any resource that will allow you to capture all the things that need to be done.  You have responsibilities towards your personal life, work assignments, client-related tasks, and just an abundance of things to remember. Not writing these things down will make your life very, very challenging.  But then, you also have to analyze and organize these lists; if you have a bunch of never-ending to-do lists, you will never have the satisfaction of a game you can win, and there will never be a sense of accomplishment.  What is your unique ability, that fires you up and makes you feel like you do better than most people? (23:21) Mark says the ability to be meticulous with his time is a great asset. Discipline is something a lot of people struggle with, and he feels it’s a blessing to be disciplined.  Another factor for him is that he loves learning, and believes he is a quick study; he is able to find the frameworks and put them into action in a short time.  His third “superpower” is that he loves teaching; anything that has to do with mentoring and developing skills.  Something he’s really been digging into is adult learning, or training the trainer as it’s called in corporate circles. This boils down to training a team to do things very consistently and using the best learning practices for their task.  Given the uniqueness of our current situation, what books are you revisiting right now? (27:12) Mark says he has mainly been revisiting books lately because he is just not enthused by new books at the moment.  He says its probably a phase, but he has no interest in business books. Among the topics, he’s interested in are psychology, hard science, and philosophy. He recently revisited Man’s Search For Meaning, Sapiens, and Antifragile.  Among these books, he is also reading How Not To Be Wrong, which is known as Bill Gates’ top 10 books.  For the time being, he is enjoying books that are denser of nature.  Resources Connect with Mark on LinkedIn Visit Mark Fisher Fitness Website

Today I have Erica Suter as my guest. We’re getting into the world of youth sports, and how competitive and business-minded it has become.  Erica is a strength and conditioning coach, whose passion lies in youth sports and training young players to become strong, resilient and creative, while still enjoying the game.  Give us your background; how did you get here, and what do you do? (01:15) Erica says she has been a strength and conditioning coach for eight years; her main focus is on elementary, middle and high school kids. She does have college athletes training with her, who has been with her since a young age. Soccer has always been a joyous part of her life. She played soccer while in college, and when she graduated she became a volunteer and coach for young kids in Brazil.  She was unsure of her future, so she started looking for ways to make a career out of coaching. When she returned from Brazil, she started training athletes in her free time. She noticed that her training was taking off, so she left her job six months later and started coaching full time.  What advice would you give someone who's new in the industry, and not getting a lot of traction? (09:12) Erica says consistency is the key factor in becoming successful.  The most important thing to keep in mind is that people need to do something they’re passionate about and can post about every day; something that doesn’t feel like an obligation.  This can be a video compilation of their training or services, it can be podcasting or having an active Twitter account.  Gaining traction shouldn’t be your only goal; make this a journey in finding yourself and what you’re good at.  How has soccer changed over the last 10 years in North America? (11:40) The first thing Erica mentions is that soccer has become faster and more physical, and of course, more competitive.  More and more youngsters are becoming involved in soccer, especially female athletes.  She adds that because it’s become so competitive, kids are finding less joy in soccer, as they seem to be experiencing a lot of pressure.  People are forgetting the purpose of youth sports. The pressure has led kids to compare themselves on social media; they aren’t playing for fun anymore, they are playing to become professional, or get a college scholarship.  Early specialization isn’t necessarily a good thing. Where do you think the most pressure is coming from, parents, or coaches? (13:07) Erica says it’s a combination of both. However, she tries to be forgiving with parents, as they are receiving all sorts of information, and in most cases, they don’t know any better. Parents are most likely forced into early specialization. The world of sports is rapidly becoming a world of business. It may be that parents don’t realize this is the direction they’re heading in, but the system is forcing them to go there. With sports becoming a business, parents are forced to keep up with tournaments, club fees, and leagues.  As a way of approaching this problem, she always advises parents to let their children take part in additional activities outside of their primary sport; something that is more for relaxation. She adds that seeing a strength and conditioning coach will allow kids to learn a variety of skills and movement, which will enhance their primary sport.  Expand on how soccer changed your life and put you in a safe place (14:32) Erica says she has always been thankful for soccer, and how much she loves it. She had good role models and coaches growing up.  She was in a very abusive relationship in high school, which almost cost her her happiness. She was willing to quit soccer and follow her boyfriend at the time to college.  The day before early admissions were due to John Hopkins University, she realized soccer had always been her safe place and she wasn’t ready to give it up.  Erica remembers the moment she told her parents that she was ending the relationship and playing soccer at John Hopkins, as one of the most memorable moments of her life. Resources Connect with Erica on LinkedIn Visit Total Youth Soccer Fitness Website

In today’s episode, I have Adam Zeitsiff as a guest, discussing the health and fitness industry and what COVID-19 holds for the future of fitness.  Adam Zeitsiff is the president and CEO of Gold’s Gym, which is an American chain of fitness centres.  Who is your strongest demo? (02:20) Adam says a decade ago they were still famous for helping people get stronger in bodybuilding, which is what put them on the map. So if asked this question then, bodybuilding would have been their demo. Today, however, their demo is split from a male and female standpoint.  The 22 to 44 age group is big at the moment, again, evenly split between male and female.  A big part of their market is still helping people get stronger, and their bodybuilding heritage is still a proud part of the business.  As a leader and CEO, how is your role changing right now? (03:40) He says they closed the gym on March 16th, and although it was a very difficult decision, it was the right choice in their efforts to support humanity.  He has since been acting out the role of chief psychologist and reaches out to his whole team regularly to make sure that everyone is in the right frame of mind.  The company has an amazing franchise support organization, which is also reaching out all the time.  He has to keep himself in check every day as well, realizing that this is something no one has experienced before, and it’s hard for everyone. But this too shall pass. Have you seen any creative problem solving out there? (08:13) Adam says one thing he has noticed from their own business is how they came together as a global franchise community to help drive online content and fitness.  They have Gold’s amp fitness and exercise app, which offers audio coaching, video coaching, and music. They’ve made the app available for free until the end of May so that anyone can use it. This is their way of supporting members and nonmembers.  They made contact with all franchises around the globe to create video-on-demand content, and within a few days, they launched their content. They came together as a fitness community, which was something that didn’t exist beforehand.  A lot of their local franchises have made their premises available to necessary workers like firefighters who are working around the clock. This way, these necessary workers can take showers and clean up because they can’t go home.  When the dust settles, what do you think the fitness industry is going to look like? (11:16) He says when the gyms reopen, he doesn’t know what “normal” will be? Things will probably never go back to what they were, but they can try and create some semblance of it. People are going to return gradually and then there will be the “gym rats” who will be the first people there when the doors open, but this will probably be the exception. It will take a while for people to get comfortable again because, besides the quick trip to the store, people will not have been in a public setting in a long time. The virus has accelerated the demand for digital fitness; it has been part of the industry for a while, but people are becoming aware of it now more than ever. What is the one thing fitness professionals and gym owners should not be doing right now? (15:22) He says this is the time where your brand and your legacy can be defined or redefined.  Regulations are in place for a reason; don't meet your clients and help them work out at the back with the lights off. He says it sounds silly, but he has heard of people doing it.  Don't put sales over the health and safety of members. No one is receiving revenue at the moment, so everyone is struggling, but remember that safety comes first.  Don't lose contact with family, friends or members. Reach out, don't stay idle in that regard.  Resources Connect with Adam on LinkedIn Visit the Gold’s Gym Website

In today’s episode, Tony Gentilcore and I discuss our current global situation regarding COVID-19; what it means for the fitness world, and how to cope at this time.  Tony is the co-founder of Cressey Performance in Hudson, Massachusetts, and the author of a popular blog called Because Heavy Things Won’t Lift Themselves.  Do you see people marketing the fact that people are making more money during this time? 03:16 Tony says the one thing he has noticed is that people are still selling products during this time. He adds that he sees no issue with it, as he does the same.  Fitness professionals recognize the fact that they have a lot of free time, and offer others in the industry a way to improve their skills and crafts.  He says they just released their shoulder and hip blueprint because he feels it is a good resource to have during this time. They even lowered the price, and they are offering a payment plan.  Tony also says that there are individuals who are taking a nefarious approach to their marketing and taking advantage of the situation, which is unfortunate.  How do you feel about individuals selling their services at this time? 06:17 If you have something valuable to offer, you shouldn’t feel bad about selling your services.  He explains that he shut down his studio, so he’s not training anyone in person, but he is offering virtual training classes. He says he is charging his normal rate for these classes because he is still a certified, knowledgeable coach.  Tony says in these times of uncertainty, people are feeling obligated to lower their prices because they aren’t offering their services in person, which he feels is a normal reaction, but most loyal customers will be satisfied with paying the full rate.  He adds that we are in a time where people understand that we need to support each other, and he sees a lot of good things happening in the industry.  What do you think are the qualities of leadership? 07:49 Tony explains that being on lockdown will take its toll on mental health, and we should look out for each other. He says there is a big opportunity for fitness professionals to become a major role in their clients’ lives.  You can engage with your clients by doing Zoom calls, running groups or even just call your clients, and that will go a long way.  He adds that people are going to need help with their weight management and mobility during the lockdown, but the most important thing is that they just need someone to talk to.  He says there is more to being a coach than just training; during this lockdown, Tony has put in a lot of effort to support his clients, both emotionally and with their fitness levels.  What is going to be different about the fitness industry once this pandemic has run its course? 13:59 Tony says he thinks a lot of people will realize that they have created an efficient setup for themselves, and they won’t see the point in spending a lot of money on a gym membership anymore.  He adds that he thinks there will be a delay in the time it takes people to get back to the gym once this is over.  However, for the people who have made fitness a part of their lives, going back to the gym will probably be the first thing they take control of when this pandemic has ended.  He says he is very concerned about small business owners and what this lockdown will mean for their business. He thinks a lot of people will have to close their businesses and lose all their hard work.  Are there any tips you have for people to get through lockdown? 27:56 Tony says it’s important to reach out to friends and colleagues.  He says people want to feel like they are in people’s thoughts and that they have a support system.  He adds that you need to stay authentic and be yourself. It’s okay to be in touch with your emotions; it’s okay to show vulnerability and its okay to cry. He says that he finds solace in the fact that everyone is in the same boat.  Everyone is dealing with this crisis. We all experience it differently, and it causes more problems for some people than others, but no one is alone in this. It doesn’t just affect one group or class of people.  Resources Connect with Tony on LinkedIn

Kate Jaramillo & Ken Andrukow  In this episode, I have a conversation with Kate and Ken about what is currently happening in the world with COVID 19 and find out from them what we can do as entrepreneurs and leaders within our communities and businesses. Kate is a top tier wellness professional and a loving wife and mother to 4 beautiful children. One of the most impactful lessons that one can learn both personally and professionally is whatever we wish to achieve; we can by taking massive action. She strives to give people the avenue to go down to living the life that they truly deserve.   Ken is an experienced business owner and mentors with a demonstrated history of building businesses that scale.  What is going on in your area, and how are people responding to COVID 19 and all the measures to slow the spread down? (1:32) Ken says that the people in the city are slowing and systematically distancing themselves from each other. He officially shut down his gym the day before until further notice. The sad part is that there are people who are contracting the virus and passing away, so it's hard to be optimistic in times like these. Ken says that for him, the bottom line is that we’re all in the same boat. There isn’t one person in the world who isn’t, and we must all remain positive, this thing will eventually clear.  According to him takes positivity to get through this, and everyone has to work together, do the right thing, and stay home even though there may be financial implications. Kate says she works from home, so it doesn’t have a direct impact on her schedule, but everyone is trying to be careful and limiting their activities. She also mentioned that her kids have joined online classes and that even their gymnastics teacher started giving online classes. Kate is focused on serving her community and helping mitigate their fears and anxiety. It's important for people to stay calm. How does one step up in your local community and become a leader in times like these? How do you become a leader in your community and in your business? (5:07) Ken feels that people should see being optimistic as being opportunistic. In tough times being are being forced to be innovative, identify problems, and use what you can create to help other people. He feels that there are people who are opportunistic when they are inflating the prices of certain products. If you are out there leading people and helping others to feel better and see the positive, an opportunity may arise, and there is nothing opportunistic about that.  He encourages people to give away their influence and create value instead of selling. He talks about a client who decided to give away a coaching course that would have been sold for $1000 and because the client did that more than 2000 people signed up so far. Even though the revenue was given up, people will come back because they saw the value. How do you support local businesses in these times or relieve the financial stress on your clients? (9:04) Ken says they closed the gym because they had to, and whether they closed or not, everyone is stuck at home and can’t go to the gym. We have to realize there is a barrier put between us, and we have to ask ourselves how to overcome the barrier. How do we help our gym members and hold them accountable? His gym is doing virtual classes three times a day, and one of the classes will be recorded so that members can use it later. They are also doing a gear loan out to assist members and keep them active. They were also doing a nutrition challenge for their members and increased the level of communication with their members by texting them regularly and calling them. What trends do you see in the health and wellness community? (10:58) Kate says that everyone is a little bit scared and feels that their clients rather want to sit and watch the news while eating Oreos; they are stress eating.  The people in the health and wellness industry are concerned about their clients, and they are also worried about their business because they may have to refund their clients. She thinks that online entrepreneurs will be okay because they have little overheads.  People should be there for their clients, empathize with them and let them know that you can understand where they are at reminding them that this will be a great time to practice mindfulness, mindfulness eating, and doing more face to face meetings over Facebook live or zoom meetings. People can still do live workouts together to foster community. We should give more access to their community. While we can’t control any of what is happening with the virus, what can we do? (12:36) Kate feels that this is the perfect time for us to innovate and be creative. We can pour back into our business by watching the webinars are classes that we’ve been putting together and improving them. People should see what other people’s needs are right now and create challenges to bring people together. We should be the entrepreneurs we are and create what is currently missing in the marketplace. Ken says that we should focus on what we can change and how we respond. Any final points on leadership in a crisis? (17:49) Ken encourages people to calm down if you're feeling down, get on Zoom or Facetime, and connect with your friends and the people you love. Let people know that you are thinking about them. Kates says we should take the time and step back; this is the perfect buffer opportunity. We should catch up on sleep and spend time with kids and family and then get back at it and see how you can serve other people. Resources Connect with Ken on LinkedIn Connect with Kate on LinkedIn  

Alan is the owner of Ultimate Ventures Limited, an enthusiastic speaker and owns and operates one of the toughest cycling events in the world – Race Around Ireland. He works with entrepreneurs and managers of small to medium-sized businesses as they set goals, create action plans and develop the skills.  He also works with large companies including Microsoft, helping them build high-performance teams through shared goals, better communication, and resilience training while managing energy and wellness. He trains sportspeople and regularly delivers motivational and educational talks.  Ultimate Ventures Limited has Sports Performance Programs and Business Performance Programs. What is your background and how did you to where you are now? (01.31) Alan has been in the fitness industry since 1989.  He started weight training in school to avoid bullies and as he gained weight the bullies wanted to know how he was doing it so he designed a training plan. He went on to study recreation and leisure management and then fitness courses and started working in different gyms training athletes. He started his own gym at that time after attending a hypnosis show and took a side route into software development, developing a system where your computer could tell how stressed you were, by the way, you were using the mouse. This fell through as it was too early for a market. Alan sold his gym and went back to college for four years when he was 22 and then went to work at Sunshine Coast University. How have you incorporated hypnotism and some of the principles from that into what you're doing? (08.00) Alan says that it's just one tool he can introduce as part of the mental skills training as the nervous system cannot tell the difference between something that is vividly imagined and reality. Hypnosis is really just a guided version of the visualization. What were the challenges you faced in communicating the value of mental training to people on top of their current training? (11.19) Getting trainers and coaches to act on their belief that a large part of your performance is your mental game and skills training. The second issue is that it's seen as being separate to train. Alan says that the next issue was the nutritional part of training and that trainers were saying the nutrition was important but that they did not necessarily have a plan. The fourth challenge is training the psychological and the mental skills train, which he feels it's still seen on the outside and to help people understand how to simplify and integrate this into training. Eric and Alan discuss anxiety and how it relates to training. He maintains that it's how we perceive the situation that can make a massive difference to what we're actually doing. Your competitors are not there to beat you, they are there to make you better. What other segments do you think that this would be of value? (26.26) Alan says they are using the same skill base they use in the sports sector and teaching it to the companies that he is working with, from a business point of view, whether it's an entrepreneur or major corporations. He also works with students, actors, and Directors. Basically anyone who deals with performance-based anxiety such as public speaking. Who are some of the other people who are really pushing for in this field? (29.15) Meditation gurus, for example, are the people that Alan is looking at. From a fitness point of view the training peaks guys, are doing really well, and then a big part of that he is actually looking at, at the moment, is eSports What alan is interested in the most is integrated technologists. Eric and Alan discuss mental training for eSports and mental training in general. Resources: Connect with Alan Linkedin Check out Ultimate Ventures Limited Website Check out Alan’s Course Going into the Zone Website

Ryan McKenzie is a Fitness Business Consultant from Orlando, Florida, where he has worked with some of the best trainers, gyms, and corporations in the world. He is also an author, speaker, and industry leader. Ryan is a certified personal trainer (NASM-CPT; PES; FMS 1 & 2; TRX; Parisi; TFW; RMT; MBF) and owns Training with Ryan. Ryan, give us a backstory on who you are and how you got to where you are now? (1.13) Ryan was born in Orlando, Florida, and started in the fitness industry as a personal trainer right out of college. He started working at a gym in Orlando RDV Sportsplex Athletic Club. He says it is the best gym that he has ever been to in his life and that he learned a lot from them. How did you make a transition from personal training into where you are now? How did that whole thing go? (4.40) Ryan says he slowly got better at what he was doing and start to get certified. He realized at that point that he was just doing a sales job, and that was not what he wanted. He preferred to work out with people and have fun with people. Ryan grew his one on one training to the point where he realized that he needed to start group training to be able to spend time with his family, so he spoke to his manager, and they initiated group training with groups of up to 8 people. How do you define small group training? (12.00) Ryan's sweet spot for small groups is 3 to 8, although he could probably make it work with 10. Less than three is a private group. Ryan and Eric discuss the disadvantages for the client who does one on one training as opposed to small group training. He noticed that other trainers were having the same problem as he was with one one one sessions being canceled and realized that if you put them in a group, there's a different level of accountability. It is now between peers rather than financial. Where do you think most trainers go wrong in selling small group training? (16.10) Most trainers lead with the benefits of the value of small business training, this being a lower price, which is not necessarily the best thing that they can offer. Ryan notes that where most trainers go wrong with training is that they position their small group training as the cheapest option as opposed to the best choice, and an additional bonus is that it is more affordable. Training at a good gym with a higher price per small group session is an investment most people are willing to make.  How big do you think small group training is going to be in the next ten years as health clubs and boutique gyms grow? (33.13) Ryan talks about the fact that large groups and media groups are on the downturn and that small groups will be resurgent from the social point of view. People are saturated with technology and want to go back to small groups or one on one. Eric and Ryan then discuss the social aspect of small groups. Where do people find you and where they go to get your courses and your book? (41.20) Ihatesellingbook.com is the landing page to pick up my book for free. All my courses are on trainingwithryan.thinkific.com. My other website is trainingwithryan.com. Ryan's Book Recommendations:  I Hate Selling Resources: Connect with Ryan Linkedin Check out Training with Ryan  Website Check out Ryan's Courses Website  

Wade is the President and Director of Education at BiOptimizers.com. Education at BiOptimizers.com is dedicated to discovering, presenting, and sharing strategies backed by cutting edge research that leads to Healthy High Performance. They believe their products empower humanity to achieve an optimal state of well-being in the body, mind, and soul, holistically defined as BiOptimization. Wade is a 3-time All Natural National Bodybuilding Champion, an advisor to the American Anti-Cancer Institute, an Enagic Master Trainer, and the Founder of the Prosperity & Health Alliance as well as being the Director of Education at BiOptimizers Nutrition. He began weight training at the age of 15 and has traveled the world to study with Physical, Financial, & Spiritual Masters. He has written several books and co-founded a nutrition company. Tell us more about your background? (0.46) Wade grew up in rural Canada on the East Coast and played hockey. At the age of 15, three things happened that set him on the path he now travels. The first, his parents moved from a small town to a smaller town to become caretakers at a private resort. The second was that his sister, four years his senior, was diagnosed with cancer of the lymph nodes called Hodgkin's Disease. After a long illness, she died, and he remembers asking himself: How could a treatment like that make you sicker? A question that drove him for the rest of his life. The third was a bodybuilding magazine his sister gave him with Troy Zuccolotto, who had just become Mr. California. He was on the cover with two pretty girls, and it made Troy want those same muscles so that he could also get pretty girls. After that, he decided to build a homemade Home Gym. Wade believes in Arnold Schwarzenegger saying: With a positive attitude, self-discipline, and hard work, you can achieve anything. It is Arnold's vision that led him to a career in exercise physiology. It was also his inspiration to compete at the Mr. Universe competition where he represented his country and then cultivating his exercise science because he was competing as a vegetarian and drug-free athlete at the world-class level. What's your philosophical approach to that having that very impactful situation early on? (4.42) One of the things Wade shares with people is the human condition is pretty precarious and nobody gets out alive. We're all going to die, and we're all going to experience tragedy, we're all going to experience heartbreak. One of the things he learned when his sister was dying was that everyone has regrets, and he was determined not to have regrets. He wants to experience a rich life, not necessarily a bunch of things collected around him. As tragic as his sister dying was, it culminated in his way of life, a way of living, and a professional career that supports him. He says that nobody wants you to hang on to the negativity of the past or the tragedy of the past. They would rather you take that person's legacy and positively remember them, in an inflexible way, and something that makes a difference in your life because that's how people live on through you. Let's talk about what you do now, the BiOptimizer, and then how did this whole thing come about? (10.31) Wade explains that after being on a spartan diet for 11 months while training for Mr. Universe, he then gained 42 pounds of fat and water in 11 weeks.  He met Dr. Michael O'Brien, who said something that changed his life. He said, "you've learned to build the body from the outside in, now you have to build the body from the inside out." Wade and Matt had started a bodybuilding site for natural athletes called Freaky Big Naturally, where they ended up coaching about 15,000 athletes around the world, which helped them gather a lot of data. There was a trend emerging back then, and one of the things that came up over and over again was digestive health problems for people.  About five years ago, they rebranded their company to BiOptimizer as their fundamental focus is fixing digestion and optimizing people's health. How long did it take for you to get used to that switch?? (16.50) It took Wade a year to get used to the switch, using fasting to help the process. Now, after 20 years of routinely fasting about twice a year, although not pushing himself when weight training, he finds that he is still high energy levels and functionality. What type of lifestyle factors do you see are the biggest problems for people when it comes to gut health? (20.09) He says that people do not take tests to check on their health. Wade has a podcast with Dr. Paul Maximus, which has five tests that men especially should have. We need to go to an M.D. who schooled in long term care because it's not just about living longer; it's about living stronger and not relying on medications. Tell us about what you're doing with the Cancer Institute. What are you working on now? (24.46) Cancer treatment is an extremely challenging metabolic condition and often wrecks gut health as well. Wade makes a regular donation to the Cancer Institute as part of his legacy with his sister's illness They help people by providing support in the digestive health and the recovery process, either during or post. Where do you think this research on gut health and the testing is heading? (27.48) Wade says that in the short term, the development of new enzymatic formulations and pathways that will cultivate into responses is where they are headed. In the long term, they are at the forefront of cultivating and developing super strains of probiotics. Eric and Wade discuss the increase of experimentation and gene splitting, bringing in Charles Darwin's theories. What do I do to be part of that movement, as a fitness health professional? How do I start positioning myself? (33.00) Wade recommends beginning with the five tests he mentioned earlier. The next thing you need is to get a naturopathic doctor or a nutritional coach and fitness coach in your life as soon as possible. Wade also recommends that you clean up your gut.   What do you think people are looking at, between supplementation and the right doctors and consistent testing? (35.40) Wade says the tests that he just allocated are going to be a couple of thousand dollars, but that's going to carry you for five years.  He thinks most people really should allocate somewhere between 500 to 1000 dollars a month if they can do it. Wade, tell people where they can get hold of you, where they can find out more about you, and if there are any particular offers you'd like to produce for the audience as well? (38.19) Go to bioptimizers.com/blitzradio to get a discount on any products and services. Every product we sell is a 365-day guarantee and will fix your digestion. He suggests one of their digestive health kits to get started. They have a lot of great courses and give a lot of it away all the education is free. Wade's book: Staying Alive in a Toxic World Staying Alive is an essential, no-nonsense protocol for optimal health, fitness, and vitality in as little as 15 minutes per day using the 7-Step A.W.E.S.O.M.E. Health formula. Written with Katrine Volynsky, the authors bring their combined expertise into an easy-to-follow, cutting-edge system geared to your age, gender, budget, and current state of health that can radically enhance your quality of life. "The solutions to the challenges in the world lie within us. How is it that we expect to live a healthy, disease-free life when we continually eat foods that reduce the electrical potential of the human body we inhabit? We wrote this book to demonstrate how YOU can bring more vitality back into your life, build up your stamina, and incredible access amounts of energy to do what you love." Resources: Connect with Wade Linkedin and Website Check out Education at BiOptimizers.com Website

Vito LaFata Vito LaFata is the co-owner of The Visionary Planner and now has a vineyard with a Tuscan Villa in a private retreat called Vision in the Vineyards. He is a Business Educator, Personal Brand Coach, and certified High-Performance Coach to Wellness & Fitness professionals wanting to grow their personal brands. The Visionary Planner is a complete step by step Business in a Box and Operations Manual to start, launch and scale your online business. What has Vito been doing the past few years? He built his brand and business to enable him to spend time with his family. Vito started a vineyard retreat, Vision in the Vineyards, and equates this with people’s lives. Are you willing to plant the seeds, toil and water them and then wait four years for the profit? He talks about funneling and methodology as well as visions and missions to get him to where he is now. What are the keys to understanding one’s vision and having something that is so emotionally driving that it gets you through the rough period of getting started? Vito says firstly a person needs to be clear on your objectives before you begin and have a future forecast. His vision was the Tuscan Villa in the vineyard and he put his dreams into intention, not leaving them as dreams. He starts his lectures with vision and anchors and reiterates that if you do not have these then you may not be an entrepreneur and entrepreneurship is not for you. Vito engineers and architects his life and has built his brand, The Visionary Planner, so that he could anchor himself in the things he has to testify to. Monetary goals are important, and the difference between earnings and wealth. What does it mean to develop Brand in your mind? Visionaries are the future of the world and this is why he created his brand. He talks about picking the things you stand for, how you see the world and creating things to serve that vision. How does someone take steps to build Brand and what are the steps to take to initiate people with that? The Visionary Planner has 5 steps to coaching clients.  One of the steps is knowing your audience and having a content message. What tactics do you have for people to build their audience? Your content needs to match with your message. You need to have a blueprint or roadmap for your content coaching. All the best brands and businesses have a signature to get duplicatable results and audiences. You need to have perspective to build a process and market it as your own to be able to demand your worth. The world is coming back to experiencing connection vs social media, so you need to capture the funnel and move people into the process of conversation which is what gets you the audience. What do the next two years look like for you? Vito says that their main focus will be to keep scaling up. There are three top missions for his 5-year plan His vision of the vineyard and scaling it up. To create legacy builders To take The Visionary Planner to the next level. Vito leaves us with the following: Figure out what moves the needle and start focusing. Vito’s Book Recommendations  Grant Cardone’s books Grant Cordone Store Connect with Vito Linkedin Check out The Visionary Planner  Website  

Scott Aaron  Scott Aaron is an entrepreneur, a speaker, and a coach. He started as an entrepreneur when he took over his father’s company at the age of 18. The business grew, and they opened a second branch and eventually sold the business to become a millionaire. After a few bad choices, he went bankrupt but bounced right back up, and found ways to recover. Scott took what he learned and became a coach, offering his elite services on LinkedIn. He also shares his knowledge on his podcast; Network Marketing Made Simple. Tell us more about how you got to be where you are today. Give us some of the detail of your backstory. (1:07) Scott’s story began at a young age when entrepreneurship was, in a way, forced on to him. At the age of 18, his father pleaded guilty to insurance fraud and was sentenced to jail, forcing Scott to take ownership of his father’s gym. Without realizing it at the time, he took his first steps into entrepreneurship. Scott managed to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in HR, which meant he had an insanely busy schedule. His life consisted of going to classes, and after that, going to the gym to help out there. He managed to grow the business from a 300 member business to an 1100 member business in the two and a half years his father was in prison. After his father’s release, they managed the business together and upgraded to two gyms. They eventually sold off the gyms for a million dollars, and at the age of 24, he became a millionaire. A couple of years later, they opened a new gym, but not too long after he found himself $1.5 million in debt. In July 2016, he filed for bankruptcy and closed the doors of the gym for good. When you closed your gym, how did you feel, what were the emotions that filling you? (13:37)  Scott says it was a sad day for his father because his dream died, but it was also a day of new coming because it was the day that his life truly began. He doesn’t miss the gym. Most people don’t understand how much work it is to be a personal trainer. To get back to what feelings he had on that day, he would say that it was a feeling of relief and a feeling of positivity or a sense of hope and a feeling of excitement. He would no longer get calls from all the credit card companies and the debt collectors. Scott felt like he had control of his life for the first time in a very long time. Tell us more about what you were selling when you were doing your network marketing. (16:44)  The companies name was Isagenix, and he still uses their products each day. The thing he values most about his time with them is what he learned about branding and marketing and how important it is. One thing that he found very important in network marketing was that you have to go all in. A lot of people fail in network marketing because they don’t go all in, and that makes a huge difference. Tell me more about how you’re helping people with coaching and a bit more about what you are doing nowadays. (23:33)  A few years ago, Scott started feeling disconnected. He tried finding that human connection through social media like Facebook and Instagram. After using social media platforms, Scott felt like he was drifting even further away from people. The next option was LinkedIn, where he updated his profile to look more professional. The next step was to start sending messages to people who were mirror images of him. He found that the people he connected with were keen to collaborate with him, and soon after that, he was fully booked. He recorded his first podcast episode, and shortly after that, his inbox was full of messages from people who wanted to hire him. He realized then that most people don’t know how network marketing works. Without revealing all your secrets, what can you tell us about LinkedIn, and what are people doing wrong? (31:59) They decide to automate everything on LinkedIn, and that is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. You build a reputation of someone who uses automated messaging systems, and that’s not good for your image. Some people cross a line by trying to use LinkedIn to sell to you; it is one of the fastest ways to make it to someone’s blacklist. Another mistake people make is that they are trying to use LinkedIn like Facebook and Instagram, and it is so far from it. How much time would you say do you spend on LinkedIn? (40:12) Scott says that he could spend as much time as he wants on LinkedIn, but he tries to get at least 20 to 30 minutes a day. A lot of his time on LinkedIn is to show gratitude to people or to respond to people. He also spends a lot of his time on LinkedIn to teach other people how to use it and how to set it up. What can you tell me about the services that you provide? (41:16) Scott is the host of the podcast called Network Marketing Made Simple. It’s not only about marketing, but it’s also meant for entrepreneurs and business owners too. He’s published a book called The LinkedIn Book For Network Marketing, which is available on Amazon. Scott offers elite-level coaching programs. Get more information on Scott’s website  Connect with Scott on LinkedIn

Dr. Drobot, The Health Performance Specialist™ is an international, leading authority on European Biological Medicine and electroceutical performance technologies and is the founder of the American Centers of Biological Medicine in Scottsdale and New England, collectively the largest, most comprehensive Biological Medical centers in North America. Dr. Drobot serves as the medical liaison and performance program designer for Nexus Wellness, the Bahamas-based, luxury wellness destination. He is also currently the performance specialist doctor to the Arizona Cardinals and Coyotes professional organizations.    Dr. Drobot has spent the last twenty years harnessing cutting edge science and bioregulatory technology to assess and amplify human biology and physiology. Helping professional organizations reach peak performance through neurohacking mindset is the height of Dr. Drobot’s professional passion. Dr. Drobot connects with organizations across the globe to create bespoke cultures of health performance in the corporate finance and boutique business space, transforming corporate warriors into peak performers.    Dr. Drobot is the author of Bioregulatory Medicine. Stay posted for his performance store and bioregulatory technologies coming in 2020.

Bob Burg is a Hall-of-Fame Speaker and author of numerous books on sales, marketing, and influence, with total book sales of well over a million copies. His book, The Go-Giver, coauthored with John David Mann has itself sold over 925,000 copies and been translated into 28 languages.   Bob is an advocate, supporter, and defender of the Free Enterprise system, believing that the amount of money one makes is directly proportional to how many people they serve. He is also an unapologetic animal fanatic, and former member of the Board of Directors of Furry Friends Adoption & Clinic in Jupiter, Florida.

I’m a veteran writer, editor and content director. My content service helps fitness pros grow their businesses by engaging more people over 50. This is the key market for gyms, studios, and trainers who want to plan a longterm success. But the fitness industry tends to ignore or patronize “older” people. I save you time and money as you build relationships with people who have the time, money and loyalty you want.

Josh helps people beat emotional eating and finally lose weight. Using a skill-based approach allows people to create a new relationship with their bodies and with food, and get totally new weight loss results. Josh's books include: Fat Loss Happens on Monday (2013) Lean and Strong (upcoming 2019) and a yet-untitled emotional eating book (2020). Josh has written for Strength Matters Magazine, and he’s been quoted or featured in Experience Life! Magazine, The Denver Post, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today. He currently attends MSU Denver and is doing a thesis on contextual behavioral science and emotional eating.

With a combined over 20 years of experience in the industry, and after training fitness professionals in over 10 countries around the world, Barry and Shay are here to help you learn the exact skillset that all of the top fitness instructors and business owners possess. Throughout the course of training thousands of instructors, and consulting with studios in multiple modalities globally, they have learned how to distill their knowledge and experience into actionable steps to help you go further in fitness.

Based in San Francisco, Aly Orady is a 20-year silicon valley veteran, engineer and serial entrepreneur. Aly started his career at Hewlett-Packard’s Computer Systems Laboratory designing super-computers, followed by technical leadership roles at a series of startups, including Kealia, Inc. (now Sun/Oracle). Armed with an M.S.E.E. from Stanford, and a B.Eng. from McMaster University, Aly founded Pano Logic where he served as the company’s Chief Technology Officer and oversaw core technology development, architecture, and patents. As Pano Logic’s founder, Aly also served on the board of directors and has filled a broad array of functional roles including product management, go-to-market planning, business development, and manufacturing operations. Aly’s technical expertise includes cloud, virtualization, enterprise management, networking, and computer architecture. In 2015, Aly went on to found Tonal, a stealth startup with an innovative approach the fitness. Stay tuned.

Amber Vilhauer is an online digital marketing expert who supports authors, speakers, and coaches to establish a powerful, integrated online presence that gets results and empowers them to make a difference in their industry. Since starting her agency, NGNG Enterprises (standing for No Guts No Glory) in 2007, she has spent her career impacting her community and building strong strategic alliances with industry leaders and game-changers across the web. She is the launch manager dozens of #1 bestselling books including those for Mark Victor Hansen, Brendon Burchard, Lisa Nichols, and Les Brown.

After 18 years of working with some of the biggest names in Fintech, including Thomson Financial and SS&C, Ian Mullane left corporate life as the COO of Sungard’s Asia Pacific business. Since then, he’s founded and grown a number of companies including Locowise.com, Vanda.fit and most recently, Keepme, an AI-powered membership retention tool.

Deacon Andrews is a dad first and foremost that loves being out in the mountains and chasing the stoke that comes along with both those things.

Sam Mathers is the Founder of Fitter Futures - 1 of only 3 Brand X Method Labs worldwide, specializing in youth functional fitness. They are the only functional fitness gym in the world that has been exclusively for YOUTH. She is also a member of the iF3 Youth Committee, looking at the design of a competition & participation pathway for youth in the sport of functional fitness. She was once a corporate lawyer and management consultant, but have followed her passion for coaching youth so she can live a more fulfilling life-changing life of others.

‘ Back surgery is your only option…’   This statement inspired Dr. Eric Goodman to overcome a seriously bad back. The severe, years-long debilitating lower back pain had been hanging over Dr. Goodman’s upcoming Chiropractic career. A year before graduation his pain hit and held its climax for several months. This was a maddening experience. After dedicating years of his life and all of his money to learn how the body worked, he was well-educated, yet stuck in daily pain with a diagnosis of severe Degenerative Joint Disease at the spine. Sympathetic doctors told him the only way to possibly relieve his pain was to undergo a painful back surgery: legitimate fusion of his lowest spine.

Positive Performance Training was founded in 2008 by Lindsey Wilson, a former collegiate and professional athlete who felt a strong call to help other athletes optimize their mindset and fulfill their potential. Today, the Positive Performance team has continued to provide athletes and teams with high-quality, easy-to-digest, complete mental training programs. In addition, Lindsey is the founder of the Mindset Coach Academy that certifies coaches in our proven mindset coaching system who want to make a massive impact and build a profitable business doing what they love.

Brian is the Content and Production Manager for the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). He oversees the creation of NASM's certification and continuing education courses. He's an accomplished fitness practitioner, product manager, author, and instructional designer with over 15 years’ experience creating best-in-class education programs in the health and fitness industry. Brian is a subject matter expert in health, wellness, sports performance, and fitness-related topics. He has earned two masters degrees (MS Exercise Science, MA Sport Management) and nearly a dozen fitness-related certifications/advanced specializations. Visit: http://briansutton123.wix.com/portfolio  

Dan is a graduate of Duke University where he played football and earned a BA in economics. He also earned an MBA from the Wharton School, after which he founded, built and sold a successful real estate investment and management firm. After selling his real estate company, Dan practiced as s professional photographer before discovering the concept of wearable resistance bands and founding WearBands.

Director of F45 Academy

Brett Klika CSCS, is an IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year, international motivational speaker, best- selling author, and Co-Founder of SPIDERfit Kids, a global innovator in youth fitness education. For over 20 years, Brett has been inspiring organizations and individuals to unleash the power of play to inspire health and innovation.

Krisstina is a real estate mogul turned Financial Health Coach and creator of several multi-million dollar businesses including Goodlife Luxury, The Paperless Agent and WealthyWellthy. She hosts a transformational mentor program that has helped everyone from modest to high income earners propel themselves into financial wellness.

Travis Barnes is owner and CEO of Journey Fitness. He is an author and nationally recognized speaker! Travis Barnes is a certified personal trainer and fitness entrepreneur who grew his million dollar fitness company, Journey Fitness, to four locations in less three years. He started over after a decade of incarceration and built his future with an unemployment check while living in a FEMA trailer. He is the coauthor of the best-selling book “Results Fitness” and author of Journey Fitness, with forward written by Todd Durkin. His company is known for exemplary customer service and business systems. He has a dream of franchising worldwide and works with other fitness entrepreneurs to help them develop their business systems.  

Iron Tamer Dave Whitley is a motivational speaker and strongman based in Nashville TN. As a kid, Dave was overweight and had a terrible stutter. Retreating into a world of fantasy and comic books, he dreamed of becoming SuperHuman. Now, as a motivational speaker, he uses SuperHuman feats of strength to share his message with his audience. Dave has performed and spoken all over the US, as well as internationally in Italy, Ireland, England, Czech Republic, Australia, Japan and Korea. He was featured in the German documentary Kraftakt, a film about strength.

John is a CPA, an owner in a CrossFit gym, and author of Profit First for Microgyms. They have close to 275 active micro gym clients.

20+ years of award-winning executive leadership in Health & Wellness, Medical Education, Veterinary Associations, and Pet Health and Nutrition. Expertise in TV and Media, Public Appearances, Speaking Engagements, Live Shows and Community Events. Passion for reaching audiences, giving voice to causes, connecting with people, building relationships and changing lives. Since company inception, she has led the growth of the company to 45+ locations, overseen operations and business activities, established trust relations, key partners and stakeholders. Prior to K9 Fit Club, Montgomery served as Public Education Director and Executive Director for the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association.

Matt Walrath is the founder of the nutrition coaching company, Beyond Macros, and creator of the Beyond Macros Certified Coach program - a course that teaches nutrition coaches how to run a profitable online coaching business by providing a VIP experience to their ideal clients, and creating a plan guaranteed to get that client results that last. He lives on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland Australia and takes pride in living his ideal lifestyle that balances time in the surf, sharing quality time with loved ones, and pursuing his vision of helping nutrition coaches provide a VIP experience to clients without burning out.

Dr. Fergus Connolly is one of the world's leading experts in team sports and human performance. He is the only coach to have worked full-time in every major league around the world. Fergus partners with teams at the highest levels integrating best practices in all areas of performance. His highly acclaimed book 'Game Changer - The Art of Sports Science' is the first blueprint for coaches to present a holistic philosophy for winning in all team sports. His second best seller '59 Lessons: Working with the World's Greatest Coaches, Athletes, & Special Forces' reveals the secrets learned first-hand from working with the worlds greatest winners.  

Stephen Vaughn, a husband, a father, and a former PE teacher of nearly 10 years embarked on the ultimate dream chasing journey. He exited his teaching career in 2013 to fulfill the growing demand of Dream Chasers Organization. It was from the pain of losing his father and the passion for making teaching as fun as possible as the gateway for generating smiles and building confidence. His passion for empowering kids to reach for their passion, build the right team around them in life, and develop the grit to overcome obstacles in pursuit of their dreams is making an impact in and out of the classroom and is positioning kids across the nation to be Dream Chasers.