Escape Your Limits & LIFTS

On this week's episode of the  Escape Your Limits podcast , we interview Shari Castelli, the Director of Industry Development at ClassPass. ClassPass is a monthly fitness membership that connects members to thousands of fitness studios and gyms in  2,500 cities across the globe. In its latest Series E round, the startup raised $285 million putting the company's valuation at over $1 billion. So, wh...

Our guest this week is Rod Hill, the President of énergie Fitness Europe. He's an expert at navigating the ups and downs of international expansion and recently signed a master franchise agreement to develop 75 clubs in Spain over the next 10 years. In our interview, we explore the influence of European gym design and what the rest of the world can learn from this emerging market, why you need to...

In 1976, Joe Gold founded World Gym International during the heyday of Muscle Beach in Venice Beach, California. World Gym is where iron men like Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno worked out on the regular. This week, we interview Jarrod Saracco, World Gym's COO. He is a 25-year veteran of the health and fitness industry with experience at every level of club operations. We discuss: • The history of...

Our guest this week is Troy Casey, a former Versace model turned Certified Health Nut. His intriguing, unconventional approaches to biohacking the body and mind have earned him the reputation of a leading longevity authority. He has helped millions of people restore their physical, mental, and emotional balance with holistic health practices. In our interview, we discuss: How to get and stay rippe...

Eric Fleishman aka "Eric the Trainer" is the go-to guy in Hollywood when it comes to burning fat and building lean muscle. In our interview, this sought-after personal trainer shares his secrets to getting celebrities and musicians insanely fit for film roles and world tours. Eric the Trainer can help you create the body of your dreams in just a matter of weeks. No fads, trends, or gimmicks — just...

Dr. Stephanie Estima is an expert on metabolism, hormones, and body composition.  Using her framework, The ESTIMA Method™, she is particularly focused on distilling strategies in nutritional proxies, movement, posture, and mindset to actualize human potential, health span, longevity and achievement. She is also the host of the podcast Better! With Dr. Stephanie and author of the best-selling book:...

Are you looking for real secrets for success as an entrepreneur? This week's Escape Your Limits podcast episode featuring Snap Fitness founder Peter Taunton reveals his winning formula for dominating domestic and international franchising and expansion. Peter went from owning a single gym to accumulating a net worth of over $100 million. This entrepreneur got his big break after turning around a f...

In today's episode, we reconnect with Frank Zane, 3x Mr. Olympia and one of the most admired and influential bodybuilders of all time. He's also one of our most popular podcast guests. Wondering how you can build a stunning physique like Frank Zane? Well, this 3x Mr. Olympia legend is keen on sharing his wealth of wisdom and expertise. During our interview, we discuss his cutting-edge training tec...

How do you know if you're getting enough sleep? How much sleep do you really need? Is your sleep not what it used to be? Do you wake up at 3 a.m. and struggle to fall back asleep? Are you feeling sleep-deprived no matter how many hours you spend in bed? A good night's sleep is incredibly important for your health. In fact, it's just as important as eating healthy and exercising. However, according...

The fitness business is a traditionally male-dominated space, but some women like our guest today have broken through the glass ceiling to rise to the position of CEO. She's calling the shots at one of America's fastest growing boxing and kickboxing franchises, RockBox. Since making the jump from Orange Theory, she has been an influential force in the expansion of the fight club meets night club b...

Paul Byrne is the former President of Precor. He's also a forward-thinking innovator who's the reason every gym in America has an elliptical machine. Under his leadership, he transformed Precor into a $350 million-dollar global supplier of home and commercial fitness equipment and was a key asset in its recent acquisition by Peloton. Today, he serves as an industry advisor and is the author of two...

How do you start a wildly successful business with little to no money? What allows some entrepreneurs to bootstrap their business to success while others falter and fail? The truth is: It takes remarkably little money to make money, if you're clever and work hard. British entrepreneur Oliver Cookson should know. He bootstrapped Myprotein, a successful sports nutrition business, in 2004 after borro...

Elaine Jobson is a fitness industry veteran, with 25 years of experience working in executive positions for the world's largest fitness brands. In this week's Escape Your Limits podcast episode, she talks about her industry experiences, how she has adapted Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to develop an award-winning, international fitness franchise, and shares real life lessons on how to lead people an...

What's the secret of Planet Fitness's massive success? Planet Fitness isn't really known to attract members who are super in shape and is often the butt of jokes when it comes to the fitness industry. Did you know that more than 40% of its current members had never even stepped foot in a gym before signing up? Planet Fitness has a competitive business model, strong brand, and low-cost memberships,...

When was the last time you thought about how you influence others — how you change minds, shape opinions, move others to act? The ability to influence is one of the essential skills for not only success, but happiness. The bottom line is that influence matters. Jon Levy, a behavioral scientist and author, best known for his work in the fields of human connection, influence, and adventure believes...

Today, we're speaking with the President and CEO of Self Made Training Facility, Miguel Aguilar. Two years ago, he was our guest on the Escape Your Limits podcast, where he shared his humble and inspiring story of his rise to success. This time around, we caught up with Miguel at his Self Made headquarters to discuss how he managed to come out on top during an ongoing pandemic. When things get tou...

How do you conquer life's impossible challenges? Why is resilience more important now than ever before? How can you live your life with more purpose and authenticity? Our guest this week is Stacey Copas. She is the author of the book How To Be Resilient , a coach, international keynote speaker, and facilitator on finding the opportunity in change and adversity. At 12 years old, she broke her neck...

Dr. John Jaquish is an innovator, thought leader in the biomedical fitness market, and a Wall Street Journal best-selling author of the book "Weight Lifting Is a Waste of Time." His objective? To challenge you to rethink how you burn fat and add muscle.  That's what led him to invent OsteoStrong, a bone-density building medical device used to fight osteoporosis, which is now in 130 clinics in 8 di...

Should gyms be considered essential businesses? One of the more controversial aspects of the various shutdowns, lockdowns, and business closures was that of the extended closures of gyms and fitness clubs worldwide. In this week's Escape Your Limits podcast episode, we speak with one of America's leading health educators and exercise physiologists, Eric Durak. He believes that gyms are, in fact, e...

Today, we're speaking with Eric Von Frohlich and Debra Strougo, the husband-and-wife team who founded Row House, the highly successful indoor boutique rowing franchise and Xponential brand. Through blood, sweat, and tears, they've discovered a way to do the work they love while also empowering people through community. In this episode, they share how they manage to balance family and business, car...

Today, we're speaking with Brendan Kane, a business and digital strategist who has worked with Fortune 500 companies, the world's biggest brands, and high-profile celebrities.   He is best known for gaining one million followers on social media in 30 days.   If you're interested in learning how to leverage social media to make difference for your brand, he's the guy to turn to.   In this week's Es...

Today, we're speaking with Jan Spaticchia, a serial entrepreneur who has empowered millions of people to transform their lives through engagement with one of his fitness franchise brands. He is the Chair of énergie Group, Vice Chair of BMF, and Founder of Visivo. As the world now moves into a new and exciting digital age, Spaticchia is already planning for the future and is on the verge of launchi...

The two most fundamental aspects of your health are diet and exercise. But chronic exposure to stress, sleep deprivation, sedentary behavior, and processed food are causing metabolic dysfunction in your body. Jim Lavalle, an internationally recognized clinical pharmacist, author, nutrition expert, and founder of the Metabolic Code®, is here to shed some light on the underlying metabolic issues tha...

Today, we're speaking with Rita McGrath, a renowned Columbia Business School professor and premier expert on innovation, entrepreneurship, and growth strategies during times of uncertainty. The pandemic is forcing every business regardless of industry to reevaluate their operations and to stay relevant while also staying on top of strategic inflection points. According to Rita McGrath, the pandemi...

Today, we're speaking with celebrity personal trainer Gunnar Peterson. He is a household name in the health-and-fitness industry. He is the guy responsible for shaping some of the most famous bodies in the world and has trained everyone from the Kardashians to Sylvester Stallone to the Los Angeles Lakers. His dedication to fitness dates back to 1989. Today, he specializes in functional fitness and...