These Female CEOs Are Changing the Face of Boutique Fitness
Partnership
Sponsored By Xplor Mariana Tek
The heads of Pvolve, TREMBLE, RE/GEN Method and BODYBAR Pilates share their perspectives on being a leader in fitness and wellness
As Athletech News takes a look at Women in Charge this month, it’s clear that the boutique fitness industry is privileged to have many females at the helm.
These female founders are pioneering innovation, spearheading new programming and spotlighting issues like mental health, women’s wellness, menopause and more.
Moreover, these leaders are actively championing the advancement of other women within the industry – be that through empowering franchise opportunities or creating career paths for their own teams – all while running their businesses and filling the multiple roles that women do.
Xplor Mariana Tek, a leading boutique fitness software platform from Xplor Technologies, is specifically designed to take some of the heavy lifting off of these studio owners when it comes to managing operations, deepening client connections, improving service delivery and more.
“Our platform offers automation and insights that streamline operations and maximize efficiency, allowing these leaders to work “on” their business instead of “in” their businesses, said Shannon Tracey, Vice President of Business Development. “From inception, Mariana Tek has attracted some of the most innovative brands in fitness – our first client being Barry’s. We’re constantly being pushed by our partners who have driven the platform forward”
“We’re so encouraged by the work we see happening by these female operators who are driving this industry forward,” Tracey added.
Athletech News shines a light on four of Mariana Tek’s successful female partners, asking each of them their perspectives on being a leader in the fitness and wellness industry.
Women Are The Business of Fitness
Julie Cartwright helped launch Pvolve in 2017 with a vision to not only attend to current women’s fitness goals but to support longevity, anticipating women’s evolving needs over decades. From the outset, Pvolve embraced an omnichannel strategy, developing digital and physical locations to offer members flexibility to fit movement into their day.
“Women are overwhelmingly the consumers of boutique fitness, making up a large portion of the $100 billion global fitness market,” says Cartwright of female leadership in the industry. “I think it’s really a woman’s game. Fitness is so personal; it’s our bodies and our health, and therefore, it’s emotional. Because women make up a majority of the audience, I think we do well at the helm of fitness businesses because we are the consumer.”
Cartwright says she’s most proud of building a largely female leadership team and also conducting clinical trials, most notably Pvolve’s Healthy Aging Study, which is the first known clinical study centered around the fitness needs of women 40+ that investigates the impact of low-impact exercise on longevity and overall quality of life in women aged 40-60 throughout various phases of menopause.
Using Tech To Build Community
Aryan Rashed has been in the industry for decades and launched TREMBLE during the pandemic in Miami, FL. TREMBLE, which offers high-intensity, low-impact workouts spanning strength training, cardio and Pilates, has over 20 locations across the country and is still growing.
“It’s such a fulfilling experience to empower women to be and feel their best,” she says. TREMBLE is a representation of strength, both mental and physical. Seeing women rise is something I’m proud of. I feel a strong sense of connection with our community.”
Rashed points to the Mariana Tek platform as a key factor in building that community.
“Having a platform that allows clients to feel connected to the brand is paramount,” Rashed said. “It has to be a seamless experience and what initially attracted me to it was how friendly it was from the client’s perspective. From bookings to seeing your favorite instructor’s profile, milestones and ease of purchase – it’s all part of the customer experience. The bonus on the back end was how easy it was to set up classes, settings and schedules and keep track of metrics that are very important to running a healthy business.”
Communication and feedback are also key to these leaders in running their businesses.
“Client feedback is incredibly important for me since our first studio opened just four months ago,” said Melissa Weiss, Founder of RE/GEN Method. “Mariana Tek has allowed us to take a deeply personal approach to client service, giving us the tools to really understand and respond to each individual’s needs. They provide insights into attendance patterns, client preferences, and overall engagement, enabling us to optimize class schedules and adjust our service offerings to better meet client demands.”
Weiss and team launched RE/GEN Method – a science-based concept for physical fitness, longevity and overall well-being that blends Pilates and strength training – in New York in December.
“At RE/GEN Method, we aim to address the gaps in women’s health care, advocating for a comprehensive approach to human performance that leverages community and collective support, Weiss tells ATN. “This emphasis on nurturing meaningful relationships and promoting all-encompassing wellness distinguishes our approach and truly connects with our clientele.”
Kamille McCollum, Co-Owner of BODYBAR Pilates in Texas, shares Weiss’s commitment to relationship and community-building. BODYBAR Pilates launched in 2016, and since then, she and her business partner, Matt McCollum, have opened two additional locations.
“I am most proud of the community that my studios have developed and created,” McCollum said. “Boutique fitness is about working toward your physical goals, challenging yourself to be pushed in ways you may not always push yourself and being a part of a community makes a difference.”
Whether it’s a need to deepen relationships, address wellness holistically, or support longevity, Tracey says these leaders fully understand what their members intrinsically want and need.
“They understand the desires and preferences of their target demographic because they are, quite literally, their own customers,” she explains. “This touches everything from studio layouts to class times, programming and branding. The authenticity resonates deeply with clients and creates a strong sense of trust and loyalty, and Mariana Tek works to help augment and enrich this toward our client’s success.”