LIFTS Episode 51 - The Future of Boutique Fitness | Kevin Yates
Release Date: 12/01/2024
Escape Your Limits
Welcome to the latest episode of L.I.F.T.S – your bite-sized dose of the Latest Industry Fitness Trends and Stories. Hosts Matthew Januszek, Co-Founder of Escape Fitness and Mo Iqbal, Founder & CEO of SweatWorks attended PerformX 2025. In this LIFTS episode, Matthew and Mo are joined by Tim Gray, Founder & CEO of The Health Optimisation Summit. This episode covers: Biohacking industry growth. Balancing extreme practices with health fundamentals. Tim's personal biohacking journey. Limitations of traditional healthcare. Importance of data-driven health decisions. Potential...
info_outlineEscape Your Limits
Welcome to the latest episode of L.I.F.T.S – your bite-sized dose of the Latest Industry Fitness Trends and Stories. Hosts Matthew Januszek, Co-Founder of Escape Fitness and Mo Iqbal, Founder & CEO of SweatWorks attended EHFF 2025 in Cologne, Germany. In part 2 of this episode, Matthew and Mo are joined by: Michelle Dand, Head of Fitness Product and Programming of David Lloyd. Benjamin Roth, Co-Founder and CEO of Urban Sports Club. Jim Pisani, CEO and Board Member of Life Fitness Hammer Strength. David Stalker, Ambassador for EuropeActive. This episode covers: ...
info_outlineEscape Your Limits
Welcome to the latest episode of L.I.F.T.S – your bite-sized dose of the Latest Industry Fitness Trends and Stories. Hosts Matthew Januszek, Co-Founder of Escape Fitness and Mo Iqbal, Founder & CEO of SweatWorks attended EHFF 2025 in Cologne, Germany. In part 1 of this LIFTS episode, Matthew and Mo are joined by: Herman Rutgers, Ambassador at EuropeActive Stefan Ludwig, Partner, Leiter Sport Business Gruppe at Deloitte Deutschland Elaine Jobson, CEO and MD of Jetts Australia Conor O'Loughlin, Chief Revenue Officer of ABC Fitness Mike Escobedo, Chief Customer Officer, ABC...
info_outlineEscape Your Limits
Welcome to the latest episode of L.I.F.T.S – your bite-sized dose of the Latest Industry Fitness Trends and Stories. Hosts Matthew Januszek, Co-Founder of Escape Fitness and Mo Iqbal, Founder & CEO of SweatWorks attended PerformX 2025. In this LIFTS episode, Matthew and Mo are joined by Richard Boyd, Director or Global Wellness Designs. This episode covers: COVID-19's impact on personal training industry. Shift in trainer authority due to increased consumer knowledge. Balancing technology and human connection in PT. AI integration in program design and PT's evolving role....
info_outlineEscape Your Limits
Welcome to the latest episode of L.I.F.T.S – your bite-sized dose of the Latest Industry Fitness Trends and Stories. Hosts Matthew Januszek, Co-Founder of Escape Fitness and Mo Iqbal, Founder & CEO of SweatWorks attended Connected Health & Fitness Summit event in Los Angeles. Thank you to our sponsor, Flex (withflex.com) of these LIFTS episodes. Flex is the holistic solution for accepting HSA/FSA. They work with their partners to navigate the regulatory and compliance landscape. In this LIFTS episode, Matthew and Mo are joined by Carl Daikeler, CEO of The Beachbody...
info_outlineEscape Your Limits
Welcome to the latest episode of L.I.F.T.S – your bite-sized dose of the Latest Industry Fitness Trends and Stories. Hosts Matthew Januszek, Co-Founder of Escape Fitness and Mo Iqbal, Founder & CEO of SweatWorks, CSO of ABC Fitness attended HFA 2025 in Las Vegas. In this LIFTS episode, Matthew and Mo are joined by: ● Kathleen Ferguson, founder and CEO of Coach 360. ● Jarrod Saracco, President/Owner of Health Club Doctor. ● Nicole Dunn, CEO of Dunn Pellier Media, Inc. ● Debra Strougo, Fitness Founder. ● Natalia Karbasova, Founder & CEO of FitTech...
info_outlineEscape Your Limits
Welcome to the latest episode of L.I.F.T.S – your bite-sized dose of the Latest Industry Fitness Trends and Stories. Hosts Matthew Januszek, Co-Founder of Escape Fitness and Mo Iqbal, Founder & CEO of SweatWorks, CSO of ABC Fitness attended HFA 2025 in Las Vegas. In this LIFTS episode, Matthew and Mo are joined by Finn Hegarty, Chief Product Officer, ABC Fitness and Mike Hansen, Chief Growth Officer, SweatWorks. Taking to the floor of the show, they discuss what they have seen at this year’s event and the key messages and themes within the fitness industry today. This...
info_outlineEscape Your Limits
Welcome to the latest episode of L.I.F.T.S – your bite-sized dose of the Latest Industry Fitness Trends and Stories. Hosts Matthew Januszek, Co-Founder of Escape Fitness and Mo Iqbal, Founder & CEO of SweatWorks attended PerformX 2025. In this LIFTS episode, Matthew and Mo are joined by Jeff Zwiefel, Executive Director of MIORA Longevity & Performance at Life Time. This episode covers: Longevity and healthspan focus. Consumer empowerment in health. Evolution of personal trainer roles. Lifetime's "healthy way of life" concept. MIORA: Lifetime's longevity program. Challenges in...
info_outlineEscape Your Limits
Welcome to the latest episode of L.I.F.T.S – your bite-sized dose of the Latest Industry Fitness Trends and Stories. Hosts Matthew Januszek, Co-Founder of Escape Fitness and Mo Iqbal, Founder & CEO of SweatWorks attended PerformX 2025. In this LIFTS episode, Matthew and Mo are joined by Dan Summerson, Managing Director of Everlast Gyms at Frasers Group. This episode covers: Dan's career progression to Everlast. Everlast's hybrid fitness model. Focus on younger demographics. Modern environment and social media impact. Innovation and open culture. Wearables and data...
info_outlineEscape Your Limits
Welcome to the latest episode of L.I.F.T.S – your bite-sized dose of the Latest Industry Fitness Trends and Stories. Hosts Matthew Januszek, Co-Founder of Escape Fitness and Mo Iqbal, Founder & CEO of SweatWorks attended Connected Health & Fitness Summit event in Los Angeles. Thank you to our sponsor, Flex (withflex.com) of these LIFTS episodes. Flex is the holistic solution for accepting HSA/FSA. They work with their partners to navigate the regulatory and compliance landscape. In this LIFTS episode, Matthew and Mo are joined by Gabby Reece, Podcast Host and Keynote Speaker. This...
info_outlineWelcome to this week’s episode of LIFTS, your bite-sized dose of the Latest Industry Fitness Trends and Stories. Today, hosts Matthew Januszek, Co-Founder of Escape Fitness and Mo Iqbal, Founder & CEO of SweatWorks, are joined by Kevin Yates, CEO Lift Brands EMEA.
With more that 20 years-experience working in the fitness industry there are few individuals on the planet with more experience than Kevin Yates when it comes to building and operating boutique fitness brands. Currently heading up Lift Brands EMEA, which includes icon brands Snap Fitness and 9Round, Kevin also played a huge hand in the growth and success of European boutique brand, Trib3 and before that, the trailblazing UK boutique brand, 1Rebel.
In this LIFTS podcast, we discuss:
- The evolution of boutique fitness.
- The pivot to multiple modalities within a boutique offer.
- The price vs value challenge facing HVLP fitness brands.
- What component parts make a successful boutique fitness brand.
- From HVLP 1.0 to HVLP 2.0 and the brands leading the charge.
- What do boutiques have to do to maintain relevance in today’s market?
- Trend predictions for the fitness sector.
To learn more about Lift Brands, click here:
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0:00 Intro
0:25 RFK’s as Health and Human Services Secretary in the US. Good news or bad news?
2:50 Intro to Kevin Yates
5:06 The evolution of boutique fitness
9:43 The pivot to offering multiple modalities within a boutique offer
11:25 Adaptions HVLP fitness brands need to make to be able to charge more to cover rising costs
21:03 What component parts make a successful boutique fitness brand
25:17 The evolution from HVLP 1.0 to HVLP 2.0 and the brands leading the charge
33:00 What do boutiques have to do to maintain relevance in today’s market?
36:12 Trend predictions for the fitness sector