HALO Talks: Elevating Wellness

Jack Thomas, originally from Australia, has been living and working in Thailand for the past few years. In this episode, host Pete Moore and Jack discuss everything from the burgeoning boutique fitness industry in Asia, to the evolving trends and growth opportunities in the U.S. fitness market. He is excited about the emerging markets in other Asian countries, such as Manila and Indonesia, and see...

Dane McCarthy is a former rugby player who pursued a career in finance before joining salesforce.com. After several years in financial services, he was transferred to New York. During the pandemic, he quickly realized the different workout culture in the US compared to Australia, where people often train in groups. That eventually led him to start Village Athletic . . . which helped unite people i...

Laura Adelson is a yoga enthusiast and now a new business owner who credits her husband for encouraging her to take a chance, buy the business, and save her long-time yoga studio from closing permanently. Together, they turned the struggling business into a thriving community hub and a place of learning for both students and teachers.  She shares insights into the studio's brand identity, the proc...

Gary Kleinman is a seasoned marketer and former attorney who has always believed in the power of storytelling. After realizing the similarities between the marketing world and being a litigator, he decided to venture into a career that combined his skills in both fields. For years, Gary successfully ran an experiential marketing agency that specialized in organizing mobile tours for renowned organ...

Bill Parisi is a former athlete who began his career over 30 years ago. As a Division 1 all American athlete in college, he quickly realized the lack of appropriate training for young athletes in field and court sports. In 1990, he began his entrepreneurial journey with a small 3,000 square foot facility, which quickly grew to multiple locations. With guidance from industry expert Tom Plummer, Bil...

Steven Puri, along with his friend Ulf, embarked on a mission to address the growing problem of stress and overwhelm in today's (extremely) fast-paced world. Both experienced moments where they felt stressed out and unable to fully enjoy life, due to an almost overwhelming number of tasks to complete. (Sound familiar?)  Determined to find a solution, they decided to harness the wisdom of experts w...

Maura Vella started her journey in the corporate world, quickly climbing the ladder and achieving financial success by the age of 24 in tech sales. However, she realized that despite the impressive paycheck, she lacked a sense of purpose and excitement. This led her to embark on a different path, one centered around her newfound passion for yoga. She eagerly attended classes every day, and it beca...

Chuck Goetschel is the CEO and Co-Founder of Rallio, and a respected figure in the franchising community, known for his strong belief and track record in building and maintaining positive relationships between franchisors and franchisees. With a focus on empowering and supporting franchisees while utilizing the strength of the brand, his mission is to ensure a harmonious and successful partnership...

Pete Moore, Founder & Managing Partner of Integrity Square recounts a conversation he may or may not have had at one point or another in his investment banking career. These types of discussions may or may not also take place daily in investment banks and M&A firms everywhere.  As he's often fond of saying, "Finance is basic math. It's not hard, but the people in the sector love to make it sound h...

Amy Bantham began her career in the late nineties as a group exercise instructor, a role she quickly fell in love with. While working in management consulting, she realized that it was teaching group exercise during her lunch hour that truly brought her joy and drive. This eventually led her to begin working with the main industry trade group, IHRSA (International Health, Racquet & Sports Associat...

Bill Davis is an extremely dedicated individual who has witnessed the tremendous transformation and maturity of the HALO (Health, Active Lifestyle, Outdoors) space over the past few years. Despite the anxiety and uncertainty brought about by the pandemic, Bill has been impressed by the sustained growth and expansion of both membership and brands within the industry. With a keen understanding that...

Wade Norris is a former researcher at Google AI, where he had the fortune of transitioning into the AI space just as it was gaining momentum. His expertise lies specifically in helping computers understand photos, videos, and the surrounding world. Wade had an amazing journey there, starting with a team of only 10 and witnessing its rapid growth to 140 researchers. During his tenure, he contribute...

Chris Mirabile's passion for health started young. At 12, he stumbled on to a copy of Men's Health magazine, which inspired him to take care of his body through exercise and what he believed was a healthy diet. Health became an integral part of his life until everything changed when he was 15. While on a school trip in New York City, Chris unexpectedly had a seizure caused by an undetected, golf b...

Jake Thomas began his career in the fitness industry immediately after college. With a background in athletic training and a strong passion for working with kids and training athletes, he joined Forward Fitness and Parisi Speed School. Here he tells the story of how he went from Fitness Manager to proud Owner! After gaining valuable experience, he moved on to MVP Sports Clubs in Michigan, where he...

Jane Curth is a passionate individual who has made a significant impact in the field of education and personal training. With a background as a professor in kinesiology, she specialized in online education and was recognized as a finalist for a state award for excellence in online teaching. It was during her teaching career that she identified a pain point in the industry and decided to take actio...

Charles Seltzer and his Co-Founder Brendan Doney shared a passion for team sports since childhood. From hockey, basketball, and soccer to football, lacrosse, and more . . . their lives revolved around sports. However, their competitive sports journey ended after high school, and college only offered the chance to play intramural. After graduating, both found it heard to find a reliable team to pla...

Dr. Bechara Saab is a classically trained chemist with a passion for understanding the intricacies of the human mind. After completing his Ph. D in neuroscience at Mount Sinai in Toronto, Dr. Saab pursued a career as a principal investigator at the University of Zurich, where he opened his own laboratory. Through his work, he made a groundbreaking discovery - a strong correlation between the lack...

On today's episode we chat with Alex Peacock from Leisure Labs. He joins us from the UK to discuss the future of technology in the fitness industry, and how to prioritize your tech investments for maximum impact in 2023. With over 20 years of experience, he has witnessed the industry's shift toward embracing new technologies, but there's still work to be done, and Alex shares his insights on where...

Udaiyan Jatar, born and raised in India, had a unique upbringing due to his father's career as a fighter pilot. He attended 13 different schools across 6 states and became proficient in 4 or 5 languages. Coming from a family with a strong military background, this played a significant role in shaping his life. After completing his education, Jatar started his career in door-to-door sales. He later...

HALO Talks, on behalf of Integrity Square, is pleased to share this podcast with our new client, HealthFitness Corporation. HealthFitness is committed to further expansion into facilities-based fitness management and has engaged Integrity Square to assist in outreach with prospective owners who are seeking a great home for their company and employees. If you are interested in exploring opportuniti...

Eziah Syed is a former athlete with a background in fitness and health. He played basketball at a national level in Canada and also had some experience in the tech space. His life took a turn when his mother was diagnosed with cancer and his brother suffered a serious fall, resulting in multiple injuries. These personal experiences made Eziah reflect on the healthcare system and the care received....

Randy Sussman is an entrepreneur who identified a gap in the market for pickleball apparel early on. Observing that players were initially wearing items like heavy cotton shirts with kitschy designs, he quickly realized the need for high-quality, stylish clothing in this growing sport. The number of players have grown exponentially to approximately 7-8 million players, with 35-40 million having tr...

Natacha Nelson's journey has been one of resilience and determination. In college, she faced the disappointment of not making any sports teams and struggled to find her identity as a mixed-race individual. Battling addiction, she eventually left. Not too shortly after, a moment of realization pushed her to make major changes. Working tirelessly in multiple restaurants, Natacha decided to return to...

Rechelle Balanzat, an extremely determined, driven, and resilient entrepreneur, has overcome the rather large challenges of breaking into the highly competitive dry cleaning market with her company, JULIETTE.  With her immense success in this competitive space, Rechelle now helms three different brands and 6 locations in NYC. New York has been her home for over 20 years, enabling her to understand...

Live from the floor of the March 2023 IHRSA Trade Show in San Diego, host Pete Moore interviews Blake Richards formerly with Nike as a Senior Data Quality Analyst, then Senior Global Membership Ops Process Coordinator and now as the Founder of  Wunup . Wunup is a one-of-a-kind app that dives into world of gamification and peer-to-peer challenges in the fitness industry. Blake shares his journey fr...