How Karen Jashinsky and O2 MAX have given teens a fitness place to call their own by using the power of online social networking to create a unique fitness community for young adults.
Karen Jashinsky has always been into fitness and dreamed of opening a successful business of her own, but it wasn’t until she began working as a certified fitness trainer, while also pursuing her MBA at USC’s Marshall School of Business, that the idea for O2 MAX was born. Many of Jashinsky’s clients were parents with teens, who were anxious for their children to become more active, so she began working with some of the kids. “I started doing private training and then group training,” she says. “I learned that physical education programs were being cut in schools and started hearing more and more about the youth obesity epidemic, which helped me recognize the opportunity to do something that encourages youth fitness.”
The business model has evolved since first conception, but the goal of O2 MAX Fitness remains the same: To make fitness cool, fun, social and a part of life for teens. “Because teens today live online, that had to be a huge part of what we do,” says Jashinsky. “We use our studio to do training, classes, events and workshops, but we also build our brand outside the studio in schools, in parks and online through programs and products that can be used anywhere.” She adds that plans are in place for the online community to continue to grow as a youth fitness social network, since everything that happens in the studio can be shared with a larger audience.
A good example of this is the recent 2nd Annual Prom Fitness Challenge, which is a 10-week program designed to help teens get in shape for prom while also learning to integrate fitness and healthy eating into daily life. For a small fee, kids can sign up online to set up a profile and begin receiving real workouts and healthy eating information. Participants also earn points for activities, which can be used to receive prizes, gifts and discounts for tallying up workouts online. “We have been able to create a bridge from the real world – whether it is at our studio, in local schools, or across the country – to the online world,” Jashinsky shares.
Her biggest challenge has come with being an evangelist for a unique concept and trying to get people to understand why they really need something they’ve never heard of or imagined. “Everything for us has always been about teens and their perspectives,” she says, adding that trying to connect with disparate audiences – teens, parents and teachers – all of whom might need to be convinced to get behind the concept, has presented a challenge. To combat this, Jashinsky has worked hard to get the word out and has recruited a team that understands the vision, shares the passion and is willing to work hard because they share her dream.
In 2007, Jashinsky’s visionary concept was recognized when IHRSA named her “one of the 25 most influential young leaders in the fitness industry,” and this year she was honored by the organization once again after being chosen to receive the first annual Julie Main Emerging Woman Leader Scholarship in recognition of her efforts to combat youth obesity and develop initiatives that promote fitness and wellness, especially in the teen community. –
To learn more about O2 MAX, go to www.o2maxfitness.com
