The Owner Seat

This episode is a blueprint for where fitness is actually going — and why the next winners won't be single-modality studios. We break down the ecosystem model (sport + strength + recovery under one roof), the unit economics and real estate logic behind multi-concept buildouts, and what a serious franchisee or area developer needs to bring to the table before claiming founding territory. If you're...

This episode unpacks what actually drives topline growth in multi-unit fitness — and why national brand power means nothing without local execution. We go deep on building a multi-state platform, scaling culture without losing it, running sales and retention systems that don't depend on one hero employee, and how to buy studios the right way. If you're an operator trying to grow in 2026 without br...

The Pricing, Operations, and Financial Framework That Actually Scales a Fitness Business Imagine you've been pulling levers in your business — raising prices, adding membership options, cutting costs — and every decision felt right in the moment. Then six months later, the consequences show up in ways you never saw coming. That's not bad luck. That's what happens when you scale without a system. A...

Is the 30-Day Gym Membership Dying? The Debate Every Fitness Operator Needs to Hear Imagine you've spent years building your fitness business on a model that was never designed for the member — it was designed for the operator. A flat monthly fee. Passive EFTs. Members who pay and don't show up. It's predictable. It's scalable. And it may be quietly working against you. Because the consumer has al...

In this episode of The Owner Seat Podcast , Albert Ramos sits down with Nataliya Kisseleva — a multi-brand franchise operator running Massage Envy and The Lash Lounge in the highly competitive NYC metro market, with 15+ years in the trenches and an operator’s discipline that most franchisees never develop. Nataliya was the first-to-market Massage Envy franchisee in her county and has continued to...

The lines between fitness and healthcare are blurring — and the operators who recognize that shift first are going to be the ones who win the next decade. This episode is for every fitness and wellness owner who has looked at the landscape around them and felt it: gyms are no longer just places to work out, studios are no longer just places to take a class, and the consumer sitting across from you...

In this episode of The Owner Seat Podcast, host Albert Ramos sits down with Rachel Whitlock, a Hotworx franchise owner in Spanish Fork, Utah, senior project manager, and adjunct professor at BYU’s Marriott School of Business, to break down what really drives retention, lowers churn, and helps fitness businesses grow without staying dependent on the owner. Rachel Whitlock brings a product and opera...

In this episode of The Owner Seat Podcast, host Albert Ramos sits down with Fernando Delgado, EOS Implementer, executive coach, and franchise owner of USA Ninja Challenge, to unpack what really breaks when a business tries to scale and how founders can build systems that create growth without chaos. Fernando brings a rare mix of experience from global brands like Procter & Gamble, Gillette, an...

If you’re a personal trainer who’s tired of giving 40–60% of your revenue to a gym… or a fitness operator who knows the next era won’t be won by “more memberships”… this episode is for you. Because the most underrated business model in fitness right now isn’t a new modality. It’s fitness infrastructure — letting coaches run their business without leases, long-term contracts, or gym politics. In th...

In this episode of The Owner Seat Podcast, host Albert Ramos sits down with Chris Skeates , franchise owner of TYG Whitby and CEO of CW Wellness, to break down what it really takes to build a scalable fitness business that delivers consistent results. Chris shares his journey from operating F45 studios through COVID chaos to transitioning into The Yard Gym model, a strength-focused system built ar...

🔗 Download the free Stratego CFO Playbook: https://bit.ly/owner-seat-cfo-playbook —-------------------------------- In this episode of the Owner Seat podcast, host Albert Ramos is joined by Justin Kennington , a former high-performance tech executive (with experience at Google and Crestron) who transitioned into the wellness industry as a franchise owner of Altered State Wellness in Houston’s Vin...

This episode explores the evolving fitness culture, highlighting a critical shift from forced memberships to flexible, on-demand access. We dive into effective distribution strategy and the importance of owning marketing channels for entrepreneurial success in the modern fitness landscape. Tune in to learn how to adapt your workout business model and stay ahead. In this episode, Albert Ramos Jr. s...

In this episode of The Owner Seat, Albert Ramos sits down with Lindsay Vastola — Leadership Strategist, keynote speaker, founder of VastPotential, and one of the most operationally grounded leadership advisors in the fitness and wellness industry. Lindsay isn't leadership theory. She ran a real fitness business — Body Project Fitness & Lifestyle — for over a decade, spent nearly a decade as Ed...

In this episode of The Owner Seat, Albert Ramos sits down with Kory Angelin — Founder and CEO of CoreHaus Fitness , multi-unit Club Pilates operator, former President at The DRIPBaR, and one of the most direct, unfiltered voices in fitness franchising on what scaling actually costs when the cameras are off. Kory isn't here to give you a highlight reel. He's here to give you the grind behind it — t...

In this episode of The Owner Seat, Albert Ramos sits down with Sonia Gonzales — Founder and CEO of AlxRX Corp., patented packaging innovator, and one of the few founders in performance nutrition who is simultaneously building IP, manufacturing capability, and a distribution strategy designed specifically for fitness and wellness operators. Sonia isn't building a supplement brand. She's building a...

In this episode of The Owner Seat, Albert Ramos sits down with Michael Parrish — SVP of Client Development & Funding at Halotherapy Solutions, combat athlete, U.S. Military veteran, former SWAT team member, and operator of a high-performance training camp that prepared elite athletes and special forces candidates. Michael doesn't come at halotherapy from a wellness trend angle. He comes at it...

In this episode of The Owner Seat , Albert Ramos sits down with Jeff Zwiefel — former President & COO of Life Time , and one of the most credible operator-leaders in modern fitness and wellness. Jeff spent nearly 27 years helping scale Life Time from $137M to $2.3B+ , leading 30,000+ team members across 170+ locations . Today, he’s deeply involved in the future of longevity, performance medici...

In this episode of The Owner Seat , Albert Ramos sits down with Kip Knippel, Esq. — President & CEO of KIP Search , retained executive headhunter, investor, and host of Capitalist Culture . Kip places CEO/CFO/COO-level operators into private equity-backed and high-growth companies — and his core thesis is simple: org design beats talent when growth gets heavy . In fitness and wellness, that ma...

In this episode of The Owner Seat , Albert Ramos delivers a solo, operator-grade breakdown of what a real Fractional CFO actually does for fitness, wellness, longevity, and franchise brands — and why most owners don’t need “more revenue,” they need cash clarity and decision-grade numbers . Albert also explains his mission: he gives 99% of his work away for free through daily educational videos, tw...

In this episode of The Owner Seat , Albert Ramos sits down with Chris Reilly — private equity and FP&A veteran, founder of Financial Modeling Education , and founder of Mission Capital Consulting . Chris has trained over 91,000 operators, analysts, and executives to build financial models that actually work in the real world — where the data is messy, reports don’t tie, and decisions still hav...

In this episode of The Owner Seat , Albert Ramos sits down with Bobby Hines & Anna Hines — longtime fitness and wellness operators who’ve built, scaled, and managed multi-brand franchise businesses across Anytime Fitness , Basecamp Fitness , and Waxing The City over nearly two decades. Bobby recently sold his final Anytime Fitness location after almost 20 years with the brand — and now advises...

In this episode of The Owner Seat , Albert Ramos sits down with Mo Iqbal — Chief Strategy Officer at ABC Fitness, Founder & Chairman of SweatWorks, and Co-Host of LIFTS. Mo operates at the intersection of fitness, wellness, platforms, payments, AI, and scale , advising some of the largest and fastest-growing gym, studio, and franchise ecosystems in the world. If you’re a fitness or wellness bu...

In this episode of The Owner Seat , Albert Ramos sits down with Christine Garcia , franchise owner of BODYBAR Pilates in Strongsville, Ohio, with a second BODYBAR studio in Brunswick currently in pre-opening buildout. Christine is deep in the trenches — past franchise award, lease signed, possession transferred — navigating site selection, buildout delays, capital planning, and the real timeline t...

In this episode of The Owner Seat , Albert Ramos sits down with Michael Iannuzzi — Partner and Franchise Practice Leader at Citrin Cooperman , CPA, and Certified Franchise Executive Michael works at the intersection of private equity, franchising, and financial diligence , advising franchisors and multi-unit franchisees across fitness, wellness, QSR, and multi-location consumer brands. If you’re a...

Today on The Owner Seat Podcast , host Albert Ramos goes behind the curtain of STRIDE Fitness — and into the part of franchising most brands avoid talking about: Leadership under load. Standards under speed. And what it really takes to scale without breaking culture, people, or unit economics. My guest is Anthony Badalian — President, COO, and Partner of STRIDE Fitness . Anthony has spent 12+ year...