WELL RUN: A Podcast for Fitness Owners Who Care About People AND Profit.

Infusing Wellness into Hospitality with Erin Schirack In this episode of Well Run, Annie Adragna sits down again with Erin Schirack, founder of HIGH SOCIETY, for a conversation about what hospitality brands are getting right and wrong when it comes to wellness. The two discuss why consumers are no longer looking at wellness as a bonus amenity and instead are expecting it to be woven into the overa...

Many health clubs say they personalize training. Few actually systemize it. In this episode of the Well Run Podcast, Annie sits down with Nile Bratcher, certified performance and health coach, Certified Surgical Technologist with University of Colorado Health, creator of REFORM and host of Reform – Health, Performance, Recovery with Nile . Nile shares what nearly two decades of coaching, combined...

It’s Personal and It’s Business: Why Great Fitness Leaders Stop Pretending Otherwise There’s a common belief in the fitness industry that being professional means being emotionally detached. If you care too much, lead with heart or allow your work to feel personal, you’re crossing some invisible line. This episode pushes back on that idea. No one ends up owning a club, running a studio or leading...

Well Run Podcast In this episode of the Well Run Podcast , Annie Adragna sits down with Victor "V-Man" Verhage , a leading strategist in the recovery, wellness, and longevity space, to explore where member experience is truly headed and why personalization is no longer optional for gyms, studios, and boutique fitness brands. This conversation looks beyond trends and technology to address...

If your staff feels like members can walk all over them and leadership never steps in, this is not a staffing issue. It’s a culture issue. In this solo episode, Annie breaks down how entitlement gets baked into gym and wellness cultures, why leadership avoidance quietly erodes trust, and what actually needs to happen before staff will feel empowered to hold boundaries with confidence. This convers...

In this episode of Well Run Podcast , Annie sits down with Erin Schirack, founder of HIGH SOCIETY , for a grounded and honest conversation about leadership, talent, and the future of luxury fitness and wellness. Erin brings more than two decades of experience across movement education, hospitality, and brand strategy, offering a sharp perspective on why so many fitness and wellness companies strug...

The holidays have a way of revealing everything your team already feels. When leaders get intentional about appreciation during this season performance rises stress levels stabilize and the member experience gets stronger. In this short episode I break down five ways to appreciate your team that go beyond the usual card and cookie tray. These approaches work because they speak to different appreci...

Building a strong team is not a guessing game. It is one of the most important responsibilities of any owner or operator who wants a people-first and financially healthy business. In this solo episode, Annie pulls from two decades of leadership inside luxury fitness and wellness spaces to break down what it really takes to hire well. You’ll hear why most hiring problems start long before the inter...

In this episode on Well Run, I break down what really happens inside fitness and wellness clubs during the holiday rush and why leaders cannot treat this season like business as usual. The volume changes. The energy changes. The expectations change. Your team feels every bit of that. I talk about how to lead with clarity and emotional intelligence when things get busy. We get into scheduling that...

Maximizing Wellness: Integrating Recovery and Longevity Strategies in Fitness Clubs In this episode of WELL RUN. Podcast , Annie Adragna sits down with Jason Stella , a longtime leader in the health, fitness, and recovery space with nearly three decades of experience guiding people and organizations toward better performance and longevity. Now serving as Chief Innovation and Growth Officer for For...

In this episode of Well Run , host Annie Adragna returns after a short break to share her reflections from the Beyond Activ Americas fitness conference in Dallas. Annie unpacks what truly resonated — from the industry’s rapid innovation and renewed focus on longevity and wellness, to the simple truth that still drives success: people. She shares key insights and personal connections with industry...

Staffing isn’t just an HR headache — it’s one of the most overlooked revenue strategies in the fitness, wellness, and spa industries. In this episode of Well Run , Annie Adragna breaks down why the battle for talent is the real bottom-line issue every owner and operator should be paying attention to. With more candidates seeking positive culture, growth opportunities, and respect over just a paych...

In this episode of Well Run , Annie Adragna tackles the problem of toxic leadership in gyms, health clubs and wellness businesses . From fear-based managers who rely on intimidation to leaders who hide behind “false harmony,” these patterns hurt staff morale, increase turnover, and create hidden revenue leaks . Drawing on 23 years of experience in luxury fitness and wellness management, Annie expl...

In this episode of Well Run , Annie Adragna breaks down why discount-driven membership strategies are one of the fastest ways to undermine long-term success in the luxury fitness industry. Instead of chasing short-term spikes from flash sales and promos, Annie explains why the most successful operators focus on Lifetime Value (LTV) — the total revenue a member contributes over their entire relatio...

How do gyms make money without relying on constant discounts? It starts with retention — and retention starts in the first 90 days. In this episode of Well Run , Annie Adragna explains why the first 30–90 days of a new member’s journey determine their long-term loyalty and lifetime value. She shares the exact usage thresholds that matter most — like why 4–6 visits in the first month predicts reten...

In this episode of Well Run , Annie Adragna, a seasoned consultant and mentor in the fitness and wellness industry, explores one of the most overlooked truths in club management: member love doesn’t equal member loyalty. Annie breaks down why retention is built on behavior, not just sentiment and why usage frequency is the single greatest predictor of long-term loyalty. From onboarding to group cl...

Welcome to the very first episode of Well Run —a weekly podcast for owners and operators of luxury fitness clubs, wellness centers, and recovery spaces . Hosted by Annie Adragna, a seasoned leader with 20+ years in the industry, this show explores how to build sustainable businesses, strong cultures, and high-performing teams . In this kickoff episode, Annie dig into why emotional intelligence (EQ...

Welcome to "Well Run", the podcast dedicated to owners and operators of luxury fitness, wellness and recovery spaces. Hosted by industry veteran Annie Adragna, this podcast covers the essentials of creating a successful, people-first and performance-driven business.  Each episode offers practical strategies and real-world insights into high EQ leadership and developing profitable and res...