Free Agent with Meg Schmitz

In this milestone episode, we celebrate one year of IMAGE Studios Wauwatosa—a hub where beauty, wellness, and entrepreneurship collide. 🥳 But this isn't just about a grand opening. It's a spotlight on what happens when bold vision meets real opportunity.

Makayla, a first-time entrepreneur, shares her leap from stylist to studio owner—navigating the fears, the wins, and the freedom that comes with building something of her own. Standing right beside her is Meg Schmitz, who isn't just coaching others into franchise ownership—she's in the arena herself, leveraging her own franchise to mentor and uplift new entrepreneurs like Makayla.

This episode is a reminder: entrepreneurship isn't meant to be a solo act. It's a community-powered movement where smart structure and shared courage turn dreams into legacies.

When the system breaks you down, some people shrink. Others rise. Samantha is walking away from a healthcare career that's eating away at her time, her health, and her spirit. She's building Skinship Esthetic Spa inside IMAGE Studios Wauwatosa — creating a future where beauty professionals don't just survive... they own their freedom. This isn't a story about chasing money. It's about reclaiming time, rewriting the rules, and building a legacy that outlives the pain. This special episode highlights emerging entrepreneurs in the beauty and wellness industry to celebrate the grand opening of Meg's IMAGE Studios, Wauwatosa location.

Behind the polished brand lives the mess—marriage stress, deal drama, and founders numbing instead of feeling. Meg and Jaime White strip away the armor to discuss "divorce version one," choosing each other again, and reordering their lives as: self → partnership → business. Trade optics for alignment and watch profit follow meaning—this episode is your mirror and your map.

Life doesn't wait for your business plan— and business doesn't stop for life. In this episode, you'll hear Meg describe her upcoming surgeries, dealing with aging parents, and the biggest shock of putting her beloved young dog into hospice care. Personal issues have collided with Meg's empire-building, and they are unavoidable. In this raw update, she reveals how personal storms mirror the chaos of scaling multiple franchises. The takeaway? Dream big, plan bigger, and keep moving forward—because this too shall pass.

Think franchising equals full-time hustle? This episode flips that script.

Meg sits down with Lindsay Junk, CEO of Body20, to reveal how tech-enabled fitness franchises offer high ROI without high effort.

✔️ Proven systems ✔️ Wellness trend alignment ✔️ Executive-level support

If you're a high earner stuck at "what's next?"—this is your blueprint for passive-ish ownership.

In this episode, Meg Schmitz and PR legend Rhonda Sanderson cut through the hype and dig into the hard-earned lessons of business ownership and franchising. From Subway's scrappy beginnings to AI's looming future, they unpack how candor, care, and year-one grind transform shaky startups into resilient, saleable brands. If you're tired of recycled success clichés and ready for raw insight that actually moves the needle, this conversation is your wake-up call.

Is it smarter to buy a business with "instant" cash flow or build one from scratch? In this episode, Meg Schmitz and Josh Skolnick expose the brutal truth about control, risk, and what really drives long-term freedom. If you're wrestling with self-doubt and searching for the most reliable path to ownership, this conversation will flip the way you think about your next move.

Tired of making millions for someone else while your soul shrinks in a cubicle? Rob & Nick of REPM break down how top execs can flip their skills into franchise ownership — with real systems, real support, and real ROI. If you're ready to stop renting your talent and start owning equity, this is the episode that shows you the playbook.

Leaving corporate for business ownership is thrilling—and terrifying. Verdine Baker, a franchise executive who's guided hundreds of owners, shares what really happens when fear meets opportunity—and how resilience and culture create lasting success. With Meg Schmitz leading the conversation, senior executives will discover the playbook to step out confidently and build freedom on their own terms.

Anthony Geisler, the force behind scaling Club Pilates from 12 to 1,300 units and taking Xponential Fitness public with a multibillion-dollar valuation, is back with a new play: Sequel Brands. Alongside industry veteran Bob McQuillan, he's building a wellness platform featuring Pilates Addiction, iFlex Stretch Studios, Beem Light Sauna, and Body20. In this episode, they share how Sequel is engineered with infrastructure, profitability, and innovation from day one—and why they'll never let Wall Street distractions steer the ship again.