HALO Talks

Live from the floor of the March 2023 IHRSA Trade Show in San Diego, host Pete Moore interviews long time friend and serial entrepreneur, Chris Place, Founder and CEO of RINGO. Chris got inspired to create his incredibly innovative product by a gathering of friends in the Florida Keys. During their reunion, they struggled to capture a group photo on a small boat while trying to lean the phone up against their water bottle. (Can you relate?!) This sparked an idea – why not create a water bottle that could also hold a phone very securely? Chris and team started sketching and soon recognized the multitude of uses the product has for those who don't want to lug around a tripod (many of which are now not permitted in gyms anyway!)  The response has been overwhelmingly positive, they have secured design patents, and are currently awaiting a utility patent. Chris's product not only solves a common problem but is also "over engineered" with meticulous attention to detail, making it difficult to replicate.  The compa

Live from the floor of the March 2023 IHRSA Trade Show in San Diego, host Pete Moore welcome the powerhouse Mother/Daughter team of Nikki Warren and Coral Warren from KaiaFit  Nikki and Koral are two, super passionate individuals who began their journey in gymnastics. While watching children at gymnastics facilities, they realized the joy and love that came from being active and connected with their bodies. However, they also noticed that many mothers on the sidelines had lost their enthusiasm for fitness and the feeling of "being alive." This sparked a calling to help both children and women find their passion for physical activity and vibrant living. As experienced coaches, Nikki and Koral recognized that their ability to positively impact children relied on first supporting women. They understood that by empowering women, they could create stronger communities and ultimately benefit the children they worked with. With this in mind, they embarked on a mission to not only coach fitness but to delve into vari

Live from the floor of the March 2023 IHRSA Trade Show in San Diego, host Pete Moore welcomes back (for the third time!) the team of Austin Cohen and Justin Turetsky.  FlexIt’s mission is to empower everyone with flexible Interconnected Health experiences, including Virtual Personal Training, Virtual Nutrition, and Virtual Physical Therapy – Wherever, Whenever®. The platform is the ultimate tool for motivation and accountability, helping users reach their health and wellness goals through live, 1-on-1, private sessions with elite fitness and wellness professionals and custom features designed and optimized for training. Each client’s program is customized based on their needs, lifestyle, and goals and delivered on a proprietary platform designed and optimized for wellness experiences. During the pandemic, the team successfully brought clubs and trainers to a virtual marketplace, connecting consumers with fitness experts and incorporating club brands. As things progressed and the pandemic started to fade, the

Please go to http://bit.ly/haloacademylive and fill in our 2-question survey. Whether we go ahead with this iniitiative will depend solely on the survey responses we receive, so if you're at all interested in this. . .please do us that favor. It'll take 30 seconds or less.  With appreciation,  Pete Moore-Managing Partner & Founder, Integrity Square David Ganulin-Chief Marketing Officer, Integrity Square & HALO Talks Executive Producer

Joining us on this episode of HALO Talks are a cast of veteran actors and incredibly talented individuals who have combined their love for performing, writing, and a newfound passion for pickleball to create something truly special: Pickleball is Life-Dill With It! Watch the hilarious trailer here!  Today's guests include Carol Ann Demarco, Susan Gallagher, Catherine Curtin, and Leigh Anne West.  When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Carol Ann and Leigh Anne found themselves brainstorming ideas for a comedy project. Drawing from their experiences in New York Theatre and indie short films, they came up with the concept of a mockumentary that serves as a bit of a "love letter" to Cape May, the quirky and eccentric characters they encountered in the world of pickleball, and the sport itself. Despite initial resistance as a former tennis player, Leigh Anne embraced the project wholeheartedly. She and Carol met every Friday to develop the characters and scenarios, created a pilot, and with the addition of powerhouse

Russ Meneve, an entrepreneur and inventor, experienced a life-changing event when he suffered a severe injury from a free weight bar a few years ago. It left him with a torn shoulder, requiring surgery and a grueling year-plus recovery period. Throughout this challenging journey, Russ realized there was a notable lack of safety measures available in the market to prevent such accidents. He embarked on a mission to create something that could prevent injuries during free weight lifts. After months of experimentation and development, he and his team successfully invented an absolute game-changer. This innovative device features a laser that runs across the bar, allowing users to let go at any point during a lift. Upon release, the device promptly stops the bar from moving further. The versatility of the product enables it to be easily attached to existing racks and machines in any gym without the need for additional equipment purchases. Russ's journey from successful stand up comedian, to injury, to recovery, t

Live from the floor of the March 2023 IHRSA Trade Show in San Diego, host Pete Moore welcomes Laura Munkholm, President and Co-Founder at Walla.  Laura, seven months pregnant with her second child, was running her Yoga 6 location and facing a frustrating lack of insight into her teacher's performance. Determined to find a solution, she partnered with Doug Hecht to create a game-changing product in the face of fierce competition. Laura chats about her  journey of identifying frustrations and building solutions from the root cause and shares invaluable lessons learned, the importance of connection and community in entrepreneurship, and the power of understanding diverse perceptions in design.  Regarding the importance of experience and understanding a vertical, she states, "When I looked at competitors, I saw a lot of companies that were either underfunded, undercapitalized, and who had experience but didn't understand what it was going to take to build a competing product. Or, I saw tech people who could raise

Live from the floor of the March 2023 IHRSA Trade Show in San Diego, host Pete Moore welcomes back Emre Ozgur, long time industry veteran and Founder of Safe Sweat. (See Emre's first HALO Talks chat here.)  Emre is the Co-Founder of Safe Sweat, a revolutionary fitness concept that was born out of the pandemic. After recognizing the challenges faced by individuals who felt intimidated by traditional gyms, Emre and his team embarked on a mission to create a safe and comfortable space for everyone. They developed Safe Sweat to cater to a demographic that had been underserved in the fitness industry by offering an environment that feels like exercising at home, but away from home. Emre's vision and determination have played a pivotal role in empowering people to overcome their fears of "going to the gym" and helping them to embrace a healthier lifestyle. With regards to creating his space he states, "We felt that there was an underserved community that was going to the gyms. They left, then they tried to work out

Live from the floor of the March 2023 IHRSA Trade Show in San Diego, host Pete Moore welcomes Carol Ann Chambers, Director of Workforce Innovation & Community Partnerships, Adjunct Professor at Lionel University.  Carol Ann has dedicated the past 15 years of her life to the HALO (Health, Active Lifestyle, Outdoor) space. Although she started as a volunteer coach without any certifications, her passion for fitness and health led her to establish her own nonprofit organization focused on kids' fitness. Working with new and young athletes, Carol realized her true calling was to be a positive and supportive influence in their lives, just as her high school cross country and track and field coaches had been for her. Inspired by her coaches, Carol aspired to become a coach herself, with a specific focus on young athletes. She aimed to make a difference in the lives of these individuals, paying forward the same mentorship and guidance she had received. Regarding the Importance of in-person mentorship she states,

Live from the floor of the March 2023 IHRSA Trade Show in San Diego, host Pete Moore welcomes back Andrew Menter, CEO and Founder of Physmodo. (If you missed his first show, check it out here.) Physmodo uses computer vision to deliver a quick, objective, automated and easily repeatable movement assessment to quantify how your body moves. It's a must-have for any fitness facility that offers personal training!  Andrew and Pete chat about the latest advancements in software and how it can impact the fitness industry. From measuring flexibility to personalized training based on assessments, he delves into the importance of understanding musculoskeletal health for both trainers and clients. "In today's world, we pay close attention to biometrics like our sleep patterns, heart rate variability, and resting heart rate. However, when it comes to musculoskeletal health, we often lack an efficient measurement tool. That's where our innovation comes in. We have developed a solution that allows personal trainers to asse

Live from the floor of the March 2023 IHRSA Trade Show in San Diego, host Pete Moore welcomes Kimberley Clayton, CEO and Founder of SKOP Reformer, the world's first patented data analytic Pilates reformer. SKOP is positioned to disrupt the physical therapy and telemedicine sectors, allowing people to prevent and predict injuries as well as train, enhance, recover and rehabilitate physical movement. Not one to enjoy conventional workouts, Kimberley reveals that Pilates is the exception for her, emphasizing its role in building a strong foundation for other activities. She stresses however that Pilates by itself is not enough and emphasizes the significance of cardio health.  Shifting gears, the conversation turns to the lack of action in providing capital to diverse entrepreneurs in the venture capital and private equity communities. Kimberley believes that fundraising and access to capital still heavily rely on personal connections, rather than democratizing the process.  On the roller coaster ride that is en

Eric Epstein is a seasoned private equity professional with over 30 years of experience. He began his career at the prestigious Blackstone Group in New York City, where he honed his skills for a few years before moving on to work with various private credit funds. Afterward, Eric joined the private equity group at Cerberus Capital and spent a decade working in their New York and Los Angeles offices. Currently, he operates as an independent sponsor. Eric has built strong relationships with family offices and institutional capital partners who support him in pursuing transactions primarily within the HALO (Health, Active Lifestyle, Outdoor) sector, and he is well-known for his involvement in such endeavors.  Eric shares his insights and experiences, emphasizing the benefits and professionalism of private equity. He highlights the complexities involved in the industry, including the relationships between landlords, franchisees, equity groups, and debt groups. He also discusses his own experience closing a deal j

Kristin Peterson is one of the three Founders of Volee that specializes in high-end, pickleball accessories. Their site states, "Volée is a Newport Beach based brand founded by three best friends inspired by their passion for court sports, style, fun and community. The retro vibe of California adds a sporty sophistication to the brand, making Volée’s elevated, multifunctional and fashionable bags and accessories stand out." Alongside Co-Founders Ashley Rose and Kasey Martin, the idea was sparked when they played pickleball for the first time and immediately fell in love with the sport. Realizing the competition in the clothing industry, they decided to focus on accessories instead. Together, they came up with the idea of designing a high-end, well constructed, pickleball bag for women that looks good both on and off the court.  "The bags are packed with impressive features that make them stand out. From the hook on the crossbody that prevents placing the bag on the ground to the lined sunglass case, there are

Live from the floor of the March 2023 IHRSA Trade Show in San Diego, host Pete Moore welcomes Ahmed AbouElezz, the founder of FITT Finder. Ahmed shares his entrepreneurial journey, beginning with arriving in the United States with only $3,000 in his bank account and working as a nightclub bouncer. He recounts sleeping in his car in San Francisco and strategically parking near a popular cafe frequented by startup investors. He reveals how he would act like he was ordering coffee and do some networking!  "The shocking thing is if you want a table inside of a restaurant, you will get it in less than 5 seconds on OpenTable. If you want a flight from LA to Austin, you will get it in 5 seconds from Kayak or Travelocity. . . Even jobs, you can find them immediately on Indeed. But guess what? When you search for 'yoga class near me' on Google, what you get is not a yoga class. It's not even close," states AbouElezz. Ahmed also shares his vision for the platform to show nearby studios making it easier for users to mak

Live from the floor of the March 2023 IHRSA Trade Show in San Diego, host Pete Moore welcomes Taylor Watkins, founder of Digital Revenue Systems. They discuss topics such as ancillary revenue via in-club ads, using local businesses to create an ad network, concerns around in-club advertising, and more. Digital Revenue Systems tailor their programs accordingly based on a club's goals and preferences, whether it be advertising, communication improvement, or employee engagement.  They emphasize promoting the club's services and encouraging early sign-ups for things like camps and events. They also suggest the unique idea of a rewards network created by the operator to incentivize members. They also discuss obtaining local sponsorships, leveraging internal relationships, and gathering information about members' workplaces for effective hyper-local advertising.  Taylor states, "One of the biggest concerns we always get right when we start talking about this to club owners is, 'Oh man, I really don't want advertisi

Live from the floor of the March 2023 IHRSA Trade Show in San Diego, host Pete Moore welcomes special guest Paul Amoruso, Founder & CEO of bodQR. Paul discusses how his team solved an initial frustration for themselves, and then quickly realized they could sell the solution to other businesses in the space. The development of their software took years of iteration and testing different positionings and features. They rolled the app out in waves to different target markets and believe there is a great opportunity in the HALO sector, especially for providers who want to deeply understand their members.  "The access for a member or a prospect is very simple. They scan a QR code with their smartphone if they're in a facility, or they could click a link if they're following it from an email or a website. They would take a minute to provide a little bit of information in our web app and maybe another minute to register . . . and they'd instantly be delivered a comprehensive body analysis along the lines of what

Live from the floor of the March 2023 IHRSA Trade Show in San Diego, Pete Moore sat with Yvette and Neal McGaffin, Co-Founders of Reform RX to discuss the challenges and opportunities in the connected Pilates space, what it's like to get involved with manufacturing, and more!  They delve into strategies for the HALO sector during COVID, highlighting that partnerships with gyms and studios may be a more effective approach versus trying to go direct-to-consumer initially. They also emphasize the importance of considering various options when developing a business strategy. The couple also discusses their (very winding!) four year journey of research and development to roll out the "Porsche" of the Pilates industry. Neal states, "QR codes! This is the (one) of the features that will stand you out from competitors. Scanning a QR code and allowing members to bring metrics to your users. . . .and for them to take away what they've done in your class" is a game changer for studio owners. Finally Neal and Yvette also

Live from the floor of the March 2023 IHRSA Trade Show in San Diego, Pete Moore sat with long-time fitness industry veteran Jarrod Saracco, Founder of the Health Club Doctor, to discuss the challenges and opportunities in the industry. This wide-ranging conversation touched on a ton including the importance of finding qualified and committed employees, and what are some of the key metrics to be aware of around unit economics.  Jarrod also offered some great advice on understanding the marketplace and the needs of your customers before building your business. If you're looking for the next big idea, you don't want to miss his tips on how to stay ahead of the game! On recruiting, he states, "One of the biggest problems in the industry, and I think in the world right now, is finding qualified employees. It's disappeared . . . some people don't want a real job. They don't want to come to work. That's a big problem." And because Jarrod has served in nearly every position one can have in a fitness club, he's keyed

Garret Marshall has been in the fitness industry for 20 years, starting way back (kind of "falling into it") in 2003. His first job was teaching swimming lessons to kids at Lifetime Fitness where he stayed for five and a half years. Prior to that, he was heavily involved in athletics growing up and playing hockey after school.  Over the years he had "every job you can think of" in the health club world. Garrett's currently President of Fitness Streaming for Xponential Fitness. He and Pete discuss how Xponential is investing in R&D to build out various digital platforms and making it a part of their revenue mix. They also chat about the history of personal training revenue and how digital platforms may only bring in / appeal to a smaller percentage of members. (Perhaps, at least initially.)  Marshall shares his insights on the importance of aligning bricks and mortar with online programming and connectivity for fitness businesses to succeed. Recounting the state of the industry years ago, he says, "I still

Jason Crowe has had a varied career in healthcare, spending the first 15 years in what he calls "reactive healthcare" in various roles. Feeling a desire to make a difference in the healthcare system, he transitioned to the HALO sector (Health, Active Lifestyle, Outdoor), joining Precision Nutrition as part of the business development and partnership program for four successful years. Crowe's experience in both reactive and preventive healthcare has made him a seasoned professional with unique insights into the healthcare industry. Jason is currently Co-Founder and Partner at the SageHouse, a consulting agency to fitness and wellness founders and leadership teams, which also could potentially provide investment capital to help the industry continue to positively impact people's lives around the world.  "We're really big fans of what we call infrastructure companies. The idea of building a brand is great . . . and something that we're super excited about is organizations that can come in and power the back end