Fireside Chat: SWTHZ’s Jamie Weeks on Disrupting Fitness & Wellness

Jamie Weeks, a highly successful Orangetheory Fitness franchisee before founding SWTHZ, shares his candid – and unique – thoughts on the business of franchising 

In this exclusive “Fireside Chat” interview, Jamie Weeks, founder of SWTHZ, an ambitious wellness franchise that offers saunas, cold plunges and Vitamin C showers, meets with Athletech News founder and CEO Edward Hertzman to share his views on franchising, real estate and more. 

Weeks and Hertzman cover how SWTHZ is separating itself from the pack in the increasingly crowded wellness franchise space. Weeks, who built one of the world’s largest Orangetheory Fitness franchise portfolios before creating SWTHZ, also talks about how his upbringing led him to become a disruptor and gives his future outlook on the wellness industry. Watch the full interview for expert commentary on the following: 

• Where and why fitness and wellness brands go wrong in the franchising game
• The importance of correct data application
• The line between healthcare and fitness/wellness

Key Talking Points:

• (0:00 – 1:21) Introductions
• (1:21 – 6:05) Jamie’s journey in launching SWTHZ
• (6:05 – 11:11) Boxes to check for a successful wellness franchise
• (11:11 – 14:59) How SWTHZ HQ forms close relationships with its franchisees
• (14:59 – 17:23) Expanding to LA or NY last rather than first
• (17:23 – 21:30) Data’s role in franchising decisions
• (21:30 – 25:47) Where wellness takes fitness as a whole in the future
• (25:47 – 28:53) Psychedelics in wellness
• (28:53 – 35:50) Does the fitness industry need more disruptors?
• (35:50 – 36:19) Wrap-up