Gym World Worldwide

🌎 Erik Zeyher , owner of Warlock CrossFit in Poughkeepsie, NY, joins Mateo to break down how his semi-private program grew into a $20-25K/month revenue stream and the story behind Help First Fitness, the personal training studio he built inside a local tennis club's old squash court. P.S. If you like the show, then you'll love the Gym World newsletter. Every Friday, John Franklin breaks d...

🌎 Josh Maranian , owner of Regen Fitness Club in Fort Collins, Colorado, joins Mateo to break down how he built a semi-private training gym out of his garage and grew it into a 40-member facility in just one year. They get into his 4:1 semi-private model, why he splurged on a sauna and cold plunge while cutting costs elsewhere, how he prices and packages sessions, and his plan to roll out a belt-...

🌎 Corey Lewis , owner of Extra Mile Fitness in St. Louis, Missouri and Two-Brain mentor, joins Mateo to break down how he hires, develops, and retains great coaches. They get into his walking interview process, how he onboards new staff before their first day, why past members are his best source of new leads, and the system he uses to bring canceled members back. P.S. If you like the show, then...

🌎 Karen Stephenson , owner of Hammock Coast CrossFit on Pawleys Island , South Carolina, joins Mateo at the Two-Brain Business Summit to share how she sold her first gym, moved to the beach, and opened a second one in the middle of COVID. They get into what it really takes to start over, how she transitioned from hobby gym to real business, and why building a senior fitness program has become one...

Matt Becker, founder of Gym Lawyers and former 11-year CrossFit affiliate owner, joins Mateo to break down the legal gaps most gym owners don't know they have. They get into why compliance directly affects your gym's value, what buyers look for during due diligence, how market value opinions work, and the roll-up trend quietly reshaping the boutique fitness market. P.S. If you like the sho...

🌎 Rich Thaw , owner of EMPWR Fitness and Sports Performance Training in Montreal, joins Mateo to break down how he grew his gym's membership base by 40% in Q4, largely without paid ads. They get into his sell-by-chat strategy, why he cuts his schedule to grow faster, how he uses referral automations inside Kilo to turn happy members into a lead machine, and why sometimes discounting your tria...

🌎 Kaleda Connell , CEO of Kilo, joins Mateo to break down how the shift to AI-powered search is changing what gym owners need on their websites — and what to do about it. They get into Google's E-E-A-T framework, why the "blue link era" of SEO is over, and Kaleda's five-pillar system (proof, people, answers, authority, and plumbing) to ensure your gym actually shows up when some...

🌎 Michael Ranfone and Dr. Marko Lujic from Ranfone Training Systems join Mateo to break down how they built a 20,000 sq ft facility that combines semi-private training, concierge medicine, and nutrition under one roof. We get into their semi-private model, how RTS Health delivers real preventive care for around $500/month, and why their ARQ program might be what the future of gyms actually looks...

🌎 This week, Mateo sat down with Stu Brauer from WTF Gym Talk and the Gym Real Estate Company . Stu breaks down how he used gym cash flow to buy a 10,500 sq ft building with an SBA loan, filled the extra space with tenants to slash his monthly costs, and eventually sold the gym and leased the whole building. We also get into how to find the right location using customer data, why confusing zoning...

🌎 This week, Mateo sat down with Nathan, Kirsten, and Dana from BGB CrossFit , a CrossFit affiliate in Fayetteville, Georgia, that has been open for over 12 years. They break down how the gym shifted from a competitive CrossFit box to a health-focused facility for all demographics, the two-week fundamentals process that onboards every new member, and how adding semi-private training at $70 a week...

🌎 This week, Mateo sat down with Harry Morris , owner of FS46 and Head of Client Success at Business for Unicorns . Harry runs a 500-square-foot small-group coaching gym in Birmingham, UK, and he breaks down the paid 30-day trial system that transformed new membership enrollment, the pre-session walkthrough video that eliminates first-timer anxiety, and the one question his coaches ask every new...

🌎 This week, Mateo sat down with Ben Supik , founder and CEO of Activate Body Personal Training , a small group training gym with three locations that caps at 280 members per facility and generates up to $1.4 million in top-line revenue. Ben breaks down how 92% of members end up on annual contracts and why he spends the first 320 hours of every new hire just on training before they ever touch the...

🌎 This week, Mateo sat down with Tad Wooton & Andy Smith , co-founders of Numberwise , an accounting firm that's spent the last decade working exclusively with gym owners and fitness businesses. They break down the benchmarks every gym owner should know — from payroll and rent to what your profit number is probably getting wrong. We get into when it makes sense to stop doing your own books, w...

🌎 This week, Mateo sat down with  Stan Skolfield of Skolfield Sports Performance. Stan breaks down how he built a youth athletic training program that charges $1,500 for onboarding and converts 95% of athletes into long-term members. We get into why he qualifies families on the phone before they ever walk in, how a free structured evaluation does most of the selling, and the rotational coaching s...

🌎 This week, Mateo sat down to chat with  Bobby Armock . Bobby breaks down how he transformed a traditional CrossFit gym into a multi-service performance facility where personal training drives 52% of revenue. We get into the shift toward a family-based model, why consultations outperform quick sales, and how expanding services can unlock growth. P.S. If you like the show, then you'll love th...

🌎 This week on the podcast, Mateo checked in with Laura Gibson (Head of Customer Support at Kilo) to break down why most gyms don’t have a retention problem; they have a systems problem. She shares a simple framework for turning “caring” into something consistent and scalable. From milestone touchpoints to cancellations, and how to balance automation with real human connection, so members actuall...

🌎 This week,  John  chatted with  AJ Schrag  about how a simple Canva flyer turned into HYROX camps with 70–80 athletes per session and nearly $100K in new revenue for Catalyst Movement. We also break down the training pod model that allows one coach to run massive camps, why pricing camps like events attracts athletes from multiple gyms, and how racing keeps the community coming back for more. P...

🌎 Mateo sat down with  Boris Kezic , founder of Metcon Creative, to break down what gym owners often get wrong about branding. Boris explains why your brand isn’t just your logo or website. Your brand is the feeling people get from every interaction they have with your gym, from your photos to the condition of your bathrooms. They also discuss why most gyms should start with strategy, how small d...

🌎 John  recently sat down with Joe Baglione of  Catalyst Movement  to break down how he turned HYROX into an extra $80K–$100K a year—without adding more memberships. From packing out Sunday camps to building a full HYROX season around one race, Joe shares the things he did that transformed a capped, premium gym into a bigger revenue machine. If you think HYROX is just a trend, this episode might...

🌎 This week, Mateo chatted with Isaac Morgado ( @isaac.morgado ), owner of MVMT Strength in London, Ontario. Most gym owners know they should be posting. Isaac explains how he does it consistently in about 30 minutes a week. After crossing $1M in annual revenue and averaging 140 leads per month, he’s built a simple system where long-form content, paid ads, and organic posts all support each other...

🌎 In this episode, we sit down with the team behind One Academy to unpack how they scaled to multiple locations without losing the culture that made their gym work in the first place.  Jesse  and  Eric  share the decisions that shaped their growth, from building a training model that attracts the right members to waiting until systems, staff, and demand were truly ready before expanding. P.S. If...

The AI Playbook For Gym Owners -   https://go.businessforunicorns.com/gym-owners-and-ai 🌎 This week, Mateo sits down with  Mark Fisher  of Business For Unicorns to break down AI for gym owners. AI is moving fast, but most gyms are either ignoring it or using it the wrong way. Mark shares how to use AI in 2026 to save time, improve content, and run smarter operations while keeping the human connec...

🌎 In this episode, Mateo chats with  Sean Shearon  about how he built Prevail Strength and Fitness with intention instead of reacting as it grew. We dig into how clear systems, expectations, and boundaries made scaling feel calm instead of overwhelming. It’s a practical conversation for gym owners who want to grow without losing control of their business or their time. P.S. If you like the show,...

🌎  Mateo Lopez  sits down with  Wayne Li  to talk through how he built a gym from the ground up with limited capital and no prior business experience. Wayne shares lessons on starting lean, earning trust through presence, and adding structure over time without sacrificing culture. P.S. If you like the show, then you'll love the Gym World newsletter. Every Friday, John Franklin breaks down the...

🌎 Mateo sits down with  Dave Appel , Chief Health & Fitness Officer at  KORB Health Group , to unpack how medical wellness is starting to show up inside gyms. They talk through GLP-1s, hormone therapy, and telehealth—and why these tools don’t replace coaching, but can help members who’ve been stuck despite doing everything right. A practical conversation for gym owners trying to support bette...