Oprah Winfrey once said, “Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.”
People join the fitness industry for various reasons, but all the women included in this feature got involved for the same reason — passion. Learn more about these peer-nominated influential women who invest not only in their companies but in their teams as well.
Jacqueline Buchanan, the director of communications and wellness experience at In-Shape Health Clubs
What is one characteristic you believe every leader should possess?
There are three things that come to mind: confident, collaborative and considerate. They are clear on intention, decisive and trusting by balancing direction with independence.
At In-Shape, there is no “me” no matter your title. It’s always a “we.” This mentality is empowering and inclusive. It reminds people that no matter what, we succeed together and we fail together. Plus, I’m a firm believer you can’t ask anyone on your team to do something you’re not willing to do yourself.
Whether in creative problem-solving or in managing a team, leaders actively listen. They know they don’t have all the answers. As part of this, they also have the courage to be vulnerable and show their appreciation for their team — the way our chief marketing officer, Kris Mulkey, does.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
For high achievers, perfection can be paralyzing. My managing director at Ogilvy once told me, “Don’t let perfect get in the way of great,” after picking up on my stress reviewing a client document for the fifth time. Always continue to push and take action, even if it isn’t perfect.
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Well, if I can’t say raising my two girls, I’d have to say my commitment to growth, embracing change and my ability to take action despite uncertainty. This came in handy with the challenges we faced during the pandemic and our collective rebuild — closing clubs, reopening clubs with strict mandates, and working with the team to create and run the California Fitness Alliance.
Now, post-pandemic, this supports the work we’ve done in our Wellness Experience Program to create and launch our in-club wellness spaces — R Studio — and educate and expose our members to wellness topics and information that will support their wellness journeys through our content, workshops and incredibly mindful approach to our brand and marketing.
Gini Grimsley, the director of fitness product for VASA Fitness
What is one characteristic you believe every leader should possess?
Communicating one’s vision effectively is key. This helps people see a path forward toward the larger goal, instead of getting caught up in the minutia of daily tasks. Providing a “why” for the work a team is doing helps get buy-in — they feel like they’re a part of something bigger than themselves.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Do things right the first time so you don’t have to do it multiple times to fix your mistakes. The easy way is not always the right way. Whether I’ve been hiring new team members, making decisions about programming or working on various other projects, my goal has always been to get things right the first time. Don’t opt for the easy route and take the chance of having to re-do the work for a second, third or fourth time.
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of making VASA’s fitness products more accessible to the average person by making them easier to understand, keeping them affordable and empowering our members to achieve lasting success in their fitness journeys. Often fitness is seen as a luxury that only a few can afford. The work I’ve done at VASA has helped — and continues to help — our communities understand fitness is not a luxury, it’s a necessity.
What advice would you give to other leaders in the industry?
Allow yourself to look outside the industry for inspiration. Too often, the fitness industry insulates itself from outside influence but great ideas can be taken from other businesses and applied to fitness to make our work more impactful. Don’t settle for doing something just because that’s the way it’s always been done. Push the boundaries and try something new.
Sarah Martinez, the fitness director of North Little Rock Athletic Club
What is one characteristic you believe every leader should possess?
Every leader should be comfortable with failure. The reality is as human beings we’re going to make mistakes. The most dangerous thing you can do as a person and a leader is to be unwilling to admit when you’re wrong. If I’m OK admitting I’ve failed, then I can turn around and correct the mistake. If I can’t admit I’m wrong, then I’ll keep barreling down the wrong path with no chance of redirecting.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Growth happens in the small moments. It’s not the big meeting or presentation where I develop or make a big change as a leader; it’s each and every small interaction I have with my team. Every day I want to show staff I care about them and live out what I say we stand for. How are they going to know how to treat our members with care and respect if they aren’t treated that way?
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
I feel most proud when I see my clients and staff step into independence — whether it’s the client who feels comfortable and confident enough to come into the gym on their own or the staff member who is working their dream job because of the skills we helped develop. When I have the opportunity to help people reach that goal or dream it’s so fulfilling.
What advice would you give to other leaders in the industry?
This is a wellness industry, and we have a responsibility for not only the physical well-being of our clients but also their mental well-being. In the past, this industry relied far too much on advertising that shamed people into working out. However, in the last decade we have learned so much about the damaging effects of that kind of marketing and programming on people’s long-term mental and physical health. Let’s continue to turn the tide together and create an industry that helps this world fall in love with movement again.
Diva Richards, the CEO and founder of Hard Work No Excuses
What is one characteristic you believe every leader should possess?
All leaders should be fearless. Being a fearless leader requires the ability to take swift and decisive action. In addition, you must have foresight and vision for where the company or organization needs to go.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
People do what they want to do. People don’t do what they don’t want to do. In entrepreneurship and leadership, nothing is more accurate. The people who want to work with and for you will always show up and show out. The ones who don’t won’t no matter how many resources, opportunities and educational opportunities they are given.
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
I never think about what I’ve accomplished because I still need to do something worthy of that title. Every move made now is part of the process and another step toward the bigger picture. I’m proud of my hustle, work ethic and how relentless I am in pursuit of goals. I won’t ever give up. Quitting is never an option.
What advice would you give to other leaders in the industry?
Stop living in the past. Fitness is constantly evolving and changing. We must change with it. There is social media fitness and then there is us. Owners and operators cultivate the spaces; engineers create the cutting-edge equipment; and programmers create and design the software and the technology. It’s essential to find a synergistic relationship with the new fitness era. They collaborate with macro- and micro-influencers, bring virtual workouts to our spaces, and keep people consumed in our fitness ecosystems.
Lastly, lead by example. Put the people first. Yes, we are in business to make money. However, remember your members and your club’s culture are why you have a business. If either of those is lacking, it makes long-term success extremely challenging.
Mel Tempest, the owner of Mel Tempest Fitness Business Solutions, and Genesis Body and Soul Australia
What led you to the fitness industry?
I joined my first gym in my mid-thirties on a Shopa Docket deal. I think it was 21 days for $21 with a girlfriend after my grandfather passed away — I’d given up my job 18 months earlier to help care for him. Prior to joining I’d only been to a gym once to try aerobics. I remember saying to a friend, “I wonder what you need to do to be an aerobics instructor?” and her reply was, “Why would you do that?” I never went again until that Shopa Docket deal.
What is one characteristic you believe every leader should possess?
For me, first and foremost is truth. Be who you say you are.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
I would have to say it came from my grandmother who raised me and that was, “Silence hurts more than words.” I have passed this on to my own children along with another quote, “Your wealth is in what you own and not what you owe.”
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
As a fitness professional, the 2022 Roll of Honour that was awarded to me by AusActive Australia. It came at a time when even I was questioning my role in our industry. To be recognized by my peers for my efforts through the darkest period our industry has lived through was incredible.
What advice would you give to other leaders in the industry?
Open the doors of opportunity for others. As leaders, it’s not our place to decide the path of others. Our role is to steer every individual toward growth and greatness. Each day somebody wakes and aspires to be like you. It’s our role to inspire them on that journey.
