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AI is changing the fitness, wellness, yoga, and Pilates industries fast — but most studio owners are unsure how to actually use it without hurting their business.

In this episode of the Studio CEO Podcast, Jackie Murphy breaks down how to use AI in your yoga or Pilates studio the right way — and where automation can quietly cost you revenue, retention, and trust. Jackie explains why AI should be treated like a team member with a specific role, not a replacement for leadership, coaching, or human connection.

You’ll learn where AI saves time, where it becomes risky, and why misusing AI in cancellations, sales conversations, and brand voice can damage long-term growth. This episode also covers how AI fits into studio software, marketing, admin systems, and AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) — and why human judgment still matters more than ever.

If you’re a studio owner wondering how to stay relevant, profitable, and human in 2026 and beyond, this episode will give you clarity and confidence.

Timestamped Outline

• [00:00] Why this episode exists + industry fear around AI
• [03:00] Will AI replace coaches and studio owners?
• [06:00] Thinking about AI as a team member
• [08:00] Where AI goes wrong in marketing and brand voice
• [11:30] Why AI should edit, not write your content
• [15:30] Speed-to-lead and automated responses (done right)
• [18:30] Why AI should NOT handle cancellations or refunds
• [21:30] Objections, retention, and human conversations
• [24:00] Using AI for SOPs, systems, and organization
• [27:30] The rule studio owners must remember about AI
• [28:45] Final thoughts on humanity, leadership, and growth

Work with Jackie Murphy

• Say Hi on Instagram @studioceoofficial
• Level up your Marketing Skills in the Free Marketing Training:
  https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/3-marketing-mistakes
• Learn more about The Studio CEO Program: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/studioceo

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In this episode of the Studio CEO Podcast, Jackie Murphy sits down with Master Certified Life Coach Katie Pulsifer to explore why mindset is the real ceiling on business growth. If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing everything “right” but still can’t scale without stress, this conversation will show you why coaching is the missing skill.

You’ll learn how coaching improves leadership, decision-making, nervous system regulation, and team management — and why you can’t outwork beliefs that quietly work against you. This episode is essential listening for yoga and Pilates studio owners who want sustainable success without burnout.

Key Takeaways

✔ You can’t scale past your own thinking
 ✔ Coaching expands what you can see and choose
 ✔ Leadership improves when curiosity replaces control
 ✔ Belief follows action, not the other way around
 ✔ Sustainable growth starts internally

FAQs 

Why is coaching important for business owners?
 Because it improves decision-making, leadership, and sustainability by addressing mindset.

How does coaching help with burnout?
 By regulating the nervous system and reducing urgency-based decisions.

Is coaching useful for studio owners?
 Yes — especially for team leadership, clarity, and growth.

Connect with Katie: https://www.katiepulsifercoaching.com/

Work with Jackie Murphy

• Say Hi on Instagram @studioceoofficial
• Level up your Marketing Skills in the Free Marketing Training:
  https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/3-marketing-mistakes
• Learn more about The Studio CEO Program: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/studioceo

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In this episode of the Studio CEO Podcast, Jackie Murphy sits down with Julian Barnes, CEO of BFS Network, to unpack real data on studio profitability. Drawing from the most comprehensive State of the Industry report to date, this conversation reveals why most yoga studios remain stuck at 1–9% profit — while Pilates studios are far more likely to exceed 20%.

You’ll learn the structural differences that drive profitability, why pricing isn’t the real issue, how two new members per month can dramatically increase profit, and what systems actually matter for sustainable growth. This episode is essential listening for yoga and Pilates studio owners who want clarity, benchmarks, and a realistic path forward without burnout.

Timestamps

• [00:00] Welcome + guest introduction
  
  
• [07:00] Industry data overview
  
  
• [13:00] Profitability benchmarks explained
  
  
• [18:30] Yoga vs Pilates profitability
  
  
• [24:00] Pricing myths
  
  
• [30:50] Two-member profit math
  
  
• [38:00] Business model differences
  
  
• [47:00] Intro offers + FER framework
  
  
• [55:00] How to assess your studio
  
  

Key Takeaways

✔ Most studios aren’t profitable — and that’s not personal
 ✔ Pilates studios benefit from built-in scarcity
 ✔ Profit comes from systems, not hustle
 ✔ Pricing reflects positioning
 ✔ Two new members per month can change everything

Quotes

• “This isn’t a hobby. It’s a business.”
  
  
• “Your town isn’t the problem.”
  
  
• “The offer isn’t broken — the process is.”
  
  
  

Resources Mentioned

• BFS Assessment
  
  
• BFS Pilates Report
  
  
• Studio CEO Program
  
  
• Grow Mastermind
  
  
  

FAQ 

Why are Pilates studios more profitable than yoga studios?
 Because of lower rent, smaller teams, and built-in scarcity.

What is a healthy profit margin for a studio?
 10–20% after paying the owner is considered strong.

Do intro offers matter?
 The process behind them matters more than the offer itself.

yoga business, Pilates studio, studio profitability, boutique fitness, studio CEO, pricing strategy, fitness business data

Links:

BFS Pilates Report: https://report.bfsnetwork.com/2024-pilates-report

Work with Jackie Murphy

• Say Hi on Instagram @studioceoofficial
• Level up your Marketing Skills in the Free Marketing Training:
  https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/3-marketing-mistakes
• Learn more about The Studio CEO Program: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/studioceo

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Is your team constantly bringing you problems instead of solutions? Do you find yourself answering "What should I do?" multiple times a day? If so, you've accidentally trained your team to stay dependent on you—and now you're the bottleneck to your own growth.

In this episode, we'll break down the "Incomplete Tasks / Bring-Me-Problems" employee pattern and show you exactly how to fix it through better leadership, not harder work.

You'll learn:

• The 3 studio-specific examples that show you have this problem (unfilled sub requests, upset members, incomplete strategies)
• Why your team doesn't even know they're doing this (and how to illuminate the pattern without shame)
• The exact script to re-establish expectations around 100% ownership vs. 60% completion
• The 3-part ownership framework to teach your team how to own tasks from start to finish
• How to coach instead of correct (and why solving problems for your team keeps them dependent)
• The difference between assignment mode and ownership mode—and how to help your team make the shift
• When and how to close the loop with accountability (without micromanaging)

This episode is for yoga and Pilates studio owners, boutique fitness business owners, and any entrepreneur managing a team who wants to scale without being the constant problem solver.

Listen now to learn how to build a team of leaders who bring you outcomes, not problems.

Work with Jackie Murphy

• Say Hi on Instagram @studioceoofficial
• Level up your Marketing Skills in the Free Marketing Training:
  https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/3-marketing-mistakes
• Learn more about The Studio CEO Program: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/studioceo

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You have the desire to build a yoga business, but desire isn't enough—you have to take action. And that's where most yoga teachers get stuck. When discomfort, fear, doubt, or overwhelm shows up, they stop.

In this episode, Jackie Murphy teaches you how to notice that discomfort and act anyway—the single most important skill for building your business.

You'll learn:

• Why your primitive brain is keeping you stuck (and how to override it)
• The 3 ways most people handle discomfort (resist, react, avoid) and why none of them build a business
• How to process uncomfortable emotions the same way you process Chair Pose
• The difference between massive action (that grows your business) and passive action (that feels productive but doesn't)
• The one question to ask yourself every day to move the needle forward
• Why yoga teachers already have the skill they need—they just have to apply it to business

This episode is for yoga teachers, Pilates instructors, and wellness entrepreneurs who want to build a business but find themselves avoiding action when fear shows up.

Listen now to learn how to notice discomfort and act anyway.

Work with Jackie Murphy

• Say Hi on Instagram @studioceoofficial
• Level up your Marketing Skills in the Free Marketing Training:
  https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/3-marketing-mistakes
• Learn more about The Studio CEO Program: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/studioceo

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Building a yoga business is exactly like practicing yoga: you show up, you try something, you evaluate what worked and what didn't, you breathe, and you keep going. But most yoga and Pilates teachers stop evaluating their business actions—or they try something once, it doesn't work, and they quit.

In this episode, we walk through the exact process I teach my clients for turning their idea of a beautiful, successful yoga or Pilates business into reality.

You'll learn:

• How to get clear on what kind of yoga or Pilates business you want to build
• Why the "how" doesn't matter before you start (and what to focus on instead)
• The 3 evaluation questions to ask after every action you take
• How to evaluate your results objectively without making them mean anything about you
• Why building a business is the same practice as getting into a challenging yoga pose

This episode is for yoga teachers, Pilates instructors, and studio owners who are ready to stop waiting until they're "ready" and start building the business they've been dreaming about.

Listen now to learn how to practice building your business the same way you practice on your mat.

Work with Jackie Murphy

• Say Hi on Instagram @studioceoofficial
• Level up your Marketing Skills in the Free Marketing Training:
  https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/3-marketing-mistakes
• Learn more about The Studio CEO Program: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/studioceo

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What does it actually take to build a seven-figure coaching business? In this episode, Jackie Murphy pulls back the curtain on the 10 core business philosophies that guided every major decision in scaling her coaching business to $1.5 million in revenue—without burning out.

This isn't about tactics or quick wins. It's about the foundational beliefs that shape how you build, how you scale, and how you create a business that serves your life instead of consuming it.

You'll learn:

• Why returning to foundations (like going back to the ballet barre) is what you do when you're stuck
• How marketing became the #1 skill that unlocked everything
• Why sales is service—and the client conversation that changed everything
• How to make decisions using both data and intuition
• Why boring, predictable businesses make more money than chaotic ones
• The year Jackie focused on ONE thing and doubled her revenue
• The baseboard story that teaches the power of tiny tweaks
• How building with intention from day one creates long-term sustainability
• Why problems scale but strategies scale too—and what that means for your business

Listen now if you're ready to build a business that's profitable AND sustainable

Key Takeaways

✅ Foundations aren't a one-time thing—return to them when you're stuck. Check your messaging, offer, and framework before creating something new.

✅ Marketing is the #1 skill that unlocks everything else. If people don't know you exist, your expertise doesn't matter.

✅ Sales is service when you believe in your work. Helping someone say yes to transformation is your responsibility, not manipulation.

✅ Use data AND intuition—data tells you what happened, intuition guides what to do next.

✅ Boring businesses make money—predictable, repeatable systems create freedom and profitability.

✅ Stop outsourcing your confidence—you already know more than you think. Trust your expertise.

✅ Momentum comes from focus—pick ONE priority and go all in. That's how revenue doubles.

✅ Tiny tweaks create massive results—like cleaning baseboards, find the small thing holding everything back.

✅ How you build now is how you'll experience it later—build with intention and sustainability from day one.

✅ Problems scale, strategies scale—fix root problems deeply instead of trying to outrun them with more effort.

About Jackie Murphy

Jackie Murphy is a business coach specializing in helping yoga, Pilates, barre, and boutique fitness studio owners transition from teacher mindset to CEO leadership. She runs the Studio CEO Program and Grow Mastermind, hosts the Studio CEO podcast, and operates Run Like Clockwork as an Asana/ClickUp expert and project management consultant. Jackie has built her coaching business to $1.5 million in revenue by focusing on sustainable growth, systems, and strategic marketing.

Work with Jackie Murphy

• Say Hi on Instagram @studioceoofficial
• Level up your Marketing Skills in the Free Marketing Training:
  https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/3-marketing-mistakes
• Learn more about The Studio CEO Program: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/studioceo

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Have you noticed your website traffic dropping even though you're still doing SEO? You're not alone, and it's not your fault. In this episode, Jackie Murphy breaks down the massive shift that happened in 2024-2025: the rise of AI search tools and why traditional SEO alone isn't enough anymore.

You'll learn:

• Why more than 50% of Google searches now end without a single click
• How AI Overviews are hiding your website even if you rank on page one
• What AEO (AI Engine Optimization) is and why it matters for studio owners
• How to test if AI tools can even see your business
• Three simple steps to start optimizing for AI search this week

This episode is pure problem awareness—no overwhelm, no complicated tech talk. Just clarity on what changed and what to do about it.

Listen now to stop losing visibility and start showing up where your ideal clients are actually searching.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

[00:00] Intro: The Traffic Drop Nobody's Talking About

• Why studio owners everywhere are watching their website traffic plummet
• The panicked message from a client doing "everything right"
• What changed in 2024-2025 that shifted the entire search landscape

[03:00] Why This Matters More Than You Think

• The rise of zero-click searches on Google
• How AI Overviews are replacing traditional search results
• Why people are bypassing Google entirely for ChatGPT and Perplexity

[07:00] What Changed: The Rise of AI Search

• How search results looked in 2019 vs. 2025
• What Google AI Overviews are and why they're killing your traffic
• How ChatGPT and Perplexity are recommending businesses without showing traditional search results

[13:00] What Is AEO and How It Works

• The difference between SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and AEO (AI Engine Optimization)
• The 6 signals AI tools use to decide who to recommend
• Why clarity and structure matter more than keywords

[17:00] What This Means for You and Where to Start

• How to test your AI visibility in under 5 minutes
• Three actionable steps you can take this week
• Why you don't have to rebuild your website—just modernize how it communicates

Key Takeaways

✅ Zero-click searches now make up more than 50% of all Google searches—people get their answer from AI Overviews and never click your site

✅ Traditional SEO isn't dead, but it's no longer enough. You need AEO (AI Engine Optimization) to stay visible.

✅ AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity are replacing Google for millions of people. If you're not in their recommendations, you're invisible.

✅ You can test your visibility right now by asking ChatGPT or Perplexity about studios in your area and seeing if you show up.

✅ Three quick wins this week: Test your visibility, add structure to your content, and implement schema markup on your website.

About the Studio CEO Podcast

The Studio CEO Podcast helps yoga, Pilates, barre, and boutique fitness studio owners build sustai

Work with Jackie Murphy

• Say Hi on Instagram @studioceoofficial
• Level up your Marketing Skills in the Free Marketing Training:
  https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/3-marketing-mistakes
• Learn more about The Studio CEO Program: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/studioceo

Send Jackie A Message!

If you’ve ever said, “I just need to find the right intro offer,” this episode is for you. Today, we'll break down one of the most common myths in the yoga and Pilates industry: that there’s a perfect intro offer or price point that will magically fill your classes. Spoiler: there isn’t.

Instead, I'll show you what actually determines your success: whether your intro offer matches your main offer, how you’re converting through connection, and if you’ve tested with enough volume to know what’s really working.

You’ll walk away with a clear framework to stop guessing, stop copying competitors, and start building a system that converts real humans — not just numbers on a spreadsheet.

Key Takeaways

1. There’s no “best” intro offer — success comes from strategy, not luck.
2. Your intro offer should teach the same behavior as your main offer.
3. Conversion happens through connection, not constant tinkering.

If you haven't yet, check out the free workshop using the link below, and learn about the 3 marketing mistakes I see yoga and Pilates teachers and studio owners making all too often (and how you can fix them!).

Work with Jackie Murphy

• Say Hi on Instagram @studioceoofficial
• Level up your Marketing Skills in the Free Marketing Training:
  https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/3-marketing-mistakes
• Learn more about The Studio CEO Program: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/studioceo

Send Jackie A Message!

Ever feel like someone’s about to “find you out”?

In this episode of The Studio CEO Podcast, we're talking about the sneaky voice of imposter syndrome that shows up even after you’ve built the business, filled your classes, or hit six figures. And I share the exact moment I realized how success can still trigger that quiet fear of being “a fraud.”

You’ll learn why our brains are wired to doubt ourselves, how to spot the subtle ways imposter syndrome hides in your thoughts (“I only sold out because …”), and a simple framework to retrain your mind toward confidence and ownership.

If you’ve ever minimized your accomplishments or felt like you “just got lucky,” this episode will give you the tools to recognize that voice, rewrite it, and keep climbing.

Key Takeaways

1. Imposter syndrome isn’t proof you’re failing, it’s proof you’re human.
2. Awareness through meditation gives distance from false thoughts.
3. The Thought Ladder helps you replace “I’m not enough” with beliefs that serve you.

CTA
Sign up for my free 3 Marketing Mistakes Workshop at the link below and shift the way you approach marketing in your business!

Work with Jackie Murphy

• Say Hi on Instagram @studioceoofficial
• Level up your Marketing Skills in the Free Marketing Training:
  https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/3-marketing-mistakes
• Learn more about The Studio CEO Program: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/studioceo