HALO Talks: Elevating Wellness

Joseph C. Maroon, M.D., is a Neurosurgeon and Vice Chairman and Professor of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He's regarded as a premiere specialist in the surgical treatment of injuries and diseases of the brain and spine and considered an authority in sports medicine and concussion management. He's been the team Neurosurgeon for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Medical Director of World Wrestling Association, as well as authored over 300 peer-reviewed scientific articles and numerous books. His most recent is Square One: A Simple Guide to a Balanced Life.

"After asking for objective data from coach Chuck Knoll, I went to neuropsychological colleague Mark Lovell, and we designed the Impact Test: Immediate Post Athletic Cognitive Testing, which eventually became computer based and has now become the standard of care in the NFL and all major contact sports. And we've evaluated over 20 million tests in kids and various levels subsequently," states Maroon.

Dr. Maroon continues to do fascinating work in concussion management and has dedicated his career to improving safety in sports as well been a pioneer in the development of concussion detection and treatment technologies. He's dedicated years to developing safe products focused on football, and was the first neurosurgeon appointed by a team for that purpose. In addition to all other major advances in the sports world, he's also seen the growth of data collection, such as the HITS: High Impact Intensity Testing System and Prevent Biometrics, as well as the implementation of the eye in the sky system, where trainers monitor and assess players on the field. In addition, Dr. Maroon has recently studied the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy to assist with post concussion syndrome. In this episode, you will learn about:

1. The development of new technology to help prevent and treat concussions, including the use of mouthpieces to measure hits and the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

2. The importance of proper nutrition for athletes, including the use of supplements to support mitochondrial function.

3. The increasing level of athleticism and the potential for even more impressive feats in the future.

Click here to download transcript. Resources:

• Square One: A Simple Guide To A Balanced Life

Other episodes you'll enjoy focused on workout recovery:

• https://www.halotalks.com/benjamin-nazarian-dr-jason-wersland-therabody/
• https://www.halotalks.com/katie-kaps-and-lauren-berlingeri-of-higher-dose/
• https://www.halotalks.com/rick-richey-co-founder-recover/

Connect With Us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehaloadvisors/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Integritysquare YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@halotalks Twitter: @thehaloadvisors LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/integrity-square/ Website: https://www.halotalks.com Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here.

Nearly 30 years ago, Fit Bodies came up with the unique idea of meeting high end resort's staffing needs by matching them with highly experienced and credentialed fitness professionals who were willing to teach a few classes while they were on vacation. It's a business model that has served the Founder, Suzelle Snoden, quite well over the years. She has over 30 years of experience in the fitness industry, and her company has placed instructors in some of the most prestigious resorts in the world with a network of approximately 50,000 instructors across the globe representing all all specialty areas. (Pilates, yoga, cycling, etc.)

"So what we're doing for our clients, our hotel partners, is we're providing that programming for their fitness with qualified educated professionals that they wouldn't know how to resource. Those people actually having their own vacation, the instructors, and while they're on the property, they teach classes to the resort guests. They're actually inspiring people to be healthy and happy while they're on vacation so that hopefully their lifestyle might change . . . our clients, the hotels, they respect that we understand and know who is educated. We follow up on that and screen them 100% to make sure they're not only educated, but also have the background to be able to provide this high amenity that matches the amenities the hotels are already offering in all the other areas."

This episode dives a bit deeper into the business model and services offered by Fit Bodies. Because of their extensive relationships over the past 30 years with group instructors nationwide, Fit Bodies is also a place that fitness companies nationwide should strongly consider reaching out to for their staffing needs as well.

In this episode, you will learn: 1. How the fitness industry has changed and evolved over the last few years, especially around COVID. 2. Why it's important to have highly qualified and educated instructors teaching classes at resorts. 3. The trends around yoga, Pilates, cycling, and other modalities in the resort/vacation space.

Download transcript here.

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here. Other episodes you'll enjoy:

Joana Meneses-Bodyroots: https://www.halotalks.com/joana-meneses-founder-bodyroots/ Connect With Us:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehaloadvisors/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Integritysquare YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@halotalks Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/thehaloadvisors LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/integrity-square/ Website: https://www.halotalks.com

In this episode, Derek Flanzraich discusses his journey as an entrepreneur and how he is using his new company, Ness, to democratize access to health, in part by using credit cards to incentivize healthy behaviors. Derek Flanzraich initially started as the CEO and Founder of Greatist, a company that later became the the leading health and wellness media company for Millennials. He is currently the CEO and Founder of Ness, a credit card company that rewards people for making healthy choices.

When he started digging deeper into (some of the many problem with health care in this country!) he states, "There's just no denying that no matter how friendly you make health and wellness, it still is very expensive and hard to afford for most people. And I was hit sort of smack in the face with this about a year and a half ago, which was about a year and a half after I sold my last company . . . Why is it that health insurance, which seems like it should care about your long term health, actually doesn't?"

Derek talks about learning how using credit cards to incentivize healthy behavior can lead to very positive outcomes. He discovered that the current system has a disincentive for health plans to actually care about your long term health and that leads to the health inequity and tragic outcomes we have. He and some friends started to work on a big, audacious idea: Could you create a health insurance plan that would stick with people long enough that you could actually justify investing in their long term health in the short term? They landed on a credit card (to start) as the best way to build a relationship with people to eventually offer them long term health insurance. In this episode, you will learn: 1. How does Ness, plan to use a credit card to incentivize health and wellness? 2. Why recruiters are critical for entrepreneurs just starting out. 3. What are the implications of health insurance plans that don't care about long-term health? 4. How does the credit card rewards system for Ness work?

Click here to download transcript.

Loved this episode? Leave a review here.

Other episodes you'll enjoy:

• https://www.halotalks.com/kaumil-gajrawala-managing-director-consumer-products-wellness-credit-suisse/
• https://www.halotalks.com/jon-canarick-managing-partner-north-castle-partners/

Connect With Us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehaloadvisors/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Integritysquare YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@halotalks Twitter: @thehaloadvisors LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/integrity-square/ Website: https://www.halotalks.com

"People are more likely to trust a business that has been recommended by a friend or family member, or that has positive reviews online. Nielsen did a survey with 30,000 people and found that approximately 92% of decisions regarding which businesses to patronize are based on other people's opinions, recommendations, and reviews," states Andre Cvijovic - Founder and CEO of Referrizer, an extremely robust marketing automation platform that helps businesses grow by generating leads and increasing sales. Referrizer's "sweet spot" are fitness facilites that hover near or above the $100 per month price point. Prices for their system vary and range from $200 up. Interestingly, they also provide a (virtually unheard of!) complete, "done for you" system where they will keep working for you until they get you the results they promise. Referrizer actually integrates with many CRM's (for example MindBody) so you can track exactly how much revenue their efforts are generating.

In this episode, you will learn:

1. How Referrizer is helping businesses get found by their customers. 2. The critical importance of following up (the sooner the better!) in the sales process. 3. The flexibility of Referrizer's pricing model. 4. Three tips that will help your business increase 30%.

Click here to download transcript.

Other episodes you'll enjoy:

• Episode #56: Dave Reiseman, GGI, Chief Marketing Officer
• Episode #193: Patrick Cunfiff, Director of Marketing, Loud Rumor
• Episode #184: Derek Barton, Former Senior VP Marketing, Gold's Gym

Connect with us here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehaloadvisors/?hl=en YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@halotalks Twitter: https://twitter.com/thehaloadvisors LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/integrity-square/ Website: https://www.halotalks.com

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here.

When John Klein, a HALO sector veteran with 20+ years of experience, launches a unique workout recovery franchise, he finds himself confronting the challenges of balancing "art and science" to ensure success while bringing a luxurious, experiential offering to market in highly competitive geographic areas. John's held positions at Town Sports International and Equinox, and is currently the Co-Founder of Pause Studio, a health and wellness franchise with six different service modalities and a team of experienced professionals. Three unites are currently open in Los Angeles with two more coming.

This episode of HALO Talks talks a lot about franchise business strategies, real estate selection, and bringing a high-end concept into competitive markets. John, a 17+ year friend of host Pete Moore, discusses his experience in the health club space and the critical importance of real estate when it comes to franchise businesses. John and his team developed a playbook for selecting the best trade area and real estate for franchisees. He provides insight into the process of creating Pause, a franchise model that offers six different service modalities and various retail products. John and his team have almost 50 years of management experience in health, wellness, and brick and mortar studios, and they have created an experiential offering that provides value and a fair price.

Regarding locations, he states, "There's the 50% art, and 50% science. Sometimes it's 70/30 or 30/70. But there is the art and the science, and there's the empirical data (which are the demographics and the psychographics), but then there's the anecdotal data, traffic patterns, future development, pent up growth in a market with future units or offices being built, , and psychological barriers. So you've got to do your due diligence. The empirical data . . . the demographic research, is kind of the divining ride to get you into a certain trade area, but then you really have to speak to the local residents and potentially do market surveys to really hone in and make sure you're making a smart real estate selection."

In this episode, Pete and John discuss:

1. The playbook John created to help franchisees get the right location and maximize success.

2. How John's years of experience and unique "special sauce" has enabled him to launch a successful franchise model and raise almost 3 million in just 4 months.

3. Uncover the nuances of John's real estate selection process and learn how to optimize a location's success through data, empirical research and anecdotal information. Other episodes you'll enjoy:

• Chuck Runyon-Anytime Fitness: https://www.halotalks.com/chuck-runyon-from-anytime-fitness/
• Keith Worts-Crunch Fitness: https://www.halotalks.com/keith-worts/
• Brian Clay-Eat the Frog Fitness: https://www.halotalks.com/episode-358-bryan-clay-eat-the-frog-fitness-founder/

Connect with John here. Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here.

Click here to download transcript.

Sue Hitzmann is an exercise physiologist and neurofascial science and research educator with 25 years of experience in the fitness industry. She is a founding member of the Fascia Research Society and the creator of the MELT Method, a system of self-massage and movement to help alleviate chronic pain.

She started in the industry in 1988 as a fitness professional and an exercise physiologist. When she realized that what she learned in fitness was not able to aleviate her own chronic pain, she dove into neurofascial science and research. She developed the MELT Method in 2004 as a way to help people alleviate chronic pain, and has since then taught it in group exercise, conducted teacher trainings, and written multiple books, one of which became a NY Times best seller. Over the years she's learned quite a bit about growing and scaling a business, but one of the most important aspects is learning to being ok with charging what you're worth for services that can literally change someone's life! She emphasizes the importance of having a vision, a plan, and the right people around you as well as understanding the risks and rewards of taking on investments. She has built MELT Method into a thriving business with no investors and no debt.

"If you really want to help someone, it, the revenue can come. You just have to learn how to strategize business. And I think business is a part of a practice. That's also part of what we teach with at MELT with our instructors . . . is how to run a successful business, " she states.

In this episode, Sue and Pete discuss: 1. How to succeed in the HALO sector and reach the next level - learn tips from Sue Hitzmann's many years in the space.

2. What are the pitfalls of taking in investors and how to prepare for them?

3. Discover the secrets to a successful business and the critical importance of understanding the relationship between units, price, and revenue. Other episodes you'll enjoy:

• https://www.halotalks.com/episode-328-dr-layne-norton-ceo-founder-biolayne/
• https://www.halotalks.com/dr-joel-fuhrman/
• https://www.halotalks.com/brian-anderson-principal-small-pond-group/ (MELT Method's new CEO.)

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here.

Click here to download transcript.

Dan Rubenstein is the CEO of Pups Pet Club, a pet care company with five locations in Chicago and Brooklyn. He has over 20 years of experience in the space, and is passionate about providing the best possible care for dogs.

Dan took an interest when he had to find care for his dog while he was working. He eventually found a service that took his dog to a park to run around, but they didn't listen to him when he said not to take his St. Bernard out in hot weather and--very sadly--his dog Sidney ended up in the hospital and passed away. :(

This motivated Dan to start his own, best-in-class, pet care business for many reasons, not the least of which was to make sure something like this never will happen to anyone else. Today, Pups Pet Club (which officially started in 2015), is a highly successful venture with five locations and many more planned. He attributes their success to their focus on taking care of dogs, their people, and their technology. He believes that the pet industry has potential for much more growth. "People seek out the best when it comes to their dog. They spend on them like they spend on their kids. Everything else is secondary to dogs and kids. And so if I'm looking at a marketplace and I see a really weak competitor, then I either want to look at making an acquisition play for that competitor, or putting a store fairly close to them," he says.

Their fifth store opened in Jan 2021 and because of Dan's business savy, they were able to emerge from COVID stronger than when they went in. He states, "Williamsburg is really the relaunch of me personally in pet care in New York and of course, the introduction of the Pups Pet Club brand in the area. This brand itself . . . is the best, most evolved platform that I've started, operated, and managed. And that's because I'm smarter and more experienced than I was before. I'm a better manager, and I understand exactly what it takes to build this business quickly and do it so that we don't compromise any value for our customers, we don't compromise the quality of care, and we certainly are focused on taking care of our people too, which is a big part of our business. . .when I was with them, Accenture taught me 'People, Process, Technology."

In this episode you'll hear:

1. What inspired Dan Rubenstein to start his pet care business.

2. How has the pet care industry changed over the years.

3. What sets Pups Pet Club apart from other pet care businesses.

4. Dan's plans for expansion for the brand. Connect with Dan here. Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here.

Click here to download transcript.

Sumner Hanna is a professional fitness instructor, former professional dancer, and Founder of Sumner Leigh Athletics. She's been teaching SoulCycle classes for over seven years and is currently also trainer with CLIMBR. Growing up as a professional dancer paved a way for a life of sweat and creativity for her. She worked on tours, TV shows, and music videos before eventually immersing herself in the realm of boutique fitness. She taught everything from Barre, Cycle, HIIT, strength training, and even celebrity dance cardio classes!

She mentions, "Now that we're two years after the pandemic, I kind of feel like people are craving the energy to be back in a room, working out with others, instead of on a digital platform. For some people, digital stuck because they've been doing it at home for a while now. I think the majority though are craving that energy and environment and community again."

In this episode, Sumner touches on:

1. The psychology of the "new normal" and how she thinks things are going to play out in the world of fitness. 2. The importance of treating instructors well, paying them well, and offering them career growth opportunities. 3. The critical role that marketing has always played (and will continue to play!) in the future success of fitness studios.

Click here to download transcript.

Other episodes you'll enjoy:

https://www.halotalks.com/jaidus-mondesir-founder-takes-on-adventure-soulcycle-instructor/

https://www.halotalks.com/ruth-zukerman-flywheel-founder/

https://www.halotalks.com/mantas-zvinas-of-surf-yoga-beer/ Connect with Sumner here.

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating.

In a world where tennis courts are king, one man struggles against the odds. He trudges forward daily doing his best to build a pickleball empire and overcome the obstacles of a competitive market and multiple naysayers. (Admit it. . .you just read that in the "in a world" voice, right?) ;)

Our job is done here! Moving on . . . In this episode, you will learn: 1. The potential for pickleball to generate significant revenue streams from multiple sources, including membership dues, tournaments, and food and beverage sales. 2. The importance of relationships in the fitness industry, and how Sean used them to grow his businesses over the years. 3. The importance of feasibility studies when considering a new business venture, and how he used them to validate his pickleball idea.

"There is a gross imbalance in the court supply & demand model right now," Graham states. "The number of people coming into the game and making a lateral move from tennis and racquetball and squash . . . putting it anywhere in the country, about anywhere from 300 to 1000 people per court, depending on where you're at. Down in Florida, you go to the villages, or you come up to where I'm going to play tonight, it's going to be 65, 75 people for six courts. So I see the big picture in providing the courts." Graham is a veteran health club operator who learned the business working at his Dad's club. His new venture is Backspin Pickleball. He has a wealth of experience in the industry, and is passionate about helping others and mentoring new entrepreneurs. His Dad was an entrepreneur who owned a chain of clothing stores and then opened up the a racquetball club in Fairfield, Connecticut. He followed in his father's footsteps, working in the family business and eventually started his own consulting company.

Sean was introduced to pickleball by a friend and was immediately hooked. He saw the potential for pickleball to become a big business, so he opened his own club and things took off! He's been quite successful so far, but sees a lot of room for growth and encourages others in the HALO sector to look at this very seriously. Other episodes you'll enjoy:

Lynn Cherry: Pickleball Fire podcast. Connect with Sean. Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here.

Click here to download transcript.

Eric Casaburi is the founder of Serotonin Enterprises, a company that provides anti-aging solutions through hormone replacement therapy, nutritional coaching, and fitness programs. He is also a franchise consultant and has over 20 years of experience in the health and fitness industry. In his second appearance on HALO Talks, he chats with host Pete Moore on what he's been doing since he founded Retro Fitness many years prior.

The Serotonin anti-aging platform is a new way to help you look and feel younger. In this episode you will learn: 1. The importance of serotonin in the body and how it affects mood and happiness. 2. The potential for franchising Serotonin locations in order to provide services on a larger scale. 3. The range of services that Serotonin offers, including body contouring, weight loss, and immunity shots.

"I started my career in the industry 20 years ago, and I saw a need for a more holistic approach to health and fitness that addressed the needs of an aging population. I spent 2019 and 2020 researching the best way to provide this type of service, and I launched Serotonin Enterprises as a way to provide happiness and results to people who are struggling with their health. Our services include immunity therapies, body contouring, medical weight loss, and hormone replacement therapy. We have a network of health and fitness professionals that we work with to provide the best possible care for our clients, and we are always looking for ways to improve our services and grow our business," states Casaburi.

This space is only getting larger and if you own a brick and mortar facility--the post workout/recovery space is something everyone needs to pay close attention to.

Other episodes you'll enjoy: https://www.halotalks.com/eric-casaburi-ceo-of-retro-fitness/

• Connect with Eric here.
• Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here.

Click here to download transcript.