Female emPOWERED: Winning in Business & Life

If you feel stuck in a constant cycle of flash sales, discounts, and last-minute promotions just to fill classes, this episode is for you. In this episode of the Female emPOWERED Podcast , host Christa Gurka breaks down why reactive “panic marketing” doesn’t work—and what boutique fitness and wellness studio owners should build instead. You’ll learn how to move away from feast-and-famine revenue a...

How to Use Google + Meta Ads to Grow Your Local Studio with Paid Ads Expert Ashley Brock Welcome back to another episode of Female emPOWERED — and Happy New Year, friends! We’re kicking off 2026 with an episode that every Pilates, PT, yoga, or boutique wellness studio owner needs to hear. Today, I’m joined by the brilliant Ashley Brock , founder of the Paid Ads Academy , bestselling author of How...

In this episode, Christa takes you behind the scenes of a live training she hosted for her Inner Circle clients, all about how to get better results from AI tools like ChatGPT. If you’ve ever felt stuck staring at a blinking cursor when trying to write content - or ended up with a robotic, boring blog post - this episode is for you. You’ll learn exactly how to write better prompts that get you hig...

Welcome back to another episode of the Female EmPOWERed Podcast! I’m your host, Christa Gurka, and today we’re tackling one of the most critical aspects of running a profitable boutique fitness or wellness business—pricing, pay rates, and expenses. If you've ever wondered how to structure your pricing for long-term financial health, this episode is for you. We’ll break down industry statistic...

What really happens after you sell your studio? In this candid episode of Female emPOWERed , I share the truth about the first 8 months post-exit from Pilates in the Grove—everything from the unexpected identity shift and grief , to the freedom, pride, and the systems that made a sellable, scalable business possible. If you’re a Pilates, PT, yoga, or boutique fitness owner who wants to stop being...

Why Client Poaching Isn’t the Real Problem in Your Studio (and What To Fix Instead) Hosted by: Christa Gurka, PT, OCS | Fit Biz Strategies If you've ever panicked because a client followed an instructor out the door… or you’ve worried that an instructor is “stealing” clients… this episode is going to flip that narrative on its head. Inside our boutique fitness and wellness studios, client poa...

Are you tired of feeling like every month you’re starting from zero in your business? In this episode of Female emPOWERED , host Christa Gurka breaks down one of the most important lessons she learned while preparing to sell her multi-seven-figure studio: not all revenue is created equal. Christa walks you through her Revenue Ladder — a framework that helps you understand where your income is real...

In this episode of the Female emPOWERed podcast, I’m recapping the 2025 Women in Wellness Business Summit we just wrapped in Miami — two days of honest conversations, strategy, and big vision planning for women who own boutique fitness and wellness businesses. If you’re a Pilates studio owner, pelvic health physical therapist, yoga or barre studio owner, gym owner, or hybrid wellness practice, thi...

Thinking about hiring a marketing agency for your boutique fitness or wellness business? In this episode, Christa Gurka shares exactly what you need to know before you spend a single dollar on paid ads. Christa breaks down the essential marketing metrics and strategies every studio owner should understand — from CPC, CPA, and CAC to lifetime value (LTV) and conversion rates — so you can make infor...

Have you ever wondered what people are really paying for when they work with you? In this week’s episode of Female emPOWERED , host Christa Gurka shares insights sparked by a recent VIP Day in Atlanta with Ashley Brock and a powerful group of women entrepreneurs — plus a timely reminder from Denise Duffield-Thomas’s Chill & Prosper podcast. This episode dives deep into the real value behind yo...

Not sure why your business isn’t growing — or where the problem actually is? In this episode of Female emPOWERED , host Christa Gurka breaks down how to diagnose problems inside your boutique fitness or wellness business so you can fix the right thing — not just the most obvious thing. Too often, studio owners say “my marketing isn’t working” when the real issue is a gap in their sales system or o...

Confused about whether your team should be classified as employees or independent contractors? You’re not alone — and getting it wrong can cost you big time. In this episode of Female emPOWERED , host Christa Gurka sits down with returning guest Katie Santos , founder of FitnessHR , to unpack everything studio and wellness business owners need to know about HR compliance, classification, and prote...

In this episode of Female emPOWERED , Christa sits down with website designer and SEO expert Jess Freeman , the creative behind both the Pilates in the Grove and Christa Gurka websites. Together, they unpack exactly what makes a boutique fitness or wellness website stand out in 2025—and what you need to prioritize to attract more clients and rank higher on Google. Jess shares her proven process fo...

In this week’s Female emPOWERED episode, Christa breaks down one of the most powerful—and misunderstood—decisions you’ll ever make as a boutique fitness or wellness business owner: finding your niche. If you’ve ever worried that niching down means turning clients away, leaving money on the table, or boxing yourself in, this episode will change your perspective. Christa shares why narrowing your fo...

Female emPOWERED Podcast | Episode 307 🎙️ How to Ramp Up New Hires Without Killing Your Profit Margin Are you staring at your new team member’s half-empty schedule and wondering, “Did I make a mistake?” You’re not alone — and you’re not losing money (even if it feels like it). In this episode, Christa Gurka walks you through how to set realistic utilization expectations for new instructors or clin...

Are Google Ads worth it for your studio or practice? If you’ve ever wondered why ads don’t seem to work for you—or why you’re spending thousands each month without seeing results—this episode is for you. I’m walking you through the anatomy of a Google Ad and breaking down how to set up campaigns the right way so you can start generating consistent, high-quality leads. Inside the episode, you’ll le...

Welcome back to another episode of Female emPOWERED , the podcast for female boutique fitness and wellness business owners. I’m your host, Christa Gurka , and today we’re diving into one of the toughest leadership challenges for studio and clinic owners: how to transition clients from your personal schedule to a new team member’s schedule—without losing trust, clients, or revenue. If you’ve ever f...

How you pay your team can make or break your business. In today’s episode of Female emPOWERED , I’m breaking down the most common compensation models for Pilates instructors, yoga teachers, and physical therapists —and why getting this wrong can destroy your margins, retention, and culture. Too many studio and practice owners overpay staff, set up complicated systems nobody understands, or tie pay...

How do you build a boutique fitness brand that stands out in a crowded market? And how do you balance staying true to your values while also marketing for growth? In this episode of Female emPOWERED , I’m joined by my dear friend and returning guest Kari Saitowitz — founder of Fhitting Room in NYC and current CMO of New York Sports Club. With a background at American Express, Pepsi, and a Harvard...

Do you ever feel like you’re running in circles in your business — putting out fires, answering team questions, juggling clients — and never getting ahead? In this episode of Female emPOWERED , I’m joined again by my go-to content strategist and business bestie Latasha Doyle, founder of Uncanny Content . Together, we dive into the real-life benefits of stepping away from the day-to-day and giving...

: 🎙️ Female emPOWERED Podcast Episode: How Hosting Workshops Can Grow Your Revenue, Community & Credibility Episode Summary: In this episode, Christa Gurka shares everything studio owners need to know about hosting in-house workshops — not just attending them. If you’ve been searching for new ways to increase revenue, train your team, and build your brand’s authority in your local wellness com...

Welcome to the 300th episode of the Female emPOWERED podcast! I never imagined we’d reach this milestone, and I want to use this special moment to honor the women who made this possible. In this heartfelt solo episode, I’m reflecting on the incredible journey from launching the podcast in 2021 to now. But more importantly, I’m celebrating the designers, mentors, team members, clients, business bes...

Episode Summary: Thinking about selling your fitness or wellness business one day? This episode is a must-listen. Christa Gurka sits down with Mitch McGinley, founder of Boutique Fitness Broker, to unpack the highs, lows, and lessons learned from her own seven-figure studio sale. Together, they explore what makes a business truly sellable, how deal structures are formed, what to expect during due...

In this episode of the Female Empowered Podcast , Christa Gurka tackles one of the most important mindset shifts a wellness entrepreneur can make: moving from being an operator to becoming a true business owner. If you're feeling stuck in the daily grind, overwhelmed by decision fatigue, or like your business can’t function without you - this episode is for you. Christa shares insights from h...

From Changing Room to 3 Locations: Jennifer Gelfand’s Journey to Building a Transformational Wellness Brand In this episode of the Female emPOWERed Podcast, I’m joined by Jennifer Gelfand, pelvic floor physical therapist, yoga teacher, and founder of Root to Rise Physical Therapy in Maine. What started as a one-woman show treating patients in a yoga studio changing room has grown into a thriving,...